E-beam simulation for advanced SEM applications in semiconductor industry

Wooyoung Cheon; Taejin Moon; In Kwon; Jinwoo Lee; Jaeyong Lee; Yongjae Kwon; Ashok Ramu; Seonghoon Jin; Tsuji Yukihide; Hyunwoo Chae; Chulwoo Park; Hyunsuk Choi; Kwangseok Lee; Byungseong Ahn; Jaehun Yang; Ami Ma; Qhwan Kim; Donghyeok Im; Jaehyun Bae; Jongcheon Sun; Su-Young Lee; Shinwook Yi; Jiseong Doh; Kyu Baik Chang; Songyi Han; Jaehoon Jeong; Yusin Yang; Dae Sin Kim

doi:10.1117/12.3010074

9 April 2024 E-beam simulation for advanced SEM applications in semiconductor industry

Wooyoung Cheon, Taejin Moon, In Kwon, Jinwoo Lee, Jaeyong Lee, Yongjae Kwon, Ashok Ramu, Seonghoon Jin, Tsuji Yukihide, Hyunwoo Chae, Chulwoo Park, Hyunsuk Choi, Kwangseok Lee, Byungseong Ahn, Jaehun Yang, Ami Ma, Qhwan Kim, Donghyeok Im, Jaehyun Bae, Jongcheon Sun, Su-Young Lee, Shinwook Yi, Jiseong Doh, Kyu Baik Chang, Songyi Han, Jaehoon Jeong, Yusin Yang, Dae Sin Kim

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12955, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVIII; 129551J (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010074
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning, 2024, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technology makes use of an electron beam (e-beam) with wide energy range from 0.1 to 50 keV, so it is possible to measure wafers from surface to deep and buried structures. Due to its superior accuracy, it is widely used for in-line metrology and inspection (MI) process. As devices scaling down for performance enhancement, the MI process became inaccurate due to the target structure shrinkage and complicated electrons’ behavior inside it. To overcome the challenges, accurate simulation tool is required to understand its underlying mechanism theoretically. In this paper, we propose a unifying framework for simulating SEM operation by implementing Nebula e-beam computing algorithm on the Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) environment. The proposed framework integrates various physics models including the scattering and transport behaviors of electrons, which enables to calculate the important trajectories of electrons in the most important regions of wafers. In addition, it gives an expandability on further integration thanks to the computability of TCAD environment. We validate the proposed framework with demonstrating key applications on real products.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Wooyoung Cheon, Taejin Moon, In Kwon, Jinwoo Lee, Jaeyong Lee, Yongjae Kwon, Ashok Ramu, Seonghoon Jin, Tsuji Yukihide, Hyunwoo Chae, Chulwoo Park, Hyunsuk Choi, Kwangseok Lee, Byungseong Ahn, Jaehun Yang, Ami Ma, Qhwan Kim, Donghyeok Im, Jaehyun Bae, Jongcheon Sun, Su-Young Lee, Shinwook Yi, Jiseong Doh, Kyu Baik Chang, Songyi Han, Jaehoon Jeong, Yusin Yang, and Dae Sin Kim "E-beam simulation for advanced SEM applications in semiconductor industry", Proc. SPIE 12955, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVIII, 129551J (9 April 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010074

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