公开(公告)号：US20240337952A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-10

申请号：US18372444

申请日：2023-09-25

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Itay Gdor ,  Yonatan Vaknin ,  Nireekshan K. Reddy ,  Alon Alexander Volfman ,  Iftach Galon ,  Jordan Pio ,  Yuval Lubashevsky ,  Nickolai Isakovitch ,  Andrew V. Hill ,  Oren Lahav ,  Daria Negri ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/7015

Abstract: A method may include receiving time-varying interference signals from two or more photodetectors associated with a first exposure structure and a second exposure structure in one or more cells as an overlay target is scanned in accordance with a metrology recipe, where the first exposure structure and the second exposure structure form a side-by-side grating, where the side-by-side grating includes one or more diffraction gratings, where at least one diffraction grating is a non-overlapping side-by-side grating, where the first exposure structure is arranged adjacent to the second exposure structure, where the side-by-side grating is periodic along the scan direction. The method may further include determining an overlay error between one of the first exposure structure and the second exposure structure of the sample based on the time-varying interference signals, where the time-varying interference signals corresponding to the non-overlapping first exposure structure and second exposure structure are synchronized.

公开(公告)号：US12105414B2

公开(公告)日：2024-10-01

申请号：US17923471

申请日：2022-10-06

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Itay Gdor ,  Yuval Lubashevsky ,  Daria Negri ,  Eitan Hajaj ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F1/44 ,  G03F7/00 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: G03F1/44 ,  G03F7/70633 ,  G03F7/70683 ,  H01L22/12

Abstract: A method for semiconductor metrology includes depositing first and second overlying film layers on a semiconductor substrate and patterning the layers to define an overlay target. The target includes a first grating pattern in the first layer, including at least a first linear grating oriented in a first direction and at least a second linear grating oriented in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second grating pattern in the second layer, including at least a third linear grating identical to the first linear grating and a fourth linear grating identical to the second linear grating. The second grating pattern has a nominal offset relative to the first grating pattern by first and second displacements in the first and second directions, respectively. A scatterometric image of the substrate is captured and processed to estimate an overlay error between the patterning of the first and second layers.

公开(公告)号：US20240280914A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-22

申请号：US18110746

申请日：2023-02-16

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Amnon Manassen ,  Andrew V. Hill ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G01B9/02 ,  G01B11/27

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G01B9/02043 ,  G01B9/02084 ,  G01B11/272

Abstract: An overlay metrology system may include illumination optics to split illumination from an illumination source into primary and secondary illumination and direct the primary illumination to a sample including an overlay target with gratings in two or more layers and an objective lens to collect positive and negative diffraction from the constituent gratings. The system may further include collection optics to overlap the auxiliary illumination with at least some of the collected diffraction lobes to generate time-varying interference signals. The system may further include a controller to generate overlay measurements based on the time-varying interference signals.

公开(公告)号：US20240210841A9

公开(公告)日：2024-06-27

申请号：US17675912

申请日：2022-02-18

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Yoel Feler ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Diana Shaphirov ,  Evgeni Gurevich ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F9/00 ,  G06T7/33

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G03F9/7076 ,  G06T7/33 ,  G06T2207/30148

Abstract: A metrology target may include a first rotationally symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a first pattern and a second rotationally-symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a second pattern, where at least one of the first pattern or the second pattern is a Moiré pattern formed from a first grating structure with a first pitch along a measurement direction on a first sample layer and a second grating structure with a second pitch different than the first pitch along the measurement direction on a second sample layer. Centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may overlap by design when an overlay error between the first sample layer and the second layer is zero. A difference between the centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may indicate an overlay error between the first and second sample layers.

公开(公告)号：US11841621B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-12

申请号：US17562844

申请日：2021-12-27

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Andrew V. Hill ,  Vladimir Levinski ,  Amnon Manassen ,  Yuri Paskover

IPC: G03F7/00 ,  G01B11/14 ,  G01B11/27

CPC classification number: G03F7/70633 ,  G01B11/14 ,  G01B11/272

Abstract: An overlay metrology system may scan a sample including inverted Moiré structure pairs along a scan direction, include an illumination sub-system to illuminate first and second Moiré structures of one of an inverted Moiré structure pair with common mutually coherent illumination beam distributions, and include an objective lens to capture at least +/−1 diffraction orders from sample, where a first pupil plane includes overlapping distributions of the collected light with an interference pattern associated with relative wavefront tilt. The system may also include a diffractive element in the first pupil plane, where one diffraction order associated with the first Moiré structure and one diffraction order associated with the second Moiré structure overlap at a common overlap region in a field plane, and a collection field stop located in the field plane to pass light in the common overlap region and block remaining light and remove the relative wavefront tilt.

