U.S. patent application number 10/666120 was filed with the patent office on 2004-03-25 for scanning system for inspecting anamolies on surfaces.
Invention is credited to Nikoonahad, Mehrdad, Stokowski, Stanley E..
Application Number | 20040057044 10/666120 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31996994 |
Filed Date | 2004-03-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040057044 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nikoonahad, Mehrdad ; et
al. |
March 25, 2004 |
Scanning system for inspecting anamolies on surfaces
Abstract
A high sensitivity and high throughput surface inspection system
directs a focused beam of light at a grazing angle towards the
surface to be inspected. Relative motion is caused between the beam
and the surface so that the beam scans a scan path covering
substantially the entire surface and light scattered along the path
is collected for detecting anamolies. The scan path comprises a
plurality of arrays of straight scan path segments. The focused
beam of light illuminates an area of the surface between 5-15
microns in width and this system is capable of inspecting in excess
of about 40 wafers per hour for 150 millimeter diameter wafers
(6-inch wafers), in excess of about 20 wafers per hour for 200
millimeter diameter wafers (8-inch wafers) and in excess of about
10 wafers per hour for 300 millimeter diameter wafers (12-inch
wafers).
Inventors: |
Nikoonahad, Mehrdad; (Menlo
Park, CA) ; Stokowski, Stanley E.; (Danville,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
James S. Hsue
Parsons Hsue & de Runtz LLP
Suite 1800
655 Montgomery Street
San Francisco
CA
94111
US
|
Family ID: |
31996994 |
Appl. No.: |
10/666120 |
Filed: |
September 19, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10666120 |
Sep 19, 2003 |
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09760558 |
Jan 16, 2001 |
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6636302 |
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09760558 |
Jan 16, 2001 |
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08351664 |
Dec 8, 1994 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
356/237.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01N 21/94 20130101;
G01N 21/9501 20130101; G01N 21/956 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
356/237.2 |
International
Class: |
G01N 021/88 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising the
steps of: directing a focused beam of light at a grazing angle
towards said surface; causing relative motion between the beam and
the surface so that the beam scans a scan path covering
substantially the entire surface, said path including a plurality
of arrays of scan path segments, wherein each of at least some of
such scan path segments has a span shorter than the dimensions of
the surface; and collecting light scattered along said path for
detecting anomalies.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing step directs said
beam to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having a
spot size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15
microns.
3. The method of claim 2, said surface being that of a
semiconductor wafer, wherein the spot size and said directing and
causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects the
entire surface of the wafer at a throughput in excess of about 40
wafers per hour for 150 mm diameter wafers, at a throughput in
excess of about 20 wafers per hour for 200 mm diameter wafers, and
at a throughput in excess of about 10 wafers per hour for 300 mm
diameter wafers.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the scan path segments comprise a
plurality of straight scan path segments, wherein said directing
and causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects
said surface along said scan path segments at such speed that the
surface is inspected along said scan path segments at a speed not
less than about 2.5 cm.sup.2/s.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the spot size and said directing
and causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects
said surface along said scan path segments at such speed that the
surface is inspected along said scan path segments at a speed in a
range of about 2.5 to 3.8 cm.sup.2/s.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the spot size and said directing
and causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects
said surface at such speed that the surface is inspected at a speed
not less than about 1.5 cm.sup.2/s.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the spot size and said directing
and causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects
said surface at such speed that the surface is inspected at a speed
in the range of about 1.5 to 5 cm.sup.2/s.
8. The method of claim 2, said surface having dimensions of not
less than 200 mm in any direction along the surface, wherein the
spot size and said directing and causing steps are such that the
beam scans substantially the entire surface in about 50 to 90
seconds.
9. The method of claim 2, said method employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said method further comprising expanding the optical beam
before it is deflected by the deflector, so that the beam before
deflection has at least one cross-sectional dimension in the range
of about 4 to 12 mm.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan path segments comprise
a plurality of arrays of substantially parallel and straight scan
path segments, wherein the segments are substantially in a range of
about 2-10 mm long.
11. The method of. Claim 1, wherein said directing step directs
said beam to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot,
said beam having an intensity distribution in reference to two axes
across the spot, said method further comprising taking a number of
samples of the light scattered from any anomaly, if any, in the
spot along each of the two axes, said number being in the range of
2 to 10.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing step is such that
the angle between the beam and normal direction to the surface is
in the range of about 10 to 85 degrees.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein said directing step is such
that the angle between the beam and normal direction to the surface
is in the range of about 50 to 80 degrees.
14. The method of claim 1, said method employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said directing and causing steps including driving the
deflector with a linear FM chirp signal with a center frequency in
the range of 50 to 300 MHz.
15. The method of claim 1, said method employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said directing and causing steps including driving the
deflector with a linear FM chirp signal with a bandwidth in the
range of 50 to 250 MHz.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising supplying a linear
FM chirp signal to drive the acousto-optic deflector so that the
chirp duration is in the range 20 to 200 microseconds.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising supplying a linear
FM chirp signal to drive the acousto-optic deflector so that the
chirp duration is in the range of about 80 to 120 microseconds.
18. The method of claim 1, said method employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said method further comprising providing a scan lens
substantially at one focal length away from the deflector and
between the deflector and the surface so that the beam scans the
surface telecentrically.
19. The method of claim 1, said method employing a polygon scanner
for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said surface, said
method further comprising providing a scan lens substantially at
one focal length away from the deflector and between the deflector
and the surface so that the beam scans the surface
telecentrically.
20. The method of claim 1, said collecting step collecting light
scattered along said scan path in the forward direction
azimuthally.
21. The method of claim 20, said collecting step collecting light
scattered along said scan path using four independent collection
channels, two of said collection channels located in the forward
direction to collect light in the forward direction substantially
at .+-.45.degree. azimuthally and two of the channels are located
to collect light substantially at .+-.90.degree. azimuthally.
22. The method of claim 21, each of said collection channels
collects light in the range of 3 to 300 in the elevation direction,
said channels collecting light in the respective ranges of
azimuthal angles of (75-105).degree., (75-105).degree.,
-(30-60).degree. and (30-60).degree..
23. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising selecting
a desired polarization state of a light beam that is directed in
the directing step from S state, P state, or a circular
polarization state.
