Multi-Beam Aperture Array for Throughput-Resolution Switching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-beam charged particle beam imaging systems lack flexibility in adapting to different throughput and resolution requirements due to their complex designs, limiting their ability to switch between various applications effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an aperture array with different sized apertures that can operate in pass or block statuses, allowing for the generation of multi-modal beamlets and enabling the system to adjust beam currents and spot sizes based on operational modes, thereby accommodating diverse application preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a multi-beam system is used to achieve higher throughput, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the inspection task into multiple parallel beam operations, where multiple electron beams simultaneously inspect different regions of the substrate. This segmentation of the inspection process enables higher throughput by performing multiple inspections concurrently, while each individual beam maintains a manageable and well-understood structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-beam system is designed to perform multiple functions using a unified architecture. The same beam generation and control mechanisms serve both high-throughput inspection and maintained structural simplicity through integrated control circuits that manage multiple beams without requiring proportionally increased complexity.
2Productivity
If a multi-beam system is used to achieve higher throughput, then productivity is improved, but reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates self-diagnostic and self-correcting capabilities where the control circuits continuously monitor beam operation and automatically adjust or compensate for deviations. This self-service approach maintains high operational reliability by detecting and correcting issues without external intervention, ensuring consistent performance across multiple beams.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where detection circuits continuously monitor the operation of multiple beams and provide real-time information to control circuits. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustment of beam parameters and operational status, maintaining high reliability by detecting and correcting deviations before they affect inspection quality.
3Productivity
If aperture size is increased to enable beam passage, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamically adjustable aperture structures that can change their effective size or shape during operation. This dynamic adjustment allows the apertures to optimize beam current transmission when high productivity is needed, while maintaining precise spot size control when manufacturing precision is the priority, adapting to different operational requirements in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters of the aperture structures, such as opening size, shape, or position, to optimize performance for different inspection modes. By adjusting these parameters, the system can maximize beam current for high-throughput operations or refine spot size for precision-critical inspections, flexiblely balancing productivity and manufacturing precision based on task requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows the multi-beam system to operate in multiple modes, enhancing its ability to adapt to various applications by optimizing throughput and resolution, thus providing more flexible and efficient inspection capabilities without increasing complexity or cost.
Implementation Method 1
In manufacturing processes of integrated circuits (ICs), unfinished or finished circuit components are inspected to ensure that they are manufactured according to design and are free of defects. Inspection systems utilizing optical microscopes or charged particle (e.g., electron) beam microscopes
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for multi-modal operations of a multi-beam inspection system are disclosed. An apparatus for generating multi-modal beamlets may include an aperture array which includes a first group of apertures having a first size and a second group of apertures having a second size different from the first size, the second group of apertures adjoining the first group of apertures, in which the first group of apertures and the second group of apertures are in different pass-or-block statuses. A multi-beam apparatus of multi-modal inspection operations may include the aforementioned apparatus, a source configured to emit charged particles, a condenser system configured to set a projection area of the charged particles, and circuitry for controlling the first and second groups of apertures.