Patents by Inventor John Hench
John Hench has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240085321Abstract: Methods and systems for performing model-less measurements of semiconductor structures based on scatterometry measurement data are described herein. Scatterometry measurement data is processed directly, without the use of a traditional measurement model. Measurement sensitivity is defined by the changes in detected diffraction images at one or more non-zero diffraction orders over at least two different illumination incidence angles. Discrete values of a scalar function are determined directly from measured images at each incidence angle. A continuous mathematical function is fit to the set of discrete values of the scalar function determined at each incidence angle. A value of a parameter of interest is determined based on analysis of the mathematical function. In some embodiments, the scalar function includes a weighting function, and the weighting values associated with weighting function are optimized to yield an accurate fit of the mathematical function to the scalar values.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2023Publication date: March 14, 2024Inventors: John Hench, Akshay Krishna, Christopher Liman, Jeremy Smith, Liang Yin, Hyowon Park, Tianhan Wang, Boxue Chen
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Patent number: 11428650Abstract: Methods and systems for performing overlay and edge placement errors of device structures based on x-ray diffraction measurement data are presented. Overlay error between different layers of a metrology target is estimated based on the intensity variation within each x-ray diffraction order measured at multiple, different angles of incidence and azimuth angles. The estimation of overlay involves a parameterization of the intensity modulations of common orders such that a low frequency shape modulation is described by a set of basis functions and a high frequency overlay modulation is described by an affine-circular function including a parameter indicative of overlay. In addition to overlay, a shape parameter of the metrology target is estimated based on a fitting analysis of a measurement model to the intensities of the measured diffraction orders. In some examples, the estimation of overlay and the estimation of one or more shape parameter values are performed simultaneously.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2019Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: John Hench, Andrei V. Shchegrov, Michael S. Bakeman
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Patent number: 11099137Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an augmented-reality or virtual-reality (AR/VR) image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the AR/VR image to an AR/VR viewing device for display.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2020Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Aaron J. Rosenberg, Jonathan Iloreta, Thaddeus G. Dziura, Antonio Gellineau, Yin Xu, Kaiwen Xu, John Hench, Abhi Gunde, Andrei Veldman, Liequan Lee, Houssam Chouaib
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Patent number: 11073487Abstract: Methods and systems for positioning a specimen and characterizing an x-ray beam incident onto the specimen in a Transmission, Small-Angle X-ray Scatterometry (T-SAXS) metrology system are described herein. A specimen positioning system locates a wafer vertically and actively positions the wafer in six degrees of freedom with respect to the x-ray illumination beam without attenuating the transmitted radiation. In some embodiments, a cylindrically shaped occlusion element is scanned across the illumination beam while the detected intensity of the transmitted flux is measured to precisely locate the beam center. In some other embodiments, a periodic calibration target is employed to precisely locate the beam center. The periodic calibration target includes one or more spatially defined zones having different periodic structures that diffract X-ray illumination light into distinct, measurable diffraction patterns.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2018Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Alexander Bykanov, Nikolay Artemiev, Joseph A. Di Regolo, Antonio Gellineau, Alexander Kuznetsov, Andrei Veldman, John Hench
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Patent number: 10983227Abstract: Methods and systems for more efficient X-Ray scatterometry measurements of on-device structures are presented herein. X-Ray scatterometry measurements of one or more structures over a measurement area includes a decomposition of the one or more structures into a plurality of sub-structures, a decomposition of the measurement area into a plurality of sub-areas, or both. The decomposed structures, measurement areas, or both, are independently simulated. The scattering contributions of each of the independently simulated decomposed structures are combined to simulate the actual scattering of the measured structures within the measurement area. In a further aspect, measured intensities and modelled intensities including one or more incidental structures are employed to perform measurement of structures of interest. In other further aspects, measurement decomposition is employed to train a measurement model and to optimize a measurement recipe for a particular measurement application.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2018Date of Patent: April 20, 2021Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: John Hench, Antonio Arion Gellineau, Alexander Kuznetsov
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Publication number: 20200393386Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an augmented-reality or virtual-reality (AR/VR) image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the AR/VR image to an AR/VR viewing device for display.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2020Publication date: December 17, 2020Inventors: Aaron J. Rosenberg, Jonathan Iloreta, Thaddeus G. Dziura, Antonio Gellineau, Yin Xu, Kaiwen Xu, John Hench, Abhi Gunde, Andrei Veldman, Liequan Lee, Houssam Chouaib
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Patent number: 10794839Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the image to a device for display.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2019Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Aaron J. Rosenberg, Jonathan Iloreta, Thaddeus G. Dziura, Antonio Gellineau, Yin Xu, Kaiwen Xu, John Hench, Abhi Gunde, Andrei Veldman, Liequan Lee, Houssam Chouaib
