Wafer inspection apparatus and wafer inspection method

Abstract

The application discloses a wafer detection device and a wafer detection method. The wafer detection device comprises a shell, an adsorption assembly arranged in the shell, a contact switch assembly and a control assembly. The adsorption assembly comprises a static adsorption disc and a lifting mechanism connected with each other, and the static adsorption disc is used for adsorbing a wafer. The contact switch assembly comprises a first contact and a second contact which are respectively installed on different cavity walls of the shell and can be connected or disconnected. The second contact is opposite to the lifting mechanism in position. The control assembly comprises a disc controller and a power supply, and the disc controller is in conductive connection with the first contact. In the adsorption state, the second contact is in communication with the first contact and the lifting mechanism, and the disc controller controls the static adsorption disc to adsorb the wafer. In the detection state, the first contact and the second contact are disconnected, and the power supply loads an electron beam to the wafer. The wafer detection device and the wafer detection method can avoid polarization of the static adsorption disc, avoid damage of the controller of the static adsorption disc and ensure overall detection efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular relates to a wafer inspection device and a wafer inspection method. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, high-voltage electron beam testing equipment is required to test the wafer's high-voltage resistance and other requirements. The wafer is usually transported to the high-voltage electron beam testing position by being attracted and transported by an electrostatic chuck.

[0003] When using a high-voltage electron beam for inspection, tens of thousands of volts of high voltage are applied to the wafer surface to control the landing energy of the electron beam emitted by the electron gun. If the electrostatic chuck is still in a conductive state adsorbing the wafer, it will cause polarization of the electrostatic chuck, and the high voltage will damage the controller of the electrostatic chuck, thus affecting the overall inspection efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a wafer inspection device and a wafer inspection method that can avoid the polarization phenomenon of electrostatic chucks and prevent damage to the controller of electrostatic chucks, thus ensuring overall inspection efficiency.

[0005] This application provides a wafer inspection device, comprising: a housing; an adsorption assembly disposed within the housing, including an electrostatic chuck and a lifting mechanism connected to each other, the electrostatic chuck being used to adsorb wafers, and the lifting mechanism being electrically connected to the electrostatic chuck for driving the electrostatic chuck to move up and down; a contact switch assembly including a first contact and a second contact that can be connected to each other, the first contact and the second contact being respectively installed on different cavity walls within the housing, the second contact being positioned opposite the lifting mechanism in its direction of movement, so that the second contact can move to a position where it contacts the lifting mechanism; and a control assembly including a chuck controller for controlling the electrostatic chuck and a power supply for loading an electron beam onto the wafer, the chuck controller being electrically connected to the first contact; wherein the wafer inspection device has an adsorption state and a detection state; in the adsorption state, the second contact is in contact with both the first contact and the lifting mechanism to connect the first contact and the lifting mechanism, and the chuck controller controls the electrostatic chuck to adsorb the wafer; in the detection state, the first contact and the second contact are disconnected, the second contact is disconnected from the lifting mechanism, and the power supply loads an electron beam onto the wafer.

[0006] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, the first contact includes an insulating plate and a fixed contact portion, which is electrically connected to the suction cup controller. The second contact is movably arranged in the vertical direction and has a movable rod and a first movable contact portion that are electrically connected. The movable rod can drive the first movable contact portion to move within the coverage area of ​​the insulating plate and to contact or separate from the fixed contact portion.

[0007] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, the lifting mechanism has a transmission base and a transmission part connected to each other. An electrostatic chuck is installed on the transmission base, and the transmission part protrudes from the edge of the electrostatic chuck and is located above the second contact member. In the adsorption state, the second contact member is in a connected position connected to the first contact member, and the second contact member is in contact with the transmission part. In the inspection state, the second contact member is in a first disconnected position disconnected from the first contact member, and the second contact member is separated from the transmission part.

[0008] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, the lifting mechanism is movably arranged in the vertical direction. The wafer inspection equipment also has a material picking state. In the material picking state, the second contact is in a second disconnected position that is disconnected from the first contact. The second contact is abutted against the transmission part, and the electrostatic chuck is located in the material picking position. In the vertical direction, the first disconnected position is a low position, the connected position is a middle position higher than the first disconnected position, and the second disconnected position is a high position higher than the connected position.

