KR101817289B1 - Laser scanning module including an optical isolator - Google Patents
Laser scanning module including an optical isolator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- KR101817289B1 KR101817289B1 KR1020157006110A KR20157006110A KR101817289B1 KR 101817289 B1 KR101817289 B1 KR 101817289B1 KR 1020157006110 A KR1020157006110 A KR 1020157006110A KR 20157006110 A KR20157006110 A KR 20157006110A KR 101817289 B1 KR101817289 B1 KR 101817289B1
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- KR
- South Korea
- Prior art keywords
- laser scanning
- laser
- optical isolator
- linear polarizer
- light
- Prior art date
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/06—Means for illuminating specimens
- G02B21/08—Condensers
- G02B21/10—Condensers affording dark-field illumination
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Microscoopes, Condenser (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
Abstract
The present application discloses various implementations of a laser scanning module. In one embodiment, the laser scanning module comprises an optical isolator comprising first and second linear polarizers, a collimator configured to receive light generated by the laser light source and to pass a substantially collimated light beam through the first linear polarizer, And a scanning unit positioned to receive the light passed by the second linear polarizer. The first linear polarizer is spaced from the collimating optic by a first distance less than a second distance separating the second linear polarizer from the scan unit.
Description
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 653,235, entitled "Optical Isolation Module and Method for Utilizing the Same," filed on December 9, 2009, The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Laser scanning microscopy is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing. For example, laser scanning microscopy observations can be used to perform soft defect localization to detect soft defects such as timing marginality in fabricated semiconductor devices. Soft defect localization typically scans the area of the semiconductor device being tested using a laser. As the size of modern semiconductor devices is getting smaller and smaller, the resolution needed to isolate individual device features to analyze soft defects is increasingly corresponding.
High resolution imaging of semiconductor devices can be accomplished using a dark field microscopy approach using a solid immersion lens (S1L). In order for this approach to achieve the imaging resolution required for the minimum device size, the imaging light incident on the target may be a supercritical light that can create an evanescent field in the semiconductor material that contains the target. . Further, it may be necessary to focus the scattered light from the target along or along the central axis of the SIL. As a result, a laser scanning module capable of collecting light scattered by the target and generating supercritical light that scans the target using an optical isolator is a preferable feature for use in laser scanning microscope observation.
The present invention is directed to a laser scanning module comprising an optical isolator as shown in at least one of the figures and / or as described in connection therewith and more fully in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a laser scanning microscope observation system which illustratively implements a laser scanning module comprising an optical isolator;
2 is a flow chart illustrating one exemplary method of performing laser scanning microscopy observation;
Figure 3 illustrates a portion of an exemplary laser scanning microscope observation system implemented to perform dark field microscopy observations including the exemplary laser scanning module of Figure 1;
4 is a flow chart illustrating one exemplary method of performing optical isolation as part of a laser scanning microscopy observation process;
FIG. 5A illustrates a portion of the laser scanning module of FIG. 3 at an early stage of the exemplary method illustrated in FIG. 4, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; FIG.
FIG. 5B illustrates a portion of the laser scanning module of FIG. 3 at an intermediate stage of the exemplary method illustrated in FIG. 4, according to one exemplary implementation; FIG.
FIG. 5C illustrates a portion of the laser scanning module of FIG. 3 at another intermediate step of the exemplary method illustrated in FIG. 4, according to one exemplary implementation; FIG.
The following detailed description includes specific information regarding implementing the invention. The drawings of the present application and the detailed description relating thereto relate only to exemplary implementations. Unless otherwise stated, the same or corresponding elements in the figures may be indicated by the same or corresponding reference numerals. Further, the drawings and illustrations in this application are generally not to scale and are not intended to correspond to the actual relative sizes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a laser scanning microscope observation system including an exemplary embodiment of a laser scanning module including an optical isolator. The laser scanning
The
The first
As described in more detail below, the
The function of the
Referring now to flow diagram 200 with further reference to the laser scanning
The
According to one embodiment, the collimating optic 121 may comprise an achromatic doublet lens having a focal length corresponding to the
The
The
The
Referring now to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a portion of an exemplary laser scanning microscope viewing system implemented to perform dark field microscopy viewing, including the exemplary laser scanning module of FIG. The laser scanning
The optical isolator 320 includes a
3, light 302 is incident from a light source (not shown in FIG. 3) of a laser scanning
The
Optical isolator 320 receives light 302 or a substantially collimated
It is noted that although FIG. 3 illustrates optical isolator 320 as including certain elements in a particular order, in other embodiments optical isolator 320 may have an arrangement other than that shown in FIG. 3 illustrates a
It is further noted that the particular implementation environment shown in Figures 3, 4, 5A, 5B, and 5C is only shown for clarity of concept and should not be construed as limiting the invention. As shown and described in this application, the concepts of the present invention are applicable to high resolution imaging of semiconductor devices. However, more generally, this concept can be used to perform laser scanning microscopy observations of nano-materials and biological samples, and semiconductor dies (whether packaged or on a wafer).