24. A method for detecting anomalies on a surface of a
semiconductor wafer; comprising: directing a focused beam of light
towards said surface to illuminate an area of the surface defining
a spot having a spot size whose minimum width is in the range of
about 5 to 15 microns; causing relative motion between the beam and
the wafer so that the beam scans a path covering substantially the
entire surface; and collecting light scattered along said path for
detecting anomalies; wherein the spot size and said directing and
causing steps are such that the beam substantially inspects the
entire surface of the wafer at a throughput in excess of about 40
wafers per hour for 150 mm diameter wafers, at a throughput in
excess of about 20 wafers per hour, for 200 mm diameter wafers, and
at a throughput in excess of about 10 wafers per hour for 300 mm
diameter wafers.
25. A method for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising the
steps of: directing a focused beam of light towards said surface to
illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having a spot
size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns;
causing relative motion between the beam and the surface so that
the beam scans a path covering substantially the entire surface;
and collecting light scattered along said path for detecting
anomalies. wherein the spot size and said directing and causing
steps are such that the surface is inspected at a speed not less
than about 1.5 cm.sup.2/s.
26. A method for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising the
steps of: directing a beam of light towards said surface to
illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having a spot
size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns;
causing relative motion between the beam and the surface so that
the beam scans a path covering substantially the entire surface;
and collecting light scattered along said path for detecting
anomalies; said surface having dimensions of not less than 200 mm
in any direction along the surface, wherein said directing and
causing steps are such that the beam scans substantially the entire
surface in about 50 to 90 seconds.
27. A system for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising:
means for directing a focused beam of light at a grazing angle
towards said surface; means for causing relative motion between the
beam and the surface so that the beam scans a scan path covering
substantially the entire surface, said path including a plurality
of arrays of scan path segments, wherein each of at least some of
such scan path segments has a span shorter than the dimensions of
the surface; and means for collecting light scattered along said
path for detecting anomalies.
28. The system of claim 27, wherein said directing means directs
said beam to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot
having a spot size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5
to 15 microns.
29. The system of claim 28, said surface being that of a
semiconductor wafer, wherein the spot size and said directing and
causing means are such that the beam substantially inspects the
entire surface of the wafer at a throughput in excess of about 40
wafers per hour for 150 mm diameter wafers, at a throughput in
excess of about 20 wafers per hour for 200 mm diameter wafers, and
at a throughput in excess of about 10 wafers per hour for 300 mm
diameter wafers.
30. The system of claim 28, wherein the scan path segments comprise
a plurality of straight scan path segments, wherein the spot size
and said directing and causing means are such that the beam
substantially inspects said surface along said scan path segments
at such speed that the surface is inspected along said scan path
segments at a speed not less than about 2.5 cm.sup.2/s.
31. The system of claim 30, wherein the spot size and said
directing and causing means are such that the beam substantially
inspects said surface along said scan path segments at such speed
that the surface is inspected along said scan path segments at a
speed in a range of about 2.5 to 3.8 cm.sup.2/s.
32. The system of claim 28, wherein the spot size and said
directing and causing means are such that the beam substantially
inspects said surface at such speed that the surface is inspected
at a speed not less than about 1.5 cm.sup.2/s.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein the spot size and said
directing and causing means are such that the beam substantially
inspects said surface at such speed that the surface is inspected
at a speed in the range of about 1.5 to 5 cm.sup.2/s.
34. The system of claim 28, said surface having dimensions of not
less than 200 mm in any direction along the surface, wherein the
spot size and said directing and causing means are such that the
beam scans substantially the entire surface in about 50 to 90
seconds.
35. The system of claim 28, said system employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said system further comprising expanding the optical beam
before it is deflected by the deflector, so that the beam before
deflection has at least one cross-sectional dimension in the range
of about 4 to 12 mm.
36. The system of claim 27, wherein the scan path segments comprise
a plurality of arrays of substantially parallel and straight scan
path segments, wherein the segments are substantially in a range of
about 2-10 mm long.
37. The system of claim 27, wherein said directing means directs
said beam to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot,
said beam having an intensity distribution in reference to two axes
across the spot, said system further comprising taking a number of
samples of the light scattered from any anomaly, if any, in the
spot along each of the two axes, said number being in the range of
2to 10.
38. The system of claim 27, wherein said directing means is such
that the angle between the beam and normal direction to the surface
is in the range of about 10 to 85.degree..
39. The system of claim 38, wherein said directing means is such
that the angle between the beam and normal direction to the surface
is in the range of about 50 to 80.degree..
40. The system of claim 27, said system employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said directing and causing means including driving the
deflector with a linear FM chirp signal with a center frequency in
the range of 50 to 300 MHz.
41. The system of claim 27, said system employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said directing and causing means including driving the
deflector with a linear FM chirp signal with a bandwidth in the
range of 50 to 250 MHz.
42. The system of claim 41, further comprising means for supplying
a linear FM chirp signal to drive the acousto-optic deflector so
that the chirp duration is in the range 20 to 200 microseconds.
43. The system of claim 41, further comprising means for supplying
a linear FM chirp signal to drive the acousto-optic deflector so
that the chirp duration is in the range of about 80 to 120
microseconds.
44. The system of claim 27, said system employing an acousto-optic
deflector for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface, said system further comprising a scan lens substantially
at one focal length away from the deflector and between the
deflector and the surface so that the beam scans the surface
telecentrically.
45. The system of claim 27, said system further comprising: a
polygon scanner for deflecting the light beam in order to scan said
surface; and a scan lens substantially at one focal length away
from the deflector and between the deflector and the surface so
that the beam scans the surface telecentrically.
46. The system of claim 27, said collecting means collecting light
scattered along said scan path in the forward direction
azimuthally.
47. The system of claim 46, said collecting means comprising four
independent collection channels collecting light scattered along
said scan path, two of said collection channels located in the
forward direction to collect light in the forward direction
substantially at .+-.45.degree. azimuthally and two of the channels
are located to collect light substantially at .+-.90.degree.
azimuthally.
48. The system of claim 47, each of said collection channels
collects light in the range of 3 to 300 in the elevation direction,
said channels collecting light in the respective ranges of
azimuthal angles of 5 (75-105).degree., (75-105).degree.,
-(30-60).degree. and (30-60).degree..
49. The system of claim 27, said system further comprising
selecting a desired polarization state of a light beam that is
directed in the directing means from S state, P state, or a
circular polarization state.
