Abstract: Equipment extracts components of spatial frequency that need to be evaluated in manufacturing a device or in analyzing a material or process out of edge roughness on fine line patterns and displays them as indexes. The equipment acquires data of edge roughness over a sufficiently long area, integrates components corresponding to a spatial frequency region being set on a power spectrum by the operator, and displays them on a length measuring SEM. Alternatively, the equipment divides the edge roughness data of the sufficiently long area, computes long-period roughness and short-period roughness that correspond to an arbitrary inspection area by performing statistical processing and fitting based on theoretical calculation, and displays them on the length measuring SEM.

Abstract: The present invention suppresses decreases in the volumes of the patterns which have been formed on the surfaces of semiconductor samples or of the like, or performs accurate length measurements, irrespective of such decreases. In an electrically charged particle ray apparatus by which the line widths and other length data of the patterns formed on samples are to be measured by scanning the surface of each sample with electrically charged particle rays and detecting the secondary electrons released from the sample, the scanning line interval of said electrically charged particle rays is set so as not to exceed the irradiation density dictated by the physical characteristics of the sample. Or measured length data is calculated from prestored approximation functions.

Abstract: The present invention suppresses decreases in the volumes of the patterns which have been formed on the surfaces of semiconductor samples or of the like, or performs accurate length measurements, irrespective of such decreases. In an electrically charged particle ray apparatus by which the line widths and other length data of the patterns formed on samples are to be measured by scanning the surface of each sample with electrically charged particle rays and detecting the secondary electrons released from the sample, the scanning line interval of said electrically charged particle rays is set so as not to exceed the irradiation density dictated by the physical characteristics of the sample. Or measured length data is calculated from prestored approximation functions.

Abstract: A quantity (or dispersion value) of a distribution of edge position due to random noise is expected to be reduced statistically to 1/N when N edge position data items are averaged. Using this property, the single page image is averaged in a vertical direction with various values of parameter S, and then the edge roughness index is calculated. The S-dependence of the edge roughness index is analyzed and a term of a dispersion value directly proportional to 1/S is determined as being due to noise.

Abstract: Edge points are extracted by specifying a height (values indicating a distance from a substrate) on a pattern when edges of the pattern are extracted from a CD-SEM image. Further, LER values obtained by the extraction or a Fourier spectrum of the LER are obtained. When the same sample is previously observed with the AFM and the CD-SEM, a size of the LER obtained by specifying a height, an auto-correlation distance of the LER, or an index called the spectrum is obtained from results of the AFM observation. Further, theses indices obtained by specifying image processing conditions for detecting the edge points from the CD-SEM observation result are obtained. Also, it is determined that heights providing values when the values are matched correspond to the image processing conditions and then, the edge points are extracted from the CD-SEM IMAGE instead of the AFM observation by using the image processing conditions.

Abstract: In the case of monitoring a resolution of a scanning electron microscope, it is required to prepare a sample and to use a measuring algorithm so as to reduce the pattern dependency of an index value of resolution to be measured in order to measure a variation in the size of an electron beam with a high degree of accuracy. According to the present invention, there is used a sample having a sectional shape which is appropriate for monitoring the resolution, that is, the sample has a pattern with such a sectional shape that a side wall of the pattern is inclined so as to prevent an electron beam irradiated on the sample from impinging upon the side wall of the pattern. With this configuration, it is possible carry out such resolution monitor that does not depend upon a sectional shape of a pattern.

Abstract: Disclosed is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for realizing high-precision dimension measurement of a sample, such as an ArF exposure photoresist, that requires the measurement of a dimension by a low S/N signal waveform. To this end, partial waveforms (or partial images) of sample signal waveforms (or an images) acquired from a dimension measurement target sample and a sample material of the same kind are registered in advance, a measurement target signal waveform (or an image) obtained from the dimension measurement target sample and the sample registration waveform are combined, and a dimension of the dimension measurement target pattern is calculated based on the combination result.

Abstract: A system for controlling a tool-to-tool disparity between a plurality of scanning electron microscopes includes a measuring unit for measuring a tool-to-tool disparity between plural scanning electron microscopes based on information extracted from secondary electron images which are captured by imaging a reference pattern formed on a wafer, a tool state monitoring unit for monitoring tool states of each of the plural scanning electron microscopes, and an output unit for displaying on a screen a relationship between the tool-to-tool disparity between the plural scanning electron microscopes and tool states of each of the plural scanning electron microscopes monitored by the tool state monitoring unit. The tool state monitoring unit monitors the tool states of each of the plural scanning electron microscopes while imaging the reference pattern formed on the wafer by using each of the plural scanning electron microscopes.

Abstract: According to the invention, to achieve the above objective, there is provided a charged particle beam apparatus that creates a first image by irradiating a charged particle beam on a sample to scan a first pattern of the sample, controls on the basis of the first image the focus of the charged particle beam and the brightness and/or contrast of the image, and irradiates the charged particle beam to correctly scan a second pattern different from the first pattern by using the control conditions used to control the focus of the charged particle beam and the brightness and/or contrast of the image.