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Publication number: 20200271595Abstract: A semiconductor metrology tool inspects an area of a semiconductor wafer. The inspected area includes a plurality of instances of a 3D semiconductor structure arranged periodically in at least one dimension. A computer system generates a model of a respective instance of the 3D semiconductor structure based on measurements collected during the inspection. The computer system renders an image of the model that shows a 3D shape of the model and provides the image to a device for display.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2019Publication date: August 27, 2020Inventors: Aaron J. Rosenberg, Jonathan Iloreta, Thaddeus G. Dziura, Antonio Gellineau, Yin Xu, Kaiwen Xu, John Hench, Abhi Gunde, Andrei Veldman, Liequan Lee, Houssam Chouaib
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Patent number: 10677586Abstract: The embodiments disclosed herein can enable a target on a semiconductor wafer to be reconstructed and/or imaged. A surface of a target on a semiconductor wafer is measured using a wafer metrology tool. A voxel map of the surface is fixed to match geometry measurements and using scattering density of expected materials. Uniform scaling of the scattering density of all fixed surface voxels can occur.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2018Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: John Hench, Andrei Veldman
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Publication number: 20200116655Abstract: Methods and systems for performing overlay and edge placement errors of device structures based on x-ray diffraction measurement data are presented. Overlay error between different layers of a metrology target is estimated based on the intensity variation within each x-ray diffraction order measured at multiple, different angles of incidence and azimuth angles. The estimation of overlay involves a parameterization of the intensity modulations of common orders such that a low frequency shape modulation is described by a set of basis functions and a high frequency overlay modulation is described by an affine-circular function including a parameter indicative of overlay. In addition to overlay, a shape parameter of the metrology target is estimated based on a fitting analysis of a measurement model to the intensities of the measured diffraction orders. In some examples, the estimation of overlay and the estimation of one or more shape parameter values are performed simultaneously.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2019Publication date: April 16, 2020Inventors: John Hench, Andrei V. Shchegrov, Michael S. Bakeman
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Publication number: 20200080836Abstract: The embodiments disclosed herein can enable a target on a semiconductor wafer to be reconstructed and/or imaged. A surface of a target on a semiconductor wafer is measured using a wafer metrology tool. A voxel map of the surface is fixed to match geometry measurements and using scattering density of expected materials. Uniform scaling of the scattering density of all fixed surface voxels can occur.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2018Publication date: March 12, 2020Inventors: John Hench, Andrei Veldman
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Patent number: 10545104Abstract: Methods and systems for performing overlay and edge placement errors of device structures based on x-ray diffraction measurement data are presented. Overlay error between different layers of a metrology target is estimated based on the intensity variation within each x-ray diffraction order measured at multiple, different angles of incidence and azimuth angles. The estimation of overlay involves a parameterization of the intensity modulations of common orders such that a low frequency shape modulation is described by a set of basis functions and a high frequency overlay modulation is described by an affine-circular function including a parameter indicative of overlay. In addition to overlay, a shape parameter of the metrology target is estimated based on a fitting analysis of a measurement model to the intensities of the measured diffraction orders. In some examples, the estimation of overlay and the estimation of one or more shape parameter values are performed simultaneously.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 28, 2020Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: John Hench, Andrei V. Shchegrov, Michael S. Bakeman
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Patent number: 10481111Abstract: Methods and systems for calibrating the location of x-ray beam incidence onto a specimen in an x-ray scatterometry metrology system are described herein. The precise location of incidence of the illumination beam on the surface of the wafer is determined based on occlusion of the illumination beam by two or more occlusion elements. The center of the illumination beam is determined based on measured values of transmitted flux and a model of the interaction of the beam with each occlusion element. The position of the axis of rotation orienting a wafer over a range of angles of incidence is adjusted to align with the surface of wafer and intersect the illumination beam at the measurement location. A precise offset value between the normal angle of incidence of the illumination beam relative to the wafer surface and the zero angle of incidence as measured by the specimen positioning system is determined.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2017Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: John Hench, Antonio Gellineau, Nikolay Artemiev, Joseph A. Di Regolo
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Publication number: 20190049602Abstract: Methods and systems for more efficient X-Ray scatterometry measurements of on-device structures are presented herein. X-Ray scatterometry measurements of one or more structures over a measurement area includes a decomposition of the one or more structures into a plurality of sub-structures, a decomposition of the measurement area into a plurality of sub-areas, or both. The decomposed structures, measurement areas, or both, are independently simulated. The scattering contributions of each of the independently simulated decomposed structures are combined to simulate the actual scattering of the measured structures within the measurement area. In a further aspect, measured intensities and modelled intensities including one or more incidental structures are employed to perform measurement of structures of interest. In other further aspects, measurement decomposition is employed to train a measurement model and to optimize a measurement recipe for a particular measurement application.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2018Publication date: February 14, 2019Inventors: John Hench, Antonio Arion Gellineau, Alexander Kuznetsov