50. A system for detecting anomalies on a surface of a
semiconductor wafer; comprising: means for directing a focused beam
of light towards said surface to illuminate an area of the surface
defining a spot having a spot size whose minimum width is in the
range of about 5 to 15 microns; means for causing relative motion
between the beam and the wafer so that the beam scans a path
covering substantially the entire surface; and means for collecting
light scattered along said path for detecting anomalies; wherein
the spot size and said directing and causing means are such that
the beam substantially inspects the entire surface of the wafer at
a throughput in excess of about 40 wafers per hour for 150 mm
diameter wafers, at a throughput in excess of about 20 wafers per
hour for 20 mm diameter wafers, and at a throughput in excess of
about 10 wafers per hour for 300 mm diameter wafers.
51. A system for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising the
means of: means for directing a focused beam of light towards said
surface to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having
a spot size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15
microns; means for causing relative motion between the beam and the
surface so that the beam scans a path covering substantially the
entire surface; and means for collecting light scattered along said
path for detecting anomalies; wherein the spot size and said
directing and causing means are such that the surface is inspected
at a speed not less than about 1.5 cm.sup.2/s.
52. A system for detecting anomalies on a surface; comprising the
means of: means for directing a beam of light towards said surface
to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having a spot
size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns;
means for causing relative motion between the beam and the surface
so that the beam scans a path covering substantially the entire
surface; and means for collecting light scattered along said path
for detecting anomalies; said surface having dimensions of not less
than 200 mm in any direction along the surface, wherein the spot
size and said directing and causing means are such that the beam
scans substantially the entire surface in about 50 to 90 seconds.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of
parent application entitled "Optical Scanning System for Surface
Inspection," by Mehrdad Nikoonahad, Keith D. Wells, and Brian C.
Leslie, Ser. No. 08/351,664 filed Dec. 8, 1994. This application is
also related to the patent application entitled "Optical Wafer
Positioning System," by Mehrdad Nikoonahad, Philip R. Rigg, Keith
D. Wells, and David S. Calhoun, Ser. No. 08/361,131 filed Dec. 21,
1994 ("Related Application"). Both prior applications are
incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates in general to surface inspection
systems, and in particular, to a high speed scanner system for
inspecting anamolies on surfaces such as semiconductor wafers,
photomasks, reticles, ceramic tiles, and other surfaces.
[0003] The size of semiconductor devices fabricated on silicon
wafers has been continually reduced. At the time this application
is filed, for example, semiconductor devices can be fabricated at a
resolution of a half micron or less and sixty-four (64) megabyte
DRAMs are being fabricated with 0.35 micron design rule. The
shrinking of semiconductor devices to smaller and smaller sizes has
imposed a much more stringent requirement for sensitivity of wafer
inspection instruments which are called upon to detect contaminant
particles and pattern defects that are small compared to the size
of the semiconductor devices. On the other hand, it is desirable
for wafer inspection systems to provide an adequate throughput so
that these systems can be used in production runs to detect
defective wafers.
[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,471 to Stonestrom et al. assigned to
the present assignee of this application, the area illuminated on a
wafer surface by a scanning beam is an ellipse which moves in the
scan direction. In one example given by Stonestrom et al., the
ellipse has a width of 20 microns and a length of 115 microns.
Light scattered by anamolies or patterns in such illuminated area
is detected by photodetectors placed at azimuthal angles in the
range of 80 to 100.degree.. The signals detected by the
photodetectors are used to construct templates. When the elliptical
spot is moved in the scan direction to a neighboring position,
scattered light from structures within the spot is again detected
and the photodetector signal is then compared to the template to
ascertain the presence of contaminant particles or pattern defects
as opposed to regular pattern. In Stonestrom et al., the scanning
beam scans across the entire wafer to illuminate and inspect a long
narrow strip of the wafer extending across the entire dimension of
the wafer in the scanning direction. The wafer is then moved by a
mechanical stage in a direction perpendicular to the scanning
direction for scanning a neighboring elongated strip. This
operation is then repeated until the entire wafer is covered.
[0005] While the system of Stonestrom et al. performs well for
inspecting wafers having semiconductor devices that are fabricated
with coarser resolution, with the continual shrinking of the size
of the devices fabricated, it is now desirable to provide an
improved inspection tool that can be used to detect very small size
anamolies that may be difficult to detect using Stonestrom et al.'s
system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This invention is based on the recognition that very small
anamolies can be detected by reducing the size of the area that is
illuminated by the scanning light beam. Light scattered from
structures in the spot will include background, such as light
scattered by pattern on the surface, as well as light that is
scattered by anomalies such as contaminant particles, pattern
defects or imperfections of the surface. Such background can have a
significant amplitude. For this reason, if the anamoly is of a size
which is small compared to the size of the illuminated area, the
scattered light from such anamoly may be overwhelmed by and become
undetectable from the background. By reducing the size of the
illuminated area or spot size, the ratio of the light intensity
scattered by an anomaly to that of the background will be
increased, thereby increasing detection sensitivity. However, with
a smaller spot size, it will be more difficult to maintain the
uniformity of the spot along a long straight scan line across the
entire wafer. By breaking up the scan path into short segments, it
is possible to employ a smaller spot size while at the same time
maintaining uniformity of the spot along the path. From the system
point of view, by reducing the length of the scan, the size of the
collection optics for detecting forward scattered light becomes
more manageable.
[0007] Thus one aspect of the invention is directed towards a
method for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising the steps
of directing a beam of light at a grazing angle towards the
surface, causing relative motion between the beam and the surface
so that the beam scans a scan path covering substantially the
entire surface; and collecting light scattered along said path for
detecting anamolies. The scan path includes a plurality of arrays
of scan path segments, wherein each of at least some of such scan
path segments has a span shorter than the dimensions of the
surface.
[0008] As used in this application, "minimum width" of the
illuminated area or spot on the surface to be inspected is defined
as the minimum dimension of a boundary around the area or spot
along any direction on the surface, where the boundary is defined
as the locations on the surface where the illumination light
intensity is a predetermined fraction or percentage of the maximum
intensity of illumination in the area or spot. In the description
of the preferred embodiment, for example, the boundary is where the
light illumination intensity is 1/e.sup.2 of the maximum intensity
of illumination in the area or spot, e being the natural number.
The minimum dimension is the minimum distance between two parallel
lines that enclose between them the boundary of the area or spot.
The term "minimum width" is explained in more detail below.
[0009] Another consideration of the invention is to provide an
adequate throughput while data is collected at a moderate rate for
defect detection so that the data collection and processing system
employed need not be overly complex and expensive.
