Patents by Inventor Abdurrahman Sezginer
Abdurrahman Sezginer 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: 20180342051Abstract: Systems and methods increase the signal to noise ratio of optical inspection of wafers to obtain higher inspection sensitivity. The computed reference image can minimize a norm of the difference of the test image and the computed reference image. A difference image between the test image and a computed reference image is determined. The computed reference image includes a linear combination of a second set of images.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2018Publication date: November 29, 2018Inventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Xiaochun Li, Pavan Kumar, Junqing Huang, Lisheng Gao, Grace H. Chen, Yalin Xiong, Hawren Fang
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Publication number: 20180082415Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for qualifying a photolithographic reticle. A reticle inspection tool is used to acquire a plurality of images at different imaging configurations from each of a plurality of pattern areas of a test reticle. A reticle near field is recovered for each of the pattern areas of the test reticle based on the acquired images from each pattern area of the test reticle. The recovered reticle near field is then used to determine whether the test reticle or another reticle will likely result in unstable wafer pattern or a defective wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2017Publication date: March 22, 2018Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Mohammad Mehdi Daneshpanah
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Publication number: 20180080759Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for facilitating an inspection of a sample using an inspection tool. An inspection tool is used to obtain an image or signal from an EUV reticle that specifies an intensity variation across the EUV reticle, and this intensity variation is converted to a CD variation that removes a flare correction CD variation so as to generate a critical dimension uniformity (CDU) map without the flare correction CD variation. This removed flare correction CD variation originates from design data for fabricating the EUV reticle, and such flare correction CD variation is generally designed to compensate for flare differences that are present across a field of view (FOV) of a photolithography tool during a photolithography process. The CDU map is stored in one or more memory devices and/or displayed on a display device, for example, of the inspection tool or a photolithography system.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2017Publication date: March 22, 2018Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Rui-fang Shi, Alex Pokrovskiy, Abdurrahman Sezginer, Weston L. Sousa
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Patent number: 9875534Abstract: A reticle is inspected with an imaging system to obtain a measured image of a structure on the reticle, and the structure has an unknown critical dimension (CD). Using a model, a calculated image is generated using a design database that describes a pattern used to form the structure on the reticle. The model generates the calculated image based on: optical properties of reticle materials of the structure, a computational model of the imaging system, and an adjustable CD. A norm of a difference between the measured and calculated images is minimized by adjusting the adjustable CD and iteratively repeating the operation of generating a calculated image so as to obtain a final CD for the unknown CD of the structure. Minimizing the norm of the difference is performed simultaneously with respect to the adjustable CD and one or more uncertain parameters of the imaging system.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2016Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Eric Vella, Balaji Ganapathy, Yanwei Liu
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Patent number: 9863761Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for facilitating an inspection of a sample using an inspection tool. An inspection tool is used to obtain an image or signal from an EUV reticle that specifies an intensity variation across the EUV reticle, and this intensity variation is converted to a CD variation that removes a flare correction CD variation so as to generate a critical dimension uniformity (CDU) map without the flare correction CD variation. This removed flare correction CD variation originates from design data for fabricating the EUV reticle, and such flare correction CD variation is generally designed to compensate for flare differences that are present across a field of view (FOV) of a photolithography tool during a photolithography process. The CDU map is stored in one or more memory devices and/or displayed on a display device, for example, of the inspection tool or a photolithography system.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2013Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Rui-fang Shi, Alex Pokrovskiy, Abdurrahman Sezginer, Weston L. Sousa
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Publication number: 20180003647Abstract: Block-to-block reticle inspection includes acquiring a swath image of a portion of a reticle with a reticle inspection sub-system, identifying a first occurrence of a block in the swatch image and at least a second occurrence of the block in the swath image substantially similar to the first occurrence of the block and determining at least one of a location, one or more geometrical characteristics of the block and a spatial offset between the first occurrence of the block and the at least a second occurrence of the block.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2017Publication date: January 4, 2018Inventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Patrick LoPresti, Joe Blecher, Rui-fang Shi, Yalin Xiong, John Fielden
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Patent number: 9805462Abstract: Apparatus and methods for inspecting a specimen are disclosed. An inspection tool is used at one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of training regions of a specimen, and the training regions are identified as defect-free. Three or more basis training images are derived from the images of the training regions. A classifier is formed based on the three or more basis training images. The inspection system is used at the one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of test regions of a specimen. Three or more basis test images are derived from to the test regions. The classifier is applied to the three or more basis test images to find defects in the test regions.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2017Date of Patent: October 31, 2017Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Gang Pan, Bing Li
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Publication number: 20170309008Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for qualifying a photolithographic reticle. A reticle inspection tool is used to acquire images at different imaging configurations from each of a plurality of pattern areas of a test reticle. A reticle near field for each of the pattern areas of the test reticle is recovered based on the acquired images from each pattern area of the test reticle. A lithography model is applied to the reticle near field for the test reticle to simulate a plurality of test wafer images, and the simulated test wafer images are analyzed to determine whether the test reticle will likely result in an unstable or defective wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 3, 2017Publication date: October 26, 2017Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Rui-fang Shi, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Patent number: 9766185Abstract: Block-to-block reticle inspection includes acquiring a swath image of a portion of a reticle with a reticle inspection sub-system, identifying a first occurrence of a block in the swatch image and at least a second occurrence of the block in the swath image substantially similar to the first occurrence of the block and determining at least one of a location, one or more geometrical characteristics of the block and a spatial offset between the first occurrence of the block and the at least a second occurrence of the block.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2014Date of Patent: September 19, 2017Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Patrick LoPresti, Joe Blecher, Rui-fang Shi, Yalin Xiong, John Fielden
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Publication number: 20170221190Abstract: Apparatus and methods for inspecting a specimen are disclosed. An inspection tool is used at one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of training regions of a specimen, and the training regions are identified as defect-free. Three or more basis training images are derived from the images of the training regions. A classifier is formed based on the three or more basis training images. The inspection system is used at the one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of test regions of a specimen. Three or more basis test images are derived from to the test regions. The classifier is applied to the three or more basis test images to find defects in the test regions.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2017Publication date: August 3, 2017Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Gang Pan, Bing Li
