JP2006019761A - Semiconductor device inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve high precision nondestructive inspection by reducing external noise. <P>SOLUTION: A semiconductor device inspection apparatus for measuring a current being induced in a semiconductor device by irradiating it with an electron beam comprises a means for comparing the waveform of a measured current with a preset standard waveform, and a means for discriminating a fault in the semiconductor device inspection apparatus from a fault in the inspection area of a semiconductor device based on the comparison results of the comparing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to inspection of semiconductor devices during the manufacturing process. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device inspection apparatus that determines the quality of a device by measuring a current generated in the semiconductor device when irradiated with an electron beam.

As a technique for non-destructive inspection of semiconductor devices in the manufacturing process, it is disclosed to detect a current generated by an electron beam passing through a contact hole and reaching a substrate, and to detect the position and size of the bottom of the contact hole. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Further, it is disclosed that a region including a plurality of contact holes is irradiated with an electron beam, and a ratio of normal contact holes in the region is inspected based on a current value penetrating the holes (for example, Patent Documents). 2). Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2000-311196 and 2000-332754 disclose various technologies using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-10-281746 JP 2000-174077 A

  The above-described prior art basically measures a current flowing so as to compensate for secondary electron emission caused by irradiation of an electron beam. For this reason, the current value to be measured is as small as picoampere or less, and the measurement value may be affected by the measurement conditions, the structure or material of the semiconductor device to be measured, the time constant of the measurement device, and the like.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to provide a semiconductor device inspection apparatus capable of highly accurate nondestructive inspection by reducing external noise.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, means for irradiating an inspection region on a specimen to be inspected on which a semiconductor device is formed, an electron beam passing through a hole provided in the inspection region, and an underlying conductive layer The average obtained by the means for measuring the current generated in the conductive layer by reaching the above and the means for measuring when the electron beam is irradiated sequentially or collectively with the region provided with one or more holes as the inspection region A processing means for obtaining a current value as a criterion for determining the quality of the inspection area, and the processing means obtains an average current value obtained by the means for measuring when an electron beam is irradiated to an area where no hole is provided. And a means for subtracting the background value from the average current value obtained by the inspection region. There is provided.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a means for irradiating an inspection region on a specimen to be inspected on which a semiconductor device is formed, and an electron beam reaching the conductive layer underlying the inspection region to the conductive layer. Means for measuring the generated current, the measuring means comprising: a first ammeter connected to the conductive layer; and a second ammeter connected to a ground electrode provided in the vicinity of the sample to be inspected. And a means for determining the difference between the measured value of the first ammeter and the measured value of the second ammeter.

  As the ground electrode, it is possible to use a part of a housing that accommodates a sample to be examined. Means for applying a bias voltage between the first ammeter and the second ammeter may be provided. It is desirable that the means for obtaining the difference can set the gain or offset from the outside.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a means for irradiating an inspection region on a specimen to be inspected on which a semiconductor device is formed, and an electron beam reaching the conductive layer underlying the inspection region, the conductive layer is formed on the conductive layer. Means for measuring the generated current, means for comparing the current waveform measured by the means for measuring with a preset standard waveform, and when the comparison result of the means for comparing exceeds a predetermined range; And a means for discriminating whether the inspection area is abnormal or the inspection apparatus is abnormal.

  When the comparison result of the comparing means exceeds a predetermined range, the identifying means irradiates a reference sample with an electron beam from the electron beam irradiating means and measures a current waveform by the measuring means. If the comparison result of the means for comparing still exceeds the range for the measured current waveform, it is determined that the device is abnormal. If the comparison result of the means for comparison is within the range, the semiconductor to be inspected Means for determining that the device is abnormal may be included.

  Further, the standard waveform is a transient waveform pattern including an overshoot at the rise or fall of the waveform and a subsequent damped oscillation, and the identifying means is a range in which the comparison result of the comparing means is a predetermined range. It is also possible to include a means for determining that the apparatus is abnormal when exceeding the above. In this case, the means for comparing compares at least one of waveform rise time, overshoot amount, overshoot period, flat period, undershoot amount, undershoot period, zero point offset, or frequency analysis value. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, means for irradiating an inspection region on a specimen to be inspected on which a semiconductor device is formed with an electron beam, and the electron beam reaches a conductive layer underlying the inspection region to thereby form the conductive layer. Means for measuring the generated current, beam measuring means for measuring the current value of the electron beam reaching the inspection region from the means for irradiating the electron beam, and the measured value of the means for measuring the current based on the measured value of the beam measuring means A semiconductor device inspection apparatus is provided.

