Patents by Inventor Jenn-Kuen Leong
Jenn-Kuen Leong 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: 11879853Abstract: An inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, illumination optics to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, and collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample in a dark-field mode, where the scattered light from the sample includes surface haze associated with light scattered from a surface of the sample, and where at least a at least a portion of the surface haze has elliptical polarizations. The system may further include pupil-plane optics to convert the polarizations of the surface haze across the pupil to linear polarization that is aligned parallel to a selected haze orientation direction. The system may include a linear polarizer to reject the surface haze aligned parallel to this haze orientation direction and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on light passed by the linear polarizer.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2022Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, John Fielden
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Patent number: 11733172Abstract: A dark-field optical system may include a rotational objective lens assembly with a dark-field objective lens to collect light from a sample within a collection numerical aperture, where the dark-field objective lens includes an entrance aperture and an exit aperture at symmetrically-opposed azimuth angles with respect to an optical axis, a rotational bearing to allow rotation of at least a part of the dark-field objective lens including the entrance aperture and the exit aperture around the optical axis, and a rotational driver to control a rotational angle of the entrance aperture. The system may also include a multi-angle illumination sub-system to illuminate the sample with an illumination beam through the entrance aperture at two or more illumination azimuth angles, where an azimuth angle of the illumination beam on the sample is selectable by rotating the objective lens to any of the two or more illumination azimuth angles.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Anatoly Romanovsky, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, Chunhai Wang, Bret Whiteside, Zhiwei Xu
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Publication number: 20220268710Abstract: An inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, illumination optics to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, and collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample in a dark-field mode, where the scattered light from the sample includes surface haze associated with light scattered from a surface of the sample, and where at least a at least a portion of the surface haze has elliptical polarizations. The system may further include pupil-plane optics to convert the polarizations of the surface haze across the pupil to linear polarization that is aligned parallel to a selected haze orientation direction. The system may include a linear polarizer to reject the surface haze aligned parallel to this haze orientation direction and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on light passed by the linear polarizer.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2022Publication date: August 25, 2022Inventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, John Fielden
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Patent number: 11243175Abstract: A system may include illumination optics to direct an illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle, collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample, and a phase mask located at a first pupil plane to provide different phase shifts for light in two or more pupil regions of a collection area to reshape a point spread function of light scattered from one or more particles on a surface of the sample. The system may further include a polarization rotator located at a second pupil plane, where the polarization rotator provides a spatially-varying polarization rotation angle selected to rotate light scattered from the surface of the sample to a selected polarization angle, a polarizer to reject light polarized along the selected polarization angle, and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on light passed by the polarizer.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2021Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, John Fielden
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Publication number: 20210356406Abstract: A dark-field optical system may include a rotational objective lens assembly with a dark-field objective lens to collect light from a sample within a collection numerical aperture, where the dark-field objective lens includes an entrance aperture and an exit aperture at symmetrically-opposed azimuth angles with respect to an optical axis, a rotational bearing to allow rotation of at least a part of the dark-field objective lens including the entrance aperture and the exit aperture around the optical axis, and a rotational driver to control a rotational angle of the entrance aperture. The system may also include a multi-angle illumination sub-system to illuminate the sample with an illumination beam through the entrance aperture at two or more illumination azimuth angles, where an azimuth angle of the illumination beam on the sample is selectable by rotating the objective lens to any of the two or more illumination azimuth angles.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2021Publication date: November 18, 2021Inventors: Anatoly Romanovsky, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, Chunhai Wang, Bret Whiteside, Steve Xu
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Publication number: 20210164918Abstract: A system may include illumination optics to direct an illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle, collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample, and a phase mask located at a first pupil plane to provide different phase shifts for light in two or more pupil regions of a collection area to reshape a point spread function of light scattered from one or more particles on a surface of the sample. The system may further include a polarization rotator located at a second pupil plane, where the polarization rotator provides a spatially-varying polarization rotation angle selected to rotate light scattered from the surface of the sample to a selected polarization angle, a polarizer to reject light polarized along the selected polarization angle, and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on light passed by the polarizer.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2021Publication date: June 3, 2021Applicant: KLA CorporationInventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, John Fielden
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Patent number: 10948423Abstract: A dark-field inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, illumination optics configured to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample in response to the illumination beam in a dark-field mode, a polarization rotator located at a pupil plane of the one or more collection optics, where the polarization rotator provides a spatially-varying polarization rotation angle selected to rotate light scattered from a surface of the sample to a selected polarization angle, a polarizer aligned to reject light polarized along the selected polarization angle to reject the light scattered from a surface of the sample, and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on scattered light from the sample passed by the polarizer.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2019Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, John Fielden
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Patent number: 10942135Abstract: A dark field inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, one or more illumination optics to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, a detector, one or more collection optics to generate a dark-field image of the sample on the detector based on light collected from the sample in response to the illumination beam, and a radial polarizer located at a pupil plane of the one or more collection optics, where the radial polarizer rejects light with radial polarization with respect to an apex point in the pupil plane corresponding to specular reflection of the illumination beam from the sample.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2019Date of Patent: March 9, 2021Assignee: KLA CorporationInventors: Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, Guoheng Zhao