[0010] Thus another aspect of the invention is directed towards a
method for detecting anamolies on the surface of a semiconductor
wafer, comprising directing a beam of light towards a surface to
illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having a spot
size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns,
causing relative motion between the beam and the wafer so that the
beam scans a path covering the entire surface; and collecting light
scattered along said path for detecting anamolies. The spot size
and the directing and causing steps are such that the beam scanning
substantially inspects the entire surface of the wafer at a
throughput in excess of about 40 wafers per hour for 150 millimeter
diameter wafers, at a throughput in excess of about 20 wafers per
hour for 200 millimeter diameter wafers, and at a throughput in
excess of about 10 wafers per hour for 300 millimeter diameter
wafers.
[0011] Yet another aspect of the invention is directed towards a
method for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising the steps
of directing a beam of light towards the surface to illuminate an
area of the surface defining a spot having a spot size whose
minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns, causing
relative motion between the beam and the surface so that the beam
scans a path covering substantially the entire surface; and
collecting light scattered along said path for detecting anamolies.
The spot size and said directing and causing steps are such that
the surface is inspected at a speed not less than about 1.5
cm.sup.2/s.
[0012] Still another aspect of the invention is directed towards a
method for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising the steps
of directing a beam of light towards said surface to illuminate an
area of the surface defining a spot having a spot size whose
minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns, causing
relative motion between the beam and the surface so that the beam
scans a path covering substantially the entire surface; and
collecting light scattered along said path for detecting anamolies.
The surface has dimensions of not less than 200 millimeters in any
direction along the surface. The directing and causing steps are
such that the beam scans substantially the entire surface in about
50 to 90 seconds.
[0013] Another aspect of the invention is directed towards a system
for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising means for
directing a beam of light at a grazing angle toward said surface;
means for causing relative motion between the beam and the surface
so that the beam scans a scan path covering substantially the
entire surface; and means for collecting light scattered along said
path for detecting anamolies. The scan path includes a plurality of
arrays of scan path segments, wherein each of at least some of such
scan path segments has a span shorter than the dimensions of the
surface.
[0014] One more aspect of the invention is directed towards a
system for detecting anamolies on a surface of a semiconductor
wafer, comprising means for directing a beam of light towards said
surface to illuminate an area of the surface defining a spot having
a spot size whose minimum width is in the range of about 5 to 15
microns; means for causing relative motion between the beam and the
wafer so that the beam scans a path covering substantially the
entire surface; and means for collecting light scattered along said
path for detecting anamolies. The spot size and said directing and
causing means are such that the beam scanning substantially
inspects the entire surface of the wafer at a throughput in excess
of about 40 wafers per hour for 150 millimeter diameter wafers, at
a throughput in excess of about 20 wafers per hour for 200
millimeter diameter wafers, and at a throughput in excess of about
10 wafers per hour for 300 millimeter diameter wafers.
[0015] Yet another aspect of the invention is directed towards a
system for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising means for
directing a beam of light toward said surface to illuminate an area
of the surface defining a spot having a spot size whose minimum
width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns; means for causing
relative motion between the beam and the surface so that the beam
scans a path covering substantially the entire surface; and means
for collecting light scattered along said path for detecting
anamolies. The spot size and said directing and causing means are
such that the surface is inspected at a speed not less than about
1.5 cm.sup.2/s.
[0016] Still one more aspect of the invention is directed towards a
system for detecting anamolies on a surface, comprising means for
directing a beam of light toward said surface to illuminate an area
of the surface defining a spot having a spot size whose minimum
width is in the range of about 5 to 15 microns; means for causing
relative motion between the beam and the surface so that the beam
scans a path covering substantially the entire surface; and means
for collecting light scattered along said path for detecting
anamolies. The surface has dimensions of not less than 200
millimeters in any direction along the surface. The directing and
causing means are such that the beam scans substantially the entire
surface in about 50 to 90 seconds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1A is a schematic view of an elliptical-shaped
illuminated area or spot on a surface to be inspected to illustrate
the invention.
[0018] FIG. 1B is a graphical illustration of the illumination
intensity across the width or short axis of the elliptical spot of
FIG. 1A for defining a boundary of the spot and to illustrate the
invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 show partially in perspective and partially in block
diagram form a system for inspecting anamolies of a semiconductor
wafer surface to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the
invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing in more detail the
illumination and collection features of the system of FIG. 2.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a small portion of a
semiconductor wafer surface illustrating the scan path of an
illumination spot on the surface to illustrate the preferred
embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the illumination and
collection angles of the system of FIG. 3.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of three elliptical illuminated
areas or spots to illustrate the scanning and data acquisition
processes of this invention.
[0024] FIGS. 7A, 7B are side views illustrating two different
polarization schemes employed by present invention for illuminating
a surface to be inspected.
[0025] For simplicity, identical components in the different
figures of this invention are labeled by the same numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] FIG. 1A is a schematic view of an elliptical-shaped
illuminated area (or spot) of a surface inspected by the system of
this invention to illustrate the invention. As explained below, the
laser beam illuminating the surface inspected approach the surface
at a grazing angle, so that even though the illumination beam has a
generally circular cross-section, the area illuminated is
elliptical in shape such as area 10 in FIG. 1A. As known to those
skilled in the art, in light beams such as laser beams, the
intensity of the light typically does not have a flat distribution
and does not fall off abruptly to zero across the boundary of the
spot illuminated, such as at boundary 10a of spot 10 of FIG. 1A.
Instead, the intensity falls off at the outer edge of the
illuminated spot at a certain inclined slope, so that instead of
sharp boundaries such as boundary 10a illustrated in FIG. 1A, the
boundary is typically blurred and forms a band of decreasing
intensity at increasing distance away from the center of the
illuminated area.
[0027] In many lasers, the laser beam produced has a Gaussian
intensity distribution, such as that shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B is a
graphical illustration of the spatial distribution of the
illumination intensity in the Y direction of a laser beam that is
used in the preferred embodiment to illuminate spot 10 of a surface
to be inspected as shown in FIG. 1A, and thus is also the
illumination intensity distribution across spot 10 in the Y
direction. As shown in FIG. 1B, the illumination intensity has been
normalized so that the peak intensity is 1, and the illumination
intensity has a Gaussian distribution in the Y direction as well as
in the X direction. Points 12 and 14 are at spatial locations y1
and y5 at which points the illumination intensity drops to
1/e.sup.2 of the peak intensity, where e is the natural number. AS
used herein to describe the preferred embodiment, the minimum width
of spot 10 is the distance between these two points (distance
between y1 and y5) is the length of the short axis of elliptical
illuminated area 10 and denoted as the width w in FIG. 1A. The spot
10 is defined by the area within a boundary 10a where the
illuminaton is 1/e.sup.2 of that of the maximum intensity of
illumination at the center of the spot.