  The beam measuring means is used as an inspection target sample at any one or more time points before, during, after or after the inspection of the inspection target sample. It is desirable to include a detector, for example, a Faraday cup, which is replaced and placed at the electron beam irradiation position.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, means for irradiating an inspection region on a specimen to be inspected on which a semiconductor device is formed with an electron beam, and the electron beam reaches the conductive layer underlying the inspection region to thereby form the conductive layer. What is claimed is: 1. A semiconductor device inspection apparatus comprising: a means for measuring a generated current; and a processing means for taking in and processing a current value in a region where the current is stable after irradiation with an electron beam among measurement values obtained by the measurement means. Provided.

  The processing means includes means for storing a waiting time from when the electron beam is irradiated until the current is stabilized, and at the time of inspection of another inspection region of the same inspection target sample or another inspection target sample of the same type. It is desirable to include a means for taking in a current value after a waiting time stored in the storing means has elapsed since the irradiation.

  The semiconductor device inspection apparatus of the present invention can perform highly accurate nondestructive inspection by reducing external noise. Specifically, when measuring the average current, the value obtained from the area where no hole is provided is corrected as the background value, thereby eliminating the influence of the current generated even in the area where no hole is present. Measurements can be made. Further, by adopting a current differential input amplifier configuration for current measurement, it is possible to remove external noise and apply an offset voltage necessary for measurement. Furthermore, by identifying whether the measurement result is due to a device abnormality or an apparatus abnormality from the measured current waveform, the reliability of the inspection result can be improved and the apparatus abnormality can be detected early. . When measuring the current value of the electron beam, the current can be measured with high accuracy, so that an accurate hole diameter or film thickness can be measured. By storing and reusing the waiting time until the current measurement value becomes stable after the electron beam irradiation, the inspection time can be shortened.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the inspection apparatus of the present invention. This apparatus holds an electron gun 1 that generates an electron beam 2, a condenser lens 3 that collimates the electron beam, an aperture 4 that defines the beam shape, and a specimen (wafer) 5 on which a semiconductor device is formed. A movable stage 6 that determines the inspection region and scans the irradiation position of the electron beam 2 by moving the inspection object sample 5, and measures the current generated in the conductive layer when the electron beam reaches the underlying conductive layer of the inspection region Electrode 7 and current measuring device 8, a moving distance measuring device 9 for measuring the moving distance of the movable stage 6, a Faraday cup 10 for measuring the current value of the electron beam replaced with the inspection object sample 5, the movable stage 6 and the electrode 7. A data processing device 11 such as a computer for controlling the data processing and inspection of the measurement results of the current measuring device 8; It comprises a stage control unit 12 and the beam control unit 13 for an electron beam accelerating voltage change or modify other control of the irradiation period of, for controlling the movement of the moving stage 6.

  The electron beam 2 that has jumped out of the electron gun 1 is once converted into a parallel electron beam by the condenser lens 3 and irradiated onto the aperture 4 provided with a very small hole. The aperture 4 is made of a conductor such as a metal, and is grounded so that electrons irradiated on the aperture 4 do not accumulate in the aperture 4. The electron beam 2 that has passed through the aperture 4 becomes a very thin beam having the same size as that defined by the aperture 4, and is irradiated on the inspection target sample 5. In order to prevent the aperture diameter from changing due to heating, the aperture may be cooled.

  The sample 5 to be inspected is placed on the current collecting electrode 7, and this electrode 7 is placed on the movable stage 6. In the vicinity of the movable stage 6, there is provided a movement distance measuring device 9 for accurately measuring the movement distance of the movable stage 6 in angstrom order by the principle of an interferometer or the like. The moving distance measuring device 9 is generally an optical device, but it detects a physical quantity that changes according to the distance, such as a device using electromagnetic waves, electrical resistance or capacitance, or a device using quantum mechanical effects. An apparatus based on the principle can also be used.

  The sample 5 to be inspected and the electrode 7 may be arranged in contact with each other so that they can be DC-contacted. If the electron beam applied to the sample 5 to be inspected is modulated at a high frequency, the current is generated by capacitive coupling. Therefore, the electrode 7 may be simply adjacent to the sample 5 to be inspected. In general, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, a local oxide film for element isolation is often formed on the back surface of a substrate. Therefore, an insulating film is often formed on the back surface of a wafer. In such a case, it is also effective to use a capacitive coupling stage in order to contact the inspection object sample 5 and the movable stage 6. It is also possible to connect using the side surface of the sample 5 to be inspected.

  Since the size of the contact hole to be measured is fine, the inspection target sample 5 needs to be placed flat on the movable stage 6. For this purpose, it is also effective to press the outer periphery of the specimen 5 to be inspected with, for example, a ring-shaped jig.

