Particle detector for rough surfaces

• US 5,189,481 A
• Filed: 07/26/1991
• Issued: 02/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tencor Instruments (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tencor Instruments (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Gross, Kenneth P., Jann, Peter C., Neukermans, Armand P.
• Primary Examiner(s): McGraw, Vincent P.
• Application Number:
  US07/736,517
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 356/237, 356/445, 356/73, 250/563, 250/571, 250/572
• US Class Current: 356/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/94 Investigating contamination, e.g. dust G01N21/85 takes precedence
• 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 21/9503 Wafer edge inspection

Abstract

A surface inspection apparatus having multiple inspection stations to inspect a wafer for a number of characteristics. The wafer is placed on a chuck connected to a rack-and-pinion or equivalent system so that the wafer simultaneously rotates and translates under the fixed position of the inspection stations. A single light source may be used by all stations in turn. One station may be a particle detector with collection optics receiving a small select portion of the light scattered from the wafer surface. A second station may be a roughness detector with a collection system to direct a large portion of scattered light to a detector. A position sensitive detector may be used to determine the slope of the wafer surface at an inspection point when the wafer is not clamped to the chuck, giving a measure of surface deformation. These or other stations are positioned about either of two inspection points at which the beam from the light source may be directed. The inspection points are spaced one wafer radius apart to minimize the required wafer motion for a complete surface scan.

Claims

1. A wafer inspection apparatus comprising

a wafer chuck for supporting a wafer thereon, said wafer having a substantially planar surface to be inspected,

means connected to said wafer chuck for simultaneously rotating said chuck about a central axis of said chuck and translating said chuck along a path relative to a fixed reference position, said wafer chuck and said motion means disposed in a vacuum environment,

a light source providing a light beam,

a first surface inspection station having first means for directing said light beam to a first fixed position, such that said beam is incident upon said surface of said wafer and describes a spiral on said surface as said wafer on said chuck moves, said first surface inspection station also having first means for collecting and detecting a portion of light from said first fixed position, said first means providing a signal indicative of a first characteristic of said surface of said wafer at said first position, and

a second surface inspection station having second means for direction said light beam to a second fixed position, such that said beam is incident upon said surface of said wafer and describes a spiral on said surface as said wafer on said chuck moves, said second position being spaced apart from said first position, said second surface inspection station also having second means for collecting and detecting a portion of light from said second fixed position, said second means providing a signal indicative of a second characteristic of said surface of said wafer at said second position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second fixed positions are located on said path of said chuck.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second fixed positions are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the radius of said wafer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one said characteristic of said surface indicated by said signals is a presence of particles at one or more positions on said wafer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one said characteristic of said surface indicated by said signals is a surface roughness of said wafer.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one said characteristic of said surface indicated by said signals is a surface reflectance of said wafer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one said characteristic of said surface indicated by said signals is a deformation of said wafer from a plane.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said light beam is incident upon said surface of said wafer in an incidence plane through said central axis of said chuck.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first collecting and detecting means receives only light scattered within a cone centered on a cone axis at an angle to a plane incidence of said light beam, said signal provided by said first collecting and detecting means being indicative of the presence of particles on said surface at said first fixed position.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second collecting and detecting means receives a substantial portion of light scattered from said second fixed position, said signal provided by said second collecting and detecting means being a measure of total integrated scatter by said surface indicative of a surface roughness of said wafer at said second fixed position.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising third means for detecting light specularly reflected from one of said first and second fixed positions of said surface and for providing a signal indicative of a third characteristic of said surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said third characteristic is a surface reflectance of said wafer.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means fixed in a position for detecting specularly reflected light from said surface when said surface at a position where said light beam is incident is in a specified orientation, and means connected to said wafer chuck for orienting said wafer on said chuck at said specified orientation for each position of said chuck, said orienting means providing a signal indicative of a deformation of said surface at said beam incidence position.

14. A surface inspection apparatus comprising

means for supporting a workpiece having a surface to be inspected for the presence of particles thereon, surface roughness, and the like, said supporting means including means for simultaneously rotating and translating said workpiece in a vacuum environment,

a light source providing a light beam,

means for directing said light beam along a first light path to said workpiece on said supporting means, said light beam incident on said surface at a fixed first position such that said rotating and translating means causes said light beam to describe a spiral across said surface as said workpiece moves,

first means for collecting and deflecting light scattered from said surface at said fixed first position for each position of said workpiece relative to said light beam, said first collecting and detecting means positioned to exclude specularly reflected light and to receive scattered light within a cone centered on an axis at an angle to a plane of incidence of said light beam, said first collecting and detecting means providing a first electrical signal indicative of the presence of particles on said surface,

means for directing said light beam along a second light path to said workpiece on said supporting means, said light beam incident on said surface at a fixed second position such that said rotating and translating means causes said light beam to describe a spiral across said surface as said workpiece moves, said second position being separated from said first position by substantially one radius of said workpiece, and

second means for collecting and detecting light scattered from said surface at said fixed second position while rejecting specularly reflected light for each position of said workpiece, relative to said light beam, said second collecting and detecting means positioned to receive a substantial portion of said scattered light, said second collecting and detecting means providing a second electrical signal indicative of the surface roughness of said workpiece.