[0009] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, during the switching process between the adsorption state and the material handling state, the second contact element always remains in contact with the transmission part to drive the adsorption component to move in the up and down direction.

[0010] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, the fixed contact part is made of metal material, and the surface of the fixed contact part facing the second contact has a contact groove. The first movable contact part is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the movable rod, and the surface of the first movable contact part facing the fixed contact part has a contact protrusion. The contact protrusion is adapted to the shape of the contact groove, and the contact protrusion is telescopically provided on the surface of the first movable contact part.

[0011] In the wafer inspection equipment described above, the second contact also includes a flexible drive unit connected to the moving rod. The flexible drive unit is capable of flexible deformation in the vertical direction. The control component also includes a drive unit, which is electrically connected to the flexible drive unit through a conductive connector to drive the flexible drive unit to perform flexible deformation.

[0012] The wafer inspection equipment described above includes a housing for defining a vacuum environment, control components mounted outside the housing, and conductive connectors that pass through the cavity wall of the housing. The control components are electrically connected to the contact switch assembly via the conductive connectors.

[0013] The wafer inspection equipment described above further includes a detection circuit structure located outside the housing and electrically connected to the control component. The detection circuit structure is connected to the first contact and the second contact respectively via conductive connectors, and is used to detect the induced voltage between the first contact and the second contact and control the control component based on the induced voltage.

[0014] The wafer inspection equipment described above also includes an electron gun inside the housing, which is positioned towards the electrostatic chuck. The electron gun is used to apply an electron beam to the surface of the wafer adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck. The power supply component of the control assembly is electrically connected to the electron gun through a conductive connector to supply power to the electron gun.

[0015] The wafer inspection equipment of this application includes a housing, an adsorption component, a contact switch component, and a control component. The adsorption component is located inside the housing, and the first and second contacts of the contact switch component are installed on different cavity walls inside the housing. This makes reasonable use of the space inside the housing and enables adsorption control of the adsorption component within the housing, avoiding external interference.

[0016] The wafer inspection equipment has an adsorption state and a detection state. In the adsorption state, the second contact is in contact with and connected to the first contact and the lifting mechanism. Since the suction cup controller is electrically connected to the first contact and the electrostatic chuck is electrically connected to the lifting mechanism, a conductive path is formed between the suction cup controller and the electrostatic chuck. The suction cup controller can control the electrostatic chuck to electrostatically adsorb the wafer. In the detection state, the power supply can directly load a high-energy electron beam onto the wafer surface to detect surface defects. Since the first and second contact are disconnected in this state, the conductive connection between the suction cup controller and the electrostatic chuck is broken, and the electrostatic chuck is not in an electrostatic adsorption state. This avoids the polarization phenomenon of the electrostatic chuck caused by the high-energy electron beam loaded by the power supply, and also avoids damage to the suction cup controller from the high-energy electron beam, ensuring overall inspection efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation between the adsorption component and the contact switch component of the wafer inspection equipment according to an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the contact switch assembly of the wafer inspection equipment according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall wafer inspection equipment according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0022] 10. Adsorption assembly; 11. Electrostatic chuck; 12. Lifting mechanism; 121. Transmission base; 122. Transmission unit;

[0023] 20. Contact switch assembly; 21. First contact; 211. Insulating plate; 212. Fixed contact; 213. Contact groove; 22. Second contact; 221. Moving rod; 222. First moving contact; 223. Contact protrusion; 224. Second moving contact;

[0024] 30. Control components; 31. Suction cup controller; 32. Power supply components; 33. Drive components;

[0025] 40. Shell;

[0026] 50. Conductive connectors;

[0027] 60. Test the circuit structure. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will be described in detail below. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain this application and not to limit it. For those skilled in the art, this application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples.