  The current collected at the electrode 7 is measured by a current measuring device 8. The measurement result is converted into a digital signal and output to the data processing device 11. The data processing device 11 performs various data processing, and in particular can inspect whether the contact hole or via hole in the inspection region on the inspection target sample 5 is well formed.

  When inspecting a wafer, it takes a considerable amount of time to inspect all the chips on the wafer or all areas of the wafer due to the measurement system time constant associated with measuring the scanning speed of the electron beam and the minute current. It will take. This may be necessary at the stage before mass production, but cannot be used for in-line inspection during mass production. Therefore, it is considered to irradiate an electron beam to a certain size region where a plurality of holes are present and measure the average current. In this case, if the average current is small, the number of normal holes in the region is small, and the quality of the region can be determined.

  2 and 3 show an example of a current waveform measured when a hole is inspected. FIG. 2 shows a compensation current waveform measured corresponding to the scanning position when an electron beam thinner than the hole diameter is scanned, and FIG. 3 shows a case where an electron beam is irradiated to a region where a plurality of holes exist. The compensation current waveform is shown. By scanning a thin electron beam, as shown in FIG. 2, an increase in compensation current is observed according to the position of the hole, and it can be seen whether the hole is etched correctly. On the other hand, when the electron beam is irradiated to a relatively wide region at once, as shown in FIG. 3, a compensation current corresponding to the total area of the hole bottom is observed during the electron beam irradiation. The average current per hole can be obtained by normalizing the observed compensation current with the number of holes in the region obtained from the CAD data.

  When measuring the average current, depending on the material and structure to be measured, a large amount of current may flow even without holes. In this case, the current indicated by the hole region is hidden in the background, and accurate measurement cannot be performed. A means for correcting such background will be described below.

  FIG. 4 shows a device inspection flow including a background correction procedure. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, first, an area provided with one or more holes on the specimen 5 to be inspected is set as an inspection area, and the electron beam 2 from the electron gun 1 is sequentially or The movable stage 6 is controlled by the stage control unit 12 so as to be collectively irradiated. The data processing device 11 takes in the measured value of the current measuring device 8 at this time (S1) and stores it (S2). Subsequently, a dummy region having the same material and structure is selected in the same sample 5 to be inspected except that no hole is formed, and measurement is performed under the same conditions (S3). The data processing device 11 takes in the measurement value obtained from the dummy area as a background value and subtracts it from the measurement value obtained from the inspection area (S4). Further, the data processing device 11 checks whether or not the subtracted value is within a predetermined range, and if it is within the range, determines that the inspection region is good (S6). If the subtracted value is out of the predetermined range, it is determined that there is a defect in which holes are not correctly formed in the region (S7).

  Although an example in which the inspection area is measured first is shown here, the dummy area may be measured first. Moreover, it is also possible to correct the measured values obtained from the plurality of inspection areas with the background value obtained from one dummy area.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed configuration example of the current measuring device 8. The current measuring device 8 includes a first ammeter 21 connected to the electrode 7 for current measurement, and a second ammeter 22 connected to a ground electrode 24 provided in the vicinity of the semiconductor device to be measured. And a current differential amplifier 23 for obtaining a difference between measured values of the ammeters 21 and 22. The two ammeters 21 and 22 have the same performance. The current differential amplifier 23 can set its gain or offset from the data processor 11 and can accurately measure the difference between the measured values of the two ammeters 21 and 22.

  Since a high vacuum is required to irradiate the electron beam, the specimen 5 to be inspected, the movable stage 6 and the electrode 7 shown in FIG. 1 together with the moving distance measuring device 9 and the Faraday cup 10 are placed in one vacuum casing. Be placed. A ground electrode 24 is also disposed within the housing. The ground electrode 24 may be the housing itself. Since the current measuring device 8 itself may be a noise source, all of the current measuring devices 8 are arranged outside the casing here. Considering the influence of noise, it is desirable that the connection line between the electrode 7 and the ground electrode 24 and the current measuring device 8 is short. In some cases, at least a part of the current measuring device 8 may be arranged in the housing. .

  In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, a bias voltage source 25 is inserted between the ground electrode 24 and the ammeter 22. The bias voltage source 25 can cancel an error current due to a contact current or the like by applying a bias voltage between the ammeters 21 and 22.

  It is also possible to insert a bias voltage source between the electrode 7 for current measurement and the ammeter 21 and apply a bias voltage to the substrate or conductive layer of the sample to be inspected via the electrode 7.

