Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080270044 | Defect Review Apparatus and Method of Reviewing Defects - The present invention aims to provide a defect review apparatus capable of suppressing a reduction in throughput with a minimized deviation-amount measurement, and capable of optimizing an FOV of a monitoring image. To this end, the review apparatus for reviewing a specimen by moving the specimen to pre-calculated coordinate includes: a function to measure a deviation amount between the pre-calculated coordinates and coordinates of an actual position of the specimen; a function to optimize a coordinate correcting expression to minimize the measured deviation amount; and a function to determine that the deviation amounts have converged. When the deviation amounts have converged, the measurement for the coordinate-correcting-expression optimization is terminated. Thereby, the reduction in throughput is suppressed to the minimum level, and furthermore a FOV necessary for the specimen to be within the field of view is set according to a convergence value of the calculated deviation amount. | 10-30-2008 |
20090030867 | REVIEWING APPARATUS, RECIPE SETTING METHOD FOR REVIEWING APPARATUS AND REVIEWING SYSTEM - A recipe setting method and reviewing apparatus which permit even a novice to analyze the contents of existing recipe settings without trial-and-error attempts in the reviewing apparatus for reviewing a sample and to create a new recipe in a short time based on the results of the analysis. By a reviewing apparatus having a function of reviewing a sample under registered review conditions, based on a recipe in which the review conditions are registered. The reviewing apparatus is configured to display a list of the contents of the settings of plural set items regarding plural recipes and to create a new recipe based on the results of analysis of commonality by using the contents of settings having high degrees of commonality as initial settings. | 01-29-2009 |
20090045335 | INSPECTION METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable method of observing a wafer edge by using an electron microscope. The electron microscope includes a column which can take an image in being tilted, and thus allows a wafer edge to be observed from an oblique direction. | 02-19-2009 |
20090084953 | Method and system for observing a specimen using a scanning electron microscope - It is intended to reduce the auto focusing time and to increase the stability in a case that a defect on a specimen that has been detected by an inspection apparatus is observed by using a scanning electron microscope. One or more regions to be used for auto focusing are set in an imaging region or its neighborhood on the basis of semiconductor design information. A target focusing position in the imaging region is determined by performing auto focusing using the thus-set regions. The determined target focusing position is used for low-magnification imaging and high-magnification imaging. An auto focusing mode that is suitable for each imaging region is selected on the basis of the semiconductor design information. | 04-02-2009 |
20090121152 | INSPECTION METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable method of observing a wafer edge by using an electron microscope. The electron microscope includes a column which can take an image in being tilted, and thus allows a wafer edge to be observed from an oblique direction. | 05-14-2009 |
20090180680 | PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT, PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS METHOD AND PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS PROGRAM - A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship. | 07-16-2009 |
20090202166 | SCANNING MICROSCOPE - A method which, while displacing the field-of-view, allows the image in a target area to be acquired without degradations such as out-of-focus of the image. Plural pieces of images are acquired before and after a target area while displacing the field-of-view. Next, these images are grouped into groups each of which includes several pieces of images, and integrated images on each group basis are created. Moreover, a relational expression is calculated which holds between image displacement quantity calculated by comparing the integrated images with each other and the number of the photographed pieces of images. Furthermore, image displacement quantities between the acquired plural pieces of images are calculated from this relational expression. Finally, these images are corrected by the amounts of these displacement quantities, then being integrated. This process allows reconfiguration of the image in the target area. | 08-13-2009 |
20090206259 | REVIEW METHOD AND REVIEW DEVICE - A defect review method and a defect review device using an electron microscope, reduce the number of user processes necessary to set automatic focal adjustment of an electron beam to provide easier sample observation. | 08-20-2009 |
20090222753 | DEFECT INSPECTION TOOL AND METHOD OF PARAMETER TUNING FOR DEFECT INSPECTION TOOL - Setting of a parameter of a defect inspection tool is based on trial and error in which effects are confirmed one by one and set, and the setting requires a high technique and is significantly inefficient. The present invention is to provide an inspection method and an inspection tool capable of solving such a problem and of setting the parameter (hereinafter, referred to as an inspection parameter) required for detecting the defect easily. | 09-03-2009 |
