Methods and apparatus for generating spatially resolved voltage contrast maps of semiconductor test structures

• US 6,445,199 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Pinto, Gustavo A., Leslie, Brian C., Tsai, Bin-Ming Benjamin, Long, Robert Thomas, Satya, Akella V. S., Richardson, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Deb, Anjan K.
• Application Number:
  US09/648,379
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 324/753, 324/751, 324/752, 324/501, 324/537, 324/759
• US Class Current: 324/754.21
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/66 electrically excited, e.g. electroluminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2884 using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test G01R31/2855 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/307 of integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2817 Pattern inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of inspecting a sample. The sample is illuminated with an incident beam, thereby causing voltage contrast within structures present on the sample. Voltage contrast is detected within the structures. Information from the detected voltage contrast is stored, and position data concerning the location of features corresponding to at least a portion of the stored voltage contrast information is also stored. In a specific embodiment, the features represent electrical defects present on the sample. In another embodiment, the stored position data is in the form of a two dimensional map. In another aspect, the sample is re-inspected and the stored position data is used in analyzing data resulting from the re-inspection.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a sample, comprising:

during a first inspection, directing a charged particle incident beam towards the sample, thereby causing voltage contrast within structures present on the sample;

during the first inspection, detecting voltage contrast within the structures;

during the fist inspection, storing position data concerning the location of features correspondig to at least a portion of the detected voltage contrast;

using the stored position data to perform a second inspection on the sample on a same or different tool to filter characterize the features; and

subjecting the sample to additional manufacturing steps for further fabricating the sample after the first inspection but prior to the second inspection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the features represent electrical defects present on the sample.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored position data is in the form of a two dimensional map.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the two dimensional map is displayed on a graphic user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the two dimensional map to determine defects per area of the sample.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein method further comprising adjusting a process for fabricating the sample based on the determined defects per area of the wafer.

7. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the features represent electrical defects and a plurality of second defects are detected during the second inspection the method further comprising.

storing position data concerning the location of the second defects in the form of a second two dimensional map; and

correlating the two dimensional map of the electrical defects with the two dimensional map of the second defects to determine a source of the electrical defects,

wherein the second inspection is performed prior to the first inspection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored position data represents the location of latent electrical defects, and wherein the stored position data is used to assist in characterizing latent defects that become real defects after the first inspection and prior to the second inspection, the real defect being found during the second invention.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the real defect is characterized by identifying a source of the real defect.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising subjecting the sample to additional manufacturing steps after the first inspection but prior to the second inspection and wherein the stored position data is used to determine whether the real defect results from the additional manufacturing steps.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting at least one of the additional manufacturing steps when it is determined that the real defect results from the at least one additional manufacturing steps.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored position data is used to relocate one or more of the features.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the relocation is performed using a scanning electron microscope.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the relocation is performed using an optical microscope.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the relocation is performed on a focused ion beam tool.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the relocated features is characterized using energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the second inspection is performed with an optical inspection tool and the first inspection is performed with a scanning electron microscopy tool.

18. A method of inspecting a sample, comprising:

directing a charged particle beam to the sample, thereby causing voltage contrast within structures present on the sample;

detecting voltage contrast within the structures;

storing position data concerning the location of possible electrical defects corresponding to at least a portion of the voltage contrast; and

determining whether the possible electrical defects are real electrical defects by comparing the locations of possible electrical defects with a spatial signature of real defects, the signature being indicative of systematic process yield problems.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the comparison is performed using a programmed computer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the comparison is performed by an operator reviewing a graphic display of locations of at least a portion of the features.