Kazumasa Endo

Novel technology of automatic macro inspection for 32-nm node and best focus detection

As the semiconductor design rules shrink down, process margins are getting narrower, and thus, it is getting more important than ever to monitor pattern profile and detect minor structure variation. A breakthrough technology has been introduced as a solution to this concern. The new technology converts the fluctuation of polarization ingredient, which is caused by form birefringence, into light intensity variations as an optical image. This technology, which is called Pattern Edge Roughness (PER) inspection mode, is proved to be effective for 55nm production process. We also studied the possibility of the macro inspection method for half pitch 32nm technology node through FDTD method.

New Measurement Technology for CD and Pattern Profile Variation using Optical Fourier Space

As well as measuring CD, monitoring pattern profile is becoming important for semiconductor metrology. Illuminating the wafer and detecting the reflective light, reflective light intensity in the Fourier space includes the information of CD and pattern profile variation by form birefringence effect. CD change and profile variation could be detected separately for the actual wafer. Mathematical simulation is presented the background of our unique approach. The detail results of CD and pattern profile monitor is shown in this paper.

New Inspection Technology for Hole Pattern by Fourier Space on hp 4x-nm Generation

We tried to detect the CD variation of the 4x generation hole pattern using the diffraction light on Fourier space with the polarized light and the modified illumination. The new technology named DD (Dual Diffraction) method has been developed based on the optical simulation and the experimental approaches. We introduce the case of detection for the diameter variation on a multi-layered hole pattern with new method.