公开(公告)号：US20230197483A1

公开(公告)日：2023-06-22

申请号：US16762107

申请日：2020-04-05

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Vladimir Levinski ,  Daria Negri ,  Amnon Manassen

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: H01L21/67259 ,  H01L22/12 ,  H01L22/26

Abstract: A method for correcting misregistration measurements of a semiconductor wafer for errors therein arising from tilt of the wafer including measuring, for at least one location on a wafer, a difference between a Tool Induced Shift (TIS) of a metrology device in a first illumination arrangement with respect to the wafer wherein a surface of the wafer is generally orthogonally illuminated by an illumination source of the metrology device and a TIS of the metrology device in a second illumination arrangement with respect to the wafer, wherein the surface is obliquely illuminated by the illumination source, and correcting a misregistration measurement measured by the metrology device at the at least one location for errors therein arising from tilt of the wafer at the location by subtracting from the misregistration measurement a weighted value of the difference between the TIS in the first and second illumination arrangements.

公开(公告)号：US20220328365A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-13

申请号：US17519512

申请日：2021-11-04

Applicant: KLA CORPORATION

Inventor： Amnon Manassen ,  Vladimir Levinski ,  Ido Dolev ,  Yoram Uziel

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L23/544

Abstract: A product includes a semiconductor substrate, with at least first and second thin-film layers disposed on the substrate and patterned to define a matrix of dies, which are separated by scribe lines and contain active areas circumscribed by the scribe lines. A plurality of overlay targets are formed in the first and second thin-film layers within each of the active areas, each overlay target having dimensions no greater than 10 μm×10 μm in a plane parallel to the substrate. The plurality of overlay targets include a first linear grating formed in the first thin-film layer and having a first grating vector, and a second linear grating formed in the second thin-film layer, in proximity to the first linear grating, and having a second grating vector parallel to the first grating vector.

公开(公告)号：US20220307824A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-29

申请号：US17254253

申请日：2020-11-05

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Roie Volkovich ,  Nachshon Rothman ,  Yossi Simon ,  Anna Golotsvan ,  Vladimir Levinski ,  Nireekshan K. Reddy ,  Amnon Manassen ,  Daria Negri ,  Yuri Paskover

IPC: G01B11/27 ,  H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A system for use with a misregistration metrology tool (MMT), the system including a database including a plurality of process variation (PV) categories and a corresponding plurality of parameter sets and a process variation accommodation engine (PVAE) including a measurement site process variation category associator (MSPVCA) operative to associate a measurement site being measured by the MMT, at least partially based on an MMT output relating to the measurement site, with a measurement site process variation category (MSPVC), the MSPVC being one of the plurality of PV categories, a measurement site parameter set retriever (MSPSR) operative to retrieve a measurement site parameter set (MSPS) corresponding to the MSPVC and a measurement site parameter set communicator (MSPSC) operative to communicate the MSPS to the MMT.

公开(公告)号：US20220171297A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-02

申请号：US17675912

申请日：2022-02-18

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Yoel Feler ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Diana Shaphirov ,  Evgeni Gurevich ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06T7/33 ,  G03F9/00

Abstract: A metrology target may include a first rotationally symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a first pattern and a second rotationally-symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a second pattern, where at least one of the first pattern or the second pattern is a Moiré pattern formed from a first grating structure with a first pitch along a measurement direction on a first sample layer and a second grating structure with a second pitch different than the first pitch along the measurement direction on a second sample layer. Centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may overlap by design when an overlay error between the first sample layer and the second layer is zero. A difference between the centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may indicate an overlay error between the first and second sample layers.

公开(公告)号：US11256177B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-22

申请号：US16743124

申请日：2020-01-15

Applicant: KLA Corporation

Inventor： Yoel Feler ,  Mark Ghinovker ,  Diana Shaphirov ,  Evgeni Gurevich ,  Vladimir Levinski

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06T7/33 ,  G03F9/00

Abstract: A metrology target may include a first rotationally symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a first pattern and a second rotationally-symmetric working zone with one or more instances of a second pattern, where at least one of the first pattern or the second pattern is a Moiré pattern formed from a first grating structure with a first pitch along a measurement direction on a first sample layer and a second grating structure with a second pitch different than the first pitch along the measurement direction on a second sample layer. Centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may overlap by design when an overlay error between the first sample layer and the second layer is zero. A difference between the centers of rotational symmetry of the first and second working zones may indicate an overlay error between the first and second sample layers.