Wafer inspection method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a wafer detection method and device. Whether to perform detection on a wafer is determined according to light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer when the wafer is executed photolithography. If yes, photolithography alignment detection and / or photolithography size detection are performed on the wafer. If no, no detection is performed on the wafer. Therefore, wafers with different light intensity and offset parameters can be selected and detected, the representativeness of wafers for which detection is performed is improved, only a small number of wafers need to be detected, and the efficiency of wafer detection can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of memory technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for inspecting wafers. Background Technology

[0002] Memory chips are produced by processing wafers through a series of processes. The wafer is first subjected to photolithography, and then different material layers are formed in different areas obtained through photolithography using an overlay method to realize the specific integrated circuits within the chip. However, with the continuous development of electronic technology, the integrated circuits in memory chips are becoming increasingly complex. Therefore, ensuring the accuracy of the photolithography process before overlay is crucial to guaranteeing the accuracy of the overlay process.

[0003] In the prior art, after each wafer is subjected to photolithography, some wafers are randomly selected for testing according to the wafer's ID and other identification information. If the test results of the selected wafers, such as photolithography alignment accuracy and photolithography size accuracy, do not meet the preset requirements, the photolithography process will be repeated on the wafer.

[0004] However, in the existing technology, the wafers inspected by random sampling lack representativeness and may not be able to sample all different types of wafers for inspection. A large number of wafers need to be inspected to determine the patterns in the lithography results, which reduces the efficiency of wafer inspection. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a wafer inspection method and apparatus that can determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer to be lithographically etched, thereby improving the representativeness of the wafers to be inspected and thus requiring only a smaller number of wafers to be inspected, thereby improving the efficiency of wafer inspection.

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a wafer inspection method, comprising: acquiring light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer during photolithography; determining whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameters; the inspection including photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography size inspection; and if so, performing the inspection on the wafer.

[0007] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining whether to perform detection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: when the photolithography alignment detection result of at least one of the N first wafers with the same light intensity that have previously undergone photolithography does not meet a first preset requirement, determining to perform the photolithography alignment detection on the wafer; N is a positive integer.

[0008] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining whether to perform detection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: when the photolithography alignment detection result of at least one of the N first wafers that has undergone photolithography alignment detection meets the first preset requirement, determining that the photolithography alignment detection will not be performed on the wafer.

[0009] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining whether to perform detection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: when the photolithography size detection result of at least one of the M second wafers that have previously undergone photolithography with the same offset parameter does not meet a second preset requirement, determining to perform the photolithography size detection on the wafer; M is a positive integer.

[0010] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining the detection strategy based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: when the lithography size results of at least one of the M second wafers that have undergone lithography size detection all meet the second preset requirement, determining that the lithography size detection will not be performed on the wafer.

[0011] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter further includes: when the light intensity is within a first preset range, determining not to perform the lithographic alignment inspection on the wafer; when the light intensity is not within the first preset range, determining to perform the lithographic alignment inspection on the wafer; wherein, the first preset range is P times the mean standard deviation of the light intensity corresponding to the first wafer for which lithographic alignment inspection has been performed.

[0012] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, determining whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter further includes: when the offset parameter is within a second preset range, determining that the photolithography dimension inspection will not be performed on the wafer; when the offset parameter is not within the second preset range, determining that the photolithography dimension inspection will be performed on the wafer; wherein, the second preset range is Q times the mean standard deviation of the offset parameter of the second wafer for which photolithography dimension inspection has been performed.

[0013] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, the step of determining whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter further includes: when the photolithography alignment inspection result of at least one of the N first wafers that has undergone photolithography alignment inspection meets the first preset requirement, and the photolithography size result of at least one of the M second wafers that has undergone photolithography size inspection meets the second preset requirement, it is determined that no inspection will be performed on the wafer.

[0014] In one embodiment of the first aspect of this application, after performing the photolithographic alignment detection and / or the photolithographic size detection on the wafer, the method further includes: storing the photolithographic alignment detection result and / or the photolithographic size detection result of the wafer to be detected.