[0029] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, high-energy electron beam inspection is commonly used to detect microscopic defects on wafers, such as pattern defects, impurities, fractures, and other issues that may affect chip performance. Therefore, high-energy electron beam inspection equipment is a key device for detecting chip performance and defects in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0030] During the inspection of wafers by high-energy electron beam testing equipment, the equipment applies tens of thousands of volts of high voltage to the wafer surface to control the landing energy of the electron beam emitted by the electron gun. The high-energy electron beam scans the sample surface and generates a detection signal. The detection signal is collected by the corresponding detector and converted into an image, thereby revealing the microstructure and properties of the sample surface. Therefore, the inspection process generates high voltage, which places extremely high demands on the high voltage resistance of each component.

[0031] During the inspection process, if the electrostatic chuck carrying the wafer is not protected, the high-voltage electric field generated by the high-energy electron beam inspection equipment will cause the electrostatic chuck to polarize and malfunction. It is necessary to use contactors or other control switches to promptly disconnect the connection between the electrostatic chuck and its controller to prevent the chuck from continuing to electrostatically attract the wafer under high voltage, thus avoiding polarization. Furthermore, if the electrostatic chuck is connected to its controller, the high voltage of the high-energy electron beam inspection equipment can also damage the controller.

[0032] Currently, when using traditional relays or contactors to isolate and protect electrostatic chucks and their controllers, excessively high voltage from high-energy electron beam testing equipment can induce voltage and current within the switching devices, causing armature control failure and ultimately leading to electrostatic chuck polarization and damage to the controller. To address these issues, this application provides a wafer inspection device that avoids electrostatic chuck polarization and damage to the controller, ensuring overall inspection efficiency.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, this application provides a wafer inspection device, which includes an adsorption assembly 10, a contact switch assembly 20, a control assembly 30, and a housing 40. The adsorption assembly 10 includes an electrostatic chuck 11 and a lifting mechanism 12 connected to each other. The electrostatic chuck 11 is used to adsorb wafers, and the lifting mechanism 12 is electrically connected to the electrostatic chuck 11 and is used to drive the electrostatic chuck 11 to move up and down. The contact switch assembly 20 includes a first contact 21 and a second contact 22 that can be switched on and off. The first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are installed on different cavity walls within the housing 40. The second contact 22 is positioned opposite to the lifting mechanism 12 so that the second contact 22 can move to a position where it contacts the lifting mechanism 12. The control assembly 30 includes a chuck controller 31 for controlling the electrostatic chuck 11 and a power supply 32 for loading an electron beam onto the wafer. The chuck controller 31 is electrically connected to the first contact 21. The wafer inspection equipment has an adsorption state and a detection state. In the adsorption state, the second contact 22 is in contact with the first contact 21 and the lifting mechanism 12 to connect the first contact 21 and the lifting mechanism 12. The suction cup controller 31 controls the electrostatic suction cup 11 to adsorb the wafer. In the detection state, the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are disconnected, the second contact 22 is disconnected from the lifting mechanism 12, and the power supply unit 32 applies an electron beam to the wafer.

[0034] The wafer inspection equipment of this application embodiment includes an adsorption component 10, a contact switch component 20, a control component 30, and a housing 40. The adsorption component 10 is disposed inside the housing 40. The first contact 21 and the second contact 22 of the contact switch component 20 are installed on different cavity walls inside the housing 40. This makes reasonable use of the internal structure and space of the housing 40, eliminating the need for additional reserved space outside the housing 40 for the installation of the contactor. Furthermore, the contact switch component 20 can control the adsorption of the adsorption component 10 within the housing 40, avoiding external interference.

[0035] The wafer inspection equipment has an adsorption state and an inspection state. In the adsorption state, the second contact 22 is connected to the first contact 21 and the lifting mechanism 12. Since the suction cup controller 31 is electrically connected to the first contact 21 and the electrostatic chuck 11 is electrically connected to the lifting mechanism 12, a conductive path is formed between the suction cup controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11. The suction cup controller 31 can control the electrostatic chuck 11 to adsorb the wafer, so as to fix the wafer on the electrostatic chuck 11, which is convenient for inspecting whether the wafer meets the requirements of high-energy electron beam inspection.

[0036] In the detection state, the power supply unit 32 can directly apply a high-energy electron beam to the wafer surface to detect surface defects. Because the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are disconnected in this state, the conductive connection between the chuck controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11 is broken, and the electrostatic chuck 11 is not in an electrostatic adsorption state, only adsorbing the wafer through residual adsorption force. This avoids the high-energy electron beam applied by the power supply unit 32 causing polarization in the electrostatic chuck 11, and also avoids damage to the chuck controller 31 from the high-energy electron beam, ensuring overall detection efficiency. Figure 3 As shown in the wafer inspection equipment of this application embodiment, the interior of the housing 40 is a vacuum environment, the adsorption component 10 and the contact switch component 20 are both installed inside the housing 40, and the control component 30 is installed outside the housing 40; the conductive connector 50 passes through the cavity wall of the housing 40, and the control component 30 is electrically connected to the adsorption component 10 and the contact switch component 20 through the conductive connector 50.

[0037] In practice, the adsorption component 10 and the contact switch component 20 are installed in the vacuum environment inside the housing 40. The conductive connector 50 passes through the cavity wall of the housing 40. One end of the connector 50 inside the housing 40 can be conductively connected to the adsorption component 10 and the contact switch component 20, and the other end of the connector 50 outside the housing 40 can be conductively connected to the control component 30. This allows the control component 30 to control the adsorption component 10 and the contact switch component 20 inside the housing 40 through the conductive connector 50, thus meeting the requirements of the adsorption component 10 to adsorb wafers in a vacuum environment and to perform high-energy electron beam detection on wafers in a vacuum environment.

[0038] Specifically, the conductive connector 50 is a vacuum electrode. The vacuum electrode has multiple corresponding connection terminals on both its inner and outer surfaces facing the inside and outside of the housing 40. The chuck controller 31 is connected to the electrostatic chuck 11 through one of these connection terminals, and the power supply unit 32 is connected to the electron gun inside the housing 40 through the other connection terminal. This allows the electron gun to apply a high-energy electron beam to the wafer surface for wafer inspection. Therefore, the multiple connection terminals of the conductive connector 50 enable the control component 30 to control multiple components inside the housing 40 separately, achieving various functions.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown in the wafer inspection equipment of this application embodiment, the first contact 21 is fixed inside the housing 40. The first contact 21 includes an insulating plate 211 and a fixed contact portion 212. The second contact 22 is movably installed inside the housing 40 in the vertical direction. The second contact 22 has a moving rod 221 and a first moving contact portion 222. The moving rod 221 can drive the first moving contact portion 222 to move within the coverage area of ​​the insulating plate 211 and to contact or separate from the fixed contact portion 212.

[0040] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, as Figure 1 As shown, the vertical direction represents the overall height of the wafer inspection equipment.

[0041] In specific implementation, the first movable contact 222 can move up and down along the vertical direction with the movable rod 221, so that the first movable contact 222 and the fixed contact 212 are positioned opposite or offset in the vertical direction, so as to achieve contact or separation between the two. When the two are in contact, the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are electrically connected, thereby connecting the suction cup controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11, so that the suction cup controller 31 controls the electrostatic chuck 11 to adsorb and release the wafer. When the first movable contact 222 separates from the fixed contact 212, the connection between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 is disconnected, thereby disconnecting the conductive connection between the suction cup controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11, so as to avoid the electrostatic chuck 11 from generating polarization during wafer inspection.

[0042] Furthermore, in the vertical direction, the first movable contact part 222 can only move within the coverage area of ​​the insulating plate 211 and cannot move outside the coverage area of ​​the insulating plate 211. This ensures that when the first movable contact part 222 is separated from the fixed contact part 212, it cannot contact the cavity wall of the housing 40 or other conductive components inside the housing 40, so as not to affect the wafer inspection function or adsorption function of the wafer inspection equipment.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the embodiment of the wafer inspection equipment of this application, the lifting mechanism 12 has a transmission base 121 and a transmission part 122 connected to each other. The electrostatic chuck 11 is installed on the transmission base 121, and the transmission part 122 protrudes from the electrostatic chuck 11 and is disposed above the second contact member 22. In the adsorption state, the first contact member 21 and the second contact member 22 are connected, and the second contact member 22 is in contact with the transmission part 122. In the detection state, the second contact member 22 is in a first disconnected position, disconnected from the first contact member 21, and the second contact member 22 is separated from the transmission part 122.

