Patent · US Expired

Electron beam inspection method and apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing method and its manufacturing line utilizing the same

US6172365A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
11References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 10, 1999
Grant dateJan 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 10, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/2817
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electron beam inspection method including the steps of irradiating an electron beam to an object to be inspected, detecting at least one of a secondary electron and a reflected electron emanated from the object by the irradiation of the electron beam, and obtaining an image of the object from the detected electron. The method further includes the steps of controlling an electric field in a neighborhood of the object for filtering the at least one of the secondary and reflected electron emanated from the object so as to control the contrast of the image, detecting at least one of the secondary and reflected electron emanated from the object which passes through the electric field in the neighborhood of the object by the irradiation of the electron beam, and conducting inspection or measurement of the object on the basis of a detected signal of the detection in the controlled electric field.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.