Particle beam inspector with independently-controllable beams
First Claim
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1. A multi-beam inspection system, comprising:
- one or more particle beam sources configured to generate two or more particle beams;
a set of particle control elements configured to direct the two or more particle beams to independently selectable positions on a sample through a common focusing element, wherein the set of particle control elements are further configured to direct a first particle beam of the two or more particle beams to a first portion of the sample to emulate at least one of a voltage source or a current source, wherein the set of particle control elements is configured to concurrently direct one or more additional particle beams of the two or more particle beams across one or more additional portions of the sample, wherein the one or more additional portions of the sample include at least some structures electrically connected to the first portion of the sample;
one or more detectors positioned to receive particles emanating from the sample in response to at least one of the two or more particle beams; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors, the controller including one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to;
generate one or more inspection datasets associated with the particles received by the one or more detectors, wherein at least one of the one or more inspection datasets is associated with at least one of the one or more additional portions of the sample.
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Abstract
A multi-beam inspection system includes one or more particle beam sources to generate two or more particle beams, a set of particle control elements configured to independently direct the two or more particle beams to a sample, one or more detectors positioned to receive particles emanating from the sample in response to the two or more particle beams, and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors. The controller includes one or more processors to generate two or more inspection datasets associated with the particles received by the one or more detectors.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A multi-beam inspection system, comprising:
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one or more particle beam sources configured to generate two or more particle beams; a set of particle control elements configured to direct the two or more particle beams to independently selectable positions on a sample through a common focusing element, wherein the set of particle control elements are further configured to direct a first particle beam of the two or more particle beams to a first portion of the sample to emulate at least one of a voltage source or a current source, wherein the set of particle control elements is configured to concurrently direct one or more additional particle beams of the two or more particle beams across one or more additional portions of the sample, wherein the one or more additional portions of the sample include at least some structures electrically connected to the first portion of the sample; one or more detectors positioned to receive particles emanating from the sample in response to at least one of the two or more particle beams; and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors, the controller including one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to; generate one or more inspection datasets associated with the particles received by the one or more detectors, wherein at least one of the one or more inspection datasets is associated with at least one of the one or more additional portions of the sample. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 39, 40, 41)
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15. A multi-beam inspection system, comprising:
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one or more particle beam sources configured to generate two or more particle beams including at least a first particle beam and a second particle beam; a set of particle control elements configured to direct the first particle beam and the second particle beam to independently selectable positions on a sample through a common focusing element; one or more detectors positioned to receive particles emanating from the sample in response to any of the two or more particle beams; and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors, the controller including one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to; direct the set of particle control elements to scan at least a portion of an alignment target on the sample with the first particle beam; generate, based on the particles received by the one or more detectors, a first dataset associated with the alignment target; determine one or more alignment metrics based on the first dataset; direct, subsequent to scanning the at least a portion of the alignment target, the set of particle control elements to scan at least a portion of one or more structures on the sample with at least the second particle beam, wherein positions of the one or more structures are determined based on the one or more alignment metrics; and generate, based on the particles received by the one or more detectors, a second dataset associated with the one or more structures on the sample. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for sample inspection, comprising:
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generating two or more particle beams; directing a first particle beam of the two or more particle beams to a first portion of the sample to emulate at least one of a voltage source or a current source; scanning, concurrent to directing the first particle beam, a second particle beam of the two or more particle beams across a second portion of the sample different than the first portion, wherein at least one structure in the second portion of the sample is electrically connected to the first portion of the sample; receiving particles emanating from the sample in response to the two or more particle beams; and generating, based on the received particles emanating from the sample, one or more inspection datasets associated with the received particles emanating from the sample, wherein at least one of the one or more inspection datasets is associated with the second portion of the sample and is indicative of an influence of the at least one of the voltage source or the current source emulated by the first particle beam on the second portion of the sample. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A multi-beam inspection system, comprising:
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one or more particle beam sources configured to generate two or more particle beams; a set of particle control elements configured to direct the two or more particle beams to independently selectable positions on a sample through a common focusing element, wherein the set of particle control elements are further configured to direct a first particle beam of the two or more particle beams to a first portion of the sample to emulate at least one of a voltage source or a current source, wherein the set of particle control elements are configured to concurrently scan a second particle beam of the two or more particle beams across a second portion of the sample different than the first portion, wherein at least one structure in the second portion of the sample is electrically connected to the first portion of the sample; one or more detectors positioned to receive particles emanating from the sample in response to the two or more particle beams; and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more detectors, the controller including one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute program instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to; generate one or more inspection datasets associated with the particles received by the one or more detectors, wherein an inspection dataset of the one or more inspection datasets associated with the second particle beam includes imaging data of the second portion of the sample influenced by the at least one of the voltage source or the current source emulated by the first particle beam.
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Specification