  When an abnormal measurement result is obtained, it is usually considered that the inspection object is defective, but in some cases, it may be due to a failure of the inspection apparatus. These identifications are described below.

  FIG. 6 shows a device inspection flow including a procedure for detecting an apparatus failure. First, the current waveform in the set inspection region is measured (S11). The data processor 11 (see FIG. 1) compares the measured current waveform with a preset standard waveform (S12), and if the comparison result is within a predetermined range (S13), the inspection area is a non-defective product. If there is, the measured current waveform is stored in the database (S14). When the comparison result with the standard waveform is out of the predetermined range, the data processing device 11 outputs a control signal to the stage control unit 12 and the beam control unit 13, irradiates the reference sample with the electron beam, and measures the current waveform. (S15), the current waveform is compared with the standard waveform (S16). If the comparison result is within a predetermined range (S17), it is determined that there is a defect in the inspection area, and the location of the defective area is stored in the database (S18). If the comparison result between the current waveform of the reference sample and the standard waveform is out of the predetermined range, it is considered that the apparatus is abnormal. Therefore, the measurement data is discarded and an alarm is output (S19).

  The measured current waveform is compared with the standard waveform by taking a correlation (pattern matching) between the two waveforms.

  As the reference sample, a sample that has been found to be free of defects in advance may be used, or an inspection pattern attached to the stage may be used.

  FIG. 7 shows a flow of device inspection including an apparatus abnormality detection procedure. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the cause of the abnormality is identified based on the current waveform obtained from the reference sample. In contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the cause of the abnormality is identified from the measured current waveform itself. That is, in the measured current waveform, a specific pattern appears in a transient waveform including an overshoot at the rise or fall of the waveform and the subsequent damped oscillation. This pattern does not change even for samples that have been found to be defective in etching. Therefore, the specific pattern is examined in advance and stored as a standard waveform and compared with the measured pattern (S21, S22). If the comparison result is within the predetermined range (S23), the measurement data is accumulated (S24). When the comparison result deviates from a predetermined range, such as the overshoot is abnormally large or the vibration continues without being damped, it is determined that the apparatus is abnormal, the measurement data is discarded, and an alarm is output (S25).

  As a pattern to be compared, a waveform rise time, an overshoot amount, an overshoot period, a flat period, an undershoot amount, an undershoot period, a zero point offset, a frequency analysis value, and the like can be considered.

  FIG. 8 shows a flow of device inspection in which the measurement accuracy is improved by correcting the measurement value by the current value of the electron beam. First, the Faraday cup 10 (see FIG. 1) is arranged instead of the inspection target sample 5 at the position where the electron beam is irradiated, and the beam current I1 is measured (S31). Subsequently, the Faraday cup 10 is removed from the beam irradiation position, the inspection target sample 5 is irradiated with an electron beam, and the compensation current J is measured (S32). After this measurement, the beam current I2 is measured using the Faraday cup 10 (S33). The compensation current J is corrected using the beam currents I1 and I2, and the measured value is normalized (S34). This is accumulated in the database (S35).

  In measurement using an electron beam, measurement is generally performed using a secondary electron microscope (SEM) or an electron beam exposure apparatus, or using an electron beam source equivalent to such an apparatus. The electron beam source of such an apparatus is designed to operate very stably, and the fluctuation amount per day is about 1% at most, which does not cause a problem in a normal usage form. However, when the state of a hole is inspected by scanning an electron beam, the fluctuation amount of the current itself is about 1%. For this reason, even if the current of the electron beam slightly varies, an error occurs in the measured value of the compensation current.

  Possible causes of fluctuations in the beam current include temperature of the beam source, aging of the beam source, fluctuation of power supplied to the beam source, and the like. These are highly dependent on the apparatus, and it is necessary to measure the beam current in each apparatus, and to determine the correction function by investigating the variation pattern, period, and the like.

  When the fluctuation period of the beam current is sufficiently longer than the measurement time required for one wafer, the beam current value is measured immediately before and after the start of measurement as shown in FIG. Assuming that the beam current value changes at a constant rate with time, the measured value of the compensation current is corrected. When the fluctuation period of the beam current is very long and hardly changes during the measurement of the compensation current, the beam current measurement is performed once for one wafer, or twice before and after a plurality of wafers. Only one of them is acceptable.

  When the fluctuation of the beam current is large, the beam current is measured several times during the measurement of the compensation current, and the measured value of the compensation current is corrected by the value.

  FIG. 9 shows a flow of taking in a current value in the data processing apparatus 11, and FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the take-in timing.

