Electron beam inspection device and inspection method

Abstract

An electron beam inspection device and an inspection method are provided. The electron beam inspection device includes a first processing cavity (101) and a second processing cavity (102). The first processing cavity (101) is configured to form a carbon film on a surface of a substrate by a physical vapor deposition method. The second processing cavity (102) is configured to perform an electron beam scan on a substrate having a surface on which the carbon film is deposited, and is further configured to clean the carbon film on the scanned substrate surface by oxygen plasma. The device can avoid the charging effect caused by the electron beam device on the surface of the inspected product in the inspection process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to electron beam inspection devices and methods. [Background technology]

[0002] Semiconductor inspection devices are primarily configured to inspect the performance and defects of wafers or masks during semiconductor manufacturing processes, and inspections are performed throughout the entire semiconductor production process. Broadly speaking, semiconductor inspection devices can be divided into front-end-of-line test devices and back-end-of-line test devices based on the test stage. Electron beam inspection devices for front-end-of-line inspection may include scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, and electron beam inspection (E-beam inspection, or EBI) devices. Electron beam inspection devices are configured to emit electron beams to inspect semiconductor wafers or masks for physical defects, which may include particles, impurities, or cracks in the semiconductor wafers or masks. Electron beam inspection devices use the following inspection method: scanning the wafer or mask to be inspected using an electron beam to obtain a secondary electron imaging image; and using computer vision to perform comparison and recognition to find abnormal dots in the image and use the abnormal dots as defects.

[0003] However, when an electron beam inspection device uses an electron beam to perform an inspection, a charging effect often occurs on the surface of the inspected product, which has low conductivity, affecting the inspection results. The charging effect means that when the electron beam irradiates the surface of the inspected product, excess charge cannot be dissipated in time, resulting in charge accumulation on the surface of the inspected product. This creates an electrostatic field, which interferes with the electron beam incidence and secondary electron emission. Furthermore, due to the charging effect, the scanned image of the inspected product may become blurred during the subsequent testing process of the scanning electron microscope due to the charging effect on the surface of the inspected product. This affects the observation results of the inspected product.

[0004] To mitigate the charging effect, conventional techniques sputter a conductive film with relatively good conductivity, such as a gold or platinum film, onto the surface of the test product to change the conductive properties of the surface of the test product so that the accumulated charge can flow through the sample stage. However, this method requires the conductive film to be further cleaned after the test product is inspected. However, it is difficult to completely clean the conductive film on the surface of the test product using the conventional process, which causes contamination of the test product. Furthermore, this method makes it difficult to control the thickness of the sputtered conductive film. If the sputtered conductive film is too thick, the original morphology of the sample surface may be covered, which may have a significant impact on sample composition analysis.

[0005] Therefore, how to avoid the charging effect caused on the surface of the inspected product by the electron beam device in the inspection process is a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments of the present application provide an electron beam inspection device and an inspection method to avoid the charging effect caused on the surface of the inspected product by the electron beam device during the inspection process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electron beam inspection device. The device includes a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity. The first processing cavity is configured to form a carbon film on a surface of a substrate by a physical vapor deposition method. The second processing cavity is configured to perform electron beam scanning on the substrate having a surface on which the carbon film is deposited, and is further configured to clean the carbon film on the scanned surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma.

[0008] In the device provided in the first aspect, the electron beam inspection device includes two independent processing cavities, namely, a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity. The first processing cavity is configured to deposit a uniform, ultra-thin, cleanable carbon film on the surface of a substrate (a semiconductor product to be inspected, i.e., a wafer or mask) within the first processing cavity. Due to its excellent conductivity, the carbon film can dissipate charge accumulated on the surface of the substrate during electron beam inspection to mitigate charging effects in the electron beam inspection process. In addition, the ultra-thin carbon film deposited in the first processing cavity can reach a thickness of less than 10 nm, thereby avoiding the problem of inspection results being typically interfered with by an excessively thick conductive film. The second processing cavity of the electron beam inspection device is configured to perform electron beam scanning on the substrate on which the ultra-thin carbon film has been deposited to find physical defects in the substrate. After completing the scan, the second processing cavity can further clean the ultra-thin carbon film on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma. Because oxygen and carbon can undergo a combustion reaction (O2 + C = CO2), oxygen plasma can react with the carbon film on the substrate surface to produce carbon dioxide gas, thereby cleaning the carbon film on the substrate surface. This avoids the problem of contamination of the product being inspected due to incomplete cleaning of the existing conductive film. Furthermore, the amount of oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity can be controlled to be much greater than the amount of carbon film. Therefore, the carbon film can be completely cleaned (100% cleaned), leaving no residue on the substrate surface. Furthermore, oxygen plasma hardly reacts with the manufacturing material of the substrate (wafer or mask). Therefore, assuming the carbon film is completely cleaned, oxygen plasma can further ensure that the substrate is not affected.In conclusion, since the electron beam inspection device includes two processing cavities independent of each other, carbon film deposition, electron beam inspection, and complete carbon film cleaning can be carried out separately, thereby successfully avoiding the charging effect caused by the electron beam device on the surface of the inspected product in the inspection process, avoiding the problems of the substrate being contaminated by the conductive film and the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film, and improving the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on the substrate.

[0009] In a possible embodiment, the carbon film has a thickness of less than 10 nm.

[0010] In this embodiment of the present application, the ultrathin carbon film does not cover the original morphology of the surface of the substrate, which further greatly mitigates the interference caused to the substrate in the subsequent electron beam inspection process, thereby avoiding any impact on the substrate composition analysis.

[0011] In a possible embodiment, the second processing cavity is further configured to clean an organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma before forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate.

[0012] In this embodiment of the present application, when a substrate (e.g., a wafer or a mask) is produced at room temperature and pressure, the substrate may often be exposed to air due to the production process. Therefore, an organic film is very likely to form on the surface of the substrate. This causes contamination of the substrate and also affects the electron beam inspection results. Therefore, before the carbon film deposition, the organic film is cleaned using, for example, an oxygen plasma technique, which helps improve the purity of the carbon film deposition and avoids the influence of the organic film on the electron beam inspection results.

[0013] In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises a first mover apparatus, the first mover apparatus configured to transport the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity.

[0014] In this embodiment of the present application, the first mover device may include a vacuum cavity, and the first mover device may continue to transport the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity in a vacuum environment. Therefore, the electron beam inspection device is applicable to large-scale semiconductor manufacturing processes to form a pipeline operation, and helps to improve the production capacity of the semiconductor industry.

[0015] In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises a second transfer apparatus, the second transfer apparatus configured to transfer the substrate to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0016] In this embodiment of the present application, the second moving device may be understood as a robot hand, a robot arm, or the like. Specifically, the second moving device may transport the substrate from a room temperature and pressure environment to a vacuum cavity (e.g., a second processing cavity). For example, the second moving device may transport the substrate to the second processing cavity where the organic film is first cleaned to alleviate the problem of the organic film interfering with the inspection results.

[0017] In a possible embodiment, the second processing cavity comprises an electron beam inspection cavity configured to perform electron beam scanning of a substrate having a surface on which the carbon film is deposited.

[0018] In this embodiment of the present application, the electron beam inspection cavity is an independent cavity of the second processing cavity, and the electron beam inspection process can be separated from the carbon film cleaning process, so that all processes do not interfere with each other and are systematic, thereby improving the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on substrates.

[0019] In a possible embodiment, the second processing cavity further comprises a plasma processing cavity, the plasma processing cavity being configured to clean the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma.

[0020] In this embodiment of the present application, the plasma processing cavity is also used as an independent cavity of the second processing cavity, which can separate the electron beam inspection process from the carbon film cleaning process, so that all processes do not interfere with each other and are systematic, thereby improving the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on the substrate.

[0021] In a possible embodiment, the plasma processing cavity is further configured to clean an organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma before forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate.

[0022] In this embodiment of the present application, prior to carbon film deposition, the organic film is cleaned, for example, using oxygen plasma techniques, which helps improve the purity of the carbon film deposition and avoids the influence of the organic film on the electron beam inspection results.

[0023] In a possible embodiment, the first transfer device is further configured to transport the substrate from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity.

[0024] In this embodiment of the present application, the first moving device can continue to transport the substrate in a fixed direction between the plasma processing cavity, the first processing cavity, and the electron beam inspection cavity in a vacuum environment. Also, when the second processing cavity includes the electron beam inspection cavity and the plasma processing cavity, the first moving device can transport the substrate along a fixed path without mutual interference, so that the electron beam inspection device can be applied to large-scale semiconductor manufacturing processes to form a pipeline operation, and is helpful to improving the production capacity of the semiconductor industry.