[0044] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism 12 is movably arranged in the vertical direction. The wafer inspection equipment also has a material picking state. In the material picking state, the second contact 22 is in a second disconnected position, disconnected from the first contact 21. The second contact 22 abuts against the transmission part 122, and the electrostatic chuck 11 is located in the material picking position. In the vertical direction, the first disconnected position is the lowest position, the connected position is the middle position above the first disconnected position, and the second disconnected position is the highest position above the connected position. That is, among the first disconnected position, the connected position, and the second disconnected position, the first disconnected position is the lowest in the vertical direction, the second disconnected position is the highest in the vertical direction, and the connected position is located between the two. By setting the first disconnection position, the connection position, and the second disconnection position at different heights in the vertical direction, when the second contact member 22 moves up and down between the connection position and the second disconnection position, the transmission part 122 can abut against the top of the second contact member 22 under its own gravity. There is no need to use other force-applying structures to maintain the contact effect between the second contact member 22 and the transmission part 122, thereby simplifying the overall structure of the device. When the second contact member 22 moves up and down between the first disconnection position and the connection position, the height of the second contact member 22 is lower than the lowest point of the movement of the transmission part 122, so that the second contact member 22 is disconnected from the transmission part 122.

[0045] In the pick-up state of the wafer inspection equipment, the second contact 22 is in a second disconnected position, disconnected from the first contact 21, and the second contact 22 abuts against the bottom of the transmission part 122, supporting the transmission part 122. At this time, the electrostatic chuck 11 is in the pick-up position, which can dock with the external wafer feeding equipment and pick up the wafer onto the electrostatic chuck 11. During the process of the wafer inspection equipment switching from the pick-up state to the adsorption state, the second contact 22 moves downward in the vertical direction, and drives the transmission part 122 supported by the second contact 22 to move downward together until the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are in contact. When the second contact 22 is connected, it remains in contact with the transmission part 122. The suction cup controller 31 is connected to the electrostatic chuck 11, and the suction cup controller 31 can control the electrostatic chuck 11 to adsorb and release the wafer. During the process of the wafer inspection equipment switching from the adsorption state to the inspection state, the second contact 22 continues to move downward in the vertical direction and reaches the first disconnection position separated from the transmission part 122, thereby disconnecting the connection between the suction cup controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11. At this time, the power supply 32 can load a high-energy electron beam onto the wafer surface through the conductive connector 50 to inspect the wafer.

[0046] Specifically, the transmission part 122 is positioned opposite to the moving rod 221 of the second contact member 22 and is located above the moving rod 221 in the vertical direction. The upper end of the moving rod 221 is provided with a second moving contact part 224. When the transmission part 122 contacts the second moving contact part 224, the transmission part 122 can be electrically connected to the first moving contact part 222 through the second moving contact part 224. Thus, when the wafer inspection equipment is in the adsorption state, a conductive path is formed from the suction cup controller 31 to the electrostatic chuck 11, so that the suction cup controller 31 can freely control the adsorption and release of the wafer by the electrostatic chuck 11.

[0047] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the wafer inspection device of this application embodiment, the fixed contact portion 212 is made of metal material, and the surface of the fixed contact portion 212 facing the second contact member 22 has a contact groove 213. The first movable contact portion 222 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the movable rod 221, and the surface of the first movable contact portion 222 facing the fixed contact portion 212 has a contact protrusion 223. The shape of the contact protrusion 223 is adapted to the contact groove 213, and the contact protrusion 223 is telescopically provided on the surface of the first movable contact portion 222.

[0048] In practice, when the contact protrusion 223 moves to contact the surface of the fixed contact portion 212, the contact protrusion 223 is in a retracted state. When the contact protrusion 223 continues to move to contact the contact groove 213, the contact protrusion 223 is in an extended state and is locked in the contact groove 213. Therefore, the contact groove 213 will generate a certain resistance to the contact protrusion 223, preventing the second contact member 22 from moving in the vertical direction under the action of gravity, causing the contact protrusion 223 to leave the coverage area of ​​the fixed contact portion 212, resulting in the disconnection between the second contact member 22 and the first contact member 21. Therefore, the cooperative arrangement of the contact protrusion 223 and the contact groove 213 can ensure the contact stability between the first contact member 21 and the second contact member 22, enabling the suction cup controller 31 to stably control the adsorption and release of the wafer by the electrostatic chuck 11.