[0015] A second aspect of this application provides a wafer inspection apparatus for performing the wafer inspection method as provided in the first aspect of this application. The apparatus includes an acquisition module, a determination module, and a detection module. The acquisition module is used to determine the light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer during photolithography. The determination module is used to determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameters. The inspection includes photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography dimension inspection. The detection module is used to perform photolithography accuracy inspection on the wafer if the determination module determines to perform inspection on the wafer.

[0016] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is configured to determine to perform the lithography alignment detection on the wafer when, among N first wafers with the same light intensity that have previously undergone lithography, the lithography alignment detection result of at least one first wafer that has undergone lithography alignment detection does not meet a first preset requirement; N is a positive integer.

[0017] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is configured to determine that the photolithography alignment test will not be performed on the wafer when the photolithography alignment test result of at least one of the N first wafers that has undergone photolithography alignment test meets the first preset requirement.

[0018] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is configured to determine to perform the lithography size detection on the wafer when, among M second wafers that have previously undergone lithography with the same offset parameter, the lithography size detection result of at least one second wafer that has undergone lithography size detection does not meet the second preset requirement; M is a positive integer.

[0019] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is configured to determine that the photolithography size detection will not be performed on the wafer when the photolithography size results of at least one of the M second wafers that has undergone photolithography size detection all meet the second preset requirement.

[0020] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is further configured to: determine that the lithographic alignment detection will not be performed on the wafer when the light intensity is within a first preset range; and determine that the lithographic alignment detection will be performed on the wafer when the light intensity is not within the first preset range; wherein the first preset range is P times the mean standard deviation of the light intensity of the first wafer for which lithographic alignment detection has been performed.

[0021] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is further configured to: determine that the lithography size detection will not be performed on the wafer when the offset parameter is within a second preset range; and determine that the lithography size detection will be performed on the wafer when the offset parameter is not within the second preset range; wherein the second preset range is Q times the mean standard deviation of the offset parameter of the second wafer for which lithography size detection has been performed.

[0022] In a second aspect of this application, the determining module is configured to determine that no detection will be performed on the wafer when the photolithography alignment detection result of at least one first wafer that has undergone photolithography alignment detection among the N first wafers meets the first preset requirement, and the photolithography size result of at least one second wafer that has undergone photolithography size detection among the M second wafers meets the second preset requirement.

[0023] In one embodiment of the second aspect of this application, it further includes: a storage module for storing the photolithography alignment detection results and / or the photolithography size detection results of the wafer to be inspected.

[0024] A third aspect of this application provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory; wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the processor can be used to perform a wafer inspection method as described in any of the first aspects of this application.

[0025] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed, can be used to perform a wafer inspection method as described in any of the first aspects of this application.

[0026] In summary, the wafer inspection method and apparatus provided in this application determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters during photolithography. If yes, photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography dimension inspection are performed on the wafer; otherwise, no inspection is performed. Therefore, wafers with different light intensities and offset parameters can be selected and inspected, improving the representativeness of the wafers to be inspected. This allows for inspection of only a small number of wafers, thereby improving the efficiency of wafer inspection. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the application scenario of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another application scenario of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a wafer inspection method provided in this application;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the method for determining whether to perform inspection on a wafer provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating yet another embodiment of the method for determining whether to perform inspection on a wafer provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the first preset range of light intensity provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of this application, wherein the application is applied to a scenario of extracting and inspecting photolithographically etched wafers, such as... Figure 1As shown, in S10, the wafer is fed into the photolithography equipment, where the photolithography equipment performs photolithography on the wafer. Subsequently, in S20, the photolithographically lithographically processed wafer is sent to the inspection equipment, where the inspection equipment performs sampling inspection on the wafer. If the inspection result of the sampled wafer passes, the wafer can proceed to the next process; if the inspection result of the sampled wafer fails, the wafer can be returned to the photolithography equipment for rework.

