Creating defect samples for array regions

• US 10,620,134 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2018
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Anantha, Vidyasagar, Mariyappan, Manikandan, Babulnath, Raghav, Sivaraman, Gangadharan, Kurada, Satya, Jayaraman, Thirupurasundari, Uppaluri, Prasanti, Kandukuri, Srikanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nixon, Omar H
• Application Number:
  US16/046,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20190346375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 3562375
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8806 Specially adapted optical and illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/413 sensor array [CCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/422 windows within the image
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/6116 semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/646 flaws, defects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/2251 using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/12 for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions electrical measurement of diffusions H01L22/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

Methods and systems for creating a sample of defects for a specimen are provided. One method includes detecting defects on a specimen based on output generated by a detector of an output acquisition subsystem. For the defects detected in an array region on the specimen, where the array region includes multiple array cell types, the method includes stacking information for the defects based on the multiple array cell types. The stacking includes overlaying design information for only a first of the multiple array cell types with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types. In addition, the method includes selecting a portion of the detected defects based on results of the stacking thereby creating a sample of the detected defects.

Claims

1. A system configured to create a sample of defects detected on a specimen, comprising:

an output acquisition subsystem comprising at least an energy source and a detector, wherein the energy source is configured to generate energy that is directed to a specimen, and wherein the detector is configured to detect energy from the specimen and to generate output responsive to the detected energy; and

one or more computer subsystems configured for;

detecting defects on the specimen based on the output generated by the detector to thereby generate a set of detected defects;

for the defects detected in an array region on the specimen, wherein the array region includes multiple array cell types, stacking information for the defects based on the multiple array cell types, wherein the stacking comprises overlaying design information for only a first of the multiple array cell types with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types, and wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types comprises positions of the defects within the first of the multiple array cell types;

selecting a portion of the detected defects based on results of the stacking thereby creating a sample of the detected defects; and

generating defect sample results based on the selected portion of the detected defects and the information for the selected portion of the detected defects.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the design information overlaid with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types in the stacking comprises a graphical representation of the patterned features in the first of the multiple array cell types.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the stacking further comprises overlaying design information for one or more other of the multiple array cell types with the information for only the defects detected in the one or more other of the multiple array cell types, respectively.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured for displaying the results of the stacking and options for biasing the sample for the multiple array cell types to a user and receiving the options selected for the biasing from the user, wherein the one or more computer subsystems are further configured for selecting the portion of the detected defects based on the received options.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the results of the stacking comprise results of the stacking performed separately for the first and at least one other of the multiple array cell types and densities of the detected defects in the multiple array cell types, and wherein the options displayed by the user interface for the biasing comprise options for biasing the sample based on the densities of the detected defects.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the results of the stacking comprise results of the stacking performed separately for the first and at least one other of the multiple array cell types, and wherein the options displayed by the user interface for the biasing comprise options for biasing the sample based on the multiple array cell types.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the results of the stacking comprise results of the stacking performed separately for the first and at least one other of the multiple array cell types, and wherein the user interface is further configured for displaying additional options for the user to select which of the results of the stacking performed separately are displayed in the user interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the array region comprises a static random access memory array region of a device being formed with the specimen.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer subsystems are further configured for:

for the defects detected in a logic region on the specimen, wherein the logic region includes multiple repeating structure types, further stacking information for the defects based on the multiple repeating structure types, wherein the further stacking comprises overlaying design information for only a first of the multiple repeating structure types with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple repeating structure types, and wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple repeating structure types comprises positions of the defects within the first of the multiple repeating structure types;

selecting another portion of the detected defects based on result;

of the further stacking; and

creating another sample of the detected defects comprising information for only the selected other portion of the detected defects.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the design information for only the first of the multiple array cell types is generated from design data for the specimen.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computer subsystems are further configured for identifying the multiple array cell types based on design data for the specimen and without input from a user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types comprises the information for only the defects detected in more than one instance of the first of the multiple array cell types in the array region on the specimen.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the array region for which the stacking is performed comprises only one instance of the array region formed on the specimen.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types comprises the information for only the defects detected in more than one instance of the first of the multiple array cell types in more than one instance of the array region on the specimen.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the specimen comprises a waft.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the output acquisition subsystem is further configured as an inspection subsystem.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy directed to the specimen comprises light, and wherein the energy detected from the specimen comprises light.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy directed to the specimen comprises light generated by a broadband plasma light source.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy directed to the specimen comprises electrons, and wherein the energy detected from the specimen comprises electrons.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing program instructions executable on a computer system for performing a computer-implemented method for creating a sample of defects detected on a specimen, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

detecting defects on a specimen based on output generated by a detector of an output acquisition subsystem, wherein the output acquisition subsystem comprises at least an energy source and the detector, wherein the energy source is configured to generate energy that is directed to the specimen, and wherein the detector is configured to detect energy from the specimen and to generate the output responsive to the detected energy;

for the defects detected in an array region on the specimen, wherein the array region includes multiple array cell types, stacking information for the defects based on the multiple array cell types, wherein the stacking comprises overlaying design information for only a first of the multiple array cell types with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types, and wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types comprises positions of the defects within the first of the multiple array cell types;

selecting a portion of the detected defects based on results of the stacking thereby creating a sample of the detected defects; and

generating defect sample results based on the selected portion of the detected defects and the information for the selected portion of the detected defects.

21. A computer-implemented method for creating a sample of defects detected on a specimen, comprising:

detecting defects on a specimen based on output generated by a detector of an output acquisition subsystem, wherein the output acquisition subsystem comprises at least an energy source and the detector, wherein the energy source is configured to generate energy that is directed to the specimen, and wherein the detector is configured to detect energy from the specimen and to generate the output responsive to the detected energy;

for the defects detected in an array region on the specimen, wherein the array region includes multiple array cell types, stacking information for the defects based on the multiple array cell types, wherein the stacking comprises overlaying design information for only a first of the multiple array cell types with the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types, and wherein the information for only the defects detected in the first of the multiple array cell types comprises positions of the defects within the first of the multiple array cell types;

selecting a portion of the detected defects based on results of the stacking thereby creating a sample of the detected defects; and

generating defect sample results based on the selected portion of the detected defects and the information for the selected portion of the detected defects, wherein steps of the method are performed by one or more computer subsystems coupled to the output acquisition subsystem.