[0025] In a possible embodiment, the second transfer device is further configured to transport the substrate to the plasma processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0026] In this embodiment of the present application, the second moving device may be understood as a robot hand, a robot arm, or the like. Specifically, the second moving device may transport the substrate from a room temperature and pressure environment to a vacuum cavity (e.g., a plasma processing cavity). The second moving device may transport the substrate to the plasma processing cavity, which cleans the organic film on the surface of the substrate to alleviate the problem of the organic film interfering with the inspection results.

[0027] In a possible embodiment, the electron beam device further includes a second moving device configured to transport the substrate in the second processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure, or the second moving device configured to transport the substrate in the plasma processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

[0028] In this embodiment of the present application, the second moving device may be understood as a robot hand, a robot arm, etc. Due to process constraints, the second moving device may further transport the substrate from the vacuum cavity (e.g., the second processing cavity or the plasma processing cavity) to room temperature and pressure to perform the next manufacturing process.

[0029] In a possible embodiment, the device further comprises a vacuum pump configured to evacuate gas from the second processing cavity after the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate has been cleaned by the oxygen plasma.

[0030] In this embodiment of the present application, after the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate is cleaned, the vacuum pump can evacuate the carbon dioxide gas, i.e., the product of the reaction between the oxygen plasma and the carbon film, from the cavity in time, thereby avoiding the problem of contamination of the inspected product.

[0031] In a possible embodiment, both the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity are closable vacuum cavities, and the first transfer device comprises a closable vacuum cavity.

[0032] In this embodiment of the present application, a vacuum environment is maintained during the substrate transfer, carbon film deposition, electron beam inspection, and carbon film cleaning processes to help improve the quality of the deposited carbon film and significantly alleviate the problems of the inspected product being contaminated by the carbon film and the inspection results being interfered with by the carbon film in a non-vacuum environment.

[0033] According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an inspection method applied to an electron beam inspection device. The electron beam inspection device includes a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity. The method includes forming a carbon film on a surface of a substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity, and cleaning the carbon film on the scanned surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity.

[0034] In a possible embodiment, the carbon film has a thickness of less than 10 nm.

[0035] In possible embodiments, forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity includes forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method while the first processing cavity is in a first vacuum environment, and the vacuum level of the first vacuum environment is 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -9 Pa, the voltage of the first processing cavity is 200V to 8kV, and the deposition time of the first processing cavity is 10s to 600s.

[0036] In a possible embodiment, performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity includes performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited when the second processing cavity is in a second vacuum environment, and the vacuum level of the second vacuum environment is 1×10 -8 Pa~1×10 -9the second processing cavity has a voltage of 20 kV to 80 kV and a scanning time of 360 s to 1800 s; cleaning the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity; cleaning the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma when the second processing cavity is in a third vacuum environment, and the vacuum level of the third vacuum environment is 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -7 Pa, the voltage of the second processing cavity is 200V to 8kV, and the cleaning time of the second processing cavity is 10s to 600s.

[0037] In a possible embodiment, prior to forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, the method further comprises cleaning the organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity.

[0038] In a possible embodiment, the electron beam device further comprises a first mover apparatus, and the method further comprises transporting the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity by the first mover apparatus.

[0039] In a possible embodiment, the electron beam device further comprises a second transfer apparatus, and the method further comprises transporting the substrate by the second transfer apparatus to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0040] In a possible embodiment, the second processing cavity includes an electron beam inspection cavity, and performing electron beam scanning of a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity includes performing electron beam scanning of a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited in the electron beam inspection cavity.

[0041] In a possible embodiment, the second processing cavity further includes a plasma processing cavity, and cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate scanned with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity includes cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate scanned with oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity.

[0042] In a possible embodiment, prior to forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, the method further comprises cleaning the organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity.

[0043] In a possible embodiment, transporting the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity by the first moving device includes transporting the substrate by the first moving device from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity.

[0044] In a possible embodiment, transferring the substrate by the second transfer device to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure comprises transferring the substrate by the second transfer device to the plasma processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0045] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes transporting the substrate in the second processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure by a second moving device, or transporting the substrate in the plasma processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure by a second moving device.

[0046] In a possible embodiment, the electron beam device further comprises a vacuum pump, and after cleaning the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity, the method further comprises evacuating gas from the second processing cavity with the vacuum pump.

[0047] To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments or background art of the present application more clearly, the following describes the accompanying drawings for illustrating the embodiments or background art of the present application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0048] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of a structure of an electron beam inspection device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of another electron beam inspection device structure according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram of a process based on the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1A-1C are diagrams of a substrate structure existing before carbon film deposition and the resulting substrate structure after carbon film deposition, according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of steps of an inspection method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] The following describes embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] In the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are intended to distinguish between different objects and do not indicate a particular order. Also, the terms "comprise" and "have" and any other variations thereof are intended to refer to a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally further include unlisted steps or units, or may optionally further include other specific steps or units of the process, method, system, product, or device.

[0051] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. The term "and / or" is used to describe an association relationship between associated objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" may represent the following three cases: only A is present, only B is present, and both A and B are present, where A and B may be singular or plural. The symbol " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these, including any combination of a single or multiple elements. For example, at least one of a, b, or c may refer to a, b, c, "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "a, b, and c," where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0052] The term "one embodiment" as used herein indicates that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with reference to this embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Phrases appearing in various places in this specification may not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are they separate or optional embodiments that are incompatible with another embodiment. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that an embodiment described herein may be combined with another embodiment.

[0053] First, in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following specifically analyzes the technical problems that need to be solved in the embodiments and application scenarios of the present application.

[0054] Semiconductor inspection devices are primarily configured to inspect the performance and defects of semiconductor products (e.g., wafers or masks) during the semiconductor manufacturing process. Inspection must be performed after almost all major processes are completed and is carried out throughout the entire semiconductor production process. Broadly speaking, semiconductor inspection devices can be divided into front-end of line (FEL) and back-end of line (BEL) test devices based on the test stage. FOL devices are applicable to FEL testing. FEL testing is applied to the processing and manufacturing processes of semiconductor products. The tests are physical and functional tests used to inspect whether the product's processing parameters meet the design requirements after each process and whether defects that affect yield exist on the surface of the semiconductor product to ensure that the yield of the processing line is controlled above a specified level. BEL devices are applicable to BEL testing. BEL testing is primarily applied to the integrated circuit (IC) packaging stage after semiconductor product processing. The tests are electrical and functional tests used to inspect whether the semiconductor product meets performance requirements.

[0055] Front-end-of-line metrology and inspection can be subdivided into metrology and inspection based on the test objective. Metrology primarily measures manufacturing dimensions, such as film thickness, critical dimensions, and registration accuracy, as well as material properties, such as film stress and doping concentration, of semiconductor products to ensure that these parameters meet design requirements. Inspection is primarily used to identify and locate impurity particles, dirt, mechanical scratches, or wafer pattern defects on the surface of semiconductor products. Electron beam inspection devices for front-end-of-line inspection can include scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, and electron beam inspection (E-beam inspection, or EBI) devices. Electron beam inspection devices are configured to emit electron beams to inspect semiconductor products for physical defects and typically include one processing cavity. Physical defects can include, for example, particles, impurities, or cracks in wafers or masks. The electron beam inspection device uses the following inspection method: using an electron beam to scan the wafer or mask to be inspected to obtain an image of secondary electron imaging, and using computer vision to perform comparison and recognition to find abnormal dots in the image and use the abnormal dots as defects.

[0056] However, when an electron beam inspection device uses an electron beam to perform an inspection, a charging effect often occurs on the surface of the semiconductor product being inspected (e.g., the wafer or mask being inspected), which affects the inspection results. The charging effect mainly occurs when observing a product being inspected that is non-conductive, poorly conductive, or poorly grounded. When the electron beam irradiates the surface of the product being inspected, excess charges cannot be dissipated in time, resulting in charge accumulation on the surface of the product being inspected. Therefore, an electrostatic field is generated, which interferes with the electron beam incidence and secondary electron emission, which affects the observation results. For example, the charging effect may have the following effects on the observation results:

[0057] 1. Anomalous contrast: Secondary electron emission is affected by irregular charge accumulation, resulting in the final received image being abnormally bright in some areas and dark in others.

[0058] 2. Image distortion: Due to the effect of the electrostatic field generated by the electric charge, the incident electron beam is deflected irregularly during the irradiation process, resulting in image distortion or phase difference.

[0059] 3. Image drift: Due to the effect of electrostatic fields, the incident electron beam is deflected in a particular direction, resulting in image drift.

[0060] 4. Bright spots and lines: Due to irregular charge accumulation, irregular discharges often occur in charged samples, resulting in irregular bright spots and lines in the image.

