Multiple Scanning Probes Deconvolve Tip Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques face challenges in accurately measuring small semiconductor features due to probe tip artifacts, particularly when imaging near-vertical, vertical, or reentrant sidewalls, as single tip geometries fail to provide complete and accurate topography without distortion.
Innovation Solution
Employing multiple scanning probes of different geometries or orientations to scan over a feature simultaneously, allowing for the removal of tip artifacts by combining data from each probe, thereby enabling accurate measurement of both sidewalls and horizontal surfaces without the influence of tip artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single AFM probe tip is used to scan semiconductor features, then the measurement process is simple and cost-effective, but tip artifacts are generated that prevent accurate imaging of vertical sidewalls and reentrant features
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system is segmented into multiple independent scanning probes, each with different tip geometries (e.g., conical, cylindrical, boot-shaped tips). Each probe scans the same feature independently, and their measurements are combined through data fusion algorithms to eliminate tip artifacts and achieve complete, accurate 3D reconstruction of vertical sidewalls and reentrant features.
Solution Approach 2:
Measurements from multiple scanning probes with different tip geometries are merged through computational algorithms. The system combines the strength of each tip type - for example, using conical tips for overall shape and cylindrical tips for precise sidewall measurement - to produce a unified, artifact-free measurement that neither probe could achieve alone.
2Measurement precision
If multiple scanning probes of different geometries are used to eliminate tip artifacts, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning probe system is designed with universal, standardized probe holders and mounting mechanisms that can accommodate multiple tip geometries. This multi-functional platform allows the same base system to use conical, cylindrical, boot-shaped, or other specialized tips interchangeably, simplifying manufacturing by standardizing the non-tip components while maintaining measurement accuracy through geometric diversity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of manufacturing completely different probe systems for different measurements, the invention changes the geometric parameters of the probe tips (angle, radius, shape) while keeping the base system constant. This allows a single manufacturing line to produce various tip types by adjusting fabrication parameters, reducing overall system manufacturing complexity.
3Loss of information
If conventional single-probe AFM is used, then the system is easy to operate, but it cannot measure complete topography of features with vertical or reentrant sidewalls
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically performs the complex task of coordinating multiple probes and fusing their measurements without requiring manual intervention. The control system self-manages the simultaneous scanning of multiple probes, synchronizes their movements, and automatically fuses their data streams to produce complete topography maps, making the complex process as easy to operate as a single-probe system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms where measurements from multiple probes continuously inform and adjust each other's scanning paths and focus. This feedback loop ensures complete coverage of vertical sidewalls and reentrant features while maintaining ease of operation, as the system automatically corrects for any gaps or artifacts detected by individual probes.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention comprises an apparatus and a method for using multiple scanning probes to deconvolve tip artifacts in scanning probe microscopes and other scanning probe systems. The invention uses multiple scanning probe tips of different geometries or orientations to scan a feature, such as a semiconductor line or trench, and to display the scan data such that tip artifacts from each tip can be omitted from the measurement by data from the other tips.