[0028] As a broader definition, "minimum width" of the elliptical
spot 10a may be defined as the minimum distance between two
parallel lines that enclose between them the boundary of the area
or spot. In reference to spot 10 in FIG. 1A, for example, if one
were to draw two parallel lines enclosing the boundary 10a, such as
lines q1, q2, the distance between lines q1, q2 is d, which is
minimized when both q1, q2 touch the boundary 10a. The distance d
is minimum for all directions of q1, q2 when the lines q1, q2
coincide with grid lines y1, y5, so that the minimum width of the
spot 10 is w. Even where 10a is not an ellipse, but is of another
shape such as rectangular, square, or irregular in shape, the same
broader definition is applicable.
[0029] FIG. 1B shows only the main lobe of the laser or light beam.
It is known that the main lobe is also accompanied by sidelobes, so
that areas of the surface outside of area or spot 10 would also be
illuminated; scattering by structures of the surface of the light
in the sidelobes and collected by the detectors causes noise.
[0030] In the description above, it is indicated that for a spot
which is relatively small compared to the size of the surface to be
inspected, it will be difficult to maintain uniformity of the spot
across a scan line which spans the entire length or width of the
wafer. In reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, variation in the minimum width
(as defined above) w of the main lobe of the focal plane intensity
distribution, and the level of the sidelobes is a measure of the
uniformity of the spot 10 as the beam scans across the surface.
Where the minimum width and the sidelobes level vary little over
the scan line, the spot is said to be uniform. In other words, when
the spot size is relatively small compared to the size of the
surface to be inspected, it will be difficult to maintain uniform
width of the main lobe and uniform level of the sidelobes of the
focal plane intensity distribution throughout the extent of a long
scan line across the entire width of the wafer. A variation in
either one of these two parameters (width of main lobe and sidelobe
level) leads to a variation in detection sensitivity along the scan
direction which is undesirable.
[0031] In view of the above problems, Applicants have invented a
surface inspection system where the size of the area illuminated by
the scanning light beam can be reduced while maintaining uniform
detection sensitivity by causing the scanning light beam to scan
short scan path segments having a spatial span less than the
dimension of the surface it is scanning, as illustrated in the
preferred embodiment in FIGS. 2 and 4, where these short scan path
segments are not connected together but are located so that they
form arrays of scan path segments as illustrated in more detail
below.
[0032] The surface inspection system of this invention will now be
described in reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, system
20 includes a laser 22 providing a laser beam 24. Beam 24 is
expanded by beam expander 26 and the expanded beam 28 is deflected
by acousto-optic deflector (AOD) 30 into a defected beam 32. The
deflected beam 32 is passed through post-AOD and polarization
selection optics 34 and the resulting beam is focused by
telecentric scan lens 36 onto a spot 10 on surface 40 to be
inspected, such as that of a semiconductor wafer, photomask or
ceramic tile, patterned or unpatterned.
[0033] In order to move the illuminated area that is focused onto
surface 40 for scanning the entire surface, the AOD 30 causes the
deflected beam 32 to change in direction, thereby causing the
illuminated spot 10 on surface 40 to be scanned along a scan line
50. As shown in FIG. 2, scan line 50 is preferably a straight line
having a length which is smaller than the dimension of surface 40
along the same direction as the scan line. Even where line 50 is
curved, its span is less than the dimension of surface 40 along the
same general direction. After the illuminated spot has completed
scanning surface 40 along scan line 50, surface 40 of the wafer is
moved along the k axis so that the illuminated area of the surface
moves along arrow 52 and AOD 30 causes the illuminated spot to scan
along a scan line parallel to scan line 50 and in adjacent position
spaced apart from scan line 50 along the negative X axis. After the
illuminated spot has covered such scan line, surface 40 is moved by
a small distance so that the area of the surface to be illuminated
is moved along direction 52 in order to scan an adjacent scan line
at a different X position. As described below, this small distance
preferably is equal to about one quarter of the height of spot 10.
This process is repeated until the illuminated spot has covered
strip 54; at this point in time the illuminated area is at or close
to the edge 54a. At such point, the surface 40 is moved along the Y
direction by about the length of scan line 50 in order to scan and
cover an adjacent strip 56, beginning at a position at or close to
edge 56a. The surface in strip 56 is then covered by short scan
lines such as 50 in a similar manner until the other end or edge
56b of strip 56 is reached at which point surface 50 is again moved
along the Y direction for scanning strip 58. This process is
repeated prior to the scanning of strip 54, 56, 58 and continues
after the scanning of such strips until the entire surface 40 is
scanned. Surface 40 is therefore scanned by scanning a plurality of
arrays of short path segments the totality of which would cover
substantially the entire surface 40.
[0034] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a portion of the two strips
54, 56 and smaller portions of two other neighboring strips to
illustrate in more detail the above-described scanning process. In
the preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the optical beam 38
scans in only one direction as illustrated by the arrows of scan
path segments 50, 50', 50", 50'". Scan path 50 has an effective
start location at 72 and spot 10 moves to the right therefrom until
it reaches the border 55 between strips 54 and 56. Upon reaching
border 55, a stage (see FIG. 3) moves the surface 40 in the X
direction-perpendicular to the scanning direction Y and the spot
assumes the new start position 74 and moves along a scan line 50'
parallel to scan line 50. The movement of the spot 10 along scan
lines 50, 50', 50", 50'" and so on is achieved by means of AOD 30
as explained below.
[0035] The deflection of beam 32 by AOD 30 is controlled by chirp
generator 80 which generates a chirp signal. The chirp signal is
amplified by amplifier 82 and applied to the transducer portion of
AOD 30 for generating sound waves to cause deflection of beam 32 in
a manner known to those skilled in the art. For a detailed
description of the operation of the AOD, see "Acoustooptic Scanners
and Modulators," by Milton Gottlieb in Optical Scanning, ed. by
Gerald F. Marshall, Dekker 1991, pp. 615-685. Briefly, the sound
waves generated by the transducer portion of AOD 30 modulates the
optical refractive index of an acoustooptic crystal in a periodic
fashion thereby leading to deflection of beam 32. Chirp generator
80 generates appropriate signals so that after being focused by
lens 36, the deflection of beam 32 causes the focused beam to scan
along a scan line such as line 50 in the manner described.