[0037] This application provides a wafer inspection method. After photolithography is performed on the wafer using a photolithography device, the wafer is extracted. Specifically, the method determines whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer during photolithography. When it is determined that inspection should be performed, the wafer is sent to the inspection device for inspection. The execution entity of the above wafer inspection method can be, for example, […]. Figure 1 The detection device in the scenario shown could also be other electronic devices with relevant processing capabilities. For example, Figure 2 This diagram illustrates another application scenario of this application, in which, in addition to the lithography equipment and the inspection equipment, a database server and a calculation server are also included. In S30, the database is used to acquire and store the light intensity and offset parameters during the lithography process on the wafer in S10. In S40, the server is used to retrieve the light intensity and offset parameters from the database and determine whether the inspection equipment should perform inspection on the wafer based on these parameters. The server can send the determined results to the inspection equipment, enabling the inspection equipment to determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the results.

[0038] This application uses a server as an example to illustrate the execution subject, and provides a detailed description of the technical solution of this application through specific embodiments. The specific embodiments provided in this application can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a wafer inspection method provided in this application, as shown below. Figure 3 The methods shown include:

[0039] S101: The server obtains the light intensity and offset parameters used by the lithography equipment when the wafer is being lithographically ...

[0040] Specifically, after the lithography equipment performs lithography on each wafer, the server can obtain the light intensity (dose) and shift parameter (shift parameter) used by the lithography equipment to perform lithography on the current wafer. The server can also obtain the identification information (lot ID) of the current wafer from the lithography equipment.

[0041] S102: The server determines whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters obtained in S101.

[0042] In this embodiment of the application, the inspection performed on the wafer by the inspection device includes: lithographic alignment inspection (CD-SEM measure) and / or lithographic dimension inspection (Overlay measure). In S102, the server can specifically determine whether the inspection device should perform lithographic alignment inspection on the wafer based on whether the light intensity meets the conditions, and whether the inspection device should perform offset parameter inspection on the wafer based on whether the offset parameter meets the conditions.

[0043] S103: If yes, the testing equipment performs testing on the wafer. If no, the testing equipment does not perform testing on the wafer.

[0044] When the server determines that lithography alignment detection and / or lithography size detection will be performed on the wafer, in S103, the detection equipment performs the determined lithography alignment detection and / or lithography size detection on the wafer; when the server determines that no detection will be performed on the wafer, that is, no lithography alignment detection and lithography size detection will be performed, the detection equipment will not perform detection on the current wafer. Subsequently, the server obtains the next wafer for which the lithography equipment has performed lithography, and determines whether the detection equipment should perform detection on the next wafer in the same way as above, and so on, without further details.

[0045] In some embodiments, after the inspection equipment performs photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography size inspection on the wafer, the photolithography alignment inspection results and / or photolithography size inspection results obtained during the inspection can be stored in the database, so that the server can obtain the inspection results of the wafer that has been inspected through the database.

[0046] In summary, the wafer inspection method provided in this application determines whether an inspection device should inspect the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer during photolithography. If yes, the inspection device performs photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography size inspection on the wafer; otherwise, the inspection device does not perform inspection on the wafer. After the photolithography equipment performs photolithography on the wafer, the inspection device can perform wafer sampling inspection without relying on wafer identification information for random sampling. Instead, it can select and inspect wafers with different light intensities and offset parameters based on the light intensity and offset parameters. From the overall process of the inspection device inspecting all wafers, it is equivalent to adjusting the sampling ratio of the inspection device for performing photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography size inspection based on the light intensity and offset parameters of different wafers. Therefore, it can improve the representativeness of the wafers being inspected. Thus, only a small number of wafers need to be inspected among all the wafers obtained by the photolithography equipment to represent the inspection results of the photolithography equipment when performing photolithography on wafers with different light intensities and offset parameters. This, in turn, enables the testing equipment to improve the efficiency of performing tests on wafers.