Abstract: Disclosed herewith is a length measurement system, which obtains a value closer to its true one when figuring out the size and edge roughness of a pattern from a noise-included pattern image. Among plural band-like regions representing a portion around an edge in an image respectively, the system calculates the dependency of the edge point position on the image processing parameter at each of a narrow width band-like portion and a wide width band-like portion to calculate an image processing condition that calculates each measured value closer to its true value or estimates the true value itself.

Abstract: A system for controlling a tool-to-tool matching between a plurality of scanning electron microscopes for pattern dimension measurement includes a measuring unit for, at regular intervals, measuring a tool-to-tool disparity between canning electron microscopes based on secondary electron image data, and measuring indicators indicating states of the microscopes, a tool-to-tool-disparity causing factor analyzing unit for analyzing a relationship between the tool-to-tool disparity and the values of the indicators measured by the measuring unit to estimate a factor that has caused said tool-to-tool disparity, and an output unit for displaying and outputting the tool-to-tool disparity causing factor estimated by the tool-to-tool-disparity causing factor analyzing unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for realizing high-precision dimension measurement of a sample, such as an ArF exposure photoresist, that requires the measurement of a dimension by a low S/N signal waveform. To this end, partial waveforms (or partial images) of sample signal waveforms (or an images) acquired from a dimension measurement target sample and a sample material of the same kind are registered in advance, a measurement target signal waveform (or an image) obtained from the dimension measurement target sample and the sample registration waveform are combined, and a dimension of the dimension measurement target pattern is calculated based on the combination result.

Abstract: A calibration standard specimen is provided to have formed therein calibrating patterns of a lattice shape discontinuously arrayed, and particular alignment patterns respectively disposed near the calibrating patterns so that the positioning of the specimen can be made to match the calibrating patterns to the measurement points.

Abstract: A quantity (or dispersion value) of a distribution of edge position due to random noise is expected to be reduced statistically to 1/N when N edge position data items are averaged. Using this property, the single page image is averaged in a vertical direction with various values of parameter S, and then the edge roughness index is calculated. The S-dependence of the edge roughness index is analyzed and a term of a dispersion value directly proportional to 1/S is determined as being due to noise.

Abstract: Equipment extracts components of spatial frequency that need to be evaluated in manufacturing a device or in analyzing a material or process out of edge roughness on fine line patterns and displays them as indexes. The equipment acquires data of edge roughness over a sufficiently long area, integrates a components corresponding to a spatial frequency region being set on a power spectrum by the operator, and displays them on a length measuring SEM. Alternatively, the equipment divides the edge roughness data of the sufficiently long area, computes long-period roughness and short-period roughness that correspond to an arbitrary inspection area by performing statistical processing and fitting based on theoretical calculation, and displays them on the length measuring SEM.

Abstract: A calibration standard specimen is provided to have formed therein calibrating patterns of a lattice shape discontinuously arrayed, and particular alignment patterns respectively disposed near the calibrating patterns so that the positioning of the specimen can be made to match the calibrating patterns to the measurement points.

Abstract: A method for measuring a dimension of a pattern formed on a sample using a secondary electron image obtained by picking up an image of the sample using a scanning electron microscope includes: obtaining a secondary electron image of a sample by picking up an image of the sample using a scanning electron microscope; creating, using the secondary electron image, an image profile of a pattern whose dimension is to be measured, within the obtained secondary electron image; retrieving a model profile that matches best with the created image profile from a plurality of model profiles prestored that are obtained from respective secondary electron images of a plurality of patterns, the cross sections of the plurality of patterns being of known shapes and dimensions and being different in shape; and obtaining a dimension of the pattern using information of the retrieved model profile.

Abstract: As measurement accuracy required for the scanning electron microscope (SEM) for measuring a pattern width becomes stringent, a technique of reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's is desired. However, the conventional technique of evaluating the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's cannot separate the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's themselves and a dimensional change resulting from deformation of the pattern itself. Moreover, the technique of reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's needs an operator for reducing the difference in a measured dimension between the SEM's for each measurement pattern shape.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to suppress measurement errors caused by the fact that the shrink amount due to scan of an electron beam differs pattern by pattern. To accomplish this object, according to the invention, functions indicative of a process of change of pattern dimension when the electron beam is irradiated on a sample are prepared in respect of the kinds of sample patterns, and dimension values of a particular pattern measured by scanning the electron beam on the particular pattern are fitted to a function prepared for the particular pattern to calculate a dimension of the particular pattern before it changes.

Abstract: A quantity (or dispersion value) of a distribution of edge position due to random noise is expected to be reduced statistically to 1/N when N edge position data items are averaged. Using this property, the single page image is averaged in a vertical direction with various values of parameter S, and then the edge roughness index is calculated. The S-dependence of the edge roughness index is analyzed and a term of a dispersion value directly proportional to 1/S is determined as being due to noise.