Method of analyzing a wafer sample

• US 8,050,488 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ji-Hye, Kim, Jong-An, Jun, Chung-Sam, Yang, Yu-Sin, Kang, Moon-Shik
• Primary Examiner(s): TUCKER, WESLEY J
• Application Number:
  US12/041,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20080219547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 382141-152, 348 86- 95, 348125-134, 700 95-212
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95607 using a comparative method
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10061 from scanning electron microscope
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach

Abstract

In a method of analyzing a wafer sample, a first defect of a photoresist pattern on the wafer sample having shot regions exposed with related exposure conditions is detected. A first portion of the pattern includes the shot regions exposed with an exposure condition corresponding to a reference exposure condition and a tolerance error range of the reference exposure condition. The first defect repeatedly existing in at least two of the shot regions in a second portion of the pattern is set up as a second defect of the pattern. A first reference image displaying the second defect is obtained. The first defect of the shot regions in the first portion corresponding to the second defect is set up as a third defect corresponding to weak points of the pattern. The exposure conditions of the shot region having no weak points are set up as an exposure margin of an exposure process.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing a wafer sample comprising:

detecting first defects of a photoresist pattern on the wafer sample having a plurality of shot regions exposed by an exposure process with related exposure conditions, respectively, each of the shot region including a first portion exposed within a tolerance error range of a reference exposure condition and a second portion exposed out of the reference exposure condition;

setting up the first defects detected from the second portion of at least two shot regions as second defects of the photoresist pattern;

obtaining a first reference image displaying the second defects;

setting up at least one of the first defects positioned at the first portion of the shot region and corresponding to the second defects of the first reference image as a third defect of the photoresist pattern;

setting up a position of the third defect as a weak point of the photoresist pattern on the first portion of the shot region;

determining the exposure conditions relative to the shot region having no weak point at the first portion thereof as an exposure margin of the exposure process; and

obtaining a second reference image displaying the weak point of the photoresist pattern on the first portion of the shot region when the reference exposure condition belongs to the exposure margin of the exposure process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting up a central value of the exposure margin as a new reference exposure condition when the reference exposure condition does not belong to the exposure margin; and

analyzing again the wafer sample using the new reference exposure margin.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reviewing the weak point of the photoresist pattern to identify whether the photoresist pattern actually has the third defect at the weak points before determining the exposure margin of the exposure process.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reviewing the weak points is performed using a scanning electron microscope.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

correcting the third defect of the photoresist pattern corresponding to the weak point in each of the shot regions of the first portion by performing an optical proximity correction (OPC) process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the OPC process comprises;

dividing each of the shot regions of the first portion into a plurality of die regions; and

detecting the third defect of the photoresist pattern corresponding to the weak point repeatedly existed in at least two of the die regions in each of the shot regions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure conditions includes at least two conditions selected from a group consisting of an exposure time, a focal distance, and an exposure intensity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first defect comprises:

preparing the wafer sample having a reference shot region formed by transcribing a predetermined pattern with a reference exposure condition and a peripheral shot region formed by transcribing the predetermined pattern while varying the exposure conditions of the exposure process;

setting up a reference inspection precision using the wafer sample; and

inspecting the wafer sample using the reference inspection precision.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein setting up the reference inspection precision comprises:

dividing the wafer sample into a first region having relatively many defects and a second region having relatively few defects;

detecting the defects of the wafer sample by gradually varying an inspection precision;

determining a defect number ratio between the number of defects in the first region and the number of defects in the second region in accordance with the inspection precision; and

selecting the reference inspection precision from the inspection precision within a range in which the defect number ratio increases.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting the reference inspection precision comprises:

subtracting a minimum value of the defect number ratio from a maximum value of the defect number ratio within the range in which the defect number ratio increases to obtain a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value;

adding a previously set value of the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value into the minimum value of the defect number ratio, to obtain a sum of the minimum value and the previously set value of the difference; and

obtaining the inspection precision corresponding to the sum of the defect number ratio so as to set up the inspection precision as the reference inspection precision.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting the reference inspection precision comprises:

multiplying a difference between inspection precision values by a previously set inspection precision value to obtain an offset value of a previously set inspection precision; and

subtracting the offset value from the inspection precision value corresponding to the maximum value of the defect number ratio to obtain the reference inspection precision.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein setting up the reference inspection precision comprises:

obtaining a previously set defect number ratio considering characteristics of the wafer sample;

dividing the wafer sample into a first region having relatively many defects and a second region having relatively few defects;

detecting the defects of the wafer sample by gradually varying the inspection precision;

determining a difference between the number of defects in the first region and the number of defects in the second region in accordance with the inspection precision; and

selecting the reference inspection precision from the inspection precision within a range in which the defect number ratio increases.