CN105845590B - Method for detecting metal defects - Google Patents
Method for detecting metal defects Download PDFInfo
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- CN105845590B CN105845590B CN201510016711.2A CN201510016711A CN105845590B CN 105845590 B CN105845590 B CN 105845590B CN 201510016711 A CN201510016711 A CN 201510016711A CN 105845590 B CN105845590 B CN 105845590B
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Abstract
The invention provides a method for detecting metal defects, which comprises the following steps: 1) providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in a dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer; 2) removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and contacting with a probe; 3) and (3) striking the other end of the same metal wire by using an electron beam, and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or striking the other end of the other metal wire by using the electron beam, and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, wherein in the moving process of the electron beam, an absorption current value is read from the probe end, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect exists. The invention uses electron beam as current source to detect and locate the position of defect by the current change caused by electron beam movement. The invention does not need to expose the whole metal wire, does not introduce new metal defects, has simple operation and is suitable for industrial production.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of semiconductor failure analysis, in particular to a method for detecting metal defects.
Background
At present, in the process of manufacturing a wafer by a semiconductor integrated circuit process, holes of metal connecting wires or impurity particle defects in the wafer are main failure modes, and have great influence on the wafer yield. The holes may cause the metal lines to be open-circuited, and the impurity particles may cause the metal lines to be short-circuited, as shown in fig. 1, and fig. 2 shows the two metal lines to be short-circuited. As the metal-to-metal spacing becomes narrower and the feature size (CD) of the metal line becomes smaller, metal defects generated in the advanced semiconductor process (28nm/32nm) become a significant cause of low chip yield.
When the size of the defect is in the nanometer level, the metal wire with possible defect can be observed under magnification by means of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), but this method has the following disadvantages: firstly, it takes a long time, especially for particularly long wires, to locate the defect often taking hours; secondly, the observer is required to concentrate the attention in the whole process, and the defects are easy to miss; and the whole observation process has very high requirement on the moving precision of the object stage of the scanning electron microscope. In addition, in the prior art, a probe is also adopted to detect defects, and the process is as follows: firstly, grinding the dielectric layer until the whole metal wire to be detected is exposed, then contacting a probe with one end of the metal wire and applying voltage, and grounding the other end of the metal wire. And moving the probe, and if the current of the grounding end suddenly appears from no current, indicating that the current suddenly changed region has a defect. However, since the probe moves directly on the metal wire, the original defect is easily damaged, and additional defects are artificially created, so that the position of the defect cannot be accurately detected and located.
therefore, it is an object to be solved by those skilled in the art to provide a novel method for detecting metal defects.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention is directed to a method for detecting metal defects, which is used to solve the problems of the prior art that additional defects are easily introduced artificially, and the time is long.
To achieve the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a method for detecting metal defects, the method at least comprising the steps of:
1) Providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in a dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer;
2) Removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and contacting with a probe;
3) and (3) striking the other end of the same metal wire by using an electron beam, and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or striking the other end of the other metal wire by using the electron beam, and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, wherein in the moving process of the electron beam, an absorption current value is read from the probe end, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect exists.
As an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, in the step 3), for a case where the electron beam and the probe are located on the same metal line, if it is found that the absorption current value read by the probe end is from zero to zero in the moving process of the electron beam, it indicates that a defect causing an open circuit exists on the metal line, and the defect position is between the zero and the zero current.
As an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, in the step 3), for a case where the electron beam and the probe are respectively located on two metal lines and are opposite ends, if it is found that an absorption current value read by the probe end during the movement of the electron beam tends to increase first and then decrease, it indicates that a defect causing a short circuit exists between the two metal lines, and the defect position is near a current maximum value.
As an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, in the step 3), for a case where the electron beam and the probe are respectively located on two metal lines and at the same end, if it is found that an absorption current value read by the probe end during the movement of the electron beam tends to increase first and then decrease, it indicates that a defect causing a short circuit exists between the two metal lines, and the defect position is near the maximum current value.
as an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, the metal lines to be detected in step 1) are embedded in the dielectric layer in parallel and separated by the dielectric layer.
As an optimized scheme of the method for detecting the metal defects, the characteristic size range of the metal wire is 60-120 nm.
As an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, in the step 2), the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines is removed by ion beam polishing.
As an optimized proposal of the method for detecting the metal defects, the ion beam source adopts Ga, As or In.
As an optimized scheme of the method for detecting the metal defects, the diameter range of the tip of the probe is 45-55 nm.
As an optimized solution of the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention, in the step 3), an electron gun in a scanning electron microscope device is used to emit an electron beam.
As described above, the method for detecting metal defects of the present invention comprises the steps of: 1) providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in a dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer; 2) removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and contacting with a probe; 3) and (3) striking the other end of the same metal wire by using an electron beam, and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or striking the other end of the other metal wire by using the electron beam, and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, wherein in the moving process of the electron beam, an absorption current value is read from the probe end, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect exists. The invention uses electron beam as current source to detect and locate the position of defect by the current change caused by electron beam movement. The invention does not need to expose the whole metal wire, does not introduce new metal defects, has simple operation and is suitable for industrial production.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal line open circuit caused by a common metal defect.
Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal line short circuit caused by a common metal defect.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for detecting metal defects according to the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a metal line provided by the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a structure for removing a dielectric layer on one end of a metal line.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the electron beam and probe of the present invention on the same metal line.
Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an electron beam and a probe of the present invention on two metal lines, respectively.
Description of the element reference numerals
101 dielectric layer
102,102a,102b metal lines
201 electron gun
202 probe
Detailed Description
the embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to specific embodiments, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification. The invention is capable of other and different embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways, and its several details are capable of modification in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
please refer to the attached drawings. It should be noted that the drawings provided in the present embodiment are only for illustrating the basic idea of the present invention, and the components related to the present invention are only shown in the drawings rather than drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation, and the type, quantity and proportion of the components in actual implementation may be changed freely, and the layout of the components may be more complicated.
The invention provides a method for detecting metal defects, which at least comprises the following steps as shown in a flow chart shown in figure 3:
S1, providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in the dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer;
S2, removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and contacting with a probe;
And S3, striking the other end of the same metal wire by an electron beam, and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or striking one end of the other metal wire by the electron beam, and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, wherein in the moving process of the electron beam, the absorption current value is read from the probe end, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect exists.
The method for detecting metal defects according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Step S1 is performed first, as shown in fig. 4, a metal line 102 to be detected is provided, and the metal line 102 is embedded in the dielectric layer 101 and isolated by the dielectric layer 101.
The metal lines 102 are parallel to each other, and each metal line 102 is covered by a dielectric layer 101. The metal line 101 may be a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, etc., but is not limited thereto. Further, the characteristic size range of the metal line 101 is 60-120 nm. The dielectric layer 102 may be any material used to insulate metal lines, such as silicon dioxide.
Then, step S2 is performed to remove the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and the probe is used to contact the end.
Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the dielectric layer 101 on one end of the metal line 102 may be removed by ion beam cutting, so that the end surface of the metal line 102 is exposed. The shape of the removed dielectric layer 101 may be a rectangular parallelepiped or a cylinder, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the removed dielectric layer 101 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the size of the removed dielectric layer 101 is determined to enable the probe 202 to smoothly contact the metal line.
The ion source used for ion beam milling may be Ga, As or In. In this embodiment, Ga ions are used as the ion source.
further, the probe 202 is installed in a chamber of a scanning electron microscope, and the diameter of the tip thereof is controlled to be in the range of 45-55 nm. In this embodiment, the tip diameter of the probe is preferably about 50 nm.
And finally, executing a step S3, wherein the other end of the same metal wire is hit by an electron beam and the electron beam is moved to the probe end, or the other end of the other metal wire is hit by the electron beam and the electron beam is moved along the metal wire, and the absorption current value is read from the probe end during the moving of the electron beam, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect is present.
The electron beam is used for providing the conducting current of the metal wire, and due to the penetrability of the electron beam, even if the metal wire is covered by the dielectric layer, the electron beam can still penetrate through the dielectric layer to enter the metal wire to generate the current, so that the phenomenon that the metal wire is damaged due to physical contact in the test process to cause new defects can be prevented. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the electron beam is emitted from an electron gun 201 of a scanning electron microscope, and the magnitude of the current generated by the electron beam and the magnitude of the spot size of the electron beam can be adjusted by parameters of the scanning electron microscope.
In one embodiment, the electron beam and the probe 202 are located on the same metal line, i.e., the exposed portion of the probe 202 contacting the metal line 102, and the electron beam strikes the other end of the metal line. As shown in fig. 6, the electron beam is gradually moved toward the end of the probe 202, and the absorption current at the end of the probe 202 is read once every time the electron beam moves, and if it is found that the absorption currents read from the 1 st to the nth position are all 0, and a current value appears at the n +1 position, it is indicated that the metal line 102 is open-circuited, and the open-circuited position is between the nth and the n +1 st times. The reason why the above phenomenon occurs is that the metal line is in an open state when the electron beam is at the 1 st to nth positions; when the electron beam moves to the n +1 position, the metal line is in a via state.
In another embodiment, the electron beam and the probe 202 are respectively located on two metal lines 102a and 102b separated by the dielectric layer 101, the probe 202 contacts the exposed portion of the metal line 102a, and the electron beam hits the other end of the other metal line 102 b. As shown in fig. 7, the electron beam is moved along the metal line 102b, and the absorption current at the end of the probe 202 is read once every time the electron beam is moved, and if the absorption current read from the 1 st to the n +1 th positions is found to be gradually increased, and the current at the n +2 th position is reduced, it indicates that there is a short circuit between the two metal lines 102a and 102b, and the short circuit position is near the n +1 position. The reason for this is that, due to the defect, the metal line 102a and the metal line 102b are electrically connected, and the path of the current passing through the two metal lines 102a and 102b is shorter and shorter, the resistance is smaller and the current passing through is larger and larger during the process of moving the electron beam from the 1 st position to the n +1 st position; when the electron beam moves to the other end of the metal line 102b through the defect, the path of the current passing through the two metal lines 102a and 102b becomes longer and longer, the resistance becomes larger and smaller, and the current passing through the two metal lines becomes smaller and smaller.
