Abstract: A system and method for generating a quality metric relating to a fully or partially fabricated semiconductor device wafer (FPFSDW), the method including providing a spot map correlating a plurality of reference field images (RFIs) to a corresponding plurality of reference spot locations (RSLs) on at least one reference structure formed on a reference semiconductor device wafer, taking a measurement of at least a portion of at least one FPFSDW structure formed on the FPFSDW, thereby generating a measurement field image (MFI) of at least a portion of the at least one FPFSDW structure and a pupil image of the at least a portion of the at least one FPFSDW structure, identifying, for the measurement, a measurement spot location (MSL) on the at least one FPFSDW structure, using the MFI and the spot map, and generating a quality metric of the FPFSDW, using the pupil image and the MSL.

Abstract: Methods and systems for training and implementing metrology recipes based on performance metrics employed to quantitatively characterize the measurement performance of a metrology system in a particular measurement application. Performance metrics are employed to regularize the optimization process employed during measurement model training, model-based regression, or both. For example, the known distributions associated with important measurement performance metrics such as measurement precision, wafer mean, etc., are specifically employed to regularize the optimization that drives measurement model training. In a further aspect, a trained measurement model is employed to estimate values of parameters of interest based on measurements of structures having unknown values of one or more parameters of interest. In a further aspect, trained measurement model performance is validated with test data using error budget analysis.

Abstract: Systems and methods for mitigating and reducing contamination of one or more components of overlay inspection systems are disclosed. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure may utilize a counterflow of purge gas through a counterflow nozzle to reduce the presence of contaminants within one or more portions of an inspection system. The system may include a source chamber, one or more vacuum chambers, an intermediate focus housing having an aperture, an illumination source configured to generate and direct illumination through the aperture in an illumination direction, and a counterflow nozzle configured to direct a counterflow of purge gas into the source chamber in a direction opposite the illumination direction.

Abstract: A metrology system may include an imaging sub-system to image a metrology target buried in a sample, where the sample is formed from bonded first and second substrates with a metrology target at the interface. The metrology system may further include an illumination sub-system with an illumination field stop and an illumination pupil, where the illumination field stop includes an aperture to provide that a projected size of the field-stop aperture on a measurement plane corresponding to the metrology target matches a field of view of the detector at the measurement plane, and where the illumination pupil includes a central obscuration to provide oblique illumination of the metrology target with angles greater than a cutoff angle selected to prevent illumination from the illumination source from reflecting off of the bottom surface of the sample and through the field of view of the detector at the measurement plane.

Abstract: Methods and systems for measuring the orientation of a wafer at or near an X-ray scatterometry measurement location are described herein. In one aspect, an X-ray scatterometry based metrology system includes a wafer orientation measurement system that measures wafer orientation based on a single measurement without intervening stage moves. In some embodiments, an orientation measurement spot is coincident with an X-ray measurement spot. In some embodiments, an X-ray scatterometry measurement and a wafer orientation measurement are performed simultaneously. In another aspect, signals detected by a wafer orientation measurement system are filtered temporally, spatially, or both, to improve tracking. In another aspect, a wafer orientation measurement system is calibrated to identify the orientation of the wafer with respect to an incident X-ray beam. In another aspect, a wafer under measurement is positioned based on the measured orientation in a closed loop or open loop manner.

Abstract: A detection and correction method for an electron beam system are provided. The method includes emitting an electron beam towards a specimen; modulating a beam current of the electron beam to obtain a beam signal. The method further includes detecting, using an electron detector, secondary and/or backscattered electrons emitted by the specimen to obtain electron data, wherein the electron data defines a detection signal. The method further includes determining, using a processor, a phase shift between the beam signal and the detection signal. The method further includes filtering, using the processor, the detection signal based on the phase shift.

Abstract: An electron source emits an electron beam. The electron beam is received by a beam limiting assembly. The beam limiting assembly has a first beam limiting aperture with a first diameter and a second beam limiting aperture with a second diameter larger than the first diameter. The first beam limiting aperture receives the electron beam. This beam limiting assembly reduces the influence of Coulomb interactions.

Abstract: A photocathode emitter can include a transparent substrate, a photocathode layer, and a plasmonic structure array disposed between the transparent substrate and the photocathode layer. The plasmonic structure can serve as a spot-confining structure and an electrical underlayer for biasing the photocathode. The plasmonic structure can confine the incident light at subwavelength sizes.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for determination of a metrology target design, comprising generating a first candidate target design for a selected design type compatible with one or more metrology tools or and a set of boundaries for a simulation range Measurement of the first target design with the one or more metrology tools within the boundaries of the simulation range is simulated for two or more measurement settings to generate one or more performance metrics. Simulating the measurement takes into account layer properties of one or more layers in a stack profile. The optimal design is determined from at least the performance metrics based on one or more selection criteria and then sent or stored.

Abstract: A field-of-view at a first modeled target location of a first target disposed on a specimen can be configured, which can include moving the stage relative to the detector. The first modeled target location is determined by summing a first design target location and a navigational error provided by an online model. A first image of the field-of-view is grabbed using the detector. The field-of-view at a second modeled target location of a second target disposed on the specimen is configured. Concurrent with configuring the field-of-view at the second modeled target location, using a processor, the position of a first actual target location is determined using the first image. The online model is updated with a difference between the first design target location and the first actual target location.

Abstract: Metrology targets and methods are provided, which comprise at least two overlapping structures configured to be measurable in a mutually exclusive manner at least at two different corresponding optical conditions. The targets may be single cell targets which are measured at different optical conditions which enable independent measurements of the different layers of the target. Accordingly, the targets may be designed to be very small, and be located in-die for providing accurate metrology measured of complex devices.