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Patent number: 9652843Abstract: Apparatus and methods for inspecting a specimen are disclosed. An inspection tool is used at one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of training regions of a specimen, and the training regions are identified as defect-free. Three or more basis training images are derived from the images of the training regions. A classifier is formed based on the three or more basis training images. The inspection system is used at the one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of test regions of a specimen. Three or more basis test images are derived from to the test regions. The classifier is applied to the three or more basis test images to find defects in the test regions.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2016Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Gang Pan, Bing Li
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Publication number: 20170069080Abstract: A reticle is inspected with an imaging system to obtain a measured image of a structure on the reticle, and the structure has an unknown critical dimension (CD). Using a model, a calculated image is generated using a design database that describes a pattern used to form the structure on the reticle. The model generates the calculated image based on: optical properties of reticle materials of the structure, a computational model of the imaging system, and an adjustable CD. A norm of a difference between the measured and calculated images is minimized by adjusting the adjustable CD and iteratively repeating the operation of generating a calculated image so as to obtain a final CD for the unknown CD of the structure. Minimizing the norm of the difference is performed simultaneously with respect to the adjustable CD and one or more uncertain parameters of the imaging system.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2016Publication date: March 9, 2017Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Eric Vella, Balaji Ganapathy, Yanwei Liu
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Patent number: 9547892Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for qualifying a photolithographic reticle. A reticle inspection tool is used to acquire images at different imaging configurations from each of the pattern areas of a calibration reticle. A reticle near field is recovered for each of the pattern areas of the calibration reticle based on the acquired images from each pattern area of the calibration reticle. Using the recovered reticle near field for the calibration reticle, a lithography model for simulating wafer images is generated based on the reticle near field. Images are then acquired at different imaging configurations from each of the pattern areas of a test reticle. A reticle near field for the test reticle is then recovered based on the acquired images from the test reticle.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2015Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Rui-fang Shi, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Publication number: 20160335753Abstract: Apparatus and methods for inspecting a specimen are disclosed. An inspection tool is used at one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of training regions of a specimen, and the training regions are identified as defect-free. Three or more basis training images are derived from the images of the training regions. A classifier is formed based on the three or more basis training images. The inspection system is used at the one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of test regions of a specimen. Three or more basis test images are derived from to the test regions. The classifier is applied to the three or more basis test images to find defects in the test regions.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2016Publication date: November 17, 2016Applicant: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Gang Pan, Bing Li
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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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Patent number: 9478019Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. The embodiments include generating and/or using a data structure that includes pairs of predetermined segments of a reticle pattern and corresponding near-field data. The near-field data for the predetermined segments may be determined by regression based on actual image(s) of a reticle generated by a detector of a reticle inspection system. Inspecting a reticle may then include separately comparing two or more segments of a pattern included in an inspection area on the reticle to the predetermined segments and assigning near-field data to at least one of the segments based on the predetermined segment to which it is most similar. The assigned near-field data can then be used to simulate an image that would be formed for the reticle by the detector, which can be compared to an actual image generated by the detector for defect detection.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2015Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corp.Inventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Rui-fang Shi
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Patent number: 9430824Abstract: Apparatus and methods for inspecting a photolithographic reticle are disclosed. A reticle inspection tool is used at one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of training regions of a reticle, and the training regions are identified as defect-free. Three or more basis training images are derived from the images of the training regions. A classifier is formed based on the three or more basis training images. The inspection system is used at the one or more operating modes to obtain images of a plurality of test regions of a reticle. Three or more basis test images are derived from to the test regions. The classifier is applied to the three or more basis test images to find defects in the test regions.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2014Date of Patent: August 30, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Gang Pan, Bing Li
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Patent number: 9335206Abstract: Disclosed is test structure for measuring wave-front aberration of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) inspection system. The test structure includes a substrate formed from a material having substantially no reflectivity for EUV light and a multilayer (ML) stack portion, such as a pillar, formed on the substrate and comprising a plurality of alternating pairs of layers having different refractive indexes so as to reflect EUV light. The pairs have a count equal to or less than 15.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2013Date of Patent: May 10, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Qiang Zhang, Yanwei Liu, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Patent number: 9311700Abstract: A method and system for performing model-based registration and critical dimension measurement is disclosed. The method includes: utilizing an imaging device to obtain at least one optical image of a measurement site specified for a photomask; retrieving a design of photomask and utilizing a computer model of the imaging device to generate at least one simulated image of the measurement site; adjusting at least one parameter of the computer model to minimize dissimilarities between the simulated images and the optical images, wherein the parameters includes at least a pattern registration parameter or a critical dimension parameter; and reporting the pattern registration parameter or the critical dimension parameter of the computer model when dissimilarities between the simulated images and the optical images are minimized.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2013Date of Patent: April 12, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Mohammad Mehdi Daneshpanah, Abdurrahman Sezginer
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Patent number: 9292627Abstract: The present invention provides a method for compensating infidelities of a process that transfers a pattern to a layer of an integrated circuit, by minimizing, with respect to a photomask pattern, a cost function that quantifies the deviation between designed and simulated values of circuit parameters of the pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2013Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.Inventors: Dipankar Pramanik, Michiel Victor Paul Kruger, Roy V. Prasad, Abdurrahman Sezginer