Computer-implemented methods, carrier media, and systems for generating a metrology sampling plan

• US 7,711,514 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Chang, Ellis, Park, Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; John H
• Application Number:
  US11/837,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 702/35, 702 81- 83, 702/150, 702/179, 702/183, 702/185, 702/123, 703/14, 382/141, 382/144, 382/145, 382/149, 382/147, 700/110, 700/121, 716/4, 716/19, 716/20, 716/21, 356/237.1, 356/237.2, 356/237.3, 356/237.5
• US Class Current: 702/123
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods

Abstract

Various computer-implemented methods, carrier media, and systems for generating a metrology sampling plan are provided. One computer-implemented method for generating a metrology sampling plan includes identifying one or more individual defects that have one or more attributes that are abnormal from one or more attributes of a population of defects in which the individual defects are included. The population of defects is located in a predetermined pattern on a wafer. The method also includes generating the metrology sampling plan based on results of the identifying step such that one or more areas on the wafer in which the one or more identified individual defects are located are sampled during metrology.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a metrology sampling plan, comprising:

using a computer system to perform stems of;

identifying one or more individual defects that have one or more attributes that are abdominal from one or more attributes of a population of defects in which the individual defects are included, wherein the population of defects is located in a predetermined pattern on a wafer; and

generating the metrology sampling plan based on results of said identifying such that one or more areas on the wafer in which the one or more identified individual defects are located are sampled during metrology.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more attributes of the individual defects based on results of inspection of the wafer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the one or more attributes of the population of defects based on the one or more attributes of the individual defects included in the population of defects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern in which the population of defects is located is formed at multiple locations on the wafer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises only a portion of an entire design patterned on the wafer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises a pattern of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises a pattern that is more sensitive to process variations than another pattern on the wafer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the predetermined pattern using design data for the wafer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the predetermined pattern by binning defects detected on the wafer in groups such that portions of design data proximate positions of the defects in each of the groups are at least similar.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the population of defects by overlaying results of inspection of the wafer with locations of the predetermined pattern on the wafer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the population of defects by comparing locations of defects detected on the wafer to locations of the predetermined pattern on the wafer.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the population of defects by comparing patterns proximate defects detected on the wafer to one or more patterns stored in a data structure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises statistical analysis of the one or more attributes of the population of defects.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises statistical analysis of images of the individual defects.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more identified individual defects comprise fewer than all of the individual defects included in the population of defects.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the method separately for different predetermined patterns on the wafer such that different metrology sampling plans are generated for the different predetermined patterns.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metrology sampling plan is performed dynamically.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the metrology sampling plan is performed on a wafer-to-wafer basis.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the defects comprise pattern defects.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrology comprises critical dimension metrology.

16. The method of claim , wherein the results of said identifying comprise the one or more individual defects located in the one or more areas on the wafer at which the predetermined pattern is more sensitive to process variations than other areas on the wafer at which the predetermined pattern is formed.

22. A system configured to generate a metrology sampling plan, comprising:

an inspection system configured to detect defects on a wafer; and

a computer system configured to;

identify one or more individual defects that have one or more attributes that are abnormal from one or more attributes of a population of defects in which the individual defects are included, wherein the population of defects is located in a predetermined pattern on the wafer; and

generate the metrology sampling plan based on the one or more identified individual defects such that one or more areas on the wafer in which the one or more identified individual defects are located are sampled during metrology.