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Publication number: 20180328868Abstract: Methods and systems for positioning a specimen and characterizing an x-ray beam incident onto the specimen in a Transmission, Small-Angle X-ray Scatterometry (T-SAXS) metrology system are described herein. A specimen positioning system locates a wafer vertically and actively positions the wafer in six degrees of freedom with respect to the x-ray illumination beam without attenuating the transmitted radiation. In some embodiments, a cylindrically shaped occlusion element is scanned across the illumination beam while the detected intensity of the transmitted flux is measured to precisely locate the beam center. In some other embodiments, a periodic calibration target is employed to precisely locate the beam center. The periodic calibration target includes one or more spatially defined zones having different periodic structures that diffract X-ray illumination light into distinct, measurable diffraction patterns.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 9, 2018Publication date: November 15, 2018Inventors: Alexander Bykanov, Nikolay Artemiev, Joseph A. Di Regolo, Antonio Gellineau, Alexander Kuznetsov, Andrei Veldman, John Hench
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Publication number: 20180113084Abstract: Methods and systems for calibrating the location of x-ray beam incidence onto a specimen in an x-ray scatterometry metrology system are described herein. The precise location of incidence of the illumination beam on the surface of the wafer is determined based on occlusion of the illumination beam by two or more occlusion elements. The center of the illumination beam is determined based on measured values of transmitted flux and a model of the interaction of the beam with each occlusion element. The position of the axis of rotation orienting a wafer over a range of angles of incidence is adjusted to align with the surface of wafer and intersect the illumination beam at the measurement location. A precise offset value between the normal angle of incidence of the illumination beam relative to the wafer surface and the zero angle of incidence as measured by the specimen positioning system is determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2017Publication date: April 26, 2018Inventors: John Hench, Antonio Gellineau, Nikolay Artemiev, Joseph A. Di Regolo
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Patent number: 9494535Abstract: Methods and systems for performing measurements of semiconductor structures and materials based on scatterometry measurement data are presented. Scatterometry measurement data is used to generate an image of a material property of a measured structure based on the measured intensities of the detected diffraction orders. In some examples, a value of a parameter of interest is determined directly from the map of the material property of the measurement target. In some other examples, the image is compared to structural characteristics estimated by a geometric, model-based parametric inversion of the same measurement data. Discrepancies are used to update the geometric model of the measured structure and improve measurement performance. This enables a metrology system to converge on an accurate parametric measurement model when there are significant deviations between the actual shape of a manufactured structure subject to model-based measurement and the modeled shape of the structure.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2015Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, John Hench, Michael S. Bakeman
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Publication number: 20160320319Abstract: Methods and systems for performing overlay and edge placement errors of device structures based on x-ray diffraction measurement data are presented. Overlay error between different layers of a metrology target is estimated based on the intensity variation within each x-ray diffraction order measured at multiple, different angles of incidence and azimuth angles. The estimation of overlay involves a parameterization of the intensity modulations of common orders such that a low frequency shape modulation is described by a set of basis functions and a high frequency overlay modulation is described by an affine-circular function including a parameter indicative of overlay. In addition to overlay, a shape parameter of the metrology target is estimated based on a fitting analysis of a measurement model to the intensities of the measured diffraction orders. In some examples, the estimation of overlay and the estimation of one or more shape parameter values are performed simultaneously.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2016Publication date: November 3, 2016Inventors: John Hench, Andrei V. Shchegrov, Michael S. Bakeman
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Publication number: 20150300965Abstract: Methods and systems for performing measurements of semiconductor structures and materials based on scatterometry measurement data are presented. Scatterometry measurement data is used to generate an image of a material property of a measured structure based on the measured intensities of the detected diffraction orders. In some examples, a value of a parameter of interest is determined directly from the map of the material property of the measurement target. In some other examples, the image is compared to structural characteristics estimated by a geometric, model-based parametric inversion of the same measurement data. Discrepancies are used to update the geometric model of the measured structure and improve measurement performance. This enables a metrology system to converge on an accurate parametric measurement model when there are significant deviations between the actual shape of a manufactured structure subject to model-based measurement and the modeled shape of the structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2015Publication date: October 22, 2015Inventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, John Hench, Michael S. Bakeman
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Patent number: 8798966Abstract: One embodiment relates to a method of model-based optical metrology. An area of a geometrical structure of dispersive materials on a substrate is illuminated with polarized incident electromagnetic radiation using an illuminator of a scatterometer apparatus. Spectral components of the incident electromagnetic radiation reflected from the area are measured using a detector of the scatterometer apparatus. Using a computer for the scatterometer apparatus, parameter values are determined that minimize an objective function which represents a difference between the measured spectral components and computed spectral components based on a parameterized model of the geometrical structure. Steps for determining the parameter values that minimize the objective function include: computing a solution to state equations driven by a function representing the incident electromagnetic radiation, and computing a solution to an adjoint to the state equations. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: August 5, 2014Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: John Hench, Daniel Wack, Edward Ratner, Yaoming Shi, Andrei Veldman