20090252403 | METHOD AND ITS APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - A method for reviewing a defect on a sample involves the steps of imaging a defect image containing the defect in first magnification by using an image acquisition unit, synthesizing a reference image not containing the defect from the defect image, comparing the defect image acquired with the reference image synthesized to detect a defect applicant, executing a processing for classifying the defect applicant into a defect and a normal portion and imaging only the portion identified as the detect in second magnification. The method makes it possible to specify a defect position without error from the image taken in the first magnification and to image the defect in the second magnification when a large number of defects are observed within a short time by using the image acquisition unit. | 10-08-2009 |
20090268959 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - Disclosed is a method for reviewing defects in a large number of samples within a short period of time through the use of a defect review apparatus. To collect defect images steadily and at high throughput, a defect detection method is selected before imaging and set up for each of review target defects in the samples in accordance with the external characteristics of the samples that are calculated from the design information about the samples. The defect images are collected after an imaging sequence is set up for the defect images and reference images in such a manner as to reduce the time required for stage movement in accordance with the defect coordinates of the samples and the selected defect detection method. | 10-29-2009 |
20100021047 | AUTOMATIC DEFECT REVIEW AND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM - The invention proposes a system that interrupts a processing associated with an ADC having low priority when an ADC processing cannot catch up with ADR by an ADC alone that is not under execution but uses an ADC for an ADR having high priority. To preferentially execute ADR/ADC having high priority, the invention employs an algorithm for serially selecting ADR/ADC in the order of higher processing capacity (in the order of greater numerical values in the expression by a DPH unit) from among ADR/ADCs that have the lowest priority, no matter whether the ADR/DC is now under execution or not. | 01-28-2010 |
20100213371 | SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE - A technique executes autofocus adjustment stably even when a plurality of patterns or foreign matter capable of being imaged only by a specific detector are included independently. Such an image as a concavo-convex image having a weak contrast can be picked up. The technique can automatically focus such an image even when it is difficult to find a focus position in the image. A scanning electron microscope includes a plurality of detectors for detecting secondary signals from a specimen when irradiated with an electron beam, and a calculation unit for combining the signals obtained from the detectors. At least two of the detectors are provided to be symmetric with respect to the electron beam. The focus of the electron beam is adjusted based on the signals of the detectors or on a signal corresponding to a combination of the signals. | 08-26-2010 |
20110062328 | Defect Review Apparatus and Method of Reviewing Defects - The present invention aims to provide a defect review apparatus capable of suppressing a reduction in throughput with a minimized deviation-amount measurement, and capable of optimizing an FOV of a monitoring image. To this end, the review apparatus for reviewing a specimen by moving the specimen to pre-calculated coordinate includes: a function to measure a deviation amount between the pre-calculated coordinates and coordinates of an actual position of the specimen; a function to optimize a coordinate correcting expression to minimize the measured deviation amount; and a function to determine that the deviation amounts have converged. When the deviation amounts have converged, the measurement for the coordinate-correcting-expression optimization is terminated. Thereby, the reduction in throughput is suppressed to the minimum level, and furthermore a FOV necessary for the specimen to be within the field of view is set according to a convergence value of the calculated deviation amount. | 03-17-2011 |
20110261190 | DEFECT OBSERVATION DEVICE AND DEFECT OBSERVATION METHOD - A review SEM is provided with a means to store sets of images acquired using multiple imaging conditions or sets of images for which multiple imaging conditions are simulated using simulation, a means to store defect position information for each set of images, and a means to store information relating to imaging conditions and process time. A means to estimate predicted capture rate and throughput with the individual imaging conditions for the sets of images from the stored information, and a means to display the results thereof are additionally provided. | 10-27-2011 |