[0049] Specifically, the outer shell of the first movable contact 222 is made of insulating material. A portion of the contact protrusion 223 protrudes from the outer shell to contact the contact groove 213, while the other portion of the contact protrusion 223 is located inside the insulating shell to contact and electrically connect with the movable rod 221. The insulating shell of the first movable contact 222 can prevent the movable rod 221 and other conductive connectors from accidentally contacting the contact groove 213 and causing the conductive path to be connected.

[0050] The contact protrusion 223 has a spherical structure and is connected to the first movable contact part 222 by an elastic connector. The elastic connector allows the contact protrusion 223 to extend and retract toward the contact groove 213. The contact groove 213 is an arc-shaped groove that matches the spherical structure of the contact protrusion 223. The shapes of the two are designed to reduce the resistance when the contact protrusion 223 slides into or out of the contact groove 213 in the up and down direction, thus preventing the contact protrusion 223 from getting stuck after being locked in the contact groove 213.

[0051] Optionally, the surface of the contact protrusion 223 facing the contact groove 213 can be two inclined connected arc-shaped surfaces or planes. The surface of the contact groove 213 is adapted to the surface shape of the contact protrusion 223, which can also meet the resistance requirements for the contact protrusion 223 to slide into or out of the contact groove 213.

[0052] In the wafer inspection equipment of this application embodiment, the second contact member 22 further includes a flexible driving part connected to the moving rod 221. The flexible driving part can undergo flexible deformation in the vertical direction. The control component 30 further includes a driving member 33. The driving member 33 is electrically connected to the flexible driving part through the conductive connector 50 to drive the flexible driving part to undergo flexible deformation.

[0053] In specific implementation, the driving component 33 is electrically connected to the flexible driving part through an independent connection end of the conductive connector 50, so as to freely control the flexible extension and contraction of the flexible driving part, so that the flexible driving part can undergo flexible deformation in the vertical direction, thereby driving the moving rod 221 to move up and down in the vertical direction, thereby switching the wafer inspection equipment between the material picking state, the adsorption state and the inspection state.

[0054] Specifically, the flexible drive unit is a flexible bellows connected to the bottom of the moving rod 221. The flexible bellows can lift the bottom of the moving rod 221 or drive the bottom of the moving rod 221 to fall by extending and contracting itself in the vertical direction, thereby realizing the movement of the moving rod 221 in the vertical direction.

[0055] Optionally, the driving component 33 can also drive the sliding structure such as the slider to slide in the vertical direction, so as to drive the moving rod 221 to move in the vertical direction, thereby making the movement of the moving rod 221 in the vertical direction more stable.

[0056] like Figure 3 As shown in the embodiment of the present application, the wafer inspection equipment further includes a detection circuit structure 60. The detection circuit structure 60 is disposed outside the housing 40 and electrically connected to the control component 30. The detection circuit structure 60 is connected to the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 respectively through the conductive connector 50, and is used to detect the induced voltage between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 and control the control component 30 according to the induced voltage.

[0057] In specific implementation, the detection circuit structure 60 of the wafer inspection equipment is located outside the housing 40. It is connected to both the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 via conductive connectors 50. When the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are conductively connected, the detection circuit structure 60 can generate an induced voltage. When the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are disconnected, there is no induced voltage between the detection circuit structures 60. Therefore, by detecting the induced voltage of the detection circuit structure 60, it is possible to determine whether the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 inside the housing 40 are conductively connected. This allows for further control of the control component 30, controlling whether the power supply component 32 performs high-energy electron beam inspection on the wafer. This avoids wafer inspection when the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are connected, which could lead to polarization of the electrostatic chuck 11.

[0058] The detection circuit structure 60 includes at least a resistor and a voltmeter connected in parallel. The voltmeter can directly read whether there is an induced voltage between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22, thereby enabling the determination of the connection status of the first contact 21 and the second contact 22.

