David W. Shortt

Inspection Challenges at the 45nm Technology Node

Introduction As semiconductor design rules continue to scale downward, defect inspection becomes increasingly complex with each new device generation. At the 45 nm node equipment makers face qualitatively new challenges: new materials which can complicate inspection, such as SOI, strained silicon and advanced dielectrics will enjoy wider use; thinner films will be common; and defects of interest typically will be much smaller than the wavelengths of light used for inspection and will exhibit a variety of types, materials, shapes and sizes. Meeting these challenges requires advanced inspection techniques. This paper discusses the fundamental physics which drives achievable sensitivity in this regime and its application to defect detection.