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Publication number: 20200264109Abstract: A dark-field inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, illumination optics configured to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, collection optics to collect scattered light from the sample in response to the illumination beam in a dark-field mode, a polarization rotator located at a pupil plane of the one or more collection optics, where the polarization rotator provides a spatially-varying polarization rotation angle selected to rotate light scattered from a surface of the sample to a selected polarization angle, a polarizer aligned to reject light polarized along the selected polarization angle to reject the light scattered from a surface of the sample, and a detector to generate a dark-field image of the sample based on scattered light from the sample passed by the polarizer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2019Publication date: August 20, 2020Inventors: Xuefeng Liu, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, John Fielden
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Publication number: 20200150054Abstract: A dark field inspection system may include an illumination source to generate an illumination beam, one or more illumination optics to direct the illumination beam to a sample at an off-axis angle along an illumination direction, a detector, one or more collection optics to generate a dark-field image of the sample on the detector based on light collected from the sample in response to the illumination beam, and a radial polarizer located at a pupil plane of the one or more collection optics, where the radial polarizer rejects light with radial polarization with respect to a reference point in the pupil plane corresponding to specular reflection of the illumination beam from the sample.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2019Publication date: May 14, 2020Inventors: Jenn-Kuen Leong, Daniel Kavaldjiev, Guoheng Zhao
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Patent number: 9291575Abstract: Systems and methods for inspecting a wafer are provided. One system includes an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the wafer; a collection subsystem configured to collect light scattered from the wafer and to preserve the polarization of the scattered light; an optical element configured to separate the scattered light collected in different segments of the collection numerical aperture of the collection subsystem, where the optical element is positioned at a Fourier plane or a conjugate of the Fourier plane of the collection subsystem; a polarizing element configured to separate the scattered light in one of the different segments into different portions of the scattered light based on polarization; and a detector configured to detect one of the different portions of the scattered light and to generate output responsive to the detected light, which is used to detect defects on the wafer.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2014Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corp.Inventors: Guoheng Zhao, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Publication number: 20150103348Abstract: Systems and methods for inspecting a wafer are provided. One system includes an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the wafer; a collection subsystem configured to collect light scattered from the wafer and to preserve the polarization of the scattered light; an optical element configured to separate the scattered light collected in different segments of the collection numerical aperture of the collection subsystem, where the optical element is positioned at a Fourier plane or a conjugate of the Fourier plane of the collection subsystem; a polarizing element configured to separate the scattered light in one of the different segments into different portions of the scattered light based on polarization; and a detector configured to detect one of the different portions of the scattered light and to generate output responsive to the detected light, which is used to detect defects on the wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2014Publication date: April 16, 2015Inventors: Guoheng Zhao, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Patent number: 8891079Abstract: Systems and methods for inspecting a wafer are provided. One system includes an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the wafer; a collection subsystem configured to collect light scattered from the wafer and to preserve the polarization of the scattered light; an optical element configured to separate the scattered light collected in different segments of the collection numerical aperture of the collection subsystem, where the optical element is positioned at a Fourier plane or a conjugate of the Fourier plane of the collection subsystem; a polarizing element configured to separate the scattered light in one of the different segments into different portions of the scattered light based on polarization; and a detector configured to detect one of the different portions of the scattered light and to generate output responsive to the detected light, which is used to detect defects on the wafer.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2011Date of Patent: November 18, 2014Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corp.Inventors: Guoheng Zhao, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Publication number: 20140009759Abstract: Systems and methods for inspecting a wafer are provided. One system includes an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the wafer; a collection subsystem configured to collect light scattered from the wafer and to preserve the polarization of the scattered light; an optical element configured to separate the scattered light collected in different segments of the collection numerical aperture of the collection subsystem, where the optical element is positioned at a Fourier plane or a conjugate of the Fourier plane of the collection subsystem; a polarizing element configured to separate the scattered light in one of the different segments into different portions of the scattered light based on polarization; and a detector configured to detect one of the different. portions of the scattered light and to generate output responsive to the detected light, which is used to detect defects on the wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2011Publication date: January 9, 2014Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATIONInventors: Guoheng Zhao, Jenn-Kuen Leong, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Patent number: 7525649Abstract: A surface inspection apparatus and a method are provided which include an illumination system configured to focus a beam of radiation at a non-orthogonal incidence angle to form an illumination line on a surface substantially in a plane of incidence of the focused beam. The apparatus and method further include a collection system configured to image the illumination line onto an array of detectors oriented parallel to the illumination line. The collection system includes an imaging lens for collecting light scattered from the illumination line, a focusing lens for focusing the collected light, and the array of detectors, each configured to detect a corresponding portion of the illumination line. The collection system may be configured to image the illumination line such that the width of the imaged illumination line on the array of detectors is larger than the pixel size of the detectors along the same direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2007Date of Patent: April 28, 2009Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies CorporationInventors: Jenn-Kuen Leong, Guoheng Zhao, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Patent number: 6724473Abstract: A method and system of using exposure control to inspect a surface, such as a wafer. One inspection system comprises charge coupled devices (CCDs) as detectors. The exposure control function of each CCD is used to adjust integration times on individual taps of the CCD such that light scattered from the surface, which may contain multiple scattering regions, is within a dynamic range of the CCD during inspection.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2002Date of Patent: April 20, 2004Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies CorporationInventors: Jenn-Kuen Leong, Guoheng Zhao, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
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Publication number: 20030223058Abstract: A method and system of using exposure control to inspect a surface, such as a wafer. One inspection system comprises charge coupled devices (CCDs) as detectors. The exposure control function of each CCD is used to adjust integration times on individual taps of the CCD such that light scattered from the surface, which may contain multiple scattering regions, is within a dynamic range of the CCD during inspection.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 27, 2002Publication date: December 4, 2003Inventors: Jenn-Kuen Leong, Guoheng Zhao, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani