Method for detecting defects

• US 6,025,206 A
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Li-Dar, Chen, Jain-Hon, Ku, Chi-Fa
• Primary Examiner(s): DUTTON, BRIAN KEITH
• Application Number:
  US09/080,085
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 250/559.41, 356/237.3, 438/7, 438/16
• US Class Current: 438/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

A method for detecting defects comprises scanning a clean blank wafer for figuring out the quantity and locations of particles; then, scanning the wafer again after performing coating, exposure, and development processes on the wafer; comparing the two scanning results for figuring out the locations of the defects and calculating quantities of the defects by checking the patterns and colors, and then to obtain the quantities and types of the defects in mechanisms and photoresist respectively.

Claims

1. A method for detecting defects comprising:

scanning a wafer for obtaining a first information indicating a quantity of a plurality of particles on the wafer and a plurality of locations of the particles on the wafer;

coating a photoresist layer on the wafer;

processing exposure and development on the photoresist layer;

scanning the wafer after the development for obtaining a second information indicating a quantity of a plurality of defects on the wafer and a plurality of locations of the defects on the wafer; and

comparing the first information and second information for calculating the quantity, types and the locations of the defects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information shows the locations of the particles by color difference, and sizes and shapes of the particles by patterns.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information shows the locations of the defects by color difference, and sizes and shapes of the defects by patterns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information shows the locations of the defects by a scanned result of a laser scanner, and sizes and shapes of the defects by patterns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a difference of the quantity of the defects minus the quantity of the particles is a quantity of the defects caused by the photoresist itself.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is further combined with a scanning electron microscope for observing the types of the defects and estimating the sizes of the defects precisely.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is used within a photo module.

8. A method for detecting defects which detects a quantity of a plurality of particles within coating, exposure, and development mechanisms in a photo module, and a quantity of a plurality of defects after coating, exposure, and development process, comprising:

scanning a clean wafer for a first information indicating a quantity of a plurality of particles and a plurality of locations of the particles;

coating the wafer with a photoresist layer;

processing exposure and development on the wafer for forming a desired pattern;

scanning the desired pattern for obtaining a second information indicating a quantity of a plurality of defects and a plurality of locations of the defects; and

comparing the patterns and the difference between the quantities in the first information and the second information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first information indicates the locations of the particles by color difference, and indicates the sizes and shapes of the particles by the patterns.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first information shows the locations of the defects by a scanned result of a laser scanner, and shows sizes and shapes of the defects by patterns.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second information indicates the locations of the defects by color difference, and indicates the sizes and shapes of the defects by the pattern.

12. The method of claim 8, a difference of the quantity of the defects minus the quantity of the particles is a quantity of defects caused by the photoresist itself.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is further combined with a scanning electron microscope for observing the types of the defects, and estimating the size of the defects precisely.