[0036] Chirp generator 80 is controlled by timing electronic
circuit 84 which in the preferred embodiment includes a
microprocessor. The microprocessor supplies the beginning and end
frequencies f1, f2 to the chirp generator 80 for generating
appropriate chirp signals to cause the deflection of beam 32 within
a predetermined range of deflection angles determined by the
frequencies f1, f2. The auto-position sensor (APS) optics 90 and
APS electronics 92 are used to detect the level or height of
surface 40 and form a part of the Related. Application. Detectors
such as detector 111b collects light scattered by anamolies as well
as the surface and other structures thereon along scan line 50 and
provides output signals to a processor in order to detect and
analyze the characteristics of the anamolies.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of system 20 of FIG. 2 showing
in more detail the arrangement of the collection or detection
channels to illustrated the preferred embodiment. As shown in FIG.
3, four collection channels are used, two channels 110a, 110b for
collecting scattered light that is within the respective ranges of
azimuthal angles of -(75-105).degree. and (75-105).degree.. Two
additional collection channels 111a, 111b are also employed for
detecting forward scattered light that is within the respective
ranges of azimuthal angles of -(30-60).degree. and (30-60).degree..
If desired, it is of course possible to employ four independent
collection channels with other different solid angles of
collection, two of said collection channels located in the forward
direction to collect light in the forward direction centered
substantially at .+-.45.degree. azimuthally and two of the channels
are located to collect light centered substantially at
.+-.90.degree. azimuthally.
[0038] FIG. 5 is a top view of the angles of collection of the four
detectors. As shown in FIG. 5, the solid angles of collection of
channels 110a, 110b are labeled .PHI..sub.1 and those for channels
111a, 111b are labeled .PHI..sub.2. To simplify the drawing, the
components between laser 22 and focus beam 38 are not shown in FIG.
5. In reference to FIG. 3, system 20 also includes an imaging
channel 121 and an alignment/registration channel 122.
[0039] Surface 40 may be smooth (118) or patterned (119). The
incident focus beam 38 is preferably in the range of about
10-85.degree. to the normal direction 150 to the surface 40 and
more preferably within the range of 50-80.degree. from the normal;
in FIG. 3, this angle is labelled .theta.. The four channels of
collection are preferably at elevation angles .alpha. that will
collect scattered light from 3-300 from the plane of surface
40.
[0040] Improved Sensitivity of Detection
[0041] From the point of view of sensitivity of detection, it is
desirable to design the illumination optics portion of system 20 so
that the minimum width w of the illuminated spot 10 is minimized.
The minimum width w is proportional to the focal length of lens 36
and inversely proportional to the beam diameter of beam 28 and 32.
Therefore, the minimum width w can be reduced by reducing the focal
length of lens 36 or increasing diameter of beam 28, or both. If
the focal length of lens 36 is increased, however, this will
increase the length of scan line 50 which may be undesirable. If
the diameter of beam 28 becomes comparable to the clear aperture of
the crystal in AOD 30, this will produce higher level sidelobes
which is undesirable. As noted above, increased level of sidelobes
will increase background signal level. Applicants discovered that
it is preferable for the ratio k between the clear aperture of the
crystal in the AOD 30 to diameter of beam 28 and 32 to exceed
1.2.
[0042] It is possible to increase the beam diameter of beam 28 and
32 by employing a long AOD crystal, while maintaining k to be above
1.2. However, in addition to cost considerations, a larger AOD
crystal will cause larger losses, thereby degrading the diffraction
efficiency of the AOD device. For this reason, it is desirable to
employ AOD crystals that are as small as possible, while at the
same time meeting the sensitivity and throughput requirements.
Assuming that the beam 28 that is entering the AOD 30 has a
Gaussian intensity profile, the clear aperture of the AOD, D,
satisfies:
D=4 klv/.pi.w.DELTA.f, (1)
[0043] where .pi. is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to
its diameter.
[0044] Where 1 is the scan line of scan path segment 50, v is the
acoustic velocity in the AOD crystal 30, w is the length of the
short axis of the elliptical spot (or the minimum width of the spot
if not elliptical) on surface 40, .DELTA.f or (f2-f1) is the
bandwidth of the AOD 30. The constant k is preferably in the range
1.2-5. In one embodiment, k is 1.7 and 1 is in the range of about
2-10 millimeters.
[0045] Throughput Considerations
[0046] For a semiconductor wafer inspection instrument to be used
for wafer inspection in actual production for inspecting the entire
surface of the wafer, throughput considerations are paramount.
Therefore, in addition to sensitivity capability described above,
it is also desirable for the wafer inspection system of this
invention to have a high throughput. The time required for
inspecting semiconductor wafers first includes the time required
for the illuminating light beam to scan the entire surface of the
wafer. To perform the above-described short scan path segment
scans, the time required to scan the entire surface depends on a
number of factors. One factor obviously is the angle of
illumination of the illuminating beam, or the value of .theta.,
that is the angle between the illuminating beam and normal 150 to
surface 40 to be inspected shown in FIG. 3. The larger the value of
.theta. (that is, the smaller the grazing angle of incidence), the
more elongated would be the shape of the spot 10 in FIG. 1A, and
the larger is the area being inspected. Another factor affecting
throughput is the fact that the intensity distribution of the
illuminating beam is typically not flat but varies, such as in the
form of a Gaussian distribution. Therefore, the intensity of
scattering from a location on a surface would depend on the
intensity of the illuminating light at that location. In order to
compensate for such variation of intensity, a number of data points
are obtained from the scattering from the particular location of
the surface as the spot is moved across the location in a manner
illustrated in FIG. 6 described below.
[0047] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of three positions of the
illuminated area on a surface to be inspected to illustrate the
scanning and data gathering process of system 20. As shown in FIG.
