A method including inspecting, using an X-ray transmission image, internal defects in a TSV formed in a semiconductor wafer, and detecting the X-rays, and processing an X-ray transmission image. Therein, the detection of X-rays is configured such that: the detection azimuth of the X-rays, and the detection elevation angle of the X-rays relative to the X-ray source are determined on the basis of information on the arrangement interval, depth, and planar shape of structures formed in the sample. The angle of rotation of a rotating stage on which the sample is mounted is adjusted in accordance with the detection azimuth which has been determined, and the X-rays that have been transmitted through the sample are detected with the position of the detector set to the detection elevation angle which has been determined.

A method and system are presented for use in X-ray based measurements on patterned structures. The method comprises: processing data indicative of measured signals corresponding to detected radiation response of a patterned structure to incident X-ray radiation, and subtracting from said data an effective measured signals substantially free of background noise, said effective measured signals being formed of radiation components of reflected diffraction orders such that model based interpretation of the effective measured signals enables determination of one or more parameters of the patterned structure, wherein said processing comprises: analyzing the measured signals and extracting therefrom a background signal corresponding to the background noise; and applying a filtering procedure to the measured signals to subtract therefrom signal corresponding to the background signal, resulting in the effective measured signal.

A control unit for generating a timing signal for an imaging unit in an inspection system in which an image of an inspection target object is captured by the imaging unit while the inspection target object is caused to travel in a predetermined direction includes a traveling distance determination section configured to detect a traveling distance of the inspection target object based on a count value acquired as an integer value from a laser interferometer provided in the inspection system for detecting a traveling distance of the inspection target object, and configured to determine whether the detected traveling distance reaches a threshold, and a timing signal generation section configured to generate a timing signal when it is determined that the detected traveling distance reaches the threshold. The traveling distance determination section executes the determination by using a plurality of values selectively as the threshold.

A system and a method for monitoring a beam in an inspection system are provided. The system includes an image sensor configured to collect a sequence of images of a beam spot of a beam formed on a surface, each image of the sequence of images having been collected at a different exposure time of the image sensor, and a controller configured to combine the sequence of images to obtain a beam profile of the beam.

Methods and systems for estimating values of process parameters, structural parameters, or both, based on x-ray scatterometry measurements of high aspect ratio semiconductor structures are presented herein. X-ray scatterometry measurements are performed at one or more steps of a fabrication process flow. The measurements are performed quickly and with sufficient accuracy to enable yield improvement of an on-going semiconductor fabrication process flow. Process corrections are determined based on the measured values of parameters of interest and the corrections are communicated to the process tool to change one or more process control parameters of the process tool. In some examples, measurements are performed while the wafer is being processed to control the on-going fabrication process step. In some examples, X-ray scatterometry measurements are performed after a particular process step and process control parameters are updated for processing of future devices.

A wafer having μLEDs is inspected using cathodoluminescence microscopes. A fast scan is enabled by splitting the CL beam into several beams and sensing the beams with point detectors. Optical filters are inserted in the optical path upstream of the detectors, such that each detector senses a different frequency band. The signals are ratioed and the ratios are compared to expected reference. Regions of extreme value are identified and, if desired, a high resolution scan is performed on the regions or a sample of the regions. Viability score is calculated for each identified region.

Optical elements that efficiently propagate x-ray radiation over a desired energy range and reject radiation outside the desired energy range are presented herein. In one aspect, one or more optical elements of an x-ray based system include an integrated optical filter including one or more material layers that absorb radiation having energy outside the desired energy band. In general, the integrated filter improves the optical performance of an x-ray based system by suppressing reflectivity within infrared (IR), visible (vis), ultraviolet (UV), extreme ultraviolet (EUV) portions of the spectrum, or any other undesired wavelength region. In a further aspect, one or more diffusion barrier layers prevent degradation of the integrated optical filter, prevent diffusion between the integrated optical filter and other material layers, or both. In some embodiments, the thickness of one or more material layers of an integrated optical filter vary over the spatial area of the filter.

The purpose of this invention is to estimate the occurrence of defects such as probability pattern defects, with a small number of inspection points. To achieve this purpose, the present invention proposes a system and a computer-readable medium. The system comprises: a step in which first data pertaining to the probability that the edge of a pattern determined on the basis of measurement data for a plurality of measurement points on a wafer is present at a first position is acquired or is generated; a step in which, if the edge is at the first position, second data pertaining to the probability that a film defect covers a region including the first position and a second position which is different to said first position is acquired or generated; and a step in which the probability of the defect occurring is predicted on the basis of the first data and the second data.

A method of evaluating a region of a sample that includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, adjacent to the first sub-region, the region comprising a plurality of sets of vertically-stacked double-layers extending through both the first and second sub-regions with a geometry or orientation of the vertically-stacked double layers in the first sub-region being different than a geometry or orientation of the vertically-stacked double layers in the second region resulting in the first sub-region having a first milling rate and the second sub-region having a second milling rate different than the first milling rate, the method including: milling the region of a sample by scanning a focused ion beam over the region a plurality of iterations in which, for each iteration, the focused ion beam is scanned over the first sub-region and the second sub-region generating secondary electrons and secondary ions from each of the first and second sub-regions; detecting, during the milling, at least one of the generated secondary electrons or the secondary ions; generating, in real-time, an endpoint detection signal from the at least one of detected secondary electrons or secondary ions, the endpoint detection signal including a fast oscillating signal having a first frequency and a slow oscillating signal having a second frequency, slower than the first frequency; analyzing the fast and slow oscillating signals to determine original first and second frequencies of the fast and slow oscillating signals; and estimating, in real-time, a depth of each of the first and second sub-regions based on the determined first and second frequencies.

It is necessary to guarantee performance by quantitatively evaluating the defect detection sensitivity of an inspection device for using the mirror electron image to detect defect in a semiconductor substrate. The size and position of accidentally formed defects are random, however, and this type of quantitative evaluation has been difficult. This semiconductor substrate 101 for evaluation is for evaluating the defect detection sensitivity of an inspection device and comprises a plurality of first indentations 104 that are formed through the pressing, with a first pressing load, of an indenter having a prescribed hardness and shape into the semiconductor substrate for evaluation. Further, a mirror electron image of the plurality of first indentations of the semiconductor substrate for evaluation is acquired, and the defect detection sensitivity of an inspection device is evaluated through the calculation of the defect detection rate of the plurality of first indentations in the acquired mirror electron image.