Abstract: A circuit pattern inspection method and an apparatus therefor, in which the whole of a portion to be inspected of a sample to be inspected is made to be in a predetermined charged state, the portion to be inspected is irradiated with an image-forming high-density electron beam while scanning the electron beam, secondary charged particles are detected at a portion irradiated with the electron beam after a predetermined period of time from an instance when the electron beam is irradiated, an image is formed on the basis of the thus detected secondary charged particle signal, and the portion to be inspected is inspected by using the thus formed image.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a sample with a circuit pattern including at least a porous low-permittivity hydrogensilsesquioxane material or a material structurally or compositionally similar to the porous low-permittivity hydrogensilsesquioxane. The apparatus includes an electron beam optics unit which enables scanning of a primary electron beam onto the sample, a detector which detects a secondary electron or a reflected electron, an image processing unit which measures a desired portion of the sample irradiated with the primary electron beam based on an output signal of the detector, and a control unit which controls the irradiation energy and density of the primary electron beam onto the sample.

Abstract: The electron beam is irradiated several times at predetermined intervals to the wafer surface on which the plugs are exposed in the course of the manufacturing process so that the pn junction is in the reverse bias state. Then, the irradiation conditions of the electron beam are changed while monitoring the charging voltage on the plug surface, and the secondary electron signals of the circuit pattern are obtained under the irradiation conditions that the charging is within a desired range, thereby evaluating the leakage property. Since the charging voltage of the pn junction is relaxed depending on the magnitude of the leakage current during the interval, the leakage property is evaluated based on the luminance signals of the voltage contrast image. By measuring the charging voltage and setting it within a desired range, the evaluation result reflects the state in the actual operation. Therefore, the accuracy is enhanced.

Abstract: An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a wafer in which a focused charged particle beam is irradiated onto a surface of a wafer on which patterns are formed through a semiconductor device fabrication process, a secondary charged particle image of a desired area of the wafer is obtained by detecting secondary charged particles emitted from the surface of the wafer, and information about image feature amount of each pattern within the desired area from the obtained secondary charged particle beam image. The information about image feature amount is compared with a preset value, and on the basis of a result of the comparison, a quality of patterns which have been formed around the desired area is estimated, and information of a result of the estimation is outputted.

Abstract: An electron beam (area beam) having a fixed area is irradiated onto the surface of a semiconductor sample, and reflected electrons from the sample surface are imaged by the imaging lens, and images of a plurality of regions of the surface of the semiconductor sample are obtained and stored in the image storage unit, and the stored images of the plurality of regions are compared with each other, and the existence of a defect in the regions and the defect position are measured. By doing this, in an apparatus for testing a pattern defect of the same design, foreign substances, and residuals on a wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor apparatus by an electron beam, speeding-up of the test can be realized.

Abstract: The present invention provides techniques, including a method and system, for inspecting for defects in a circuit pattern on a semi-conductor material. One specific embodiment provides a trial inspection threshold setup method, where the initial threshold is modified after a defect analysis of trial inspection stored data. The modified threshold is then used as the threshold in actual inspection.

Abstract: Electron beam is irradiated to a wafer in the midst of steps at predetermined intervals by a plurality of times under a condition in which a junction becomes rearward bias and a difference in characteristic of a time period of alleviating charge in the rearward bias is monitored. As a result, charge is alleviated at a location where junction leakage is caused in a time period shorter than that of a normal portion and therefore, a potential difference is produced between the normal portion and a failed portion and is observed in a potential contrast image as a difference in brightness. By consecutively repeating operation of acquiring the image, executing an image processing in real time and storing a position and brightness of the failed portion, the automatic inspection of a designated region can be executed. Information of image, brightness and distribution of the failed portion is preserved and outputted automatically after inspection.

Abstract: Secondary electrons and back scattered electrons generated by irradiating a wafer to be inspected such as a semiconductor wafer with a charged particle beam are detected by a detector. A signal proportional to the number of detected electrons is generated, and an inspection image is formed on the basis of the signal. On the other hand, in consideration of a current value and irradiation energy of a charged particle beam, an electric field on the surface of the inspection wafer, emission efficiency of the secondary electrons and back scattered electrons, and the like, an electric resistance and an electric capacity are determined so as to coincide with those in the inspection image. In a state where a difference between a resistance value in a normal portion and a resistance value in a defective portion is sufficiently increased by using the charging generated by the irradiation of electron beams, an inspection is conducted to thereby detect a defect.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection technique using a charged particle beam by which a method of setting a condition for optimally charging an object to be inspected without relying on an operator's experience is established and a voltage contrast image with higher efficiency of defect detection than ever before can be obtained. The inspection method comprises the steps of scanning an area on a surface of a substrate having a specific pattern formed thereon with a primary charged particle beam, detecting signals of secondary electrons emitted from the area, forming an image of the area from detected signals, and generating a histogram from the image. All these steps are performed each time a condition of irradiation with the charged particle beam is changed. When two or more separate peaks appear in the histogram, the histogram is determined as an optimal condition for inspection, and inspection is performed based on the image obtained under that condition.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor device in which failure occurence conditions on a whole wafer are estimated by calculating the statistic of potential contrasts in pattern sections from sampled images to implement higher throughput, and defective conditions of a process are detected at an early stage with the help of time series data of the estimate result.