[0047] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the method for determining whether to perform inspection on a wafer provided in this application is shown below. Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 The wafer inspection method shown illustrates the specific process flow in step S102 where the server determines whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on light intensity and offset parameters. (See diagram for example.) Figure 4 As shown, the server determines whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on light intensity and offset parameters, including:

[0048] S1021: If, among the N first wafers that underwent photolithography before the currently determined wafer and have the same photolithography intensity as the wafer underwent photolithography, the photolithography alignment detection result of at least one first wafer that has already undergone photolithography alignment detection does not meet the first preset requirement, then it is determined that photolithography alignment detection will be performed on the wafer. N is a positive integer.

[0049] For example, taking the extraction and inspection of the wafers shown in Table 1 as an example, as shown in Table 1, after the AA layer of the 20 wafers (lots) with identification information A_01-A_20 is subjected to photolithography, the server can determine whether the inspection device performs photolithography alignment inspection on the wafers based on the light intensity (Dose Used) when the photolithography is performed.

[0050] If, after the lithography equipment performs lithography on wafer A_06 in target 1 with a light intensity (Dose Used) of 38.8, and the lithography alignment test result (CD Met) of the inspection equipment on that wafer does not meet the first preset requirement (CD Target), then the database can store the test result. Assuming N is 3, if the lithography equipment performs lithography on wafers A_07 or A_08 with the same light intensity (Dose Used) of 38.8, and the server retrieves from the database that among the three first wafers preceding that wafer, there is a wafer with the light intensity of A_06 that has already undergone lithography and does not meet the first preset requirement, then the server determines that the inspection equipment needs to perform lithography alignment test on wafers A_07 or A_08.

[0051] Table 1

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] S1022: If, among the N first wafers that have previously undergone photolithography and have the same photolithography intensity as the wafer in which the photolithography was performed, the photolithography alignment detection results of at least one first wafer that has undergone photolithography alignment detection all meet the first preset requirements, then it is determined that photolithography alignment detection will not be performed on the wafer.

[0055] For example, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafer identified A_01 in Table 1 with a light intensity (Dose Used) of 35.4, and the lithography alignment test result (CD Met) of the inspection equipment on the wafer meets the first preset requirement (CDTarget), the database can store the test result. Assuming N is 3, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on wafers identified A_02, A_03, or A_04 with the same light intensity (Dose Used) of 35.4, the server retrieves from the database that among the three wafers before that wafer, there is a wafer identified A_01 that has already undergone lithography with the same light intensity and meets the first preset requirement. Therefore, it is determined that the inspection equipment can refrain from performing lithography alignment test on wafers identified A_02, A_03, or A_04.

[0056] S1023: If, among the M second wafers that underwent photolithography before the currently determined wafer and have the same offset parameters as the wafer underwent photolithography, the photolithography dimension detection result of at least one second wafer that has undergone photolithography dimension detection does not meet the second preset requirement, then it is determined that photolithography dimension detection will be performed on the wafer. M is a positive integer.

[0057] For example, taking the extraction and inspection of the wafers shown in Table 2 as an example, if Table 2 shows that after the bit line layer of the wafers (lots) with identification information (ID) LOT1-LOT21 is lithographically processed, the server can determine whether the inspection device should perform lithographic dimension inspection on the wafer based on the offset parameters at the time of lithography. When the lithography device performs lithography on the wafer with identification information LOT9 in Table 2 with offset parameters (Xshift Used = 7.733, Yshift Used = -0.125), and the result of the lithographic dimension inspection (Xshift Met and Yshift Met) performed by the inspection device on the wafer does not meet the second preset requirement, the database can store the inspection result. Assuming M is 3, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafer with the identification information LOT10, LOT11, or LOT12 with the same offset parameters, the server retrieves from the database the wafer with the identification information LOT9 that has already undergone lithography from the three previous second wafers. If the offset parameters are the same and do not meet the second preset requirement, the server determines that the detection equipment needs to perform lithography size detection on the wafer with the identification information LOT10, LOT11, or LOT12.

