System for electrical measurements of objects in a vacuumed environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958501-B1
Application number	US-201615060245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 4, 2015
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A system for electrically testing an object, the system may include a scanning electron microscope that comprises a column; and nano-probe modules that are mechanically connected to the column; wherein the column is configured to illuminate areas of the object, with a beam of charged particles; wherein nano-probes of the nano-probe modules are configured to electrically contact elements of the object, during electrical tests of the object, wherein the elements of the object are located within the areas of the object.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for electrically testing an object, the system comprising:
a vacuum chamber;
an object support configured to support and move an object within the vacuum chamber during an electrical testing operation;
a scanning electron microscope that comprises a column configured to illuminate areas of the object with a beam of charged particles while the object is positioned on the object support during an electrical testing operation, the column including one or more stabilizing elements;
a plurality of nano-probe modules mechanically connected to and positioned in a concentric arrangement with the column within the chamber, the plurality of nano-probe modules comprising a plurality of nano-probes that are configured to electrically contact elements of the object during the electrical testing operation and a plurality of nano-probe motors configured to move the nano-probes in relation to the column; and
a shield positioned between the plurality of nano-probe motors and the object support and having an aperture aligned with the column through which the nano-probes may contact the object, wherein the shield is configured to reduce contamination as a result of operation of the nano-probe motors.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the nano-probes of the nano-probe modules are located within a field of view of the column when positioned in an object-contacting positions.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the shield is an electro-static shield that is configured to attract contaminants generated by the nano-probe motors.

4. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a nano-probes calibration target; wherein the system is configured to utilize the nano-probes calibration target for determining reference nano-probes position parameters that once used cause the nano-probes to be positioned at desired positions.

5. The system according to claim 4 that is configured to use the reference nano-probes position parameters when electrically testing at least one element of the object.

6. The system according to claim 4 that is configured to use the reference nano-probes position parameters to concurrently contact multiple test points of an element of the object.

7. The system according to claim 4 that is configured to use the reference nano-probes position parameters to position a plurality of nano-probes at a same height.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the nano-probe modules are mechanically connected to the column in a detachable manner; and wherein the system further comprises a nano-probe module replacement module that is configured to detach the nano-probe modules from the column and replace the nano-probe modules by a new set of nano-probe modules.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the nano-probe module replacement module is configured to detach the nano-probe modules from the column and replace the nano-probe modules by the new set of nano-probe modules without opening the vacuum chamber.

10. The system according to claim 8 comprising an internal transfer unit that is configured to receive, outside the vacuum chamber, the new set of nano-probe module and inset the new set of nano-probe modules into the vacuum chamber.

11. The system according to claim 1 wherein the scanning electron microscope is configured to navigate the column towards the areas that comprises the elements using computer aided design information of the object.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein the scanning electron microscope is configured to navigate the column towards the areas that comprise the elements using coordinates of the elements.

13. A system for electrically testing an object, the system comprising:
a vacuum chamber;
a object support configured to support a object within the vacuum chamber and move the object in a plurality of dimensions;
a scanning electron microscope that comprises a fixed and stable column configured to illuminate areas of the object with a beam of charged particles during an imaging process;
a plurality of detachable nano-probe modules arranged concentric with the column, wherein each nano-probe module is detachably connected to the column and includes a nano-probe motor and a nano-probe configured to electrically contact elements of the object during electrical tests of the object; and
a shield positioned between the nano-probe motors and the object support and having an aperture aligned with the column through which the nano-probes may contact the object, wherein the shield is configured to reduce contamination as a result of operation of the nano-probe motors.

14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the shield is an electro-static shield that is configured to attract contaminants generated by the nano-probe motors.

15. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a nano-probe module replacement module configured to detach the nano-probe modules from the column and replace the nano-probe modules by a new set of nano-probe modules.

16. The system according to claim 8 wherein the nano-probe module replacement module is configured to detach the plurality of detachable nano-probe modules from the column and replace the plurality of detachable nano-probe modules by a new set of nano-probe modules without opening the vacuum chamber.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Israel Ltd
• Applieed Mat Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Wachs Amir
• Litman Alon
• Vinnitsky Efim

Classifications

• G01R31/305 Primary

  using electron beams {(investigating or analysing materials by measuring photoelectric effect G01N23/227)} · CPC title

• G01R1/07

  Non contact-making probes · CPC title

• G01R1/18

  Screening arrangements against electric or magnetic fields, e.g. against earth's field · CPC title

• G01Q30/02 Primary

  Non-SPM analysing devices, e.g. SEM [Scanning Electron Microscope], spectrometer or optical microscope · CPC title

• G01Q70/06

  Probe tip arrays · CPC title