Wafer inspection systems and methods for analyzing inspection data

• US 7,417,724 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Rosengaus, Eliezer, Piramuthu, Robinson, Xiong, Yan, Kren, George, Huet, Patrick, Plihal, Martin, Sullivan, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, SANG H
• Application Number:
  US11/746,884
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 3562371-2376, 250/559.4, 250/559.45, 250/559.29, 250/221, 250/223.R, 414935-936, 382/145, 382153-154, 118/52, 118/666, 118/152, 700/100, 700/121, 700/102
• US Class Current: 356/237.2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67005 Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere processes per se H01L21/30, H01L21/46, H01L23/00; simple temporary support means, e.g. using adhesives, electric or magnetic means H01L21/68, H01L21/302
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67288 Monitoring of warpage, curvature, damage, defects or the like

Abstract

Wafer inspection systems and methods are provided. One inspection system includes a module measurement cell coupled to a host inspection system by a wafer handler. The module measurement cell is configured to inspect a wafer using one or more modes prior to inspection of the wafer by the host inspection system. The one or more modes include backside inspection, edge inspection, frontside macro defect inspection, or a combination thereof. Another inspection system includes two or more low resolution electronic sensors arranged at multiple viewing angles. The sensors are configured to detect light returned from a wafer substantially simultaneously. A method for analyzing inspection data includes selecting a template corresponding to a support device that contacts a backside of a wafer prior to inspection of the backside of the wafer. The method also includes subtracting data representing the template from inspection data generated by inspection of the backside of the wafer.

Claims

1. An inspection system, comprising

an illumination subsystem configured to direct light to a wafer;

two or more low resolution electronic sensors arranged at multiple viewing angles, wherein the two or more sensors are configured to detect light returned from the wafer substantially simultaneously; and

a processor configured to detect defects on the wafer using output generated by the two or more sensors, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which of the two or more sensors produces images with the largest sensitivity to defocus defects, and wherein the processor is further configured to select the images with the largest sensitivity for use in defect detection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the illumination subsystem comprises a point light source.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the illumination subsystem further comprises one or more optical filters coupled to the point light source, and wherein the one or more optical filters are configured to alter a wavelength spectrum of the light directed to the wafer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the light directed to the wafer comprises collimated light.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an additional illumination subsystem, wherein the illumination subsystem and the additional illumination subsystem are configured to direct light to the wafer at different azimuthal angles.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple viewing angles are substantially constant during inspection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a position of the wafer is substantially constant during inspection.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a support device configured to spin the wafer during inspection.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the two or more sensors comprise CCD cameras, and wherein the output comprises direct digital readouts.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the output comprises the images, and wherein the processor is further configured to assign common coordinates to the images and to compare the images produced by different sensors.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the inspection system is coupled to a wafer handler of a host inspection system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the inspection system is coupled to a wafer handler of a process tool.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising imaging optics coupled to the two or more sensors, wherein optical axes of the imaging optics are not normal to sensor arrays of the two or more sensors.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the defects comprise the defocus defects and small pattern defects.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the inspection system is included in a module measurement cell coupled to a host inspection system by a wafer handler, wherein the module measurement cell is configured to inspect the wafer using one or more modes prior to inspection of the wafer by the host inspection system, wherein the processor is coupled to the module measurement cell, and wherein the processor is further configured to detect defects on the wafer using output produced by the module measurement cell.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more modes comprise backside inspection, edge inspection, frontside macro defect inspection, or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the module measurement cell is further configured to perform frontside macro defect inspection as the wafer is being moved into the module measurement cell by the wafer handler.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the module measurement cell comprises an optical character recognition subsystem, a barcode reader subsystem, an alignment subsystem, or a combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the host inspection system is configured to inspect an additional wafer while the module measurement cell is inspecting the wafer.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to use the output produced by the module measurement cell to determine if the inspection of the wafer by the host inspection system is to be performed.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to use the output produced by the module measurement cell to determine if the wafer must be reworked and to determine that the wafer is not to be inspected by the host inspection system if the wafer must be reworked.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to use the output produced by the module measurement cell to determine if the wafer has backside contamination above a predetermined level and to determine that the wafer is not to be inspected by the host inspection system if the backside contamination is above the predetermined level.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the module measurement cell is further configured as an additional host inspection module.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a computer-implemented method for analyzing inspection data, and wherein the computer-implemented method comprises selecting a template that corresponds to a support device that contacts a backside of the wafer prior to inspection of the backside of the wafer and subtracting data representing the template from the inspection data generated by the inspection of the backside of the wafer to generate data representing defects on the backside of the wafer.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the support device comprises a chuck, a stage, an aligner, or a wafer handler.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises creating the data representing the template using computer-aided design.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises creating the data representing the template by inspecting a backside of two or more wafers contacted by the support device and extracting common information from inspection data generated by said inspecting.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises subtracting the data representing the defects on the backside of the wafer from data generated by inspection of a frontside of the wafer.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the inspection data is further generated by subtracting backside inspection data from data generated by inspection of a frontside of the wafer.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises classifying the defects on the backside of the wafer.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises correlating the defects on the backside of the wafer to defects detected on a frontside of the wafer.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the defects on the backside of the wafer comprise defects caused by the support device.