Charged particle beam device for scanning a sample using a charged particle beam to inspect the sample

• US 8,421,010 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hiroi, Takashi, Gunji, Yasuhiro, Miyai, Hiroshi, Nojiri, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/061,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 250/310
• US Class Current: 250/310
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/20285 computer-controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2817 Pattern inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/20 Means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support introducing the objects H01J37/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/265 Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/28 with scanning beams H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence

Abstract

There is provided a substrate inspection device which uses a charged particle beam and is capable of more quickly extracting a defect candidate than ever before. The configuration of the substrate inspection device is such that a substrate having a circuit pattern is irradiated with a primary charged particle beam, the substrate is moved at a constant speed or at an increasing or a decreasing speed, a position resulting from the movement is monitored, the position of irradiation with the primary charged particle beam is controlled according to the coordinates of the substrate, an image in a partial region on the substrate is captured at a speed lower than the velocity of the movement, a defect candidate is detected based on the captured image, and the detected defect candidate is displayed in a map format.

Claims

1. A charged particle beam device for scanning a sample using a charged particle beam to inspect the sample, the sample placed on a sample stage and having a plurality of pattern-regions each where a predetermined pattern is formed, wherein:

the device is configured to scan the sample using the charged particle beam in a direction intersecting a sample stage-movement direction and capture an image based on signals obtained by detecting a secondary electron or a reflection electron generated on the sample by the scanning;

the device is configured to inspect the sample using the captured image,

the device includes a charged particle column including a scanning deflector for controlling the scanning direction of the charged particle beam, and a control section for controlling a movement velocity of the sample stage,

the device is configured to set a plurality of scan regions arranged intermittently in an inspection stripe extended on the sample in a movement direction of the sample stage, the plurality of scan regions which are to be scanned by the charged particle beam for the captured image,

the device is configured to set a plurality of partial inspection regions in each of the scan regions through a screen of a console, wherein each of the partial inspection regions includes edges to be inspected partially in each of ions on the sample, and

the device is configured to sample the plurality of partial inspection regions including the edges from each of the scan regions by the scanning while the stage is being moved to capture the inspection image from the partial inspection regions.

2. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1,

wherein the device is further configured to select the partial inspection regions including a first scan region and a second scan region, the first scan region from which a first image is captured by the scanning, and the second scan region from which a second image is captured later than the first image;

and

wherein the control section is configured to set the sample stage-movement velocity so that a scan ending edge of the first scan region and a scan beginning edge of the second scan region fall within a visual field in which aberrations and distortions of the scan ending edge and the scan beginning edge are regarded as the same respectively in a range of the charged particle beam scanning in the sample stage-movement direction.

3. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1,

wherein the device is configured to set a scan skip region between the partial inspection regions, the scan skip region where the scanning is not executed by a skip.

4. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1,

wherein the charged particle column is configured to execute the scanning while deflecting the charged particle beam in the same direction as the sample stage-movement direction to irradiate the inspection region selected by the sampling with the charged particle beam.

5. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a screen display section for displaying a region setting screen for the sampling.

6. The charged particle beam device according to claim 1,

wherein the sample stage is configured to place a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of memory mats are formed, each memory mat being composed of a plurality of memory cells.

7. The charged particle beam device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a display section for displaying a region setting screen for the sampling, the region setting screen being equipped with a display window on which one memory mat out of the plurality of memory mats is displayed,

wherein the inspection region to be sampled set on the displayed memory mat is developed to another memory mat based on the regularity of arrangement of the memory cell to sample the plural inspection regions.

8. A charged particle beam device for scanning a sample using a charged particle beam to inspect the sample, the sample placed on a sample stage and having a plurality of pattern-regions each where a predetermined pattern is formed, wherein:

the device is configured to scan the sample using the charged particle beam in a direction intersecting a sample stage-movement direction and capture an image based on signals obtained by detecting a secondary electron or a reflection electron generated on the sample by the scanning;

the device configured to inspect the sample using the captured image;

the device includes a control section for controlling a movement velocity of the sample stage;

the device is configured to set a first scan region, a second scan region and a scan skip region in each of the pattern-regions, the first and second scan regions each where a plurality of scanning lines with the beam run sequentially for the scanning and the scan skip region where the scanning is not executed by a skip, wherein the scan skip region is arranged between the first and second scan regions; and

the control section is configured to set the sample stage-movement velocity so that a scan ending edge of the first scan region and a scan beginning edge of the second scan region fall within a visual field in which aberrations and distortions of the scan ending edge and the scan beginning edge are regarded as the same respectively in a range of the charged particle beam scanning in the sample stage-movement direction.

9. The charged particle beam device according to claim 8,

wherein the control section is configured to control the sample stage-movement velocity so that a width of each of the partial inspection regions in the sample-stage movement direction falls within the visual field.

10. A charged particle beam device for scanning a sample using a charged particle beam to inspect the sample, the sample placed on a sample stage and having a plurality of pattern-regions each where a predetermined pattern is formed wherein:

the device is configured to scan the sample using the charged particle beam in a direction intersecting a sample stage-movement direction and capture an image based on signals obtained by detecting a secondary electron or a reflection electron generated on the sample by the scanning;

the device is configured to inspect the sample using the captured image;

the device includes a control section for controlling a movement velocity of the sample stage;

the device is configured to set a scan region and a scan skip region in each pattern-region, the scan region where plural scanning lines with the beam run sequentially for the scanning and the scan skip region where the scanning is not executed by a skip; and

the control section is configured to set the sample stage-movement velocity in accordance with a ratio of a width of the scan region to a width of the scan skip region in the sample stage-movement direction.