Patent ID: 6806098
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: B24B

Abstract:
A method for inspecting a surface of a semiconductor device being characterized in thatexposure mask data for a semiconductor device is divided into arbitrary regions, in an arbitrary region j of the exposure mask data, &rgr;j=Pj/Sj which is a ratio between an area Sj of the region j and an area Pj of a portion in the region j where a pattern is present is calculated, a surface height deviation Hj of the semiconductor device after chemical mechanical polishing is obtained by a simulation which is performed using, as parameters, the ratio &rgr;j, a size h of a step on a surface of the semiconductor device before polishing, a polishing speed K of a chemical mechanical polishing device, Young's modulus G of a polishing pad, a half-value width Rc of a stress function and a thickness d of the polishing pad, surface height deviations Hej are measured at at least two divided regions, the surface height deviation Hj after the chemical and mechanical polishing and the measured surface height deviations Hej are compared with each other, values of the polishing speed K, the Young's modulus G and the half-value width Rc are changed until the surface height deviation Hj after chemical and mechanical polishing agrees with the measured surface height deviations Hej at least in portions of the regions, and surface height deviations after polishing are simulated using values of the polishing speed K, the Young's modulus G, the half-value width Rc and the thickness d which are newly obtained by the change and surface height deviations of regions where the measured surface height deviations Hej are not present are determined.