Patent number: 5502306
Abstract: There is disclosed numerous embodiments of a method and apparatus for a particle scanning system and an automatic inspection system. In each of these a particle beam is directed at the surface of a substrate for scanning that substrate. Also included are a selection of detectors to detect at least one of the secondary particles, back-scattered particles and transmitted particles from the substrate. The substrate is mounted on an x-y stage to provide it with at least one degree of freedom while the substrate is being scanned by the/particle beam. The substrate is also subjected to an electric field on it's surface to accelerate the secondary particles. The system also has the capability to accurately measure the position of the substrate with respect to the charged particle beam. Additionally, there is an optical alignment means for initially aligning the substrate beneath the,particle beam means.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 17, 1994
Date of Patent:
March 26, 1996
Assignee:
KLA Instruments Corporation
Inventors:
Dan Meisburger, Alan D. Brodie, Curt Chadwick, Anil Desai, Hans Dohse, Dennis Emge, John Greene, Ralph Johnson, Ming-Yie Ling, John McMurtry, Barry Becker, Ray Paul, Mike Robinson, Richard Simmons, David E. A. Smith, John Taylor, Lee Veneklasen, Dean Walters, Paul Wieczorek, Sam Wong, April Dutta, Surendra Lele, Kirkwood Rough, Henry Pearce-Percy, Jack Y. Jau, Chun C. Lin, Hoi T. Nguyen, Yen-Jen Oyang, Timothy L. Hutcheson, David J. Clark, Chung-Shih Pan, Chetana Bhaskar, Chris Kirk, Eric Munro