SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCANNING AN OBJECT

• US 20160276127A1
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Israel Limited (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Israel Limited (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gronau, Yuval, Schleyen, Ran, Greenberg, Ofir, Schwarzband, Ishai, Sender, Benzion, Shemesh, Dror
• Granted Patent: US 9,490,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/221 Image processing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/24592 Inspection and quality control of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2803 characterised by the imaging method
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/222 Image processing arrangements associated with the tube image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/265 Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/28 with scanning beams H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence

Abstract

A system for scanning an object, the system may include (a) charged particles optics that is configured to: scan, with a charged particle beam and at a first scan rate, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object; detect first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI; scan, with the charged particle beam and at a second scan rate, a second ROI of the area of the object; wherein the second scan rate is lower than the first scan rate; wherein first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter; detect second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROA; and (b) a processor that is configured to generate at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles.

Claims

1. A system for scanning an object, the system comprises:

charged particles optics configured to;

scan, with a charged particle beam, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object at a first scan rate;

detect first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI;

scan, with the charged particle beam, a second ROI of the area of the object at a second scan rate lower than the first scan rate, wherein the first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter; and

detect second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROA; and

a processor that is configured to generate at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is an electron yield, and an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is an expected electron yield, and an expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is a signal to noise ratio, and a signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is a distance from a center of the area, and the second ROI is closer to a center of the area than the first ROI.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter is a priority, and a priority of the second ROI is higher than a priority of the first ROI.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the charged particles optics is configured to:

perform an initial scanning of the area of the object at an initial scan rate, detect initial particles that were generated as a result of the initial scanning of the area, and generate at least one initial image of the area in response to the initial particles; and

wherein the processor is configured to process the at least one initial image to detect the first and second ROI.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein:

the processor is configured to define a first segment and a second segment that belong to the area, the first segment comprising the first ROI and the second segment comprising the second ROI;

a scanning of the first ROI at the first scan rate is included in a scanning of the first segment; and

a scanning of the second ROI at the second scan rate is included in a scanning of the second segment.

9. The system according to claim 7 wherein the initial scan rate is higher than the second scan rate.

10. A method for imaging an object, the method comprising:

scanning, with a charged particle beam, a first region of interest (ROI) of an area of the object at a first scan rate;

detecting first particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the first ROI;

scanning with the charged particle beam, a second ROI of the area of the object at a second scan rate lower than the first scan rate, wherein the first ROI differs from the second ROI by at least one parameter;

detecting second particles that were generated as a result of the scanning of the second ROA; and

generating at least one image of the area in response to the first and second particles.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the parameter is an electron yield and an electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the parameter is an expected electron yield and an expected electron yield of the second ROI is lower than an electron yield of the first ROI.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the parameter is a signal to noise ratio and a signal to noise ratio of the second ROI is lower than a signal to noise ratio of the first ROI.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein the parameter is a distance from a center of the area and the second ROI is closer to a center of the area than the first ROI.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the parameter is a priority and a priority of the second ROI is higher than a priority of the first ROI.