Abstract: A device for detecting monocrystalline substrate defects, wherein a normal to the surface of the substrate is tilted by a tilt angle being contained in an angle plane, perpendicular to the surface, the device includes a detector, an illumination light source having a light beam, and arranged in a first position and/or a second position, an excitation light source illuminating the substrate and producing an emission of photoluminescence light by the substrate, imaging means imaging the substrate according to a detector field of view producing at least one image of the substrate, and processing means detecting crystalline defects using the substrate image, each illumination light source and the imaging means are arranged in a dark-field configuration, and in the first position, the illuminating light beam is parallel or quasi-parallel to the angle plane, and in the second position, the illuminating light beam is parallel or quasi-parallel to a perpendicular plane.

Abstract: A method for characterizing a structure etched in a first substrate surface, the structure extending along a longitudinal direction, z, into the substrate, the method implemented by a system including a light source emitting an illumination beam with a wavelength transmitted through the substrate, and an imaging device positioned to face a second substrate surface opposite the first surface, the method including illuminating at least one structure with the illumination beam, subsequently positioning an object plane of the imaging device at at least two different longitudinal positions; acquiring at least one image of the structure at each of the longitudinal positions, the images being acquired through the substrate; measuring data relating to a lateral dimension of the structure from each acquired image at each of the longitudinal positions; and determining longitudinal data relating to a longitudinal shape of the structure from the lateral data of at least two longitudinal positions.

Abstract: A method for characterizing structures etched in a substrate, such as a wafer is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: illuminating the bottom of at least one structure with an illumination beam issued from a light source emitting light with a wavelength adapted to be transmitted through the substrate, acquiring, with an imaging device positioned on the bottom side of said substrate, at least one image of a bottom of the at least one structure through the substrate, and measuring at least one data, called lateral data, relating to a lateral dimension of the bottom of the at least one HAR structure from the at least one acquired image. A system implementing such a method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method includes: determining height Z1 of a focus by an optical microscope having autofocus function which uses irradiation light of wavelength ?0 to adjust the focus; determining a wavelength ?1 of irradiation light used for obtaining observation image of second thin film; obtaining observation image of second thin film by using irradiation light of the wavelength ?1, while altering heights of the focus with the Z1 as reference point; calculating standard deviation of reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image, obtaining height Z2 of the focus corresponding to a peak position where standard deviation is greatest, and calculating a difference ?Z between Z1 and Z2; correcting the autofocus function with ?Z as a correction value; and using the corrected autofocus function to adjust the focus, obtaining the observation image of the second thin film, and calculating the film thickness distribution from the reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image.

Abstract: A method and system implementing the method for characterising structures etched in a substrate, such as a wafer, includes at least one structure etched in the substrate, an imaging step including the following steps: capturing, with an imaging device positioned on the top surface of the substrate, at least one image of a top surface of the substrate, and measuring a first data relating to the structure from at least one captured image, at least one interferometric measurement step, carried out with a low-coherence interferometer positioned on the top surface, for measuring with a measurement beam positioned on the structure, at least one depth data relating to a depth of the structure; and a first adjusting step for adjusting the measurement beam according to the first data.

Abstract: A method for characterising high aspect ratio (“HAR”) structures etched in a substrate includes, for at least one structure, an interferometric measurement step, carried out with a low-coherence interferometer positioned on a top surface of the substrate, for measuring with a measurement beam, at least one depth data relating to a depth of the HAR structure, and a first adjusting step for adjusting a diameter, at the top surface, of the measurement beam according to at least one top critical dimension (“top-CD”) data relating to a width of the HAR structure.

Abstract: A method and related system for measuring a surface of a substrate including at least one structure using low coherence optical interferometry, the method being implemented with a system having an interferometric device, a light source, an imaging sensor, and a processing module, the method including: - acquiring, with the imaging sensor, an interferometric signal formed by the interferometric device between a reference beam and a measurement beam reflected by the surface at a plurality of measurement points in a field of view; the following steps being carried out by the processing module: classifying, by a learning technique, the acquired interferometric signals according to a plurality of classes, each class being associated with a reference interferometric signal representative of a typical structure; and analysing the interferometric signals to derive information on the structure at the measurement points, as a function of the class of each interferometric signal.