[0058] Table 2

[0059]

[0060]

[0061] S1024: If, among the M second wafers that were previously photolithographically ...

[0062] For example, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafer with identification information LOT1 in Table 2 using offset parameters (Xshift Used = 7.925, Yshift Used = -0.186), and the lithography size detection result (Xshift Met and Yshift Met) of the inspection equipment on the wafer meets the second preset requirement, the database can store the detection result. Assuming M is 3, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafers with identification information LOT2, LOT3, or LOT4 using the same offset parameters, the server retrieves from the database the wafers with identification information LOT1 that have already undergone lithography, and the offset parameters are the same and meet the second preset requirement. Therefore, the server determines that the inspection equipment does not need to perform lithography size detection on the wafers with identification information LOT2, LOT3, or LOT4.

[0063] Combining S1021-S1024, if the photolithography alignment test results of at least one of the N first wafers all meet the first preset requirement, and the photolithography dimension results of at least one of the M second wafers all meet the second preset requirement, then it is determined that no test is performed on the wafer; if the photolithography alignment test results of at least one of the N first wafers do not meet the first preset requirement, and the photolithography dimension results of at least one of the M second wafers all meet the second preset requirement, then it is determined that photolithography alignment test is performed on the wafer; if the photolithography alignment test results of at least one of the N first wafers all meet the first preset requirement, and the photolithography dimension results of at least one of the M second wafers do not meet the second preset requirement, then it is determined that photolithography dimension test is performed on the wafer; if the photolithography alignment test results of at least one of the N first wafers do not meet the first preset requirement, and the photolithography dimension results of at least one of the M second wafers do not meet the second preset requirement, then it is determined that both photolithography alignment test and photolithography dimension test are performed on the wafer.

[0064] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating yet another embodiment of the method for determining whether to perform inspection on a wafer provided in this application is shown below. Figure 5 It shows Figure 3 The diagram illustrates another wafer inspection method, specifically the process in step S102 where the server determines whether to perform wafer inspection based on light intensity and offset parameters. When executing S102, the server can perform actions such as... Figure 5 The method shown is then executed. Figure 4 The method shown, and combined with Figure 4 and Figure 5 As a result, if one method determines that wafer inspection is necessary, then the corresponding inspection is performed on the wafer; if both methods determine that wafer inspection is not necessary, then the original inspection is not performed. Alternatively, the server can perform only one of the following: Figure 4 or Figure 5 The method shown determines whether to perform inspection on the wafer. Specifically, as... Figure 5 The methods shown include:

[0065] S1025: If the light intensity is not within the first preset range, then determine to perform photolithography alignment inspection on the wafer. Wherein, the first preset range is P times the standard deviation of the mean of the light intensity of the first wafer for which photolithography alignment inspection has been performed by the inspection equipment.

[0066] S1026: When the light intensity is within the first preset range, it is determined that photolithography alignment detection will not be performed on the wafer.

[0067] For example, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the first preset range of light intensity provided in this application. Assuming P is 3, the database can store the light intensity (Dose) of a certain number of wafers after the lithography equipment performs lithography, and calculate the mean-standard-variance (sigma) of three times the total light intensity to obtain a range of light intensity between L1 and L2 as the first preset range. When the lithography equipment performs lithography on wafer A_06 in Table 1 with a Dose Used of 38.8, the server determines that the light intensity of this wafer is outside the first preset range and therefore determines to perform lithography alignment detection on this wafer. Conversely, when the lithography equipment performs lithography on wafer A_16 in Table 1 with a Dose Used of 35.8, the server determines that the light intensity of this wafer is outside the first preset range and therefore determines not to perform lithography alignment detection on this wafer.

[0068] S1027: If the offset parameter is not within the second preset range, then determine to perform photolithography dimension inspection on the wafer. The second preset range is Q times the mean standard deviation of the offset parameter corresponding to the second wafer for which photolithography dimension inspection has already been performed by the inspection equipment.

[0069] S1028: When the offset parameter is within the second preset range, it is determined that photolithography dimension detection will not be performed on the wafer.

