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Method of operating a probe microscope

A probe microscope and probe technology, applied in the field of probe microscopy, can solve problems such as not being used for drawing, wrong measurement, etc.

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-02-01
FEI CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This results in a false measurement of the sidewall 80 at the initial horizontal position of the probe tip 20, or of the horizontal position of such a sidewall depth.
[0022] Finally, since prior art SNPs only move in a purely vertical direction towards the substrate surface, SNPs cannot be used to profile perfectly vertical walls or to profile undercut features

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  • Method of operating a probe microscope

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Embodiment Construction

[0044] A preferred embodiment of the invention is directed to an improved metrology method using a probe microscope. While much of the description below is directed to needle nanoprofilometers (SNP) utilizing a probe tip attached to a rocking balance beam, the methods of the present invention can equally be used with any type of probe microscope.

[0045] There are many novel aspects to the preferred methods of the invention, and since the invention is embodied in different ways for different purposes, not every aspect need be present in every embodiment. Furthermore, many aspects of the described embodiments may be patented separately.

[0046] As previously discussed, prior art SPMs generally scan an entire data line by collecting data points along the line at equally spaced intervals, called pixels. In this application, "data point" is used to refer to specific x-y-z coordinates rather than individual x-y coordinates. The skilled artisan will recognize that there may be m...

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Abstract

The invention provides a method for increasing the precision and rate of a probe microscope, which determines key size more rapidly by direct geometrical measuring of relative data points and increases measuring precision by minimizing system drift. The invention further increases precision and production capability by the measurement based on deflection, increases sensitivity of soft-contact by applying oblique approximation path to a probe tip (20), increases throughput and decreases probe tip and / or surface damage by using a lateral force for detection.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to the field of probe microscopy, and in particular to improved methods of critical dimension metrology using probe microscopy. Background technique [0002] The manufacture of advanced integrated circuits requires the formation of extremely small, extremely precise features on semiconductor wafers. Such features are typically first formed by a photolithographic process in a temporary layer of photoresist, which is then used to fabricate permanent structures on the wafer. For example, holes are formed in insulating layers and then filled with conductive material to create connections between layers in the circuit. Trenches are also formed in the insulating layer and then filled with a conductive material to form capacitors. Groups of thin conductive lines are formed to create the busses that carry signals from one area of ​​the chip to another. A conductor set is characterized by the width and pitch (distance between co...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): G01N13/10G12B21/02G01Q30/00
Inventor E・克尼德勒R・林德L・瓦西利埃夫A・伯格豪斯C・E・布赖森三世
Owner FEI CO