Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7476875?dq=6,587,403
Timestamp: 2016-04-30 07:49:16
Document Index: 185041932

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 03803196', 'Application No. 03803196', 'Application No. 03803196', 'Application No. 03803196', 'Application No. 03803196', 'Application No. 03803196']

Patent US7476875 - Contact opening metrology - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA method for process monitoring includes receiving a sample having a first layer that is at least partially conductive and a second layer formed over the first layer, following production of contact openings in the second layer by an etch process, the contact openings including a plurality of test openings...http://www.google.com/patents/US7476875?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7476875 - Contact opening metrologyAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7476875 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/779,224Publication dateJan 13, 2009Filing dateJul 17, 2007Priority dateJul 30, 2002Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS7038224, US7279689, US7381978, US20040021076, US20050173657, US20060113471, US20070257191, WO2004102643A2, WO2004102643A3Publication number11779224, 779224, US 7476875 B2, US 7476875B2, US-B2-7476875, US7476875 B2, US7476875B2InventorsAlexander Kadyshevitch, Chris Talbot, Dmitry Shur, Andreas G. HegedusOriginal AssigneeApplied Materials, Israel, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (33), Non-Patent Citations (59), Classifications (22), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetContact opening metrology
US 7476875 B2Abstract
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/181,659 filed Jul. 13, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,689 which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/434,977, filed May 9, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,224 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/209,087, filed Jul. 30, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,078,690 which is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application and is incorporated herein by reference.
An alternative method for contact hole inspection is described by Yamada et al., in “An In-Line Process Monitoring Method Using Electron Beam Induced Substrate Current,” in Microelectronics-Reliability 41:3 (March 2001), pages 455-459, which is incorporated herein by reference. The substrate current in an electron beam system, also known as the specimen current, absorbed current or compensation current, is defined as the absorbed current that flows or would flow from the primary electron beam to ground (earth) via the specimen (i.e., via the wafer). In other words, the specimen current is equal to the difference between the primary beam current (i.e., the current of electrons in the electron beam that irradiates the specimen in the system) and the total yield of electrons emitted from the surface of the specimen due to secondary and backscattered electrons (adjusted for any local charging effects or time constants). The specimen current can be either positive or negative, depending on whether the energy of the primary electron beam is in the positive- or negative-charging domain of the specimen. (The phenomena of positive and negative charging by e-beam irradiation are described in the above-mentioned reference by Yacobi et al.) Yamada et al. directed an electron beam at single contact holes and groups of holes in a SiO2 surface layer overlying a silicon substrate, and measured the resultant specimen current. They found that the specimen current was a good indicator of hole-bottom oxide thickness, as well as of the hole diameter.
Contact Hole Measurements Using an Angle E-Beam
FIG. 12 is a schematic, pictorial illustration, showing how bias electrode 53 may be used to alleviate this problem, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, electrode is shown as a ring, with an aperture for beam 130. Alternatively, electrode 53 may comprise a fine grid, for example, or may be produced in other, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The use of a biased filter mesh of this sort—albeit for other purposes—is described in European Patent Application EP 0 892 275 A2, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. It is even possible to adapt the bottom electrode (i.e., the electrode next to wafer 20) of a SEM immersion lens to serve this purpose.
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