METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING INFORMATION TO BE USED FOR SELECTING VALUES FOR ONE OR MORE PARAMETERS OF A DETECTION ALGORITHM

• US 20090299681A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Tummala, Suryanarayana, Chen, Chien-Huei (Adam), Lin, Jason Z., Chen, Hong, Balakrishnan, Subramanian, Kowalski, Michal, Becker, Barry, Van Riet, Michael J., Maher, Chris, Chen, Stephanie
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/123
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8822 Dark field detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8854 Grading and classifying of flaws
• 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 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating information to be used for selecting values for parameter(s) of a detection algorithm are provided. One method includes without user intervention performing a scan of an area of a wafer using an inspection system and default values for parameter(s) of a detection algorithm to detect defects on the wafer. The method also includes selecting a portion of the defects from results of the scan based on a predetermined maximum number of total defects to be used for selecting values for the parameter(s) of the detection algorithm. The method further includes storing information, which includes values for the parameter(s) of the detection algorithm determined for the defects in the portion. The information can be used to select the values for the parameter(s) of the detection algorithm to be used for the inspection recipe without performing an additional scan of the wafer subsequent to the scan.

Claims

1. A method for generating information to be used for selecting values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm, comprising:

performing a scan of an area of a wafer using an inspection system and default values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm to detect defects on the wafer, wherein the area of the wafer comprises an entire area of the wafer that will be scanned using an inspection recipe, and wherein the scan is performed without user intervention;

selecting a portion of the defects from results of the scan based on a predetermined maximum number of total defects to be used for selecting values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm; and

storing information for the portion of the defects, wherein the information comprises values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm determined for the defects in the portion, and wherein the information can be used to select the values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm to be used for the inspection recipe without performing an additional scan of the wafer subsequent to the scan.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to performing the scan, performing an initial scan of the wafer using the inspection system and default values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm and determining one or more parameters of said selecting based on results of the initial scan, wherein the initial scan and said determining are performed without user intervention.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to performing the scan, performing an initial scan of the wafer using the inspection system and default values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm and determining one or more parameters of said selecting based on results of the initial scan, wherein the initial scan and the scan are performed sequentially without input from a user between the initial scan and the scan.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a multi-dimensional histogram for values for two or more of the parameters of the detection algorithm determined for defects detected during an initial scan performed prior to performing the scan and determining one or more parameters to be used for said selecting based on the multi-dimensional histogram, total number of the defects detected by the initial scan, the predetermined maximum number of the total defects to be used for selecting the values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm, the entire area of the wafer that will be scanned using the inspection recipe, and an area of the wafer scanned during the initial scan.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the values for the two or more of the parameters of the detection algorithm determined for the defects detected during the initial scan comprise values for threshold offset and median reference intensity, and wherein information about the defects detected during the initial scan other than the multi-dimensional histogram and the total number of the defects detected by the initial scan is not saved.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the scan without the user intervention comprises performing the scan without input from a user for the default values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm and without input from the user for any other one or more parameters of the inspection recipe.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the default values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm used for the scan comprise a default value for a threshold applied to output generated by the scan to detect the defects on the wafer, and wherein the default value for the threshold is at or below a noise floor of the output generated by the scan.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the portion of the defects comprises selecting the defects having larger values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm than other defects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the portion of the defects comprises selecting the same number of defects for a substantial portion of bins in a multi-dimensional histogram for the values for two or more of the parameters of the detection algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm comprise frames, segments, and regions, and wherein the predetermined maximum number of total defects comprises only one defect per frame per segment per region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the values for the one or more parameters that can be selected without requiring the additional scan of the wafer comprise values for segment breaks.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the values for the one or more parameters that can be selected without requiring the additional scan of the wafer comprise values for segment breaks and values for thresholds for segments, and wherein the values for the segment breaks and the thresholds can be selected simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm determined for the defects comprise triggered threshold offset and median intensity value.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a multi-dimensional histogram for the values for two or more of the parameters of the detection algorithm determined for defects in the portion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises patch images for the defects in the portion acquired by the inspection system during the scan.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the information can be used to select the values for all parameters of the detection algorithm without performing the additional scan of the wafer subsequent to the scan.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the inspection recipe comprises an inspection recipe for bright field inspection of the wafer.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the inspection recipe comprises an inspection recipe for dark field inspection of the wafer.

19. A computer-readable medium, comprising program instructions executable on a computer system for performing a method for generating information to be used for selecting values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm, wherein the method comprises:

performing a scan of an area of a wafer using an inspection system and default values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm to detect defects on the wafer, wherein the area of the wafer comprises an entire area of the wafer that will be scanned using an inspection recipe, and wherein the scan is performed without user intervention;

selecting a portion of the defects from results of the scan based on a predetermined maximum number of total defects to be used for selecting values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm; and

storing information for the portion of the defects, wherein the information comprises values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm determined for the defects in the portion, and wherein the information can be used to select the values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm to be used for the inspection recipe without performing an additional scan of the wafer subsequent to the scan.

20. A system configured to generate information to be used for selecting values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm, comprising:

an inspection system configured to perform a scan of an area of a wafer using default values for one or more parameters of a detection algorithm to detect defects on the wafer, wherein the area of the wafer comprises an entire area of the wafer that will be scanned using an inspection recipe, and wherein the scan is performed without user intervention; and

a computer system configured to;

select a portion of the defects from results of the scan based on a predetermined maximum number of total defects to be used for selecting values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm; and

store information for the portion of the defects wherein the information comprises values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm determined for the defects in the portion, and wherein the information can be used to select the values for the one or more parameters of the detection algorithm to be used for the inspection recipe without performing an additional scan of the wafer subsequent to the scan.