METHOD OF DETECTING SPECIFIC DEFECT, AND SYSTEM AND PROGRAM FOR DETECTING SPECIFIC DEFECT

• US 20120176612A1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sumco Corporation
• Inventors: Funada, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,736,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/237.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10

Abstract

The present invention provides a detection method which allows specific defects that would occur on a wafer surface to be detected more reliably. A method of detecting a specific defect of the present invention includes the steps of: acquiring a light point map which is in-plane position information of a light point detected in a position corresponding to a defect on a surface of a wafer by irradiating the surface of the wafer with light (S101); specifying a determination region where a specific defect is expected to be formed and a reference region which is a given region other than the determination region in the light point map, and calculating a ratio of a light point density of the determination region to a light point density of the reference region (S102); and determining whether or not the specific defect is formed based on the calculated ratio (S103).

Claims

1. A method of detecting a specific defect, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a light point map which is in-plane position information of a light point detected in a position corresponding to a defect on a surface of a wafer by irradiating the surface of the wafer with light;

specifying a determination region where a specific defect is expected to be formed and a reference region which is a given region other than the determination region in the light point map, and calculating a ratio of a light point density of the determination region to a light point density of the reference region; and

determining whether or not the specific defect is formed based on the calculated ratio.

2. The method of detecting a specific defect according to claim 1, wherein the determination step determines that the specific defect is formed when the calculated ratio is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.

3. The method of detecting a specific defect according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein

light point maps of a plurality of wafers having the same shape are acquired in the acquisition step, and

the ratio is calculated in the calculation step using an overlap light point map obtained by overlaying the light point maps of the plurality of wafers onto one another instead of using the light point map.

4. The method of detecting a specific defect according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an overlap light point map obtained by overlaying light point maps of a plurality of wafers having the same shape onto one another is acquired in the acquisition step instead of the light point map,

the ratio is calculated in the calculation step using the overlap light point map instead of using the light point map,

5. The method of detecting a specific defect according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein

light point maps of a plurality of wafers having the same shape are acquired in the acquisition step, and

before determining whether or not a plurality of kinds of specific defects are formed, the specific defects are previously classified as a first group of specific defects on which the calculation step is performed using the light point map of a given one of the plurality of wafers, and a second group of specific defects on which the calculation step is performed using an overlap light point map obtained by overlaying the light point maps of the plurality of wafers onto one another.

10. A program allowing a computer to execute the steps of the method for detecting a specific defect, according to claims 1 or 7.

6. A system for detecting a specific defect, comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring a light point map which is in-plane position information of a light point detected in a position corresponding to a defect on a surface of a wafer by irradiating the surface of the wafer with light;

a storage unit for storing data on a determination region where a specific defect is expected to be formed and a reference region which is a given region other than the determination region in the light point map;

a calculation unit for calculating a ratio of a light point density of the determination region to a light point density of the reference region in the light point map; and

a determination unit for determining whether or not the specific defect is formed based on the calculated ratio.

7. A method of detecting a specific defect, comprising the steps of:

detecting a defect on a surface of a wafer as a light point by irradiating the surface of the wafer with light;

creating a light point map which is in-plane position information of the detected light point;

specifying a determination region where a specific defect is expected to be formed and a reference region which is a given region other than the determination region in the light point map, and calculating a ratio of a light point density of the determination region to a light point density of the reference region; and

determining whether or not the specific defect is formed based on the calculated ratio.

8. The method of detecting a specific defect according to claim 7, further comprising a step of creating an overlap light point map obtained by overlaying light point maps of a plurality of wafers having the same shape onto one another,

wherein the ratio is calculated in the calculation step using the overlap light point map instead of using the light point map.

9. A system for detecting a specific defect, comprising:

a detection unit for detecting a. defect on a surface of a wafer as a light point by irradiating the surface of the wafer with light;

an analysis unit for creating a light point map which is in-plane position information of the light point on the surface of the wafer based on output from the detection unit;

a storage unit for storing data on a determination region where. a specific defect is expected to be formed and a reference region which is a given region other than the determination region in the light point map;

a calculation unit for calculating a ratio of a light point density of the determination region to a light point density of the reference region in the light point map; and

a determination unit for determining whether or not the specific defect is formed based on the calculated ratio.