[0061] 5. The image is "very flat" and has no stereoscopic effect: Usually, the reason for this phenomenon is that the scanning speed is relatively slow, and each pixel has a relatively long dwell time, which causes charge accumulation. The image appears very flat and completely loses the stereoscopic effect.

[0062] Therefore, due to the influence of the charging effect, in the subsequent testing process of the scanning electron microscope, the scanned image of the product under test may be blurred due to the charging effect on the surface of the product under test, which affects the observation results of the product under test.

[0063] Currently, to mitigate the effects of charging and make the test product applicable to large-scale production scenarios such as the semiconductor manufacturing industry, conventional techniques involve sputtering a conductive film with relatively good conductivity, such as a gold or platinum film, onto the surface of the test product to change the surface's conductive properties so that accumulated charges can flow through the sample stage. This is the most common method for mitigating the charging effect. However, this method has two drawbacks: the test results can be interfered with by the conductive film, and the test product can be contaminated by the conductive film.

[0064] Problems with conductive film interference on test results: (1) Film Thickness If the conductive film is too thick, the original morphology of the sample surface may be covered, which may have a significant impact on sample composition analysis. The films fabricated using the vacuum sputtering coating method currently used in laboratories are too thick. The films also contribute to noise in the electronic test signal. When the device's noise reduction capability is insufficient to compensate for the film thickness, both the reproducibility and accuracy of the test results are affected.

[0065] (2) Film surface defects Current technology can inspect the surface of coated films for large defects (10 nm to 10 μm), including particles, cracks, or grooves. Nano-sized defects can be ignored in the laboratory. However, in semiconductor manufacturing processes, defects larger than 10 nm can cause product scrapping and reduce overall yield.

[0066] Problems with conductive film contamination of inspected products:

[0067] After the product is coated and electronic testing is completed, the conductive film (including the gold film or platinum film) remains on the surface of the product being tested, causing contamination of the product. Therefore, the conductive film can also be considered a destructive testing method, which affects the downstream processing of the product. According to industry practice in the semiconductor manufacturing process, products that do not meet specifications are not allowed to enter the downstream production line. Therefore, after electronic testing is completed, the film must be thoroughly cleaned, and defects such as particles, residual impurities, or cracks cannot be left on the surface of the product being tested.

[0068] Therefore, conductive films made by current film coating techniques can only be used for large-scale production after the two major technical problems mentioned above have been resolved.

[0069] Therefore, to solve the problems of conductive films interfering with inspection results and contaminating products, an embodiment of the present application provides an electron beam inspection device. The electron beam inspection device includes two independent processing cavities, namely, a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity. The first processing cavity is configured to deposit an ultra-thin, cleanable carbon film on the surface of a substrate (a semiconductor product to be inspected, i.e., a wafer or a mask) within the cavity. Due to its excellent conductivity, the carbon film can dissipate charges accumulated on the surface of the substrate during electron beam inspection to mitigate the charging effect in the electron beam inspection process. Furthermore, the ultra-thin carbon film deposited in the first processing cavity can reach a thickness of less than 10 nm, thereby avoiding the problem of excessively thick conductive films interfering with inspection results. Furthermore, the second processing cavity of the electron beam inspection device is configured to perform electron beam scanning on the substrate on which the ultra-thin carbon film is deposited to find physical defects in the substrate. After completing the scan, the second processing cavity can be further configured to clean the ultra-thin carbon film on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma. Because oxygen and carbon can undergo a combustion reaction (O2 + C = CO2), oxygen plasma can react with the carbon film on the surface of the substrate to produce carbon dioxide gas, completely cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate. Furthermore, oxygen plasma hardly reacts with the manufacturing material of the substrate (wafer or mask). Therefore, assuming that the carbon film is completely cleaned, oxygen plasma can ensure that the substrate is not affected, thereby avoiding the problem of the product being inspected being contaminated by the existing conductive film.

[0070] Furthermore, the electron beam inspection device and inspection method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented for large-scale production of various semiconductor products and applied to the inspection process of various semiconductor products, particularly to mitigate the phenomenon of large-scale charge accumulation during electron beam inspection, and further avoid the problem of the product being inspected being contaminated by a conductive film and the problem of the inspection result being interfered with by the conductive film. For example, a uniform carbon film is deposited on the product being inspected. For specific implementations, please refer to the following embodiments as appropriate. The embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail here.

[0071] Based on the aforementioned technical problems, in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following will first describe some of the electron beam inspection devices on which the embodiments of the present application are based.

[0072] An embodiment of the present application provides an electron beam inspection device, the electron beam inspection device including a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity.

[0073] 1 is a diagram of the structure of an electron beam inspection device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the main view of FIG. 1, the electron beam inspection device may include a first processing cavity 101 and a second processing cavity 102. The electron beam inspection device may further include a first moving device 103, a second moving device 104, and a vacuum pump (not shown). As shown in the top view of FIG. 1, the following operations are performed:

[0074] 1. The second moving device transfers a substrate (a semiconductor product to be inspected, such as a wafer or a mask) from the substrate stage to the second processing cavity 102.

[0075] 2. Cleaning the organic film on the surface of the substrate by plasma treatment in the second processing cavity.

[0076] 3. After the organic film on the surface of the substrate is cleaned, the substrate is transferred from the second processing cavity 102 to the first processing cavity 101 by the first transfer device 103 .

[0077] 4. A carbon film is then formed on the surface of the substrate using a physical vapor deposition technique in the first processing cavity.

[0078] 5. Next, the first moving device 103 transports the substrate with the carbon film deposited thereon from the first processing cavity 101 to the second processing cavity 102, whereby an electron beam inspection is performed on the substrate with the carbon film deposited thereon in the second processing cavity to obtain defect inspection results for the substrate.

[0079] 6. The second processing cavity 102 cleans the carbon film on the surface of the inspected substrate, and the second moving device 104 transports the substrate from which the carbon film has been cleaned to the substrate stage.

[0080] The first processing cavity 101 (which may also be referred to as a physical vapor deposition cavity) is configured to form a carbon film on the surface of a substrate using a physical vapor deposition method. Specifically, the first processing cavity 101 is a deposition cavity in which a carbon film is deposited on the surface of a substrate. The first processing cavity 101 may use a physical vapor deposition method to allow carbon atoms or carbon ions to form a uniform carbon film on the surface of the substrate in the first processing cavity 101. Due to its good conductivity, the uniform carbon film can dissipate charges generated when an electron beam is irradiated onto the substrate in a subsequent electron beam inspection process in time to prevent charging effects from occurring on the surface of the substrate and affecting the inspection results. The carbon film needs to be deposited on the surface of the substrate in a vacuum environment. Therefore, the first processing cavity 101 is also a vacuum cavity. The substrate may also be understood as a semiconductor product to be inspected, such as a wafer or a mask.

[0081] It should be noted that the physical vapor deposition method used by the first processing cavity 101 may include evaporation deposition or sputtering deposition, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, when the first processing cavity 101 is in a first vacuum environment, a target material is excited to obtain carbon atoms through a sputtering deposition method, and the carbon atoms form a carbon film on the surface of the substrate. The target material is solid carbon. Also, in this embodiment of the present application, the shape of the target material is not specifically limited. For example, the target material may be circular carbon, fibrous carbon, or rod-shaped carbon. Also, the specific material of the target material is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the solid carbon may be graphite or diamond, etc. The specific material selected may be specifically controlled based on cost.

[0082] The second processing cavity 102 is configured to perform electron beam scanning on a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited, and is further configured to clean the carbon film deposited on the scanned surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma. In other words, the second processing cavity 102 is a processing cavity that performs electron beam scanning on a substrate and cleans the carbon film on the surface of the substrate after the electron beam scanning. When the electron beam is irradiated on the substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited, excess charge is dissipated in time through the carbon film on the surface of the substrate, preventing charge accumulation on the surface of the inspected substrate. The second processing cavity 102 can then successfully perform electron beam injection and secondary electron emission to obtain observation results of the substrate and determine whether the substrate has physical defects. Physical defects may include, for example, particles, impurities, or cracks in the wafer or mask. After the electron beam scanning is completed, the carbon film on the surface of the substrate must be cleaned to prevent the inspected substrate from being contaminated by the carbon film. Therefore, the second processing cavity 102 can use oxygen plasma technology to thoroughly clean the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate, thereby leaving the substrate with the cleaned carbon film in the same state as the substrate existed before the carbon film was deposited. In other words, the substrate with the cleaned carbon film remains in the same state as the substrate existed before the carbon film was deposited, and no carbon is present on the surface. Also, when electron beam inspection or carbon film cleaning is performed on the substrate, the substrate needs to be placed in a sealed vacuum cavity. Therefore, the second processing cavity 102 is also a sealable vacuum cavity.