[0059] The specific process of wafer inspection by the wafer inspection equipment in this embodiment is as follows:

[0060] First, the second contact 22 is moved upward to abut against the lifting mechanism 12 to move the electrostatic chuck 11 to the wafer picking position, and the electrostatic chuck 11 performs the picking operation. When the second contact 22 moves upward, the second moving contact 224 at the top of its moving rod 221 can always abut against the bottom of the transmission part 122 of the lifting mechanism 12, and generate an upward thrust on the entire lifting mechanism 12, so that the electrostatic chuck 11 moves upward synchronously to the wafer picking position. At this time, the wafer inspection equipment is in the picking state, and the electrostatic chuck 11 can dock with the external feeding equipment to realize the picking operation of the electrostatic chuck 11 on the wafer.

[0061] Secondly, the second contact 22 is moved downwards until it connects with the first contact 21, controlling the electrostatic chuck 11 to adsorb the wafer. During the downward movement of the second contact 22, the second moving contact 224 also remains in contact with the bottom of the transmission part 122, that is, the second moving contact 224 is supported on the bottom of the transmission part 122, so that the second contact 22 and the lifting mechanism 12 move downwards synchronously, thereby driving the electrostatic chuck 11 to move downwards. When the second contact 22 moves to the point where its first moving contact 222 contacts the fixed contact 212 of the first contact 21, the second contact 22 connects with the first contact 21. At this time, the second moving contact 224 is still in contact with the transmission part 122, but there is no interaction force between the two, realizing the conductive connection between the chuck controller 31 and the electrostatic chuck 11. At this time, the wafer inspection equipment is in the adsorption state, and the chuck controller 31 can freely control the electrostatic chuck 11 to adsorb the wafer.

[0062] Finally, the second contact 22 continues to move downwards until it separates from both the first contact 21 and the adsorption assembly 10, at which point an electron beam is applied to the wafer. During this downward movement, the second moving contact portion 224 of the second contact 22 separates from the bottom of the transmission portion 122, disconnecting the second contact 22 from the lifting mechanism 12 of the adsorption assembly 10. Simultaneously, the first moving contact portion 222 separates from the fixed contact portion 212, disconnecting the second contact 22 from the first contact 21. At this point, the adsorption... The conductive path from the disk controller 31 to the electrostatic chuck 11 is completely disconnected, and the chuck controller 31 cannot control the electrostatic chuck 11 to perform adsorption. At this time, the wafer inspection equipment is in the detection state, and the power supply component 32 can be used to load a high-energy electron beam onto the wafer surface to detect defects on the wafer surface. Since the chuck controller 31 is disconnected from the electrostatic chuck 11, the electrostatic chuck 11 cannot perform electrostatic adsorption. Therefore, the electrostatic chuck 11 will not generate polarization during the high-voltage detection process of the power supply component 32, and the high voltage will not act on the chuck controller 31 to cause damage.

[0063] In the above detection process, the drive component 33 of the control component 30 is required to drive the flexible drive part inside the housing 40, so that the flexible drive part undergoes flexible deformation, thereby driving the moving rod 221 of the second contact component 22 to move up and down in the vertical direction, so that the wafer inspection equipment can switch between the material picking state, the adsorption state and the inspection state.

[0064] After the wafer is inspected using a high-energy electron beam, the second contact 22 can be moved upward until it connects with the first contact 21. The second contact 22 then contacts and connects with the lifting mechanism 12, allowing the suction cup controller 31 to freely control the electrostatic suction cup 11 to release the wafer. After the electrostatic suction cup 11 has completely released the wafer, the second contact 22 continues to move upward, disconnecting it from the first contact 21. The second contact 22 then rests against the bottom of the lifting mechanism 12, pushing the lifting mechanism 12 upward so that the electrostatic suction cup 11 can dock with an external feeding device, enabling the electrostatic suction cup 11 to feed wafers to the outside.

[0065] When the second contact 22 is separated from the first contact 21 and the adsorption assembly 10, while applying an electron beam to the wafer, it is also necessary to detect the induced voltage between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22. If an induced voltage exists, the electron beam application to the wafer is stopped, and the second contact 22 is driven to continue moving downward. If no induced voltage exists, the electron beam application to the wafer is maintained.

