Scanning electron microscope and a method for evaluating accuracy of repeated measurement using the same

• US 7,164,127 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawada, Hiroki, Shishido, Chie, Nakagaki, Ryo, Oosaki, Mayuka
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells; Nikita
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUASH, ANTHONY G
• Application Number:
  US10/988,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20050205780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 250/311
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/225 using electron or ion

Abstract

The present invention relates to a CDSEM (scanning electron microscope) capable of evaluating and presenting the measurement repeatability as a tool with a high degree of accuracy without being influenced by fluctuations in micro-minute shape that tend to increase with the microminiaturization of semiconductor patterns, and to a method for evaluating accuracy of repeated measurement using the scanning electron microscope. There is provided a function whereby when measuring a plurality of times the same part to be measured, by making use of a micro-minute pattern shape such as the roughness included in the pattern, pattern matching with a roughness template image is performed to correct two-dimensional deviation in position of the part to be measured on an enlarged measurement image acquired, and then an enlarged measurement area image is extracted and acquired. This makes it possible to eliminate variation in measurements caused by the micro-minute pattern shape.

Claims

1. A scanning electron microscope comprising:

an image acquisition unit which scans an electron beam on a sample under specified imaging conditions at each measurement over the number of times of measurement to acquire an enlarged measurement image at high magnification based on an electron signal emitted from the sample;

an image processing unit which acquires an enlarged measurement area image of a local area by using two-dimensional pattern matching with a roughness template image showing a micro-minute shape of a pattern in the local area, from the enlarged measurement image at high magnification acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image acquisition unit;

a measurement unit which measures typical dimensions or a shape of the pattern in the enlarged measurement area on the basis of the enlarged measurement area image of the local area, which has been acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image processing unit; and

a measurement repeatability evaluation unit which presents, as an evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as a tool, a value associated with the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement by the measurement unit.

2. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said image acquisition unit further includes a roughness template image acquisition unit which acquires the roughness template image provided by the image processing unit, as the local area from an enlarged measurement image at high magnification acquired according to an electron signal emitted from a specified sample by scanning the electron beam on the specified sample.

3. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said image acquisition unit is further configured to acquire, as the roughness template image provided by the image processing unit, an image for which image processing of emphasizing fluctuations in edge shape formed in a pattern is performed.

4. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said image acquisition unit further includes an addressing image acquisition unit which acquires an addressing image having an addressing pattern formed on the sample; and

said image processing unit further includes a coordinate acquisition unit which acquires coordinates of the addressing pattern by pattern matching between the addressing image acquired by the addressing image acquisition unit and an addressing template image to thereby acquire coordinates of the enlarged measurement area from the acquired coordinates of the addressing pattern;

wherein said image acquisition unit acquires the enlarged measurement image on the basis of the coordinates of the enlarged measurement area acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit.

5. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said measurement repeatability evaluation unit uses variation in dimensions or variation in shape for the number of times of measurement as said presented value in association with the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement.

6. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

in response to the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement, said measurement repeatability evaluation unit determines a function model with the best fitting by performing a fitting process for a plurality of function models, and then presents the determined function model as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

7. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

in response to the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement, said measurement repeatability evaluation unit determines a function model with the best fitting by performing a fitting process for a plurality of function models, and then calculates the deviation of the change in dimensions, or that of the change in shape, for the number of times of measurement, from the determined function model to present a value in response to the calculated deviation as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

8. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

in response to the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement, said measurement repeatability evaluation unit determines a function model with the best fitting by performing a fitting process for a plurality of function models, and then calculates the deviation of the change in dimensions, or that of the change in shape, for the number of times of measurement, from the determined function model to present variation in said calculated deviation as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

9. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 1, wherein:

said measurement repeatability evaluation unit also presents the imaging conditions used in the image acquisition unit as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

10. A scanning electron microscope comprising:

an image acquisition unit which scans an electron beam on a sample under specified imaging conditions at each measurement over the number of times of measurement to acquire an enlarged measurement image at high magnification based on an electron signal emitted from the sample;

an image processing unit which acquires an enlarged measurement area image of a local area by using two-dimensional pattern matching with a roughness template image showing a micro-minute shape of a pattern in the local area, from the enlarged measurement image at high magnification acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image acquisition unit; and

a measurement unit which measures dimensions or a shape of the pattern in the enlarged measurement area on the basis of the enlarged measurement area image of the local area, which has been acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image processing unit.

11. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 10, wherein:

said image acquisition unit further includes a roughness template image acquisition unit which acquires the roughness template image which is provided by the image processing unit, as the local area from the enlarged measurement image at high magnification acquired according to an electron signal emitted from a specified sample by scanning the electron beam on the specified sample.

12. A scanning electron microscope according to claim 10, wherein:

said image acquisition unit includes an addressing image acquisition unit which acquires an addressing image having an addressing pattern formed on the sample; and

said image processing unit includes a coordinate acquisition unit which acquires coordinates of the addressing pattern by pattern matching between the addressing image acquired by the addressing image acquisition unit and an addressing template image to thereby acquire coordinates of the enlarged measurement area from the acquired coordinates of the addressing pattern;

wherein said image acquisition unit acquires the enlarged measurement image on the basis of the coordinates of the enlarged measurement area acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit.

13. A method for evaluating measurement repeatability of a scanning electron microscope, said method comprising:

an image acquisition step of scanning an electron beam on a sample under specified imaging conditions at each measurement over the number of times of measurement to acquire an enlarged measurement image at high magnification based on an electron signal emitted from the sample;

an image processing step of acquiring an enlarged measurement area image of a local area by using two-dimensional pattern matching with a roughness template image showing a micro-minute shape of a pattern in the local area, from the enlarged measurement image at high magnification acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image acquisition step;

a measurement step of measuring dimensions or a shape of the pattern in the enlarged measurement area on the basis of the enlarged measurement area image of the local area, which has been acquired at each measurement over the number of times of measurement by the image processing step; and

a measurement repeatability evaluation step of presenting, as an evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as a tool, a value associated with the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement by the measurement step.

14. A method for evaluating measurement repeatability according to claim 13, wherein:

in said measurement repeatability evaluation step, said presented value in association with the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement is variation in dimensions or variation in shape for the number of times of measurement.

15. A method for evaluating measurement repeatability according to claim 13, wherein:

said measurement repeatability evaluation step, in response to the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement, determines a function model with the best fitting by performing a fitting process for a plurality of function models, and then presents the determined function model as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

16. A method for evaluating measurement repeatability according to claim 13, wherein:

in response to the change in dimensions or the change in shape for the number of times of measurement, said dimensions or said shape being measured over the number of times of measurement, said measurement repeatability evaluation step determines a function model with the best fitting by performing a fitting process for a plurality of function models, and then calculates the deviation of the change in dimensions, or that of the change in shape, for the number of times of measurement, from the determined function model to present a value in response to the calculated deviation as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability as the tool.

17. A method for evaluating measurement repeatability according to claim 13, wherein:

said measurement repeatability evaluation step also presents, as the evaluation value of the measurement repeatability evaluation value as the tool, the imaging conditions used in the image acquisition step.