[0083] It should be noted that the first processing cavity 101 and the second processing cavity 102 may share one vacuum pump to separately control the vacuum environment within the cavities. Alternatively, the first processing cavity 101 and the second processing cavity 102 may each correspond to one vacuum pump to control the vacuum environment within the cavities in a one-to-one correspondence. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0084] Optionally, the second processing cavity 102 is further configured to clean the organic film on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma before forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate. When a substrate (e.g., a wafer or mask) is produced at room temperature and pressure, the substrate is often exposed to air during the production process. When the substrate is exposed to air, organic films (e.g., hydrocarbons) are easily formed on the surface of the substrate due to the operator's breathing or interaction, or even water vapor or other impurities in the air. This causes contamination of the substrate surface. The presence of the organic film on the surface of the substrate can result in a relatively large signal-to-noise ratio during the electron beam inspection process, affecting the purity of the deposited carbon film. As a result, the carbon film is not pure, and therefore its conductivity is affected, affecting the electron beam inspection results. Therefore, before carbon film deposition, the organic film needs to be cleaned using, for example, oxygen plasma technology. For example, within the second processing cavity, a radio-frequency voltage (having a frequency of several tens of megahertz) is applied to a group of electrodes, forming a high-frequency alternating current electric field between the electrodes. Under the excitation of an AC electric field, the gas in the region generates a high-energy, irregular plasma, which exerts a dual action of physical impact and chemical reaction on the surface of the object to be cleaned, turning the matter on the surface into particles and gaseous substances, which are then removed by vacuuming, cleaning the impurities.

[0085] The first mover device 103 may be understood as a vacuum transfer device. Specifically, the first mover device 103 may continue to transfer the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity in a vacuum environment.

[0086] Optionally, the first moving device 103 may include a transfer module, a vacuum pump, and a vacuum cavity having at least one sealing door (e.g., a metal valve). For example, when the first moving device 103 transfers a substrate from the second processing cavity 102 to the first processing cavity 101 to deposit a carbon film, the vacuum cavity may first maintain the same vacuum environment as the second processing cavity 102 by the vacuum pump, then open the sealing door corresponding to the second processing cavity 102, transfer the substrate from the mounting device in the second processing cavity to the mounting device of the first moving platform by the substrate transfer module, and close the sealing door. The vacuum cavity may adjust the vacuum level in the cavity by the vacuum pump to maintain the same vacuum environment as the first processing cavity 101, then open the sealing door corresponding to the first processing cavity 101, transfer the substrate from the mounting device in the second processing cavity to the mounting device of the first moving platform by the substrate transfer module, and close the sealing door. Optionally, when there is only one sealing door, the corresponding position of the sealing door may be changed to ensure smooth transfer of substrates between different cavities, for example, the sealing door may be transferred from a position corresponding to the second processing cavity 102 to a position corresponding to the first processing cavity 101.

[0087] It should be noted that maintaining the vacuum level in the vacuum cavity consistent with the vacuum level in the first processing cavity or the second processing cavity may be understood as the magnitude of the vacuum levels being consistent, or as the substrate being transferred between the two cavities not being affected due to changes in the vacuum level.

[0088] The second moving device 104 may be understood as a robot hand, a robot arm, or the like. Specifically, the second moving device 104 may transfer a substrate from a room temperature and atmospheric pressure mounting device to the second processing cavity, or may transfer an inspected substrate from the second processing cavity to the room temperature and atmospheric pressure mounting device. After the substrate is transferred to the second processing cavity, the gas in the first processing cavity or the second processing cavity needs to be removed by a vacuum pump to form a vacuum environment. For example, after the second moving device transfers the substrate from the substrate mounting table to the second processing cavity 102, the second processing cavity 102 is sealed, and the gas in the second processing cavity is removed by a vacuum pump to maintain the second processing cavity at a vacuum.

[0089] It should be noted that the room temperature and pressure mounting apparatus may be understood as a substrate mounting table at room temperature, and the substrate mounting table may be exposed to air.

[0090] Optionally, the second transfer device 104 may transfer the substrate by means of a vacuum suction cup, which is less likely to damage or contaminate the substrate during the process of transferring the substrate.

[0091] A vacuum pump is a component or device that uses mechanical, physical, chemical, or physicochemical methods to extract air from a container to be extracted and create a vacuum. Generally, a vacuum pump is an apparatus that uses various methods to improve, create, and maintain a vacuum within a specific enclosed space. In this embodiment of the present application, the vacuum pump is configured to create or maintain a vacuum environment within the first processing cavity 101, the second processing cavity 102, and the first transfer apparatus 103. Both the first processing cavity 101 and the second processing cavity 102 are closable vacuum cavities, and the first transfer apparatus 103 includes a closable vacuum cavity.

[0092] Optionally, the vacuum pump is configured to exhaust gas from the second processing cavity 102 after the second processing cavity 102 cleans the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma. In other words, the vacuum environment in the second processing cavity is maintained by the vacuum pump. The vacuum pump can exhaust carbon dioxide gas, i.e., the product of the reaction between the oxygen plasma and the carbon film, from the cavity in time. Also, the type of vacuum pump is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0093] In conclusion, the electron beam inspection device includes two independent process cavities, namely, a first process cavity 101 and a second process cavity 102. The first process cavity is configured to deposit an ultra-thin, cleanable carbon film on the surface of a substrate (a semiconductor product to be inspected, i.e., a wafer or a mask) within the cavity. Due to its excellent electrical conductivity, the carbon film can dissipate charge accumulated on the surface of the substrate during electron beam inspection to mitigate the charging effect in the electron beam inspection process. Furthermore, the ultra-thin carbon film deposited in the first process cavity can reach a thickness of less than 10 nm, thereby avoiding the problem of conductive film interference with inspection results due to its thickness. Furthermore, the second process cavity of the electron beam inspection device is configured to perform electron beam scanning on the substrate on which the ultra-thin carbon film has been deposited to find physical defects in the substrate. After completing the scan, the second process cavity can further be configured to clean the ultra-thin carbon film on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma. Because oxygen and carbon can undergo a combustion reaction (O2 + C = CO2), oxygen plasma can react with the carbon film on the surface of the substrate to produce carbon dioxide gas, completely cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate. Furthermore, oxygen plasma hardly reacts with the manufacturing material of the substrate (wafer or mask). Therefore, assuming that the carbon film is completely cleaned, oxygen plasma can ensure that the substrate is unaffected, thereby avoiding the problem of the product being inspected being contaminated by an existing conductive film. In conclusion, because the electron beam inspection device contains two independent processing cavities, carbon film deposition, electron beam inspection, and complete carbon film cleaning can be performed separately. As a result, the charging effect caused by the electron beam device on the surface of the product being inspected during the inspection process is successfully avoided, avoiding the problem of the substrate being contaminated by a conductive film and the problem of the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film, and improving the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on substrates.

[0094] It should be further noted that the relevant structure of the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 1 is merely an exemplary structure provided in the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, the shapes, sizes, positions, and even the number of related components, such as the first processing cavity 101, the second processing cavity 102, the first moving device 103, the second moving device 104, and vacuum pumps (not shown), are not specifically limited. For example, the first processing cavity 101 and the second processing cavity 102 may be cylindrical, hemispherical, cubic, etc., and the positions of the first processing cavity 101 and the second processing cavity 102 may also be adjusted based on the device size constraints in specific applications. In another example, to save device space, the first moving device and the second moving device may be suspended above the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity. In another example, to save device space and cost, the number of vacuum pumps may be further controlled. For example, the first processing cavity, the second processing cavity, and the first transfer device share one vacuum pump.

[0095] The second processing cavity for electron beam inspection and carbon film cleaning in the electron beam inspection device shown in Figure 1 includes only one cavity. In some embodiments, the second processing cavity may be further divided into multiple cavities, or the second processing cavity further includes at least one cavity.

[0096] 2 is a diagram of the structure of another electron beam inspection device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the main view of FIG. 2, the electron beam inspection device may include a first processing cavity 101, an electron beam inspection cavity 112, and a plasma processing cavity 122. The electron beam inspection device may further include a first moving device 103, a second moving device 104, and a vacuum pump (not shown). It should be noted that compared with the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 1, the second processing cavity in the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 2 is divided into the electron beam inspection cavity 112 and the plasma processing cavity 122. As shown in the top view of FIG. 2, the following operations are performed.

[0097] 1. The second transfer device 104 transfers a substrate (a semiconductor product to be inspected, such as a wafer or a mask) from the substrate stage to the plasma processing cavity 122.