[0070] For example, assuming Q is 3, the database can store the offset parameters (Xshift Used and Yshift Used) of the wafers after the lithography equipment performs lithography on a certain number of wafers, and calculate the mean standard deviation (sigma) of all offset parameters by 3 times, to obtain (Overlay X_M3Sigma and Overlay Y_M3Sigma) as the second preset range. When the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafer identified as LOT18 in Table 2 with offset parameters Xshift Used = 9.085 and Yshift Used = 0.197, the server determines that the offset parameters of the wafer are outside the second preset range, and therefore determines to perform lithography alignment detection on the wafer identified as LOT18. When the lithography equipment performs lithography on the wafer identified as LOT6 in Table 2 with offset parameters Xshift Used = 7.986 and Yshift Used = -0.183, the server determines that the offset parameters of the wafer are within the second preset range, and therefore determines not to perform lithography alignment detection on the wafer identified as LOT6.

[0071] Then combine as Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the methods S1021-S1028 shown, when the server determines through S1022 and S1026 that photolithographic alignment detection is not to be performed on the wafer, and through S1024 and S1028 that photolithographic dimension detection is not to be performed on the wafer, the server determines that detection is not to be performed on the wafer. When the server determines through at least one step in S1021 and S1025 that photolithographic alignment detection is to be performed on the wafer, then it is determined that photolithographic alignment detection needs to be performed on the wafer; when the server determines through at least one step in S1023 and S1027 that photolithographic dimension detection is to be performed on the wafer, then it is determined that photolithographic dimension detection needs to be performed on the wafer.

[0072] In the foregoing embodiments, the wafer inspection method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described. To implement the functions of the methods provided by the embodiments of this application, the compensation device, as the execution entity, may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0073] For example, this application provides a wafer inspection apparatus, comprising: an acquisition module, a determination module, and a detection module, wherein the acquisition module is used to determine the light intensity and offset parameters of the wafer during photolithography; the determination module is used to determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and offset parameters; the inspection includes photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography size inspection; and the detection module is used to perform photolithography accuracy inspection on the wafer to be inspected if the determination module determines that inspection should be performed on the wafer. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the wafer inspection apparatus further comprises: a storage module for storing the photolithography alignment inspection results and / or the photolithography size inspection results of the wafer to be inspected.

[0074] The specific implementation and principle of the wafer inspection device provided in this application can be referred to the wafer inspection method provided in the foregoing embodiments of this application. The specific implementation and principle are the same and will not be repeated here.

[0075] It should be noted that the division of the various modules in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. These modules can be implemented entirely in software via processing element calls; they can be fully implemented in hardware; or some modules can be implemented by processing element calls to software, while others are implemented in hardware. They can be separate processing elements, integrated into a chip within the device, or stored as program code in the device's memory, invoked and executed by a processing element. The implementation of other modules is similar. Furthermore, these modules can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element described here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each of the above modules can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the processor element or through software instructions.

[0076] For example, these modules can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). As another example, when a module is implemented using processing element scheduler code, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling program code. Furthermore, these modules can be integrated together to implement a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0077] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0078] This application also provides an electronic device, including: a processor and a memory; wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the processor can be used to perform a wafer detection method as described in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application.

[0079] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed, can be used to perform a wafer detection method as described in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application.

[0080] This application also provides a chip for executing instructions, the chip being used to perform any of the wafer detection methods described above in this application.

[0081] This application also provides a program product, which includes a computer program stored in a storage medium. At least one processor can read the computer program from the storage medium. When the at least one processor executes the computer program, it can implement a wafer detection method as described in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application.