20110299760 | DEFECT OBSERVATION METHOD AND DEFECT OBSERVATION APPARATUS - Provided is a defect observation apparatus capable of analyzing a structure such as an arrangement and a vertical relationship of a circuit pattern formed by using design information of a sample, creating a non-defective product image from a defect image based on the analysis results, and detecting a defect by comparative inspection. The defect observation apparatus is provided with a computing unit | 12-08-2011 |
20120044262 | SURFACE OBSERVATION APPARATUS AND SURFACE OBSERVATION METHOD - A surface observation apparatus is achieved, which enables even a beginner to easily select an optimal evaluation indicator for each of various patterns to be evaluated without a trial and error approach. A plurality of images to be evaluated are input from an image processing unit ( | 02-23-2012 |
20120114221 | PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS EQUIPMENT, PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS METHOD AND PATTERN DEFECT ANALYSIS PROGRAM - A data processing unit acquires a review image including a pattern defect on a substrate, compares the review image with a reference image thereby to extract a defect image, the reference image including no pattern defect, and performs an alignment between the review image and a self-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to the identical layer in a region corresponding to the review image. The data processing unit, then, based on result of the alignment, generates an another-layer design pattern image which is generated from design data belonging to another layer in the region corresponding to the review image, and, based on a synthesized image of the defect image and the another-layer design pattern image, determines the relative position relationship between the pattern defect and a pattern belonging to another layer, and judges the criticality based on the relative position relationship. | 05-10-2012 |
20120300056 | OBSERVATION METHOD AND OBSERVATION DEVICE - With respect to a charged particle beam device, the step size of focal point measure for executing autofocusing is optimized to a value that is optimal with respect to the spread of an approximation curve for a focal point measure distribution. The step size of focal point measure for executing autofocusing is corrected using an image feature obtained based on a layout image derived from an image obtained at a first magnification or from design data. Autofocusing is executed based on the obtained step size to carry out observation, measurement, or to image the sample under inspection. | 11-29-2012 |
20130112872 | INSPECTION METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable method of observing a wafer edge by using an electron microscope. The electron microscope includes a column which can take an image in being tilted, and thus allows a wafer edge to be observed from an oblique direction. | 05-09-2013 |
20130112893 | CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM DEVICE, DEFECT OBSERVATION DEVICE, AND MANAGEMENT SERVER - Provided is a charged particle beam device that prevents the increase in processing trouble caused by deterioration in the reviewing performance (e.g., overlooking of defects) by detecting an operation abnormality affecting the performance of the device or a possibility of such an abnormality in the middle of a processing sequence of a sample and giving a feedback in real time. In each processing step of the charged particle beam device, monitoring items representing the operating status of the device (control status of the electron beam, an offset amount at the time of wafer positioning, a defect coordinate error offset amount, etc.) are monitored during the processing sequence of a sample and stored as history information. In the middle of the processing sequence, a comparative judgment between the value of each monitoring item and the past history information corresponding to the monitoring item is made according to preset judgment criteria. When the width of fluctuation from the past history information deviates from a reference range, an alert is issued. | 05-09-2013 |
20130114881 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - Disclosed is a method for reviewing defects in a large number of samples within a short period of time through the use of a defect review apparatus. To collect defect images steadily and at high throughput, a defect detection method is selected before imaging and set up for each of review target defects in the samples in accordance with the external characteristics of the samples that are calculated from the design information about the samples. The defect images are collected after an imaging sequence is set up for the defect images and reference images in such a manner as to reduce the time required for stage movement in accordance with the defect coordinates of the samples and the selected defect detection method. | 05-09-2013 |
20130228685 | INSPECTION METHOD FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER AND APPARATUS FOR REVIEWING DEFECTS - An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable method of observing a wafer edge by using an electron microscope. The electron microscope includes a column which can take an image in being tilted, and thus allows a wafer edge to be observed from an oblique direction. | 09-05-2013 |