Patents by Inventor Andrei Veldman
Andrei Veldman 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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Patent number: 11913874Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2021Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Andrei V. Shchegrov, Lawrence D. Rotter, David Y. Wang, Andrei Veldman, Kevin Peterlinz, Gregory Brady, Derrick A. Shaughnessy
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Publication number: 20220268714Abstract: Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by full beam x-ray scatterometry are described herein. A full beam x-ray scatterometry measurement involves illuminating a sample with an X-ray beam and detecting the intensities of the resulting zero diffraction order and higher diffraction orders simultaneously for one or more angles of incidence relative to the sample. The simultaneous measurement of the direct beam and the scattered orders enables high throughput measurements with improved accuracy. The full beam x-ray scatterometry system includes one or more photon counting detectors with high dynamic range and thick, highly absorptive crystal substrates that absorb the direct beam with minimal parasitic backscattering.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2022Publication date: August 25, 2022Inventors: Antonio Arion Gellineau, Thaddeus Gerard Dziura, John J. Hench, Andrei Veldman, Sergey Zalubovsky
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Patent number: 11313816Abstract: Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by full beam x-ray scatterometry are described herein. A full beam x-ray scatterometry measurement involves illuminating a sample with an X-ray beam and detecting the intensities of the resulting zero diffraction order and higher diffraction orders simultaneously for one or more angles of incidence relative to the sample. The simultaneous measurement of the direct beam and the scattered orders enables high throughput measurements with improved accuracy. The full beam x-ray scatterometry system includes one or more photon counting detectors with high dynamic range and thick, highly absorptive crystal substrates that absorb the direct beam with minimal parasitic backscattering.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2020Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Antonio Arion Gellineau, Thaddeus Gerard Dziura, John J. Hench, Andrei Veldman, Sergey Zalubovsky
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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: 11086288Abstract: Methods and systems for solving measurement models of complex device structures with reduced computational effort and memory requirements are presented. The computational efficiency of electromagnetic simulation algorithms based on truncated spatial harmonic series is improved for periodic targets that exhibit a fundamental spatial period and one or more approximate periods that are integer fractions of the fundamental spatial period. Spatial harmonics are classified according to each distinct period of the target exhibiting multiple periodicity. A distinct truncation order is selected for each group of spatial harmonics. This approach produces optimal, sparse truncation order sampling patterns, and ensures that only harmonics with significant contributions to the approximation of the target are selected for computation.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2018Date of Patent: August 10, 2021Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventor: Andrei Veldman
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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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Publication number: 20210223166Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2021Publication date: July 22, 2021Inventors: Andrei V. Shchegrov, Lawrence D. Rotter, David Y. Wang, Andrei Veldman, Kevin Peterlinz, Gregory Brady, Derrick A. Shaughnessy
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Patent number: 10969328Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2019Date of Patent: April 6, 2021Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Andrei V. Shchegrov, Lawrence D. Rotter, David Y. Wang, Andrei Veldman, Kevin Peterlinz, Gregory Brady, Derrick A. Shaughnessy
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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: 20200300790Abstract: Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by full beam x-ray scatterometry are described herein. A full beam x-ray scatterometry measurement involves illuminating a sample with an X-ray beam and detecting the intensities of the resulting zero diffraction order and higher diffraction orders simultaneously for one or more angles of incidence relative to the sample. The simultaneous measurement of the direct beam and the scattered orders enables high throughput measurements with improved accuracy. The full beam x-ray scatterometry system includes one or more photon counting detectors with high dynamic range and thick, highly absorptive crystal substrates that absorb the direct beam with minimal parasitic backscattering.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2020Publication date: September 24, 2020Inventors: Antonio Arion Gellineau, Thaddeus Gerard Dziura, John J. Hench, Andrei Veldman, Sergey Zalubovsky