  When measuring the compensation current, the LCR value varies depending on the apparatus and wafer, so that the response time of the waveform that can be obtained changes and the time until the steady state changes. If the response time is analyzed for each wafer, it will take a considerable amount of time. On the other hand, although there are differences depending on the response characteristics depending on the apparatus and the inspection target, for example, if measurement is performed to some extent (about 1 second) from the rise of the waveform, a flattened portion is included. Therefore, the current value of that portion is captured and processed at the time of data processing. Thereby, the time for setting the measurement conditions can be shortened.

  To do so, observe the waveform after electron beam irradiation for each wafer of the same type in advance, find a region that can be regarded as stable, for example, a region whose variation is within ± 5% of the average value, and the electron beam is incident The waiting time until the current becomes stable is stored. At the time of actual measurement, if there is waiting time data for the same type of wafer as the measurement object (S41), the current value is used for each inspection area after the waiting time has elapsed since the electron beam was incident. (S42). If there is no waiting time data, the current waveform by electron beam irradiation is observed for the wafer (S43), a region where the waveform is stable is determined (S44), and the waiting time until the waveform is stabilized is stored (S45). At the same time, using this waiting time, a current value is captured for each inspection region in the wafer (S46).

  If the wafers are the same type, there will be no significant difference in the LCR value, and the measurement time can be shortened by storing and reusing the portion used for measurement.

The block block diagram which shows embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the compensation current waveform measured corresponding to the scanning position when scanning an electron beam thinner than a hole diameter. The figure which shows an example of a compensation current waveform when irradiating an electron beam collectively to the area | region where a some hole exists. 6 is a flowchart of device inspection including a background correction procedure. The block block diagram which shows the detail of an electric current measurement apparatus. The flowchart of a device test | inspection including the procedure which detects an apparatus failure. The flowchart of a device test | inspection including the detection procedure of an apparatus abnormality. The flowchart of the device test | inspection which correct | amends a measured value with the electric current value of an electron beam. The flowchart of electric current value taking-in. The figure explaining the timing of acquisition.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electron gun 2 Electron beam 3 Condenser lens 4 Aperture 5 Sample to be inspected 6 Movable stage 7 Electrode 8 Current measuring device 9 Moving distance measuring device 10 Faraday cup 11 Data processing device 12 Stage control unit 13 Beam control unit

Claims (8)

In a semiconductor device inspection apparatus that irradiates a semiconductor device with an electron beam and measures a current generated in the semiconductor device at that time,
Means for comparing the measured current waveform to a preset standard waveform;
And a means for discriminating whether the abnormality of the semiconductor device inspection apparatus or the inspection region of the semiconductor device is abnormal from the comparison result of the comparing means. In a semiconductor device inspection apparatus having means for irradiating a semiconductor device with an electron beam and measuring a current generated in the semiconductor device at that time,
Means for irradiating a reference sample with an electron beam and measuring a current generated in the reference sample at that time;
Means for comparing the current waveform measured by the means for measuring current generated in the semiconductor device with the current waveform measured by the means for measuring current generated in the reference sample;
And a means for discriminating whether the abnormality of the semiconductor device inspection apparatus or the inspection region of the semiconductor device is abnormal from the comparison result of the comparing means. The standard waveform is a transient waveform pattern including an overshoot at the rise or fall of the waveform and a subsequent damped oscillation,
The semiconductor device inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifying unit includes a unit that determines that the apparatus is abnormal when a comparison result of the comparing unit exceeds a predetermined range.   The means for comparing includes, as characteristic quantities for comparing waveforms, waveform rise time, overshoot amount, overshoot period, flat period, undershoot amount, undershoot period, zero offset, or frequency analysis value 4. The semiconductor device inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of them is used. 5. In a semiconductor device inspection apparatus having means for irradiating a semiconductor device with an electron beam and measuring a current generated in the semiconductor device at that time,
Among the measurement values by the means for measuring, having means for selecting a current value at a time when the current generated in the semiconductor device after the start of electron beam irradiation is stable,
The means for selecting observes an output waveform of the means for measuring, and determines a region where a variation from an average value in the waveform is within a desired value as the stable time. apparatus. Means for storing a waiting time until the current generated in the semiconductor device by the electron beam irradiation reaches the state of the stable time;
6. The semiconductor device inspection apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for changing a measurement start time in accordance with the time stored in the storage means. Current measuring means for measuring current generated in the semiconductor device;
2. The semiconductor device inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection target sample on which the semiconductor device is formed and the current measuring means are capacitively coupled. Current measuring means for measuring current generated in the semiconductor device;
The semiconductor device inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current measuring unit is disposed in a vacuum casing.

Images