Sub-2nm On Product Overlay (OPO), scribe line width reduction, and high-order scanner correctibles are driving innovative overlay (OVL) targets. One promising new imaging-based overlay (IBO) OVL target to address such challenging trends in multiple semiconductor segments is a small pitch AIM (sAIM). sAIM is in essence an IBO target with grating (previous layer) beside grating (current layer) which could be placed in a few layouts: square, rectangular, and Mosaic. In this work, we will present the sAIM operational concept and performance including Total Measurement Uncertainty (TMU), residuals, and accuracy (ADI on-target offset vs. ACI on-device or target), which is often referred to as Non-Zero Offset (NZO).
With the continuous shrinking of semiconductor device nodes, the reduction of on-product overlay (OPO) becomes extremely critical for high-yield IC (Integrated Circuit) manufacturing. This requires accurate overlay (OVL) process control which can be better achieved by using an optimized OVL target design and a more advanced metrology platform. The novel rAIM® imaging-based-overlay (IBO) target, which has a grating-over-grating structure with significantly smaller pitch sizes as compared to the standard advanced-imaging-metrology (AIM®) target, can improve OVL measurement accuracy by adopting a more device-compatible design with high Moiré sensitivity. This paper demonstrates the advantages of rAIM targets by comparing and quantifying their performance to standard AIM targets through key parameters including raw OVL, residuals, precision, and total measurement uncertainty (TMU). We also present the performance of rAIM targets on different OVL metrology platforms. We conclude that with an optimized target design and an advanced OVL measurement platform, rAIM targets can be an ideal overlay metrology solution for advanced dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) devices.
The semiconductor industry continually evaluates new materials to improve the process or minimize product variability, which could create measurement challenges for metrology tools in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. Opaque materials (i.e., ‘hard masks,’ ‘HM’) are placed in between the resist (i.e., inner layer) and process (i.e., outer layer or underlying layer) in 3D NAND or DRAM processes to control the etch of high aspect-ratio structures to maximize product yield. However, longer wavelengths (e.g., IR WL) may be required to penetrate and properly view the underlying process layer and measure OVL accurately. In this work, longer wavelengths will be evaluated to improve measurement accuracy and keep up with the increasing use of opaque materials, which is expected to increase in future nodes. We will review the benefits of IR WL to OVL measurement accuracy by quantifying the OVL residuals, contrast precision (CP), and total measurement uncertainty (TMU) on multiple DRAM and 3D NAND critical layers.
As 3D NAND devices increase memory density by adding layers, scaling and increasing bits-per-cell, new overlay (OVL) metrology challenges arise. On product overlay (OPO) may decrease for critical thick layers such as thick deck-to-deck alignment, whereas high aspect ratio (Z-axis) structures introduce stress, tilt and deformation that require accurate and robust OVL measurements. Advanced imaging metrology (AIM®) targets, that consist of two side-byside periodic gratings in the previous and current layers, are typically used to measure OVL with Imaging Based Overlay (IBO) metrology systems. In this paper, we present a new approach that utilizes the Talbot effect in AIM to produce multiple contrast planes along the Z-axis, which enables a common focus position for both layers at a similar focus plane, resulting in improved measurement robustness. We will present Talbot effect theory, target design steps by metrology target design (MTD) simulator, actual measurement results on an advanced 3D NAND device and conclusions for such targets.
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