In yet another embodiment, the electron beam and the probe are located on two metal lines separated by a dielectric layer, respectively, the probe contacts the exposed portion of the metal line, and the electron beam strikes the same end of another line (not shown). As shown in fig. 7, the electron beam is moved along the metal wire, the absorption current of the probe end is read once every time the electron beam is moved, and if the absorption current value read by the probe end shows a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing in the moving process of the electron beam, it indicates that a defect causing a short circuit exists between the two metal wires, and the defect position is near the maximum current value. The reason for this is also due to the change in length of the current path during movement.
In summary, the present invention provides a method for detecting metal defects, the method at least comprising the steps of: 1) providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in a dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer; 2) removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose the end, and contacting with a probe; 3) and (3) striking the other end of the same metal wire by using an electron beam, and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or striking the other end of the other metal wire by using the electron beam, and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, wherein in the moving process of the electron beam, an absorption current value is read from the probe end, and if the current value is found to be changed, the metal defect exists. The invention uses electron beam as current source to detect and locate the position of defect by the current change caused by electron beam movement. The invention does not need to expose the whole metal wire, does not introduce new metal defects, has simple operation and is suitable for industrial production.
Therefore, the invention effectively overcomes various defects in the prior art and has high industrial utilization value.
The foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and utilities of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that all equivalent modifications or changes which can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical spirit of the present invention be covered by the claims of the present invention.
Claims (8)
1. A method for detecting metal defects, the method comprising at least:
1) Providing a metal wire to be detected, wherein the metal wire is embedded in a dielectric layer and is isolated by the dielectric layer;
2) Removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines to expose one end of the metal line, and contacting with a probe;
3) Using an electron beam to hit the other end of the same metal wire and moving the electron beam to the probe end, or using an electron beam to hit one end of another metal wire and moving the electron beam along the metal wire, reading an absorbed current value from the probe end in the moving process of the electron beam, and if the current value is changed, indicating that a metal defect causing an open circuit or a short circuit exists at the current change position;
In the step 3), for the case that the electron beam and the probe are respectively located on the two metal wires and are opposite ends, if it is found that the absorption current value read by the probe end tends to increase first and then decrease in the moving process of the electron beam, it indicates that a defect causing short circuit exists between the two metal wires, and the defect position is near the maximum current value;
In the step 3), for the case that the electron beam and the probe are respectively located on the two metal wires and are at the same end, if it is found that the absorption current value read by the probe end tends to increase first and then decrease in the moving process of the electron beam, it indicates that a defect causing a short circuit exists between the two metal wires, and the defect position is near the maximum current value.
2. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: in the step 3), for the case that the electron beam and the probe are located on the same metal wire, if it is found that the absorption current value read by the probe end is present from the beginning in the moving process of the electron beam, it indicates that a defect causing an open circuit exists on the metal wire, and the defect position is between the presence and absence of the current.
3. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: the metal wires to be detected in the step 1) are embedded in the dielectric layer in parallel and are separated by the dielectric layer.
4. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: the characteristic size range of the metal wire is 60-120 nm.
5. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: and in the step 2), removing the dielectric layer on one end of one of the metal lines by adopting an ion beam grinding mode.
6. the method of detecting metal defects of claim 5, wherein: the ion beam source of the ion beam adopts Ga, As or In.
7. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: the diameter range of the tip of the probe is 45-55 nm.
8. The method of detecting metal defects of claim 1, wherein: and in the step 3), an electron gun in scanning electron microscope equipment is adopted to emit an electron beam.
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| CN108010556A (en) * | 2017-11-23 | 2018-05-08 | 长江存储科技有限责任公司 | A kind of method for the small defect failure address for being used to be accurately positioned large-size device |
| CN110824917B (en) * | 2019-10-29 | 2022-05-13 | 西北工业大学 | Semiconductor chip test path planning method based on attention mechanism reinforcement learning |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6473388B1 (en) * | 2000-08-31 | 2002-10-29 | Hewlett Packard Company | Ultra-high density information storage device based on modulated cathodoconductivity |
| CN101958262A (en) * | 2009-07-16 | 2011-01-26 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Failure detection method and device |
| CN102005400A (en) * | 2009-08-28 | 2011-04-06 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Failure detection method and failure detection device |
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Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6473388B1 (en) * | 2000-08-31 | 2002-10-29 | Hewlett Packard Company | Ultra-high density information storage device based on modulated cathodoconductivity |
| CN101958262A (en) * | 2009-07-16 | 2011-01-26 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Failure detection method and device |
| CN102005400A (en) * | 2009-08-28 | 2011-04-06 | 中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司 | Failure detection method and failure detection device |
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