Abstract: A system for characterizing a specimen is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a controller configured to: receive training images of one or more defects of the specimen; generate a machine learning classifier based on the training images; receive product images of one or more defects of a specimen; determine one or more defect type classifications of one or more defects with the machine learning classifier; filter the product images with one or more smoothing filters; perform binarization processes to generate binarized product images; perform morphological image processing operations on the binarized product images; determine one or more algorithm-estimated defect sizes of the one or more defects based on the binarized product images; and determine one or more refined estimates of one or more defect sizes of the one or more defects based on the one or more algorithm-estimated defect sizes and the one or more defect type classifications.

Abstract: A metrology system may include a controller to receive a first metrology dataset associated with a first set of metrology target features on a sample including first features from a first exposure field on a first sample layer and second features from a second exposure field on a second sample layer, where the second exposure field partially overlaps the first exposure field. The controller may further receive a second metrology dataset associated with a second set of metrology target features including third features from a third exposure field on the second layer that overlaps the first exposure field and fourth features formed from a fourth exposure field on the first layer of the sample that overlaps the second exposure field. The controller may further determine fabrication errors based on the first and second metrology datasets and generate correctables to adjust a lithography tool based on the fabrication errors.

Abstract: An acousto-optic modulator (AOM) laser frequency shifter system includes a laser configured to generate an incident beam, a first optical splitter optically coupled to the laser and configured to split the incident beam into at least one portion of the incident beam, at least one phase-shift channel optically coupled to the first optical splitter and configured to generate at least one frequency-shifted beam with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) from the at least one portion of the incident beam received from the first optical splitter, and a second optical splitter configured to receive the at least one frequency-shifted beam from the at least one phase-shift channel and configured to direct the at least one frequency-shifted beam to an interferometer configured to acquire an interferogram of a sample with the at least one frequency-shifted beam.

Abstract: A focus-sensitive metrology target may be formed and read-out by a fabrication tool. A resulting overlay signal may be translated into a focus offset by comparison to a previously-determined calibration curve. One or more translated signals may be fed back to the fabrication tool for focus correction or used for prediction of on-device overlay (correction of overlay metrology results). In one embodiment, focus and overlay may be measured using a single target, where one portion of the target is formed on a first layer and includes a focus-sensitive design, and where another portion of the target is formed on a second layer and includes a relatively less focus-sensitive design. In some embodiments, a relative difference in focus response may be used to estimate an impact of focus error on device overlay and calculate non-zero offset contributions.

Abstract: Methods and systems for measuring structural and material characteristics of semiconductor structures based on wavelength resolved, soft x-ray reflectometry (WR-SXR) at multiple diffraction orders are presented. WR-SXR measurements are simultaneous, high throughput measurements over multiple diffraction orders with broad spectral width. The availability of wavelength resolved signal information at each of the multiple diffraction orders improves measurement accuracy and throughput. Each non-zero diffraction order includes multiple measurement points, each different measurement point associated with a different wavelength. In some embodiments, WR-SXR measurements are performed with x-ray radiation energy in a range of 10-5,000 electron volts at grazing angles of incidence in a range of 1-45 degrees. In some embodiments, the illumination beam is controlled to have relatively high divergence in one direction and relatively low divergence in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction.

Abstract: A system includes a controller with processors configured to execute an auto-correlation module embodied in one or more sets of program instructions stored in memory. The auto-correlation module is configured to cause the processors to receive one or more patterned wafer geometry metrics, receive wafer characterization data from one or more characterization tools, determine a correlation between the one or more patterned wafer geometry metrics and the wafer characterization data, generate a ranking of the one or more patterned wafer geometry metrics based on the determined correlation, construct a composite metric model from a subset of the one or more patterned wafer geometry metrics based on the ranking of the one or more patterned wafer geometry metrics, generate one or more composite wafer metrics from the composite metric model, and generate a statistical process control output based on the one or more composite wafer metrics.

Abstract: A method and system for measuring misregistration between different layers of a semiconductor device, the method including providing a set of pupil inaccuracy scalable basis elements (PISBEs) relating to a plurality of patterned semiconductor device wafers (PSDWs), generating a single pupil image of a site on a PSDW, the PSDW being one of the plurality of PSDWs, by taking a single measurement of the site, the single pupil image including a plurality of site-specific pixels, calculating a set of site-specific pupil inaccuracy scalable basis element scaling factors (PISBESFs) for the single pupil image using the set of PISBEs and the plurality of site-specific pixels and calculating a site-specific misregistration value (SSMV) using the set of PISBEs and the set of site-specific PISBESFs.

Abstract: A broadband radiation source is disclosed. The source may include a gas containment vessel configured to maintain a plasma and emit broadband radiation. The source may also include a recirculation gas loop fluidically coupled to the gas containment vessel. The recirculation gas loop may be configured to transport gas from one or more gas boosters configured to pressurize the low-pressure gas into a high-pressure gas and transport the high-pressure gas to the recirculation loop via an outlet. The system includes a pressurized gas reservoir fluidically coupled to the outlet of the one or more gas boosters and is configured to receive and store high pressure gas from the one or more gas boosters. The source includes a pressurized gas reservoir located between the one or more gas boosters and the gas containment vessel and is configured to receive and store high pressure gas from the one or more gas boosters.

Abstract: A rendered image is aligned with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image to produce an aligned rendered image. A reference image is aligned with the SEM image to produce an aligned reference image. A threshold probability map also is generated. Dynamic compensation of the SEM image and aligned reference image can produce a corrected SEM image and corrected reference image. A thresholded defect map can be generated and the defects of the thresholded probability map and the signal-to-noise-ratio defects of the thresholded defect map are filtered using a broadband-plasma-based property to produce defect-of-interest clusters.