Smart Metrology on Microscope Images for Semiconductor Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Metrology of features in images obtained by charged particle microscopes is a difficult and lengthy process due to noisy images, which slows down analysis in manufacturing environments like the semiconductor industry, where large numbers of samples require analysis, and existing improvements in image processing are not sufficient to meet current industry demands for node size and throughput.
Innovation Solution
The method involves extracting a region of interest from an image, enhancing it using filters, generating a multi-scale data set, initializing and optimizing active contours based on the model and data set to identify boundaries, and performing metrology on the identified boundaries within the region of interest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic imaging processing algorithms are used on noisy microscope images, then processing speed may be improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty in processing noisy images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary image enhancement processing before metrology measurement. The system enhances the noisy microscope image by improving signal-to-noise ratio, contrast, and sharpness through filtering operations. This preliminary enhancement prepares the image for accurate automated measurement, allowing both fast processing and high precision by addressing noise issues before the measurement algorithm operates.
2Measurement precision
If multiple processing steps and user manipulation are applied to improve measurement accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but processing time increases making the process lengthy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated metrology system that performs image enhancement and measurement without user intervention. The system self-adjusts processing parameters and automatically executes the measurement workflow, eliminating the need for manual image manipulation while maintaining high measurement precision. This automation resolves the contradiction by achieving accurate measurements through programmed algorithms rather than time-consuming user operations.
3Measurement precision
If existing image processing improvements are applied, then metrology accuracy is partially improved, but productivity remains insufficient for current semiconductor manufacturing demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/manual image processing methods with automated computational algorithms. The system uses computer-based image enhancement and automated feature detection to perform metrology, substituting manual operations with electronic processing. This substitution enables both high measurement accuracy and increased throughput by processing images rapidly without human intervention, meeting modern semiconductor manufacturing productivity requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Smart metrology methods and apparatuses disclosed herein process images for automatic metrology of desired features. An example method at least includes extracting a region of interest from an image, the region including one or more boundaries between different sections, enhancing at least the extracted region of interest based on one or more filters, generating a multi-scale data set of the region of interest based on the enhanced region of interest, initializing a model of the region of interest; optimizing a plurality of active contours within the enhanced region of interest based on the model of the region of interest and further based on the multi-scale data set, the optimized plurality of active contours identifying the one or more boundaries within the region of interest, and performing metrology on the region of interest based on the identified boundaries.