Method for checking wafers having a lacquer layer for faults

• US 5,825,499 A
• Filed: 10/25/1996
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Biedermann, Ernst
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERLINO, AMANDA H
• Application Number:
  US08/740,253
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 356/394, 356/237, 356/239, 382/147, 382/149, 250/559.08, 250/559.46
• US Class Current: 356/394
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8806 Specially adapted optical and illumination features
• 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 21/9506 Optical discs
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2656 using non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/12 for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions electrical measurement of diffusions H01L22/14

Abstract

A wafer with a lacquer layer applied to it is checked automatically by lighting the wafer directly, so that the lacquer layer reflects the light. Resultant reflectance values of the reflected light are ascertained and buffer-stored and compared with corresponding values for a comparison wafer. It is ascertained whether the wafer is OK or defective from the result of the comparison in accordance with at least one predetermined judgment criterion.

Claims

1. A method for automatically checking wafers having a lacquer layer, which comprises:

a) directly illuminating a wafer having a lacquer layer reflecting light;

b) ascertaining a reflectance value of the reflected light by pixels simultaneously for a plurality of points on a surface of the wafer with a picture-taking device disposed at a given angle above the wafer for detecting pictures to be taken by pixels, and buffer-storing the reflectance value with an evaluation device connected to the picture-taking device;

c) comparing the ascertained and buffer-stored reflectance values with reflectance comparison values of a comparison wafer;

d) ascertaining whether the wafer is OK or defective from a result of the comparison between the ascertained and buffer-stored reflectance values and the comparison values, in accordance with at least two predetermined judgment criteria, including;

determining a first judgment criterion as a predetermined minimum amount of agreement between particular ascertained, buffer-stored reflectance values and the comparison values associated with them; and

determining a second judgment criterion as follows;

ascertaining a location of points on the wafer having pixels exceeding the first judgment criterion, in the event that the first judgment criterion shows that the wafer is defective;

ascertaining which of the points form coherent regions on the wafer from the location of the points; and

determining that the wafer is OK in the event that the number of the coherent regions is below a predetermined maximum amount; and

e) separating the wafer having been found defective from wafers having been found defect-free, if a plurality of wafers are being checked.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the given angle is a first angle and the method further comprises:

indirectly lighting the wafer;

placing the picture-taking device at a second angle, differing from the first angle, relative to the surface of the wafer; and

carrying out steps b) through e).

3. The method according to claim 2, which comprises checking with indirect lighting and with the picture-taking device disposed at the second angle, only those disks having been found OK in the checking with direct lighting and with the picture-taking device disposed at the first angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises basing the comparison values on a given alignment of a comparison wafer used in ascertaining the comparison values, and aligning the wafer to be checked in accordance with the given alignment.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises basing the comparison values on a given alignment of a comparison wafer used in ascertaining the comparison values, and compensating for a different alignment of the wafer to be checked by a corresponding coordinate transformation of the pixels having reflectance values to be picked up.

6. The method according to claim 1, which comprises determining a further second judgment criterion as follows:

ascertaining a location of points on the wafer having pixels exceeding the first judgment criterion, in the event that the first judgment criterion shows that the wafer is defective;

ascertaining which of the points form the coherent regions on the wafer from the location of the points; and

determining that the wafer is OK, in the event that a size of the coherent regions is below a predetermined maximum amount.

7. The method according to claim 6, which comprises determining a third judgment criterion as follows:

judging a wafer found to be OK in accordance with one of the two second judgment criteria as defective overall, if a total surface area occupied by the coherent regions on the wafer of the total number of the coherent regions exceeds a predetermined proportion of a total area of the wafer.

8. The method according to claim 6, which comprises determining a third judgment criterion as follows:

judging a wafer found to be OK in accordance with one of the two second judgment criteria as defective overall if a straight line can be run through it as an imaginary measuring line in at least one of the coherent regions, and if a number of points along at least one section of the measuring line having a reflectance value exceeding the first judgment criterion is greater than a predetermined maximum value, referred along the respective section of the measuring line to the total number of points with values of reflectance having been ascertained.

9. The method according to claim 8, which comprises determining a fourth judgment criterion as follows:

in the event that a wafer is determined to be OK in accordance with one of the second or third judgment criteria, determining that the wafer is defective if points in a limit region of a coherent region have reflectance values differing by at least a factor of 10 from reflectance values resulting for points located outside the coherent region and other coherent regions in a further limit region around the coherent region.

10. The method according to claim 1, which comprises judging whether the wafer is OK or defective outside a portion of the wafer having structured units, with more stringent criteria than within the portion.