Performing optical isolation as part of a laser scanning microscope observing process using a laser scanning module 310 including an optical isolator 320 is now further described with reference to Figures 4, 5A, 5B and 5C. It is noted that in the method outlined in FIG. 4, certain details and features are omitted from the
Referring to FIG. 5A, FIG. 5A illustrates a
The substantially collimated
The
Referring to
Although the embodiment of Fig. 5A shows the first
Referring now to the
As a result, light-isolated imaging light 537 passing through
Referring now to Figure 4, and with reference to the
Thus, according to this embodiment, since the second
Further, in some other embodiments, the
The
3, the flow diagram 400 terminates by focusing (452) light scattered from the
Scattered light 356 (hereinafter "near-axis scattered light 356") oriented along the central
More generally, focusing the near-axis scattered light 356 from the
More generally, it has been described in terms of specific design parameters to focus the scattered light by the
The inventor has found that a significant portion of the scattered light from the target semiconductor device is directed along the central
As discussed above, the present application is preferably directed to a laser scanning system capable of delivering a substantially supercritical imaging light component, substantially blocking subcritical imaging light components, and selectively focusing scattered light from the target Modules and systems. As a result, implementations of the inventive concept can provide lateral resolution on the order of 50 nanometers (50 nm). Furthermore, the laser scanning module disclosed in this application makes it possible to implement a laser scanning microscope observation system capable of quickly and efficiently imaging a semiconductor wafer or a device fabricated on a die. Further, since the implementation of the present laser scan module can be implemented in combination with the SIL, the disclosed solution provides a robust approach to IC and device imaging, and circuit analysis applications such as soft-defect localization.
It is apparent from the foregoing description that various techniques may be used to implement the concepts described in this application without departing from the concept of the present invention. Furthermore, although the various concepts have been described with reference to particular implementations, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the present invention will be. Thus, the described implementations are illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. This application is not intended to be limited to the particular implementations described above, but is understood to be capable of many rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims (23)
An optical isolator including first and second linear polarizers;
A collimating optical device configured to receive light generated by the laser light source and pass the collimated light beam to the first linear polarizer; And
And a scan unit positioned to receive light passed by said second linear polarizer.
A laser light source and an objective lens; And
And a laser scanning module positioned between the laser light source and the objective lens,
An optical isolator including first and second linear polarizers;
A collimating optical device configured to receive light generated by the laser light source and pass a collimated light beam to the first linear polarizer; And
And a scan unit positioned to receive light passed by said second linear polarizer.
Receiving, by the laser scanning module, light generated by the laser light source;
Collimating the light to pass a collimated light beam by a collimating optics included in the laser scanning module;
Passing a portion of the collimated light beam by an optical isolator of the laser scanning module;
And performing the laser scan on a target by a scan unit of the laser scan module.
After passing said portion of said collimated light beam by said optical isolator,
Further comprising the step of focusing a portion of the collimated light beam passed by the optical isolator on the target.
After passing said portion of said collimated light beam by said optical isolator,
Further comprising using a solid immersion lens (SIL) to focus a portion of the collimated light beam passed by the optical isolator on the target.
When performing the laser scan on the target by the scan unit of the laser scan module,
Further comprising focusing the scattered light from the target along a central optical axis of the SIL.
Wherein the collimating optics is located between the inlet opening of the laser scanning module and the first linear polarizer so as to have an interval between the inlet opening corresponding to the focal length of the collimating optics and the collimating optics, Scan module.
Wherein the collimating optics is located between the inlet opening of the laser scanning module and the first linear polarizer so as to have an interval between the inlet opening corresponding to the focal length of the collimating optics and the collimating optics, Scanning microscope observation system.