[0066] After the first contact 21 and the second contact 22 are separated, they may still be electrically connected due to the small creepage distance. At this time, the detection circuit structure 60 can generate an induced voltage. The second contact 22 should be driven to continue to move downward to increase the creepage distance between the first contact 21 and the second contact 22, so as to avoid the conductive connection between them. This avoids the polarization phenomenon of the electrostatic chuck 11 during the high-energy electron beam inspection of the wafer, and achieves further protection for the wafer inspection equipment.

[0067] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0068] The above description is merely a specific implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer inspection device, characterized in that, include: case; An adsorption assembly, disposed within the housing, includes an electrostatic chuck and a lifting mechanism connected to each other. The electrostatic chuck is used to adsorb wafers. The lifting mechanism is electrically connected to the electrostatic chuck and is movably arranged in the vertical direction to drive the electrostatic chuck to move up and down. The lifting mechanism has a transmission base and a transmission part connected to each other. The electrostatic chuck is mounted on the transmission base, and the transmission part protrudes from the edge of the electrostatic chuck. A contact switch assembly includes a first contact and a second contact that can be connected to and disconnected. The first contact and the second contact are respectively installed on different cavity walls within the housing. The second contact is positioned opposite the lifting mechanism in its direction of movement. The transmission part is located above the second contact so that the second contact can move to a position where it contacts the transmission part of the lifting mechanism. The control component includes a chuck controller for controlling the electrostatic chuck and a power supply for loading an electron beam onto the wafer, the chuck controller being electrically connected to the first contact. The wafer inspection equipment has an adsorption state, an inspection state, and a material handling state. In the adsorption state, the second contact is in a communication position that is in contact with both the first contact and the transmission part of the lifting mechanism, so as to connect the first contact and the lifting mechanism. The suction cup controller controls the electrostatic suction cup to adsorb the wafer. In the detection state, the second contact is in the first disconnected position, the first contact and the second contact are disconnected, the second contact is disconnected from the transmission part of the lifting mechanism, and the power supply unit loads an electron beam onto the wafer; In the material picking state, the second contact member is in a second disconnected position, disconnected from the first contact member, and the second contact member abuts against the transmission part, while the electrostatic chuck is located in the material picking position; In the vertical direction, the first disconnection position is a low position, the connection position is a middle position higher than the first disconnection position, and the second disconnection position is a high position higher than the connection position.

2. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first contact includes an insulating plate and a fixed contact portion, the fixed contact portion being electrically connected to the suction cup controller. The second contact is movably disposed in the vertical direction. The second contact has a movable rod and a first movable contact portion that are electrically connected. The movable rod can drive the first movable contact portion to move within the coverage area of ​​the insulating plate and to contact or separate from the fixed contact portion.

3. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the switching process between the adsorption state and the material handling state, the second contact member of the wafer inspection equipment always remains in contact with the transmission part to drive the adsorption assembly to move along the vertical direction.

4. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fixed contact part is made of metal material, and the surface of the fixed contact part facing the second contact member has a contact groove. The first movable contact part is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the movable rod, and the surface of the first movable contact part facing the fixed contact part has a contact protrusion. The contact protrusion is adapted to the shape of the contact groove, and the contact protrusion is telescopically provided on the surface of the first movable contact part.

5. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second contact further includes a flexible drive part connected to the moving rod. The flexible drive part can flexibly deform along the vertical direction to drive the moving rod to move. The control component further includes a drive member, which is electrically connected to the flexible drive part through a conductive connector to drive the flexible drive part to flexibly deform.

6. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing defines a vacuum environment, the control components are mounted outside the housing, and the wafer inspection equipment further includes: A conductive connector is disposed through the cavity wall of the housing, and the control component is electrically connected to the contact switch component through the conductive connector.

7. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The wafer inspection equipment further includes a detection circuit structure, which is disposed outside the housing and electrically connected to the control component. The detection circuit structure is connected to the first contact and the second contact respectively through the conductive connector, and is used to detect the induced voltage between the first contact and the second contact and control the control component according to the induced voltage.

8. The wafer inspection equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The housing also contains an electron gun positioned towards the electrostatic chuck. The electron gun is used to apply an electron beam to the surface of the wafer adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck. The power supply component of the control assembly is electrically connected to the electron gun through the conductive connector to supply power to the electron gun.

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