Abstract: A method for measuring a surface of an object including at least one structure using low coherence optical interferometry, the method including the steps of acquiring an interferometric signal at a plurality of measurement points in a field of view and, for at least one measurement point, attributing the interferometric signal acquired to a class of interferometric signals from a plurality of classes, each of the classes being associated with a reference interferometric signal representative of a typical structure; and analysing the interferometric signal to derive therefrom an item of information on the structure at the measurement point, as a function of its class.

Abstract: A method includes: determining height Z1 of a focus by an optical microscope having autofocus function which uses irradiation light of wavelength ?0 to adjust the focus; determining a wavelength ?1 of irradiation light used for obtaining observation image of second thin film; obtaining observation image of second thin film by using irradiation light of the wavelength ?1, while altering heights of the focus with the Z1 as reference point; calculating standard deviation of reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image, obtaining height Z2 of the focus corresponding to a peak position where standard deviation is greatest, and calculating a difference ?Z between Z1 and Z2; correcting the autofocus function with ?Z as a correction value; and using the corrected autofocus function to adjust the focus, obtaining the observation image of the second thin film, and calculating the film thickness distribution from the reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image.

Abstract: A method and related system for substrate inspection, includes: creating, based on two light beams originating from one light source, a measurement volume at the intersection between the two light beams, the measurement volume containing interference fringes and being positioned to extend into the substrate, the substrate moving relative to the measurement volume in a direction parallel to a main surface S of the substrate; acquiring a measurement signal representative of the light scattered by the substrate, as a function of the location of the measurement volume on the substrate; calculating at least one expected modulation frequency, of an expected signal representative of the passage of a defect of the substrate through the measurement volume; determining values representative of a frequency content of the measurement signal close to the modulation frequency, to constitute a validated signal representative of the presence of defects; and analyzing the signal to locate and/or identify defects.

Abstract: A method and related device for measuring the profile of a surface of an object to be measured having zones made from at least two different materials, the object to be measured forming part of a plurality of substantially identical objects, the plurality of objects also including at least one reference object having at least one reference surface, the method including the following steps: determining a correction function, from a first profile signal of a first reference surface and a second profile signal from a second reference surface, the second reference surface being metallized; acquiring a profile signal from the surface of the object to be measured; and applying the correction function to the profile signal from the surface of the object to be measured to obtain a corrected profile signal; the profile signals being obtained from interferometric measurements.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a wafer including: rotating the wafer about an axis of symmetry (X) perpendicular to a main wafer surface (S); emitting, from a light source coupled with an interferometric device, two incident light beams, to form, at the intersection between the two beams, a measurement volume (V) containing interference fringes so that a region of the main surface (S) of the wafer passes through a fringe, the dimension (Dy) of the measurement volume in a radial direction of the wafer being between 5 and 100 ?m; collecting a portion of the light scattered by the wafer region; acquiring the collected light and emitting a signal representing the variation in the collected light intensity as a function of time; and detecting, a frequency component in the collected light, the frequency being the time signature of a defect passage through the measurement volume.

Abstract: A device for positioning an integrated circuit wafer includes: a base, called upper, and a base, called lower, arranged at a distance from one another in a direction, called vertical, so as to leave a free space between the bases; a support, provided to be mobile between the upper and lower bases, and including a location for receiving the wafer to be inspected; at least one first means apparatus for positioning the support in the vertical direction against, or by cooperation with, the upper base; and at least one second means apparatus for positioning the support in the vertical direction against, or by cooperation with, the lower base. Also provided is an inspection equipment for an integrated circuit wafer implementing such a positioning device.

