Probe current imaging

• US 20050184236A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DCG Systems Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zyvex Corporation
• Inventors: Stallcup, Richard E. II, Baur, Christof
• Granted Patent: US 7,285,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/311
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/28 Preparing specimens for investigation including physical details of (bio-)chemical methods covered elsewhere, e.g. G01N33/50, C12Qmounting specimens on microscopic slides G02B21/34; means for supporting the objects or the materials to be analysed in electron microscopes H01J37/20 ; laboratory gas handling apparatus B01L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/32 Polishing; Etching
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/307 of integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/20 Positioning, supporting, modifying or maintaining the physical state of objects being observed or treated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2008 specially adapted for studying electrical or magnetical properties of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/206 Modifying objects while observing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24592 Inspection and quality control of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2594 Measuring electric fields or potentials
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/28 Scanning microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2817 Pattern inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31745 for preparing specimen to be viewed in microscopes or analyzed in microanalysers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3056 for microworking, e.g. etching of gratings, trimming of electrical components trimming of resistors H01C17/22

Abstract

A method including directing a first electrical signal to at least one of a plurality of probes each positioned within a chamber of a charged particle beam device. At least one of the plurality of probes is exposed to a charged particle beam of the charged particle beam device, and a second electrical signal is compared to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

exposing one of a first probe and a second probe to a charged particle beam (CPB) of a charged particle beam device (CPBD); and

examining a current in at least one of the first and second probes, wherein the current is indicative of which of the first and second probes is exposed to the CPB.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying an image of at least one of:

a device-under-test (DUT) when positioned within a chamber of the CPBD;

the first probe when positioned within the CPBD chamber; and

the second probe when positioned within the CPBD chamber.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining user input regarding desired manipulation of one of the first and second probes.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving information via at least partial automation, wherein the information regards at least partially automated manipulation of one of the first and second probes.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining information regarding manipulation of one of the first and second probes; and

generating a scan via at least partial automation, wherein the scan approximates a relocation path associated with the manipulation of the one of the first and second probes.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising moving the one of the first and second probes substantially along the relocation path towards a target location included in the information.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining positioning error based on current induced by the CPB in the exposed one of the first and second probes.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining a correctional drive signal based on the positioning error.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining information regarding manipulation of one of the first and second probes; and

generating a scan approximating a relocation path associated with the manipulation of the one of the first and second probes;

moving the one of the first and second probes substantially along the relocation path towards a target location included in the information;

determining positioning error based on the examined current;

determining a correctional drive signal based on the positioning error;

repeating iteratively the current examination, the positioning error determination, the correction drive signal determination, and moving the one of the first and second probes based substantially on the correctional drive signal, sequentially, until the determined positioning error falls within a predetermined acceptance criteria.

10. A method, comprising:

directing a first electrical signal to at least one of a plurality of probes each positioned within a chamber of a charged particle beam device (CPBD);

exposing at least one of the plurality of probes to a charged particle beam (CPB) of the CPBD; and

comparing a second electrical signal to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

directing the first electrical signal to at least one of the plurality of probes is directing each of a plurality of first electrical currents to a corresponding one of the plurality of probes;

exposing at least one of the plurality of probes to the CPB is exposing a selected one of the plurality of probes to the CPB;

the second electrical signal is a plurality of second electrical currents each measured from a corresponding one of the plurality of probes; and

comparing the second electrical signal to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes is examining the plurality of second electrical currents to determine which of the plurality of probes is the selected one of the plurality of probes exposed to the CPB.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying an image of at least the selected one of the plurality of probes.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

obtaining information regarding manipulation of the selected one of the plurality of probes;

generating a scan approximating a relocation path associated with the manipulation of the selected one of the plurality of probes; and

moving the selected one of the plurality of probes substantially along the relocation path towards a target location included in the information.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising at least one of preparing, conditioning and characterizing the at least one of the plurality of probes within the CPBD chamber.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein:

directing a first electrical signal to at least one of the plurality of probes is directing a generated signal to a selected one of the plurality of probes;

exposing at least one of the plurality of probes to the CPB is exposing each of the plurality of probes to the CPB;

comparing the second electrical signal to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes is comparing the generated signal to an image signal created by the CPBD to identify the selected one of the plurality of probes to which the generated signal is directed based on a unique representation of the selected one of the plurality of probes relative to representations of other ones of the plurality of probes in the image signal.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the image signal further represents a device-under-test (DUT) positioned within the CPBD chamber.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising selecting the selected one of the plurality of probes to which the generated signal is directed.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

examining at least one of a shift and motion of an image signal associated with the CPBD; and

determining at least one of a status and a change in status of an electrical characteristic of at least one of an environment of the CPBD chamber, a sample located with the CPBD chamber, and one of the plurality of probes located within the CPBD chamber, wherein the determining is based on the at least one of the image shift and motion.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

means for directing a first electrical signal to at least one of a plurality of probes each positioned within a chamber of a charged particle beam device (CPBD);

means for exposing at least one of the plurality of probes to a charged particle beam (CPB) of the CPBD; and

means for comparing a second electrical signal to the first electrical signal to determine a characteristic associated with the at least one of the plurality of probes.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising the CPBD.