[0098] 2. The organic film on the surface of the substrate is cleaned by plasma treatment in the plasma treatment cavity.

[0099] 3. After the plasma processing cavity 122 cleans the organic film on the surface of the substrate, the electron beam inspection device transfers the substrate from the plasma processing cavity 122 to the first processing cavity 101 by the first transfer device 103.

[0100] 4. A carbon film is then formed on the surface of the substrate using a physical vapor deposition technique in the first processing cavity.

[0101] 5. Next, the electron beam inspection device transports the substrate with the carbon film deposited thereon from the first processing cavity 101 to the electron beam inspection cavity 112 by the first moving device 103, whereby an electron beam inspection is performed on the substrate with the carbon film deposited thereon in the second processing cavity to obtain defect inspection results for the substrate.

[0102] 6. After obtaining the defect inspection results for the substrate, the electron beam inspection device transports the substrate from the electron beam inspection cavity 112 to the plasma processing cavity 122 by the first moving device 103.

[0103] 7. The plasma processing cavity 122 cleans the carbon film on the surface of the inspected substrate, and the second moving device 104 transports the substrate from which the carbon film has been cleaned to the substrate stage from the second processing cavity.

[0104] The first processing cavity 101 is configured to form a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method. For the function of the first processing cavity 101, please further refer to the relevant description of the first processing cavity 101 of the electron beam inspection device shown in Figure 1 as appropriate. In this embodiment of the present application, the details will not be described again here.

[0105] The electron beam inspection cavity 112 is configured to perform electron beam scanning on a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited. Specifically, the electron beam inspection cavity 112 irradiates the substrate with an electron beam to perform electron beam scanning, and excess charge is dissipated in time through the carbon film on the surface of the substrate. This prevents charge accumulation on the surface of the substrate being inspected, allowing the electron beam inspection cavity 112 to successfully perform electron beam injection and secondary electron emission to obtain inspection results for the substrate. The inspection results may indicate whether the substrate has a physical defect. If the substrate has a physical defect, the inspection results may further include the type, size, and location of the physical defect. For example, the inspection results may include image information and defect information for the substrate. When performing electron beam inspection on a substrate, the substrate needs to be placed in a sealed vacuum cavity. Therefore, the electron beam inspection cavity 112 is a sealable vacuum cavity.

[0106] The plasma processing cavity 122 is configured to clean the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate using oxygen plasma. Because the electron beam inspection cavity 112 and the plasma processing cavity 122 are two independent cavities, the plasma processing cavity can independently clean the carbon film without being affected by other factors. Therefore, after electron beam scanning is completed, the scanned substrate needs to be further transported from the electron beam inspection cavity 112 to the plasma processing cavity 122 by the first moving device 103 to clean the carbon film on the surface of the substrate, thereby preventing the inspected substrate from being contaminated by the carbon film. For example, the plasma processing cavity 122 can use oxygen plasma technology to thoroughly clean the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate, thereby making the substrate with the cleaned carbon film the same as the substrate when no carbon film is deposited. When carbon film cleaning is performed on the substrate, the substrate needs to be placed in a sealed vacuum cavity. Therefore, the plasma processing cavity 122 is a sealable vacuum cavity.

[0107] Optionally, the plasma processing cavity 122 is further configured to clean organic films on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma before forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate. When a substrate (e.g., a wafer or a mask) is produced at room temperature and pressure, the substrate may often be exposed to air due to the production process. When the substrate is exposed to air, an organic film is very likely to form on the surface of the substrate due to an operator's breathing or interaction, or even impurities in the air. This causes contamination of the substrate and affects the electron beam inspection results. Therefore, before carbon film deposition, the organic film needs to be cleaned using, for example, oxygen plasma technology. This mitigates the interference of the organic film with the inspection results and the impact on the substrate.

[0108] The first moving device 103 may be understood as a vacuum transport device. Specifically, the first moving device 103 can transport a substrate from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity. Due to process constraints, the transport path of the first moving device 103 is determined during the substrate inspection process. Specifically, the substrate can only be transported from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity. Therefore, because the path is fixed and there is no mutual interference, the electron beam inspection device is applicable to large-scale semiconductor manufacturing processes to form a pipeline operation, which helps improve the production capacity of the semiconductor industry.

[0109] The second moving device 104 may be understood as a robot hand, a robot arm, or the like. Specifically, the second moving device 104 can transfer a substrate from a room temperature and atmospheric pressure mounting device to a plasma processing cavity, or can transfer an inspected substrate from a plasma processing cavity to a room temperature and atmospheric pressure mounting device. After the substrate is transferred to the plasma processing cavity, the gas in the plasma processing cavity needs to be removed by a vacuum pump to form a vacuum environment. After the substrate is transferred from the plasma processing cavity, the plasma processing cavity needs to be restored to a room temperature and atmospheric pressure environment by a vacuum pump.

[0110] The vacuum pump is configured to exhaust the gas in the plasma processing cavity from the plasma processing cavity after the plasma processing cavity 122 cleans the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma.

[0111] Please note that for other related functions of the first moving device 103, the second moving device 104, and the vacuum pump, please further refer to the related description of the embodiment in Figure 1 as appropriate. In this embodiment of the present application, the details will not be described again here.

[0112] It should be further noted that the relevant structure of the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 2 in this embodiment of the present application is merely an exemplary structure provided in this application. In this embodiment of the present application, the shape, size, position, and even number of the first processing cavity 101, the electron beam inspection cavity 112, the plasma processing cavity 122, the first moving device 103, the second moving device 104, and related components such as a vacuum pump (not shown) are not specifically limited. For example, the plasma processing cavity 122 may be further divided into two processing cavities, one of which is configured to clean organic films and the other of which is configured to clean carbon films. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0113] In conclusion, the electron beam inspection device includes at least three processing cavities that are independent of each other: the first processing cavity 101, the electron beam inspection cavity 112, and the plasma processing cavity 122. The electron beam inspection cavity and the plasma processing cavity are separated, so that the substrate is not affected by other steps in the process of performing electron beam inspection and carbon film cleaning, and interference with the inspection results can be avoided. In addition, the carbon film deposition, electron beam inspection, and complete carbon film cleaning can be performed separately, which successfully avoids the charging effect caused by the electron beam device on the surface of the inspected product during the inspection process, avoids the problem of the substrate being contaminated by the conductive film and the problem of the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film, and improves the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on the substrate.

[0114] In addition, during the preparation of the ultrathin carbon film, the thickness, grain size, surface morphology, and defect rate of the ultrathin carbon film can be controlled to ensure that there is almost no interference with the electron beam inspection results, and as a result, the accuracy and clarity of the electron beam inspection are not affected. Important parameters such as the vacuum level and voltage of the deposition cavity can be set to optimize the carbon film. For example, when the vacuum level is 1×10-3 Pa~1×10 -9 When the voltage is 200V to 8kV, the film thickness uniformity can be controlled within ±0.4nm, and the grain size is less than 0.4nm. In this case, oxygen plasma technology can 100% clean the carbon film through the combustion reaction between oxygen and carbon. This solution avoids the problems of the conductive film interfering with the test results and contaminating the product, thereby ensuring the yield of the semiconductor manufacturing industry during large-scale production of related semiconductor devices.

[0115] Therefore, in the following, the present application uses the electron beam inspection device shown in FIG. 2 as an example to describe the relevant parameters of the electron beam inspection device in the working process.

[0116] Figure 3 is a diagram of a process based on the electron beam inspection device shown in Figure 2 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the optimized test process based on the electron beam inspection device shown in Figure 2 in an embodiment of the present application is as follows, including, for example, a physical vapor deposition process and a plasma treatment process.

[0117] Step S1: A substrate is transferred from a substrate stage to a plasma processing cavity by a second moving device. The substrate is a semiconductor product to be inspected, such as a wafer or a mask.

[0118] Step S2: Clean the organic film on the surface of the substrate using a plasma treatment technique in the plasma treatment cavity. The voltage of the plasma treatment cavity is set to 200 V to 8 kV, and the vacuum level in the plasma treatment cavity is 1×10. -3 Pa~1×10 -7 The plasma is stabilized at 10 Pa, and the treatment time of the plasma treatment cavity is 10 s to 600 s.

[0119] The relationship between voltage, vacuum level, and processing time is as follows: a higher voltage indicates a higher concentration of oxygen plasma and a shorter processing time in the plasma processing cavity, but a higher substrate temperature. Therefore, an excessively high voltage can adversely affect substrate performance. Therefore, the upper limit of voltage can be set to approximately 8 kV. A higher vacuum level in the cavity indicates a higher reaction rate between the oxygen plasma and the organic film and a shorter processing time, but a higher vacuum level indicates higher device and process costs. In this step, the organic film on the surface of the product is cleaned using oxygen plasma (O2 plasma) technology to prepare for the subsequent carbon film deposition on the surface of the substrate.