Abstract: A system includes a cross-point memory array and a decoder circuit coupled to the cross-point memory array. The decoder circuit includes a predecoder having predecode logic to generate a control signal and a level shifter circuit to generate a voltage signal. The decoder circuit further includes a post-decoder coupled to the predecoder, the post-decoder including a first stage and a second stage coupled to the first stage, the control signal to control the first stage and the second stage to route the voltage signal through the first stage and the second stage to a selected conductive array line of a plurality of conductive array lines coupled to a memory array.

Abstract: A memory array includes wordlines, local bitlines, two-terminal memory elements, global bitlines, and local-to-global bitline pass gates and gain stages. The memory elements are formed between the wordlines and local bitlines. Each local bitline is selectively coupled to an associated global bitline, by way of an associated local-to-global bitline pass gate. During a read operation when a memory element of a local bitline is selected to be read, a local-to-global gain stage is configured to amplify a signal on or passing through the local bitline to an amplified signal on or along an associated global bitline. The amplified signal, which in one embodiment is dependent on the resistive state of the selected memory element, is used to rapidly determine the memory state stored by the selected memory element. The global bit line and/or the selected local bit line can be biased to compensate for the Process Voltage Temperature (PVT) variation.

Abstract: An electronic wafer inspecting method includes: rotating the wavelength transparent wafer, emitting, from a light source coupled with an interferometric device, two light beams, to form, a measurement volume and having a variable inter-fringe distance within the volume, a time signature of a defect intersecting the measurement volume depending on an inter-fringe distance where the defect intersects the volume, the device and the wafer arranged so that the measurement volume extends into a wafer region, collecting the light scattered by the wafer region, emitting a signal representing the variation in the intensity of the collected light per time, detecting in the signal, a frequency of the intensity, the frequency being the time of the passage of a defect through the measurement volume, determining, based on the value of the inter-fringe distance at the location where the defect passes, the position of the defect.

Abstract: A method is provided for inspecting the surface of an object such as a wafer having tridimensional structures, using a confocal chromatic device with a plurality of optical measurement channels and a chromatic lens allowing optical wavelengths of a broadband light source to be focused at different axial distances defining a chromatic measurement range. The method includes a step of obtaining an intensity information corresponding to the intensity of the light actually focused on an interface of the object within the chromatic measurement range at a plurality of measurement points on the object by measuring a total intensity over the full spectrum of the light collected by at least some of the optical measurement channels in a confocal configuration.

Abstract: A confocal chromatic device is provided, including at least one chromatic lens with an extended axial chromatism; at least one broadband light source; at least one optical detector; and at least one measurement channel with a planar Y-junction made with a planar waveguide optics technology, and arranged for transferring light from the at least one light source towards the at least one chromatic lens and for transferring light reflected back through the at least one chromatic lens towards the at least one optical detector.

Abstract: An imaging device is provided for localizing structures through the surface of an object such as a wafer, with a view to positioning a measuring sensor relative to the structures, includes: (i) an imaging sensor; (ii) an optical imager able to produce, on the imaging sensor, an image of the object in a field of view; and (iii) an illuminator for generating an illuminating beam and lighting the field of view in reflection, in which the illuminating beam and lighting the field of view in reflection, in which the illuminator is able to generate an illuminating beam the spectral content of which is adapted to the nature of the object, such that the light of the beam is able to essentially penetrate into the object. Also provided is a system and a method for carrying out dimensional measurements on an object such as a wafer.

Abstract: An imaging method and device is provided for inspecting for the presence, in an object like a wafer, of enclosed structures, such as vias, employing: an imaging sensor; an optical imager able to produce, on the imaging sensor, an object image in a field of view; and an illuminator for generating an illuminating beam and lighting the field of view in reflection, including: acquiring a first image of the object by illuminating the object with a first illuminating beam adapted to the object, such that the light of the beam penetrates the object; acquiring a second image of the object by illuminating the object with a second illuminating beam adapted to the object, such that the light of the beam is reflected by the surface of the object; and comparing the first and second images to identify structures that appear in the first image but not in the second image.