6, at one instant in time, beam 38 illuminates an area 10 on
surface 40. Area or spot 10 is divided into sixteen pixels by grid
lines x1-x5, y1-y5. In this context, the term "pixel" is meaningful
only in reference to the taking of data samples across the
intensity distribution such as that in FIG. 1B and subsequent data
processing and is borrowed from data sampling and processing in
other technologies such as video technology. The pixel that is
bounded by grid lines x2, x3 and y2, y3 is pixel P shown as a
shaded area in FIG. 6. If there is an anamoly in this pixel P, and
if the light illuminating pixel P has the intensity distribution as
shown in FIG. 1B with a high intensity level between grid lines y2
and y3, light scattered by the anamoly would also have a high
intensity. However, as the beam moves along the Y axis so that the
area 10' is illuminated instead, pixel P is still illuminated but
at a lower intensity level of that between grid lines y1 and y2; in
reference to FIG. 1B, the intensity of the illumination is that
between grid lines y1 and y2 in FIG. 1B. Therefore, if the sampling
rate employed by the processor 200 in FIG. 3 for processing light
detected by the collection or collector channels 110a, 110b, 111a,
111b is such that a sample is taken when the illuminating beam is
in position 10 and when the illuminating beam is in position 10',
then two data points will be recorded. Thus if pixel P contains an
anamoly, then two data points will be taken, one when the
illumination is at a higher level as illustrated by data point D2
in FIG. 1B and another one when the illumination is at a lower
level, illustrated at data point D1 in FIG. 1B. If position 10 is
not the starting position in the short scan path segment 50
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, then two prior samples would have
been taken prior to the time when the illuminating beam illuminates
the surface 40 in position 10, so that the processor would have
obtained two more data points D3, D4 corresponding to the prior
positions of the illuminating beam when light of intensity values
between grid lines y3, y4 and between y4, y5 respectively
illuminates such pixel P. In other words, four separate data points
D1-D4 would have been taken of the light scattered by the anamoly
in pixel P as the illumination beam illuminates pixel P when
scanning along the Y direction.
[0048] In most laser beams, the beam intensity has a Gaussian
distribution not only in the Y direction but also in the X
direction. For this reason, after the illuminating beam completes
the scanning operation for scanning a short scan path segment such
as segment 50 as shown in FIG. 4, and when the illuminating beam
returns to position 74 for scanning the adjacent short scan path
segment 50', it is desirable for the illuminated area along path
50' to overlap that of scan path 50 so that multiple samples or
data points can again be taken also along the X direction as well
as along the Y direction. Spot 10 is not drawn to scale in FIG. 4
to show overlap between adjacent scan segments. Therefore, when the
illumination beam is scanning along scan line 50' from starting
position 74 as shown in FIG. 4, the area illuminated would overlap
spot 10; this overlapping spot is 10" as shown in FIG. 6, where the
spot 10" is displaced along the negative X direction relative to
spot 10 by one quarter of the long axis of the ellipse 10 and
10".
[0049] As described above, the minimum width (that is, length of
short axis) of the spots 10, 10', 10" is w. If the angle between
the illuminating light beam and, normal 150 to the surface 40 to be
inspected is .theta. as shown in FIG. 3, then the magnitude of the
long axis of the ellipse 10, 10', 10" is w/cos .theta.. Therefore,
in each short scan path segment, the area illuminated sequentially
by the illuminating light beam is given by (w/cos .theta.)*1, where
1 is the length of the scan path segment such as 50. Thus if the
radius of surface 40 is R and T is the time it takes for the beam
to scan the short scan path segment, then the time it takes for the
illuminating beam to scan across the entire wafer is given by
NnR.sup.2Tcos .theta./1w (where the duty factor and the time
required for illumination optics to move the beam between strips,
such as strips 54, 56 have not been accounted for). In this
expression, N is the number of pixels along the X axis in each spot
such as 10, 10', 10", since each pixel on the surface will be
illuminated N number of times during the scanning process to
account for the variation of intensity of illumination in the X
direction as described above. In the preferred embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 6, where four data points are taken in both the
X and Y directions, N has the value 4.
[0050] In the scanning process described above in reference to
FIGS. 2-4, it is noted that it will require time for the
illumination optics to move the illumination spot between strips,
such as strips 54 and 56. If .tau. is the time required to move the
illumination spot between strips, then this additional time should
be accounted for to give the total time required to scan the entire
wafer surface. In the preferred embodiment described above, a stage
124 which includes a motor is used in order to move the surface so
as to move the illumination spot from the position for scanning one
strip on the surface to the adjacent strip as shown in FIGS. 2 and
3. For a circular wafer of radius R, the spot will need to be moved
2R/.eta.1 times between adjacent strips to move the spot across all
the strips on the entire wafer, so that the additional time
required is 2R.tau./.eta.1, where .eta. is the duty factor
(explained below).
[0051] As known to those skilled in the art, when AOD 30 is used to
cause beam 38 to scan along each short scan path segment such as
50, time will be required at the beginning of the scan for the
sound waves generated by the transducer portion of the AOD to reach
the far end of the AOD crystal so as to begin deflecting the beam.
This is accounted for by a quantity called the duty factor .eta.
given by equation 2 below, and therfore, the total t.sub.a it takes
system 20 to scan the entire surface of a wafer with radius R is
given by equation 3 below: 1 = 1 - 4 k1 .PI. w T f ( 2 ) t s = N
.PI. R 2 T cos + 2 R w 1 w ( 3 )
[0052] From equation 3 above, it is evident that the shorter the
time T to scan along a scan path segment such as 50, the shorter
will be the time required to scan the entire wafer and therefore
the higher the throughput. The time T is referred to as the chirp
duration which also determines the data rate. The speed of the
electronic circuit for processing the data ultimately sets a lower
limit for the chirp duration.
[0053] From equation 1 above, for a given spot size, length of the
scan path segment and the value of k, it is evident that the larger
the bandwidth .DELTA.f or f2-f1, the smaller will be the clear
aperture required of the AOD. To get maximum bandwidth from the
AOD, the AOD should be operated at the highest possible frequency
and one then expects to get one octave bandwidth around the center
frequency of the transducer. However, the acoustic losses in the
AOD crystal increase with the center frequency of operation. Large
acoustic losses can cause two major problems: reduction in
diffraction efficiency and thermal errors induced in the
crystal.
[0054] A reduction in the diffraction efficiency reduces the
sensitivity of the system to small particles. When the AOD
transducer is operated at high frequencies, more of the acoustic
energy will be converted into heat which sets up thermal gradients
in the AOD crystal. Such thermal gradients would cause errors by
degrading the focal spot which in turn leads to a reduction in
sensitivity for detecting anamolies. It is therefore advantageous
to minimize the acoustic losses by selecting as low a center
frequency of the transducer as possible. A compromise should then
be found to yield acceptable detection sensitivity as well as
acceptable throughput. Applicants found that a center frequency in
the range of 50-300 megahertz and a bandwidth preferably within the
range of 50-250 megahertz would be acceptable. The AOD 30 is
preferably driven by a linear frequency modulated (FM) chirp signal
from generator 80 in FIG. 2. The quantity .eta.1 is the effective
length of the scan path segment; in the preferred embodiment the
effective length is in the range of 2 to 10 mm but more preferably
has a value of about 5.47 mm, where 1 has the value of 6.2 mm.