[0120] Step S3: After the plasma processing cavity cleans the organic film on the surface of the substrate, the electron beam inspection device transfers the substrate from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity by the first moving device.

[0121] Step S4: The electron beam inspection device forms a carbon film on the surface of the substrate using physical vapor deposition in the first processing cavity. The voltage of the first processing cavity is set to 200 V to 8 kV, and the vacuum level in the first processing cavity is set to 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -9 The deposition pressure is stabilized at 50 Pa, and the deposition time for the first processing cavity is 10 s to 600 s. The thickness of the formed carbon film is less than 10 nm, and the grain size of the carbon film is less than 1 nm.

[0122] The relationship between voltage, vacuum level, and processing time is as follows: a higher voltage indicates a higher concentration of carbon atoms or carbon ions in the cavity and a shorter deposition time. A higher vacuum level in the first processing cavity indicates higher purity, better conductivity, and smaller grain size of the carbon film, but a higher vacuum level also indicates higher device and process costs. In this step, a uniform, ultrathin carbon film is formed on the surface of the substrate in preparation for subsequent electron beam defect inspection.

[0123] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a substrate structure existing before and after carbon film deposition according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, before carbon film deposition, the substrate has two crack defects CC and CD. After carbon film deposition, the surface of the substrate is covered with a uniform carbon film. The thickness of the carbon film can be controlled to be between 1 nm and 10 nm, so that the two crack defects CC and CD are not completely covered. Therefore, in the subsequent electron beam inspection process, the defects on the substrate can be clearly found while avoiding charging effects.

[0124] Step S5: The electron beam inspection device transports the substrate having the carbon film on its surface from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity by the first moving device, thereby performing electron beam inspection on the substrate having the carbon film on its surface in the second processing cavity to obtain a defect inspection result of the substrate. The voltage of the electron beam inspection cavity is set to 1 kV to 80 kV, and the vacuum degree in the electron beam inspection cavity is set to 1×10 -2 Pa~1×10 -9 The electron beam is stabilized at 1000 Pa, and the scanning time of the electron beam inspection cavity is 360 s to 7200 s.

[0125] The relationship between voltage, vacuum level, and processing time is as follows, where the voltage setting is related to the inspection resolution, and therefore, adjustments can be made based on actual requirements. A higher voltage indicates a higher scanning resolution of the generated image. A higher vacuum level in the cavity indicates a higher inspection quality, i.e., a higher accuracy in finding defects on the substrate. In this step, information collection and / or image processing of the substrate can be completed.

[0126] Step S6: After obtaining the defect inspection result of the substrate, the electron beam inspection device transfers the substrate from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity by the first moving device, so that the plasma processing cavity cleans the carbon film on the surface of the inspected substrate. The voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 200V to 8kV, and the vacuum degree in the plasma processing cavity is 1×10 -3Pa~1×10 -7 The temperature is stabilized at 200 Pa, and the treatment time (corresponding to the cleaning time) is 10 s to 600 s.

[0127] The relationship between voltage, vacuum level, and processing time is as follows: a higher voltage indicates a higher concentration of oxygen plasma and a shorter processing time for the plasma-treated cavity. A higher vacuum level in the cavity indicates a higher reaction rate between the oxygen plasma and the carbon film and a shorter processing time, but a higher vacuum level indicates higher device and process costs. In this step, the carbon film on the surface of the product is burned using oxygen plasma (O2 plasma) technology to produce carbon dioxide gas. The reaction product, which contains only gas, i.e., carbon dioxide, is exhausted from the vacuum cavity by a vacuum pump, eliminating any solid or liquid residual impurities. In this step, the substrate's condition is restored to that of step S1 by oxygen plasma treatment.

[0128] Step S7: After cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the inspected substrate, the plasma processing cavity transfers the substrate, from which the carbon film has been cleaned, to the substrate mounting table by the second moving device.

[0129] It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present application, processing time, deposition time, scan time, etc. refer to process times only, and values ​​of processing time, deposition time, scan time, etc. are obtained with reference to a 12-inch wafer. Therefore, processing time, deposition time, scan time, etc. are not indicative of all cases, and values ​​of processing time, deposition time, scan time, etc. may be adjusted depending on voltage, vacuum level, and substrate size.

[0130] To address the issues of conductive film interference with test results and product contamination, one embodiment of the present application provides a technology that can completely clean carbon films, addressing the charging effect, a major technical challenge in the field of electron beam testing, and avoiding the problems of conductive film interference with test results and substrate (tested product) contamination. In this embodiment of the present application, an ultrathin (1-10 nm) cleanable carbon film is deposited on the surface of a substrate (e.g., a wafer or light cover). During the electron beam testing phase, charges accumulated on the surface of the product (wafer or light cover) can be dissipated to the outside of the product through the carbon film, thereby essentially eliminating the charging effect and preventing a decrease in electron beam testing speed. Furthermore, during fabrication, the vacuum level and voltage of the first and second processing cavities can be optimized to ensure near-zero interference with electron beam testing results, thereby ensuring that the accuracy and clarity of the electron beam testing are not affected. At this time, the oxygen plasma can 100% clean the carbon film, so that this embodiment of the present application avoids the problems of the conductive film interfering with the test results and the conductive film contaminating the products, thereby ensuring the large-scale production of relevant semiconductor devices in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

[0131] Based on the relevant descriptions of the preceding embodiments, the present application provides three exemplary embodiments in which the electron beam inspection device sets key parameters for optimizing the carbon film and electron beam inspection in the electron beam inspection process to achieve different beneficial effects.

[0132] 1. The cost of electron beam inspection devices and processes can be reduced while avoiding the problems of the products being inspected being contaminated by conductive films and the inspection results being interfered with by conductive films.

[0133] Regarding the above step S2, the voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 220 V, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is 1×10 -3The temperature is stabilized at 200 Pa and the treatment time is 600 s. In step S2, the organic film on the surface of the substrate can be cleaned using plasma techniques to prepare for the subsequent carbon film deposition.

[0134] Regarding step S4 above, the substrate is transferred to the first processing cavity by a first transfer device (e.g., a vacuum environment transfer platform) to begin carbon film deposition. The voltage of the first processing cavity is set to 220 V, and the vacuum level in the first processing cavity is set to 1×10. -3 The pressure is stabilized at 40 Pa, and the deposition time is 120 s. The vacuum level and voltage can be adjusted to form an ultrathin carbon film on the substrate surface. The carbon film formed under these conditions is 2 nm thick, with film thickness uniformity controlled to within ±0.4 nm, and the carbon grain size is less than 0.4 nm.

[0135] Regarding the aforementioned step S5, the substrate is moved to the electron beam inspection cavity by the first moving device to perform substrate defect inspection in the electron beam inspection cavity. The voltage of the electron beam inspection cavity is 20 kV to 80 kV, and the vacuum degree in the electron beam inspection cavity is 1×10 -2 Pa~1×10 -5 The vacuum is stabilized at 100 Pa, and the electron beam scanning time of the electron beam inspection cavity is 3600 s to 7200 s. A higher vacuum level indicates a shorter scanning time of the electron beam inspection cavity. In this step, information collection and image processing of the substrate can be completed.

[0136] Regarding the above-mentioned step S6, the substrate is moved to the plasma processing cavity by the first moving device. The voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 220 V, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is set to 1×10 -3 The pressure is stabilized at 100 Pa and the processing time is 30 s. In this step, the carbon film on the substrate surface is burned using oxygen plasma technology to generate carbon dioxide gas. Because the deposited carbon film is ultrathin and has higher purity, the processing time is shorter than that of organic films.

[0137] In conclusion, a higher voltage and a higher vacuum level in the processing cavity indicate higher electron beam inspection device and process costs. Therefore, on the premise that the above-mentioned voltage and vacuum level configurations are implemented, thereby avoiding the problem of the product being inspected being contaminated by the conductive film and the problem of the inspection result being interfered with by the conductive film, the electron beam inspection device and process costs can be significantly reduced.

[0138] 2. On the premise that the problems of the products being inspected being contaminated by the conductive film and the problems of the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film are avoided, the voltage and vacuum degree in the cavity of the electron beam inspection device are kept constant so as to balance the cost of the carbon film with the accuracy of the electron beam inspection, thereby achieving a relatively high production number of substrates.

[0139] Regarding the aforementioned step S2, the voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 2 kV, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is set to 5×10 -5 The chamber is stabilized at 50 Pa, and the treatment time of the plasma treatment cavity is 30 s. In this step, the organic film on the surface of the substrate is cleaned using oxygen plasma (O2 Plasma) technology to prepare for the subsequent carbon film deposition.

