Patent · US Active

Method and system to compensate for lamp intensity differences in a photolithographic inspection tool

US7680321B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
27References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 11, 2008
Grant dateMar 16, 2010
Priority date—
Expiry dateApr 11, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2201/12753
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An after develop inspection tool considers tool-to-tool variability when determining confidence score for wafers under inspection. A golden wafer is used to calculate a RGB signature as well as the slope of the individual RGB curves for different lamp intensities. These slopes are normalized in order to generate a compensation factor for red values and blue values within a signature. When a wafer is subsequently inspected at an ADI station using a different lamp, the test wafer RGB signature is likely captured at a different lamp intensity. Consequently, when comparing the signatures, the golden wafer RGB signature is adjusted by the compensation factors, based on the different lamp's intensity setting, and this adjusted RGB signature is then used to determine whether a defect exists on the test wafer.

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