[0055] From equation 3 above, it is seen that the larger the angle
0, the higher will be the throughput, since the illuminated spot
will cover a larger area of the surface. But as noted above, the
larger the spot size, the lower will be the sensitivity of
detection.
[0056] In the preferred embodiment, 0 is in the range of
10-85.degree. and more preferably in the range of
50-80.degree..
[0057] Also from equation 3 above, it is evident that the larger
the number of samples taken across the illuminated spot diameter,
the more time it would take to scan the wafer. In the preferred
embodiment, the number of samples taken across the illuminated spot
diameter along both orthogoanl axes (X, Y) is in the range of 2-10.
Where four samples are taken along at least the X axis, N is 4 in
equation 3.
[0058] For sensitivity considerations, it is preferable for the
minimum width w of the illuminated area to be in the range of 5-15
microns. If .theta. is in the range of 50-80.degree., then the
illuminating beam will illuminate the scan path segments such as 50
at such speed that the surface is inspected at a speed not less
than about 2.5 cm.sup.2/s, and more preferably in a range of about
2.5-3.8 cm.sup.2/s.
[0059] From equation 3 above, if the time required for moving the
wafer or the illumination beam so that the illuminated spot is
transferred between adjacent strips such as strips 54, 56 is taken
into account, then the average speed for scanning the entire
surface 40 will be reduced compared to that for scanning a short
scan path segment such as, segment 50. Furthermore, the speed for
inspecting the entire wafer is further reduced because each pixel
on the wafer is scanned multiple times as described above in
reference to FIG. 6. If the value of .tau. is about 0.3 seconds,
and where the scan speed along each scan path segment is not less
than 2.5 cm.sup.2/s, then the average speed for the illumination
beam scanning the entire surface is not less than about 1.5
cm.sup.2/s. In the, preferred embodiment, the average speed is
preferably within the range of about 1.55 cm.sup.2/s. If the
surface 40 scanned has dimensions of not less than 200 millimeters
in any direction along the surface, then the illumination beam will
scan the entire surface in about 50-90 seconds. As noted above, the
length of the scan path segments such as segment 50 is preferably
small compared to the dimensions of the surface 40 inspected. In
the preferred embodiment, these segments are substantially in the
range of about 2-10 millimeters.
[0060] In the preferred embodiment, generator 80 supplies a linear
FM chirp signal to drive the AOD so that the chirp duration is
preferably in the range of 20-200 microseconds, and more preferably
in the range of about 80-120 microseconds. The beam 28 before
deflection by the AOD 30 has at least one cross-sectional dimension
(e.g. the longer dimension) in the range of about 4-12 millimeters.
Preferably, the scan lens 36 is placed substantially at one focal
length away from AOD 30 so that beam 38 scans the surface 40
telecentrically.
[0061] From the above, it will be evident that the objective of the
invention of the high sensitivity and high throughput surface
inspection system has been achieved while moderate data rate (e.g.
22 Mhz) at modest cost for the data sampling and processing
electronics can still be achieved. This system is capable of
inspecting patterned wafers with 0.35 micron design rule, such as
patterned-wafers for 64 and 256 megabit DRAM technology. The system
is capable of detecting contaminant particles and pattern defects
on memory and logic devices. With the present state-of the-art
robotic implementation for removing and replacing wafer 40 on stage
124 ready for system 20 to inspect and the inherent delay (about 25
seconds/wafer) involved therein, system 20 described above is
capable of inspecting in excess of about 40 wafers per hour for 150
millimeter diameter wafers (6-inch wafers), in excess of about 20
wafers per hour for 200 millimeter diameter wafers (8-inch wafers)
and in excess of about 10 wafers per hour for 300 millimeter
diameter wafers (12-inch wafers).
[0062] FIGS. 7A, 7B are side views showing the polarization schemes
employed by the present invention. It is found that by employing
certain polarization schemes, the signal-to-background of the
system can be substantially improved. The polarization scheme
employed may be surface-dependent and may also be used to determine
the composition of the anamoly (such as metallic as opposed to
dielectric material). For pattern defects, the polarization
elements included in the post-AOD and polarization selection optics
34 of FIG. 2 faces the illumination beam in a state of either P or
S polarization. FIG. 7A illustrates the situation where the
illumination beam 214 is in a state of S polarization where the
electrical field E is perpendicular to the plane of incidence which
is defined by the incident beam 214 and the specularly reflected
beam 214a; this plane of incidence is parallel to the plane of the
paper. A vector representation of the beam is shown by a k vector
representing the direction of propagation. The magnetic field is
shown as the H vector. The electric field vector is shown as being
perpendicular to the plane of incidence by representing it with a
dot and labeled E. In FIG. 7B, the beam 214 is in a state of P
polarization where the electric field E is in the plane of
incidence and the plane of the paper. In FIG. 7B the beam 214 is
shown in vector form with a propagation vector k, a magnetic field
vector shown as a dot labeled H where the electric field vector E
is perpendicular to the propagation vector k. Instead of P or S
polarization states, the illumination beam can also have a left or
righthanded circular polarization. Where the polarization state of
the illumination beam is chosen to optimize signal-to-noise
background and for defect detection, the collector or collection
channels include polarization filters to pass light of
predetermined polarization states to enhance detection capability
and signal-to-noise ratio.
[0063] While in the invention described above, the scan path
segments are described and illustrated as straight lines, it will
be understood that it is also possible for curved scan lines to be
employed, such as where the wafer is rotated about an axis instead
of translated along straight lines in the X and Y directions as
described above. While in the preferred embodiment described above,
the short scan path segments form arrays, each array covering a
substantially rectangular strip of the wafer, it will be understood
that other different arrangements of the scan path segments are
possible for covering the entire or substantially the entire
surface 40; such and other variations are within the scope of the
invention. As the spot 10 approaches the edge of surface 40, the
length of the scan path segment may be reduced so that the spot
does not fall outside surface 40. All the advantages described are
obtained even though the segments are of different lengths if each
of at least some of the segments has a span shorter than the
dimensions of the surface. Also, the AOD 30 may be replaced by a
polygonal scanner or galvonometer. While the invention has been
described by reference to preferred embodiments, it will be
understood that modifications and changes can be made without
departing from the scope of the invention which is to be defined
only by the appended claims.
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