Process variability aware adaptive inspection and metrology
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing one or more patterns onto a substrate, the defect prediction method comprising:
- determining values of one or more processing parameters under which the one or more patterns are processed;
determining or predicting, by a hardware computer system using the values of the one or more processing parameters, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, and/or a combination selected from the foregoing, of a defect resulting from production of the one or more patterns with the device manufacturing process; and
generating electronic data representing one or more sub-areas of a surface of the substrate for inspection by a physical inspection apparatus, the one or more sub-areas enclose the one or more patterns for which the determined or predicted existence, probability of existence, characteristic, and/or combination selected from the foregoing, meets one or more criteria and enclose one or more other patterns not identified as prone to produce a defect.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing one or more patterns onto a substrate, the method including: determining values of one or more processing parameters under which the one or more patterns are processed; and determining or predicting, using the values of the one or more processing parameters, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, and/or a combination selected from the foregoing, of a defect resulting from production of the one or more patterns with the device manufacturing process.
37 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing one or more patterns onto a substrate, the defect prediction method comprising:
-
determining values of one or more processing parameters under which the one or more patterns are processed; determining or predicting, by a hardware computer system using the values of the one or more processing parameters, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, and/or a combination selected from the foregoing, of a defect resulting from production of the one or more patterns with the device manufacturing process; and generating electronic data representing one or more sub-areas of a surface of the substrate for inspection by a physical inspection apparatus, the one or more sub-areas enclose the one or more patterns for which the determined or predicted existence, probability of existence, characteristic, and/or combination selected from the foregoing, meets one or more criteria and enclose one or more other patterns not identified as prone to produce a defect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A device for selecting areas to be inspected on a substrate,
the device configured to obtain values of one or more processing parameters under which one or more patterns are processed onto an area of the substrate; - and
the device configured to select a sub-area of a surface of the substrate for inspection by a physical inspection apparatus, responsive to an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, and/or a combination selected from the foregoing, of a defect in the area resulting from production of the one or more patterns, meets one or more criteria and generate electronic data representing the sub-area, for use by an apparatus to enable the inspection, wherein the existence, probability of existence, characteristic, and/or combination selected from the foregoing, is determined or predicted using the values of the one or more processing parameters, and wherein the sub-area for inspection includes a pattern prone to produce a defect and a pattern not identified as prone to produce a defect. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
- and
-
18. A method for a device manufacturing process involving processing one or more patterns onto a substrate, the method comprising:
-
determining values across the substrate of one or more processing parameters of the device manufacturing process under which one or more patterns are processed onto the substrate; identifying one or more sub-areas of a surface of the substrate for inspection by a physical inspection apparatus, by a hardware computer system utilizing the values of the one or more processing parameters, as having, or having increased probability of existence of, a defect resulting from production with the device manufacturing process, wherein the one or more sub-areas for inspection includes a pattern prone to produce a defect and a pattern not identified as prone to produce a defect; and generating electronic data representing the one or more sub-areas, for use by an apparatus to enable the inspection. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
Specification