Apparatus and method for overlay measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9835956-B2
Application number	US-201615131500-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods for overlay measurement. An exemplary overlay measurement apparatus includes an illuminating unit configured to generate illuminating light to illuminate a first overlay marker formed on a wafer to generate reflected light; and a first measuring unit configured to receive the reflected light from the first overlay marker to cause the reflected light to laterally shift and shear to generate interference light, to receive the interference light to form a first image, and to determine existence of an overlay offset and an exact value of the overlay offset, according to the first image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An overlay measurement apparatus, comprising:
an illuminating unit, configured to generate an illuminating light to illuminate a first overlay marker formed on a wafer to generate reflected light; and
a first measuring unit, configured to receive the reflected light from the first overlay marker to cause the reflected light to laterally shift and shear to generate interference light, to receive the interference light to form a first image, and to determine existence of an overlay offset and an exact value of the overlay offset, according to the first image;
a second measuring unit configured to receive reflected light formed from a second overlay marker formed on the wafer to form a second image, and to determine existence of overlay offset according to the second image;
a third measuring unit configured to receive positive and negative diffracted light formed from a third overlay marker formed on the wafer to form a third image, and to determine existence of overlay offset according to the third image;
a first optical axis;
a second optical axis perpendicular to the first optical axis;
a first imaging lens;
a first beam-splitting plate having a first surface and a second surface and disposed on the first optical axis; and
a second beam-splitting plate having a third face and a fourth face and disposed on an intersection point of the first optical axis and the second optical axis,
wherein:
an angle between the first optical axis and the first beam-splitting plate is approximately 45°;
an angle between the second beam-splitting plate and an extension line of the first beam-splitting plate is approximately 90°; and
the third surface of the second beam-splitting plate faces the second surface of the first beam-splitting plate.

2. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second measuring unit is disposed on the first optical axis at a side of the fourth surface of the second beam-splitting plate; and
a portion of the reflected light is received by the second measuring unit after passing through the first beam-splitting plate and the second beam-splitting plate.

3. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first overlay marker is a grating type of overlay marker having a first grating formed in a bottom dielectric layer and a second grating formed in a top dielectric layer,
wherein:
the bottom dielectric layer is formed on a top surface of the wafer;
the top dielectric layer is formed on the bottom dielectric layer; and
the second grating is formed on an inclined top of the first grating.

4. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
the first grating includes a plurality of parallel first grating stripes;
the second grating includes a plurality of parallel second grating stripes; and
a distribution of the plurality of first grating stripes is identical to a distribution of the plurality of second grating stripes.

5. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
a structure of the second overlay marker is different from a structure of the first overlay marker; and
a structure of the third overlay marker is different from the structure of the first overlay marker.

6. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
a structure of the second overlay marker is identical to a structure of the first overlay marker; and
the second image formed by the second measuring unit is a real image of the first grating and a real image of the second grating.

7. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the third overlay marker includes a third grating formed in a bottom dielectric layer and a fourth grating formed in a top dielectric layer,
wherein:
the bottom dielectric layer is formed on a surface of the wafer;
the top dielectric layer is formed on the bottom dielectric layer;
the third grating includes a plurality of third grating stripes;
the fourth grating includes a plurality of fourth grating stripes;
each of the plurality of fourth grating stripes is formed right on a corresponding third grating stripes; and
a width of the fourth grating stripe is smaller than a width of the third grating stripe.

8. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second imaging unit further comprising:
a second imaging lens; and
an image-based imaging unit
wherein:
the second imaging lens is disposed on the first optical axis at a side of the fourth surface of the second beam-splitting plate;
the image-based imaging unit is disposed on the first optical axis at a side of the second imaging lens far away from the second beam-splitting plate; and
the second imaging lens converges a portion of the reflected light passing through the second beam-splitting plate on the image-based imaging unit to form the second image and determine existence of an overly offset.

9. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the third measuring unit is disposed on the third optical axis at a side of the third surface of the second beam-splitting; and
a portion of the positive and negative diffracted light is received by the third measuring unit after passing through the first beam-splitting plate and being reflected by the third surface of the second beam-splitting plate.

10. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a relay lens unit disposed on the second optical axis between the third measuring unit and the second beam-splitting plate,
wherein:
the relay lens unit comprises a first relay lens and a second relay lens;
a distance between the first relay lens and the second beam-splitting plate is smaller than a distance between the second relay lens and the second beam-splitting plate; and
the first relay lens and the second relay lens share a same focus point.

11. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the third measuring unit comprises:
a third imaging lens; and
a diffraction-based imaging unit,
wherein:
the third imaging lens is disposed on the second optical axis at a side of the relay lens unit far away from the second beam-splitting plate;
the diffraction-based imaging unit is disposed on the second optical axis at a side of the third imaging lens far away from the second beam-splitting plate;
the third imaging lens converges positive and negative diffracted light passing through the relay lens unit on the diffraction-based imaging unit; and
the diffraction-based imaging unit receives a portion of the positive and negative diffracted light converged by the third imaging lens to form the third image, and determine existence of an overlay offset according to the third image.

12. The overlay measurement apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein:
the first measuring unit is disposed between the first relay lens and the third measuring unit;
the first measuring unit includes a transparent beam-splitting plate and an interferometer imaging unit;
the transparent beam-splitting plate is disposed on the second optical axis between the relay lens unit and the third measuring unit;
the transparent beam splitting unit includes a fifth surface and a sixth surface;
the fifth surface of the second beam-splitting plate faces the third surface of the second beam-splitting plate;
an angle between the transparent beam-splitting plate and an extension line of the second beam-splitting plate is approximately 90°; and
the interferometer imaging unit is disposed under the fifth surface of the transparent beam-splitting plate.

13. The overlay measurement

Assignees

• Semiconductor Mfg International (Shanghai) Corporation

Inventors

• Liu Yang
• Wu Qiang
• Yue Liwan

Classifications

• G03F7/70633 Primary

  Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching · CPC title

• G03F9/7088

  Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection · CPC title

• G01B11/272

  using photoelectric detection means · CPC title