[0082] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above-described method embodiments can be implemented by hardware related to program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program performs the steps of the above-described method embodiments; and the aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0083] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting wafers, characterized in that, include: Obtain the light intensity and offset parameters when the wafer is subjected to photolithography; Determining whether to perform detection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: If, among the N first wafers that have previously undergone photolithography with the same light intensity, the photolithography alignment test result of at least one first wafer that has undergone photolithography alignment test does not meet the first preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography alignment test will be performed on the wafer; if, among the N first wafers, the photolithography alignment test result of at least one first wafer that has undergone photolithography alignment test all meets the first preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography alignment test will not be performed on the wafer. If, among the M second wafers that have previously undergone photolithography with the same offset parameters, the photolithography size detection result of at least one second wafer that has undergone photolithography size detection does not meet the second preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography size detection will be performed on the wafer; if, among the M second wafers, the photolithography size results of at least one second wafer that has undergone photolithography size detection all meet the second preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography size detection will not be performed on the wafer. Where N and M are both positive integers.

2. A method for inspecting a wafer, characterized in that, include: Obtain the light intensity and offset parameters when the wafer is subjected to photolithography; Determining whether to perform detection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter includes: When the light intensity is within a first preset range, it is determined that no photolithography alignment detection will be performed on the wafer; when the light intensity is not within the first preset range, it is determined that the photolithography alignment detection will be performed on the wafer; wherein, the first preset range is P times the mean standard deviation of the light intensity of the first wafer for which photolithography alignment detection has been performed; When the offset parameter is within the second preset range, it is determined that photolithography dimension detection will not be performed on the wafer; when the offset parameter is not within the second preset range, it is determined that photolithography dimension detection will be performed on the wafer; wherein, the second preset range is Q times the mean standard deviation of the offset parameter of the second wafer for which photolithography dimension detection has been performed.

3. The wafer inspection method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After performing the photolithographic alignment inspection and / or the photolithographic dimension inspection on the wafer, the method further includes: Store the photolithography alignment detection results and / or the photolithography size detection results of the wafer.

4. A wafer photolithography precision inspection device, characterized in that, The wafer inspection method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the wafer photolithography precision inspection device comprises: The acquisition module is used to obtain the light intensity and offset parameters when the wafer is subjected to photolithography. A determining module is configured to determine whether to perform inspection on the wafer based on the light intensity and the offset parameter; the inspection includes photolithography alignment inspection and / or photolithography dimension inspection; The detection module is used to perform detection on the photolithography accuracy of the wafer if the determination module determines that detection should be performed on the wafer.

5. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The determining module is used for, If, among the N first wafers that have previously undergone photolithography with the same light intensity, at least one first wafer whose photolithography alignment detection result does not meet the first preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography alignment detection will be performed on the wafer; N is a positive integer.

6. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The determining module is used for, If the photolithography alignment test results of at least one of the N first wafers that has undergone photolithography alignment test all meet the first preset requirements, it is determined that the photolithography alignment test will not be performed on the wafer.

7. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The determining module is used for, If, among the M second wafers that have previously undergone photolithography with the same offset parameters, the photolithography size detection result of at least one second wafer that has undergone photolithography size detection does not meet the second preset requirement, it is determined that the photolithography size detection will be performed on the wafer; M is a positive integer.

8. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The determining module is used for, If the lithography size results of at least one of the M second wafers that has undergone lithography size detection all meet the second preset requirement, it is determined that the lithography size detection will not be performed on the wafer.

9. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The determining module is also used for, When the light intensity is within a first preset range, it is determined that the photolithography alignment detection will not be performed on the wafer; When the light intensity is not within the first preset range, the photolithography alignment detection is performed on the wafer. Wherein, the first preset range is P times the mean standard deviation of the light intensity corresponding to the first wafer that has undergone photolithographic alignment detection.

10. The wafer lithography precision inspection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The determining module is also used for, When the offset parameter is within a second preset range, it is determined that the photolithography dimension detection will not be performed on the wafer; When the offset parameter is not within the second preset range, the photolithography dimension detection is performed on the wafer. Wherein, the second preset range is Q times the mean standard deviation of the offset parameters of the second wafer that has undergone photolithography size detection.

11. The wafer lithography precision inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 4-10, characterized in that, Also includes: A storage module is used to store the photolithography alignment detection results and / or the photolithography size detection results of the wafer.

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