Inspection method, apparatus and system for circuit pattern

• US 6,567,168 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2001
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiroi, Takashi, Nara, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US09/832,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 356/394, 356/237--23, 250/310, 250/561, 250/571, 250/548
• US Class Current: 356/394
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/84 Inspecting
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70616 Monitoring the printed patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7065 Defects, e.g. optical inspection of patterned layer for defects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30141 Printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/082 Electron beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2817 Pattern inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/226 Optical arrangements for illuminating the object; optical arrangements for collecting light from the object
• 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

Inspection method, apparatus, and system for a circuit pattern, in which when various conditions which are necessary in case of inspecting a fine circuit pattern by using an image formed by irradiating white light, a laser beam, or a charged particle beam are set, its operating efficiency can be improved. An inspection target region of an inspection-subject substrate is displayed, and a designated map picture plane and an image of an optical microscope or an electron beam microscope of a designated region are displayed in parallel, thereby enabling a defect distribution and a defect image to be simultaneously seen. Item names of inspecting conditions and a picture plane to display, input, or instruct the contents of the inspecting conditions are integrated, those contents are overlapped to the picture plane and layer-displayed, and all of the item names are displayed in parallel in a tab format in the upper portion of the picture plane of the contents. When a desired item name is clicked, the picture plane is switched and the contents corresponding to the clicked item name are displayed.

Claims

1. An inspection method for a circuit pattern, comprising the steps of:

irradiating a charged particle beam onto a surface of a substrate on which a circuit pattern has been formed and detecting a signal which is generated from said substrate; and

visualizing said detected signal as an image, comparing said image with an image of a corresponding comparison pattern in another region, and displaying a defect on said circuit pattern from a result of said comparison,

wherein in the step of irradiating said light, laser beam, or charged particle beam onto the surface of said substrate, an area of said region which is not to be irradiated is set to be smaller than a whole area of the surface of said substrate.

2. An inspection apparatus for a circuit pattern formed on the surface of a substrate, comprising:

an electronic optical apparatus which is constructed by a plurality of lenses and irradiates light, a laser beam, or a charged particle beam onto a surface of the substrate on which the circuit pattern has been formed;

a detector for detecting a signal which is generated from said substrate;

a memory for storing the signal detected by said detector and visualized as an image;

a comparing apparatus for comparing said stored signal with a signal obtained by visualizing a corresponding comparison pattern in another region as an image; and

a monitor for displaying a defect on said circuit pattern front a result of said comparison,

a processor programmed to cause said monitor to display an operation picture plane to set an area on the surface of said substrate that is less than the total area of the substrate containing said circuit pattern, as the area which is is to be irradiated by said light, laser beam, or charged particle beam.

3. An inspection apparatus for a circuit pattern, comprising:

an irradiating apparatus which is constructed by a plurality of lenses and irradiates light, a laser beam, or a charged particle beam onto a surface of a substrate on which a circuit pattern has been formed;

a detector for detecting a signal which is generated from said substrate by said irradiation;

memory means for storing the signal detected by said detector and visualized as an image;

a comparing apparatus for comparing said stored signal with a signal obtained by visualizing a corresponding comparison pattern in another region as an image;

a defect extracting apparatus for extracting a defect on said circuit pattern from a result in said comparing apparatus; and

an inspection result display apparatus for displaying maps separated on the basis of a layout of chips which are formed on said substrate and displaying at least the number of inspection chips, an inspection area, and an inspection predictive time.

4. An inspection apparatus for a circuit pattern, comprising:

a scanning apparatus which is constructed by a lens and an electrode and scans a plurality of regions on a surface of a substrate on which a circuit pattern has been formed by a primary electron beam;

a secondary signal detector for detecting signals which are generated secondarily from said plurality of regions by said primary electron beam;

an electron beam image forming apparatus for forming electron beam images of said plurality of regions from said detected signal;

an image storage memory for storing said electron beam images; and

a monitor for simultaneously displaying a defect display picture plane to display the number of defects and positions of said defects, a defect position designation picture plane to designate a defect position from said defect display picture plane, and a defect position inspection image display picture plane to display a two-dimensional one-scan SEM image with respect to said designated defect position.