Apparatus and methods for combined brightfield, darkfield, and photothermal inspection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9772297-B2
Application number	US-201514618586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 12, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for detecting defects or reviewing defects in a semiconductor sample. The system has a brightfield (BF) module for directing a BF illumination beam onto a sample and detecting an output beam reflected from the sample in response to the BF illumination beam. The system has a modulated optical reflectance (MOR) module for directing a pump and probe beam to the sample and detecting a MOR output beam from the probe spot in response to the pump beam and the probe beam. The system includes a processor for analyzing the BF output beam from a plurality of BF spots to detect defects on a surface or near the surface of the sample and analyzing the MOR output beam from a plurality of probe spots to detect defects that are below the surface of the sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for detecting defects or reviewing defects in a semiconductor sample, the system comprising:
a brightfield (BF) module for directing a BF illumination beam on a BF spot on a sample and detecting an output beam reflected from the BF spot on the sample in response to the BF illumination beam being directed on the BF spot;
a darkfield (DF) module for directing a DF illumination beam on a DF spot on the sample and detecting an output beam scattered from the DF spot on the sample in response to the DF illumination beam being directed on the DF spot;
a modulated optical reflectance (MOR) module for directing a pump beam to a pump spot on the sample, directing a probe beam to a probe spot on the sample, and detecting a MOR output beam from the probe spot in response to the pump beam and the probe beam, wherein the probe spot is coincident with the pump spot:
a processor that is operable to perform or cause the following operations:
causing the BF module to scan the BF illumination beam on a plurality of BF spots on the sample and detect an output beam from the plurality of BF spots;
causing the BF and DF illumination beam to scan the sample prior to scanning the pump and probe beam;
analyzing the BF output beam from the plurality of BF spots to detect one or more defects on a surface or near the surface of the sample;
determining one or more target locations for scanning the pump and probe beam based on analyzing the BF and DF output beam after the entire sample or a portion of the sample is scanned by the BF and DF illumination beam, and
causing the MOR module to scan the pump and probe beam on a plurality of pump and probe spots, respectively, and to detect a MOR output beam from the plurality of probe spots;
analyzing the MOR output beam from the plurality of probe spots to detect one or more defects that are below the surface of the sample.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BF and DF module share a light source for generating the BF and DF illumination beam.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BF module has a BF light source for generating the BF illumination beam and the DF module has a DF light source for generating the DF illumination beam.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the MOR module comprises:
a pump laser source for generating the pump beam at a wavelength range between about 400 and 600 nm;
a modulator for configuring the pump laser source to modulate the pump beam;
a probe continuous wave (CW) laser source for generating the probe beam at a wavelength range between about 600 and 800 nm;
illumination optics for directing the pump beam and probe beam towards the sample;
collection optics for directing the MOR output beam towards a photothermal detector; and
the photothermal detector for detecting the MOR output beam and generating an output signal that is filtered to isolate changes that are synchronous with modulation of the pump beam.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the BF module comprises:
a BF light source for generating the RE illumination beam;
illumination optics for directing the BF illumination beam towards the sample;
collection optics for directing the BF output beam towards a BF detector; and
the BF detector for detecting the BF output beam.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the illumination optics of the BF module share one or more components with the illumination optics of the MOR module, wherein the collection optics of the BF module share one or more components with the collection optics of the MOR module.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BF module and the MOR module share an objective.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more detects that are below the surface include one or more voids.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more defects that are below the surface include changes in density of a material or changes in a sidewall angle.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more defects that are below the surface are present within one or more through-silicon via (TSV) structure.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an autofocus module for directing an autofocus beam towards the sample and detecting a reflected beam from the sample in response to the autofocus beam, and adjusting a focus of the system, wherein the BF module, the MOR module, and the autofocus module share an objective.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the BF illumination beam, pump, and probe beam to scan simultaneously.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BF module and MOR module share a same detector for detecting the BF output beam and the MOR output beam.

Assignees

• Kla Tencor Corp

Inventors

• Nicolaides Lena
• Mahadevan Mohan
• Salnik Alex
• Young Scott A

Classifications

• G01N2201/06113

  Coherent sources; lasers · CPC title

• G01N2021/8825

  Separate detection of dark field and bright field · CPC title

• G01N21/1717

  with a modulation of one or more physical properties of the sample during the optical investigation, e.g. electro-reflectance · CPC title

• G01N21/9505 Primary

  Wafer internal defects, e.g. microcracks · CPC title

• G01N21/9501

  Semiconductor wafers (manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H10P74/20) · CPC title