Abstract: A pattern inspecting technique, depending on the kind of materials, can reduce damage including shrinkage to materials when the materials are prone to such damage as shrinkage and spoilage caused by electron beam irradiation. This is accomplished by scanning a sample with a primary electron beam, detecting secondary electrons generated, or electrons reflected from the semiconductor device, or both the former and latter electrons, and converting the electrons into signals, and transforming the signals into an image, displaying the image, and detecting defective spots in the circuit pattern of the sample. The irradiation density (dose per unit area) of the electron beam is monitored and limited depending on the kind of material of the circuit pattern under inspection and the inspecting conditions, and damage, such as shrinkage and spoilage to the materials during electron beam irradiation, is reduced to an allowable range.

Abstract: Inspection method and apparatus using a charged particle beam for the inspection of defects on an unfinished semiconductor wafer in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a uniform charge across the wafer is attained by performing ultraviolet irradiation and voltage application to a charge control electrode in a coordinated manner.

Abstract: Secondary electrons and back scattered electrons generated by irradiating a wafer to be inspected such as a semiconductor wafer with a charged particle beam are detected by a detector. A signal proportional to the number of detected electrons is generated, and an inspection image is formed on the basis of the signal. On the other hand, in consideration of a current value and irradiation energy of a charged particle beam, an electric field on the surface of the inspection wafer, emission efficiency of the secondary electrons and back scattered electrons, and the like, an electric resistance and an electric capacity are determined so as to coincide with those in the inspection image. In a state where a difference between a resistance value in a normal portion and a resistance value in a defective portion is sufficiently increased by using the charging generated by the irradiation of electron beams, an inspection is conducted to thereby detect a defect.

Abstract: Electron beam is irradiated to a wafer in the midst of steps at predetermined intervals by a plurality of times under a condition in which a junction becomes rearward bias and a difference in characteristic of a time period of alleviating charge in the rearward bias is monitored. As a result, charge is alleviated at a location where junction leakage is caused in a time period shorter than that of a normal portion and therefore, a potential difference is produced between the normal portion and a failed portion and is observed in a potential contrast image as a difference in brightness. By consecutively repeating operation of acquiring the image, executing an image processing in real time and storing a position and brightness of the failed portion, the automatic inspection of a designated region can be executed. Information of image, brightness and distribution of the failed portion is preserved and outputted automatically after inspection.

Abstract: Inspection method, apparatus, and system for a circuit pattern, in which when various conditions which are necessary in case of inspecting a fine circuit pattern by using an image formed by irradiating white light, a laser beam, or a charged particle beam are set, its operating efficiency can be improved. An inspection target region of an inspection-subject substrate is displayed, and a designated map picture plane and an image of an optical microscope or an electron beam microscope of a designated region are displayed in parallel, thereby enabling a defect distribution and a defect image to be simultaneously seen. Item names of inspecting conditions and a picture plane to display, input, or instruct the contents of the inspecting conditions are integrated, those contents are overlapped to the picture plane and layer-displayed, and all of the item names are displayed in parallel in a tab format in the upper portion of the picture plane of the contents.

Abstract: Inspection method, apparatus, and system for a circuit pattern, in which when various conditions which are necessary in case of inspecting a fine circuit pattern by using an image formed by irradiating white light, a laser beam, or a charged particle beam are set, its operating efficiency can be improved. An inspection target region of an inspection-subject substrate is displayed, and a designated map picture plane and an image of an optical microscope or an electron beam microscope of a designated region are displayed in parallel, thereby enabling a defect distribution and a defect image to be simultaneously seen. Item names of inspecting conditions and a picture plane to display, input, or instruct the contents of the inspecting conditions are integrated, those contents are overlapped to the picture plane and layer-displayed, and all of the item names are displayed in parallel in a tab format in the upper portion of the picture plane of the contents.

Abstract: The present invention provides techniques, including a method and system, for inspecting for defects in a circuit pattern on a semi-conductor material. One specific embodiment provides a trial inspection threshold setup method, where the initial threshold is modified after a defect analysis of trial inspection stored data. The modified threshold is then used as the threshold in actual inspection.

Abstract: A pattern inspecting technique, depending on the kind of materials, can reduce damage including shrinkage to materials when the materials are prone to such damage as shrinkage and spoilage caused by electron beam irradiation. This is accomplished by scanning a sample with a primary electron beam, detecting secondary electrons generated, or electrons reflected from the semiconductor device, or both the former and latter electrons, and converting the electrons into signals, and transforming the signals into an image, displaying the image, and detecting defective spots in the circuit pattern of the sample. The irradiation density (dose per unit area) of the electron beam is monitored and limited depending on the kind of material of the circuit pattern under inspection and the inspecting conditions, and damage, such as shrinkage and spoilage to the materials during electron beam irradiation, is reduced to an allowable range.

Abstract: An inspection method and apparatus includes control of an acceleration voltage of an electron beam, irradiation of the electron beam to an object to be inspected mounted on a stage which is continuously moving at least in one direction, and detection of at least one of secondary electrons and reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation. An image of the object is obtained from the detected electron by using positional information of the stage and inspection or measurement of the object is conducted using and obtained image. In the detection, an electric field in the vicinity of the object mounted on the stage is controlled so that at least one secondary electrons and the reflected electrons emanated from the object in response to the irradiation of the electron beam are decelerated.