[0140] Regarding step S4 above, the substrate is transferred to the first processing cavity by the first transfer device to start the carbon film deposition. The voltage of the first processing cavity is set to 7 kV, and the vacuum level in the first processing cavity is set to 1×10 - The pressure is stabilized at 9 Pa, and the deposition time for the first process cavity is 10 seconds. The vacuum level and voltage can be set to form an ultrathin carbon film on the substrate surface. The carbon film formed under these conditions is 1 nm thick, with a carbon grain size of less than 0.3 nm.

[0141] Regarding the aforementioned step S5, the substrate is moved to the electron beam inspection cavity by the first moving device to perform substrate defect inspection in the electron beam inspection cavity. The voltage of the electron beam inspection cavity is set to 1 kV to 80 kV, and the vacuum degree in the cavity is 1×10 -5 Pa~1×10 -9 The temperature is stabilized at 7200 Pa, and the processing time is 360 s to 7200 s. In this step, information collection and image processing of the substrate are completed.

[0142] As for step S6 described above, the substrate is moved to the plasma processing cavity by the first moving device. The voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 2 kV, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is set to 5×10 -5 The temperature is stabilized at 500 KPa, and the treatment time of the plasma treatment cavity is 20 s.

[0143] The above process conditions balance processing time and cost so that the substrates have the highest inspection efficiency, and are applicable to the large-scale semiconductor manufacturing industry.

[0144] In conclusion, a higher voltage and a higher vacuum level in the processing cavity indicate higher electron beam inspection device and process costs. Therefore, provided that the above-mentioned voltage and vacuum level configurations are implemented, thereby avoiding the problems of the products being inspected being contaminated by the conductive film and the problems of the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film, the cost of carbon film manufacturing and the accuracy of electron beam inspection can be balanced. In this way, the inspection process consumes much less time compared to embodiment 1, thereby improving substrate production capacity.

[0145] 3. The quality of the carbon film is best, and the cost of the electron beam inspection device and process is the highest, provided that the problems of the product being inspected being contaminated by the conductive film and the inspection results being interfered with by the conductive film are avoided.

[0146] Regarding the aforementioned step S2, the voltage of the plasma processing cavity was set to 7 kV, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity was set to 1×10 -7 The plasma was stabilized at 200 Pa, and the treatment time for the plasma-treated cavity was 300 s. The main consideration for the above process conditions was to achieve the best organic film cleaning effect.

[0147] Regarding step S4 above, the substrate is transferred to the first processing cavity by a first transfer device (e.g., a vacuum environment transfer platform) to begin carbon film deposition. The voltage of the first processing cavity is set to 2 kV, and the vacuum level in the first processing cavity is set to 1×10. -9 The pressure is stabilized at 100 Pa, and the deposition time for the first processing cavity is 40 s. The vacuum level and voltage can be set to form an ultrathin carbon film on the surface of the substrate, and the quality of the carbon film (conductivity, thickness, uniformity, etc.) is the best compared to those of the previous two embodiments. The carbon film formed under the above conditions has a thickness of 2 nm and a carbon grain size of less than 0.2 nm.

[0148] Regarding the aforementioned step S5, the substrate is moved to the electron beam inspection cavity by the first moving device to perform substrate defect inspection in the electron beam inspection cavity. The voltage of the electron beam inspection cavity is set to 20 kV to 80 kV, and the vacuum degree in the cavity is 1×10 -8 Pa~1×10 -9 The sample is stabilized at 100 Pa, and the treatment time is 360 s to 1800 s. In this case, the quality of the carbon film is relatively good, resulting in the highest signal-to-noise ratio during electron beam inspection.

[0149] As for step S6 described above, the substrate is moved to the plasma processing cavity by the first moving device. The voltage of the plasma processing cavity is set to 7 kV, and the vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is set to 1×10 -5The pressure is stabilized at 100 Pa, and the treatment time of the plasma treatment cavity is 40 s. In this step, the substrate condition is restored to the condition of step 1 by plasma treatment. Under the above process conditions, the quality of the deposited carbon film is the best compared to the previous two embodiments, so in this case the treatment time for cleaning the carbon film is the shortest.

[0150] In conclusion, a higher voltage and a higher vacuum level in the processing cavity indicate higher electron beam inspection device and process costs. Therefore, the above voltage and vacuum level configurations can be implemented without considering the electron beam inspection device and process costs, thereby significantly improving the quality of the carbon film.

[0151] It should be noted that in the three embodiments described above, the processing time, deposition time, scanning time, etc. indicate only the process time, and the values ​​of the processing time, deposition time, scanning time, etc. are obtained with reference to a 12-inch wafer. Therefore, the processing time, deposition time, scanning time, etc. do not indicate all cases, and the values ​​of the processing time, deposition time, scanning time, etc. may be adjusted depending on the voltage, vacuum level, and substrate size.

[0152] It should be further noted that the configuration methods of parameters such as voltage and vacuum degree in the above three embodiments are merely possible implementations provided in the embodiments of the present application. The specific values ​​of parameters such as voltage and vacuum degree may be adjusted based on actual cases. In the embodiments of the present application, details are not described here.

[0153] 5 is a flowchart of steps of an inspection method according to an embodiment of the present application. The inspection method is applied to an electron beam inspection device, which includes a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity. The method includes the following steps:

[0154] Step S501: Form a carbon film on the surface of a substrate by physical vapor deposition in a first processing cavity.

[0155] Specifically, the electron beam inspection device forms a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in a first processing cavity. Physical vapor deposition can include evaporation deposition or sputtering deposition. A suitable vacuum environment can be maintained in the first processing cavity by a vacuum pump. Compared with carbon films deposited by chemical vapor deposition, carbon films deposited by physical vapor deposition are more uniform, have higher purity, and have thicknesses that are easier to control. This is useful for performing electron beam inspection on the substrate.

[0156] Optionally, the thickness of the carbon film may be less than 10 nm. If the conductive film is too thick, the original morphology of the sample surface may be covered, which may have a significant impact on sample composition analysis. Films fabricated using the vacuum sputtering coating method currently used in laboratories are too thick. Furthermore, the film causes noise in the electronic test signal. When the device's noise reduction function is insufficient to compensate for the film thickness, both the reproducibility and accuracy of the test results are affected. Therefore, the thickness of the carbon film in this embodiment of the present application may be less than 10 nm, thereby preventing the test results from being interfered with by the carbon film. It should also be noted that the thickness of the ultrathin carbon film in this application and the previous embodiment is less than 10 nm. It should be understood that the actual thickness of the carbon film is 10 nm or less. It should also be understood that the thickness of the fabricated carbon film is expected to be 10 nm or less, but may exceed 10 nm due to process constraints. For example, when the carbon film thickness is controlled to be 10 nm, the film thickness uniformity is controlled to be within ±0.4 nm due to process constraints. As a result, the actual thickness of some or all regions of the carbon film is greater than 10 nm but less than 10.4 nm, which may also be considered in this embodiment of the present application as an ultra-thin carbon film formed on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity.

[0157] Optionally, forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity includes forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method when the first processing cavity is in a first vacuum environment, and the vacuum level of the first vacuum environment is 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -9 The first process cavity has a vacuum of 200 V to 8 kV, a deposition time of 10 s to 600 s, and a higher vacuum level in the first vacuum environment results in a smaller grain size of the carbon film, and therefore a higher purity and better conductivity of the carbon film, thereby significantly reducing the charging effect during the electron beam inspection process.

[0158] Step S502: In the second processing cavity, an electron beam scan is performed on a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited.

[0159] Specifically, an electron beam is scanned within the second processing cavity over a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited.

[0160] Optionally, performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity includes performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited when the second processing cavity is in a second vacuum environment, and a vacuum level of the second vacuum environment is 1×10 -8 Pa~1×10 -9 The second processing cavity has a vacuum level of 20 kV to 80 kV, a voltage of 20 kV to 80 kV, and a scanning time of 360 s to 1800 s. The second processing cavity can obtain defect information or image information of the substrate after performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited within the second processing cavity. A higher vacuum level of the second vacuum environment and a higher voltage of the electron beam inspection cavity indicate higher resolution of the image information corresponding to the substrate and a shorter electron beam scanning time of the electron beam inspection cavity.

[0161] Optionally, the second processing cavity includes an electron beam inspection cavity, and performing electron beam scanning of a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity includes performing electron beam scanning of a substrate having a surface on which a carbon film is deposited in the electron beam inspection cavity.

[0162] Step S503: Clean the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate by oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity.

[0163] Specifically, the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate is cleaned by oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity.