Wherein the distance between the inlet opening of the laser scanning module and the collimating optics corresponds to the focal length of the collimating optics.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/593,970 US9304308B2 (en) | 2009-12-09 | 2012-08-24 | Laser scanning module including an optical isolator |
US13/593,970 | 2012-08-24 | ||
PCT/US2013/055421 WO2014031490A1 (en) | 2012-08-24 | 2013-08-16 | Laser scanning module including an optical isolator |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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KR20150045461A KR20150045461A (en) | 2015-04-28 |
KR101817289B1 true KR101817289B1 (en) | 2018-01-10 |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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KR1020157006110A KR101817289B1 (en) | 2012-08-24 | 2013-08-16 | Laser scanning module including an optical isolator |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP2888620A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6286428B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101817289B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN104603667B (en) |
IN (1) | IN2015DN01310A (en) |
TW (1) | TWI486626B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014031490A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN108072613B (en) * | 2016-11-11 | 2020-09-08 | 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 | Optical detection device and detection method thereof |
Citations (3)
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JP2005345561A (en) | 2004-05-31 | 2005-12-15 | Olympus Corp | Scanning type laser microscope device |
US20110134520A1 (en) * | 2009-12-09 | 2011-06-09 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | Optical isolation module and method for utilizing the same |
JP2012078802A (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2012-04-19 | Carl Zeiss Microimaging Gmbh | Microscope and microscopy |
Family Cites Families (8)
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JP2968080B2 (en) * | 1991-04-30 | 1999-10-25 | ジェイエスアール株式会社 | High resolution optical microscope and mask for creating irradiation spot light |
US5777719A (en) * | 1996-12-23 | 1998-07-07 | University Of Rochester | Method and apparatus for improving vision and the resolution of retinal images |
TW558642B (en) * | 1999-08-02 | 2003-10-21 | Zetetic Inst | Scanning interferometric near-field confocal microscopy |
US6700856B2 (en) * | 1999-12-28 | 2004-03-02 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Optical head, magneto-optical head, disk apparatus and manufacturing method of optical head |
US6642517B1 (en) * | 2000-01-25 | 2003-11-04 | Veeco Instruments, Inc. | Method and apparatus for atomic force microscopy |
DE10031458B4 (en) * | 2000-06-28 | 2004-03-11 | Leica Microsystems Heidelberg Gmbh | Scanning microscope with a circulator |
US6760158B1 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2004-07-06 | Avanex Corporation | Multi-functional optical device utilizing multiple polarization beam splitters and non-linear interferometers |
EP2434325A1 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2012-03-28 | Nikon Corporation | Laser scan confocal microscope |
-
2013
- 2013-08-16 KR KR1020157006110A patent/KR101817289B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2013-08-16 WO PCT/US2013/055421 patent/WO2014031490A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-08-16 CN CN201380043531.2A patent/CN104603667B/en active Active
- 2013-08-16 JP JP2015528548A patent/JP6286428B2/en active Active
- 2013-08-16 EP EP13773442.2A patent/EP2888620A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2013-08-20 TW TW102129778A patent/TWI486626B/en active
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2015
- 2015-02-17 IN IN1310DEN2015 patent/IN2015DN01310A/en unknown
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2005345561A (en) | 2004-05-31 | 2005-12-15 | Olympus Corp | Scanning type laser microscope device |
US20110134520A1 (en) * | 2009-12-09 | 2011-06-09 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | Optical isolation module and method for utilizing the same |
JP2012078802A (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2012-04-19 | Carl Zeiss Microimaging Gmbh | Microscope and microscopy |
US20120268812A1 (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2012-10-25 | Tiemo Anhut | Microscope and microscopy techniques |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN104603667A (en) | 2015-05-06 |
JP6286428B2 (en) | 2018-02-28 |
JP2015529346A (en) | 2015-10-05 |
IN2015DN01310A (en) | 2015-07-03 |
KR20150045461A (en) | 2015-04-28 |
TWI486626B (en) | 2015-06-01 |
TW201423150A (en) | 2014-06-16 |
CN104603667B (en) | 2017-12-08 |
EP2888620A1 (en) | 2015-07-01 |
WO2014031490A1 (en) | 2014-02-27 |
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