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Patent number: 10775323Abstract: Methods and systems for characterizing dimensions and material properties of semiconductor devices by full beam x-ray scatterometry are described herein. A full beam x-ray scatterometry measurement involves illuminating a sample with an X-ray beam and detecting the intensities of the resulting zero diffraction order and higher diffraction orders simultaneously for one or more angles of incidence relative to the sample. The simultaneous measurement of the direct beam and the scattered orders enables high throughput measurements with improved accuracy. The full beam x-ray scatterometry system includes one or more photon counting detectors with high dynamic range and thick, highly absorptive crystal substrates that absorb the direct beam with minimal parasitic backscattering.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2017Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Antonio Arion Gellineau, Thaddeus Gerard Dziura, John J. Hench, Andrei Veldman, Sergey Zalubovsky
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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: 10712145Abstract: Methods and systems for evaluating the geometric characteristics of patterned structures are presented. More specifically, geometric structures generated by one or multiple patterning processes are measured by two or more metrology systems in accordance with a hybrid metrology methodology. A measurement result from one metrology system is communicated to at least one other metrology systems to increase the measurement performance of the receiving system. Similarly, a measurement result from the receiving metrology system is communicated back to the sending metrology system to increase the measurement performance of the sending system. In this manner, measurement results obtained from each metrology system are improved based on measurement results received from other cooperating metrology systems. In some examples, metrology capability is expanded to measure parameters of interest that were previously unmeasurable by each metrology system operating independently.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2017Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Boxue Chen, Andrei Veldman, Alexander Kuznetsov, Andrei V. Shchegrov
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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: 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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Publication number: 20190195782Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2019Publication date: June 27, 2019Inventors: Andrei V. Shchegrov, Lawrence D. Rotter, David Y. Wang, Andrei Veldman, Kevin Peterlinz, Gregory Brady, Derrick A. Shaughnessy
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Publication number: 20190129376Abstract: Methods and systems for solving measurement models of complex device structures with reduced computational effort and memory requirements are presented. The computational efficiency of electromagnetic simulation algorithms based on truncated spatial harmonic series is improved for periodic targets that exhibit a fundamental spatial period and one or more approximate periods that are integer fractions of the fundamental spatial period. Spatial harmonics are classified according to each distinct period of the target exhibiting multiple periodicity. A distinct truncation order is selected for each group of spatial harmonics. This approach produces optimal, sparse truncation order sampling patterns, and ensures that only harmonics with significant contributions to the approximation of the target are selected for computation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2018Publication date: May 2, 2019Inventor: Andrei Veldman
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Patent number: 10215688Abstract: The system includes a modulatable illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample disposed on a sample stage, a detector configured to detect illumination emanating from a surface of the sample, illumination optics configured to direct illumination from the modulatable illumination source to the surface of the sample, collection optics configured to direct illumination from the surface of the sample to the detector, and a modulation control system communicatively coupled to the modulatable illumination source, wherein the modulation control system is configured to modulate a drive current of the modulatable illumination source at a selected modulation frequency suitable for generating illumination having a selected coherence feature length. In addition, the present invention includes the time-sequential interleaving of outputs of multiple light sources to generate periodic pulse trains for use in multi-wavelength time-sequential optical metrology.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2016Date of Patent: February 26, 2019Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventors: Andrei V. Shchegrov, Lawrence D. Rotter, David Y. Wang, Andrei Veldman, Kevin Peterlinz, Gregory Brady, Derrick A. Shaughnessy
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Patent number: 10185303Abstract: Methods and systems for solving measurement models of complex device structures with reduced computational effort and memory requirements are presented. The computational efficiency of electromagnetic simulation algorithms based on truncated spatial harmonic series is improved for periodic targets that exhibit a fundamental spatial period and one or more approximate periods that are integer fractions of the fundamental spatial period. Spatial harmonics are classified according to each distinct period of the target exhibiting multiple periodicity. A distinct truncation order is selected for each group of spatial harmonics. This approach produces optimal, sparse truncation order sampling patterns, and ensures that only harmonics with significant contributions to the approximation of the target are selected for computation.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: KLA-Tencor CorporationInventor: Andrei Veldman