[0164] Optionally, the electron beam device further comprises a first mover apparatus, and the method further comprises transporting the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity by the first mover apparatus.

[0165] Optionally, the electron beam device further comprises a second mover apparatus, and the method further comprises transporting the substrate by the second mover apparatus to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0166] Optionally, cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity includes cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma when the second processing cavity is in a third vacuum environment, and the third vacuum environment has a vacuum level of 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -7 The vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity is 200 V to 8 kV, the voltage of the second processing cavity is 200 V to 8 kV, and the cleaning time of the second processing cavity is 10 s to 600 s. A higher vacuum level in the plasma processing cavity indicates a higher reaction rate between the oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity and the carbon film, and a shorter processing time for the plasma processing cavity. A higher voltage in the plasma processing cavity indicates a higher concentration of oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity and a shorter processing time for the plasma processing cavity.

[0167] Optionally, the second processing cavity further includes a plasma processing cavity, and cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate scanned with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity includes cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate scanned with oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity.

[0168] Optionally, before forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, the method further includes cleaning the organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity.

[0169] Optionally, before forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, the method further comprises cleaning the organic film on the surface of the substrate using an oxygen plasma technique when the plasma processing cavity is in a fourth vacuum environment, and the vacuum level of the fourth vacuum environment is 1×10 -3 Pa~1×10 -7 Pa, the treatment time of the plasma treatment cavity is 10 s to 600 s, and the voltage of the plasma treatment cavity is 200 V to 8 kV.

[0170] Optionally, transporting the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity by the first mover device includes transporting the substrate by the first mover device from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity.

[0171] Optionally, transferring the substrate by the second transfer device to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure comprises transferring the substrate by the second transfer device to the plasma processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

[0172] Optionally, the method further includes transporting the substrate in the second processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure by the second moving device, or transporting the substrate in the plasma processing cavity toward room temperature and atmospheric pressure by the second moving device.

[0173] Optionally, the electron beam device further includes a vacuum pump, and after cleaning the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity, the method further includes evacuating gas from the second processing cavity with the vacuum pump.

[0174] In the aforementioned electron beam inspection device, a first processing cavity of the electron beam inspection device deposits a uniform, ultra-thin, cleanable carbon film on the surface of a substrate (i.e., a semiconductor product to be inspected, i.e., a wafer or mask) within the first processing cavity. Due to its excellent electrical conductivity, the carbon film can dissipate charge accumulated on the substrate surface during electron beam inspection, mitigating the charging effect in the electron beam inspection process. Furthermore, the ultra-thin carbon film deposited in the first processing cavity can reach a thickness of less than 10 nm, thereby avoiding the problem of interference with inspection results due to the thickness of the conductive film. A second processing cavity of the electron beam inspection device performs an electron beam scan on the substrate with the ultra-thin carbon film deposited thereon to find physical defects in the substrate. After completing the scan, the second processing cavity can further clean the ultra-thin carbon film on the surface of the substrate using oxygen plasma. Because oxygen and carbon can undergo a combustion reaction (O2 + C = CO2), oxygen plasma can react with the carbon film on the substrate surface to produce carbon dioxide gas, completely cleaning the carbon film on the substrate surface. This avoids the problem of incomplete cleaning of the existing conductive film resulting in contamination of the product being inspected. Furthermore, the amount of oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity can be controlled to be much greater than the amount of carbon film. Therefore, the carbon film can be completely cleaned (100% cleaned), leaving no residue on the substrate surface. Furthermore, oxygen plasma hardly reacts with the manufacturing material of the substrate (wafer or mask). Therefore, assuming the carbon film is completely cleaned, oxygen plasma can further ensure that the substrate is not affected. Furthermore, because the electron beam inspection device used includes two independent processing cavities, the carbon film deposition process can be separated from the electron beam inspection process and the carbon film cleaning process. This allows all processes to be systematic and not interfere with each other, thereby improving the efficiency of performing electron beam inspection on substrates.

[0175] Please note that for the relevant description of steps S501 to S503 in this embodiment of the present application, please further refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 accordingly, which will not be described in detail again in this embodiment of the present application.

[0176] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the description of the embodiments has its own focus, and for the parts not described in detail in one embodiment, please refer to the related descriptions of other embodiments.

[0177] It should be noted that for ease of explanation, each of the above-described method embodiments is represented as a combination of a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the present application is not limited to the order of the actions described, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to the present application. It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that all the embodiments described herein belong to exemplary embodiments, and the associated actions and modules are not necessarily required by the present application.

[0178] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices may be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of functions, and other divisions may be used in actual implementations. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. Also, the shown or described mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented via some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented electronically or in other forms.

[0179] The aforementioned units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts presented as units may or may not be physical units, specifically, may be located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0180] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0181] When the aforementioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially, or a portion contributing to the prior art, or all or a portion of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc., and specifically may be a processor within the computer device) to perform all or a portion of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium may include any medium capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

[0182] The foregoing embodiments are intended to describe the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, they may further make modifications to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions of some technical features thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0183] 101 first processing cavity 102 Second Processing Cavity 103 First mobile device 104 Second Mobile Device 112 Electron Beam Inspection Cavity 122 Plasma treatment cavity

Claims

1. 1. An electron beam inspection device, the device comprising: a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity; the first processing cavity is configured to form a carbon film on a surface of a substrate by a physical vapor deposition method; the second processing cavity is configured to perform electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited, and is further configured to clean the carbon film on the surface of the substrate that has been electron beam scanned with oxygen plasma; The electron beam inspection device, wherein the second processing cavity is further configured to clean an organic film on the surface of the substrate with an oxygen plasma before forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a first mover apparatus configured to transport the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a second mover apparatus configured to transfer the substrate to the second processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second processing cavity comprises an electron beam inspection cavity configured to perform electron beam scanning of the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited.

5. 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the second processing cavity further comprises a plasma processing cavity configured to clean the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate with the oxygen plasma.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the plasma processing cavity is further configured to clean an organic film on the surface of the substrate with the oxygen plasma before forming the carbon film on the surface of the substrate.

7. 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the first mover apparatus is further configured to transport the substrate from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity.

8. The device of claim 5 , wherein the second mover apparatus is configured to transport the substrate to the plasma processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure.

9. 9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum pump configured to evacuate gas from the second processing cavity after the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate has been cleaned by the oxygen plasma.

10. 1. An inspection method applied to an electron beam inspection device, the electron beam inspection device comprising a first processing cavity and a second processing cavity, the inspection method comprising: cleaning an organic film on the surface of the substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity; forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity; performing an electron beam scan on the substrate having the carbon film deposited on the surface in the second processing cavity; cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate in the second processing cavity with oxygen plasma; 12. A testing method comprising:

11. The inspection method according to claim 10, wherein the carbon film has a thickness of less than 10 nm.

12. The electron beam inspection device further includes a first moving device, and the inspection method includes: transferring the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity with the first mover device; The inspection method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

13. The electron beam inspection device further comprises a second moving device, and the inspection method includes: transferring the substrate to the second processing cavity at room temperature and pressure by the second transfer device; The inspection method of claim 12 further comprising:

14. The second processing cavity comprises an electron beam inspection cavity, and the step of performing electron beam scanning on the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited in the second processing cavity includes: performing an electron beam scan of the substrate having the surface on which the carbon film is deposited within the electron beam inspection cavity; The inspection method according to claim 13, comprising:

15. The second processing cavity further comprises a plasma processing cavity, and the step of cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the scanned substrate in the second processing cavity with oxygen plasma includes: Cleaning the carbon film on the surface of the substrate scanned by the oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity. The inspection method according to claim 14, comprising:

16. Before forming a carbon film on the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition method in the first processing cavity, the inspection method includes: cleaning an organic film on the surface of the substrate with the oxygen plasma in the plasma processing cavity; The inspection method of claim 15 further comprising:

17. The step of transferring the substrate between the first processing cavity and the second processing cavity by the first mover device comprises: transporting the substrate by the first transfer device from the plasma processing cavity to the first processing cavity, from the first processing cavity to the electron beam inspection cavity, or from the electron beam inspection cavity to the plasma processing cavity; The inspection method according to claim 15 or 16, comprising:

18. transferring the substrate to the second processing cavity at room temperature and pressure by the second transfer device, transferring the substrate to the plasma processing cavity at ambient temperature and pressure by the second transfer device; The inspection method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, comprising:

19. The electron beam inspection device further comprises a vacuum pump, and after the step of cleaning the carbon film deposited on the surface of the scanned substrate with oxygen plasma in the second processing cavity, the inspection method includes: evacuating gas from the second processing cavity with the vacuum pump. The inspection method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, further comprising:

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