| Tetsuya Watanabe | Optical Inspection Systems Dept., Optical Precision Systems Business Unit, |
| Takahiro Jingu | Optical Inspection Systems Dept., Optical Precision Systems Business Unit, |
| Minori Noguchi | IRIS 2nd Research Section, Image Recognition and Inspection System Dept., Production Engineering Research Lab., |
| Takuro Hosoe | Marketing & Development Dept., |
In regard to semiconductor fabrication processes, the use of copper interconnection, high- or low-dielectric-constant materials, and new processes such as planarization by CMP (chemical-mechanical polishing) is steadily complicating processing. Under these circumstances, it is important to improve or maintain process yield in the early stage of a line start-up by means of detecting particles and defects that occur during processing and taking prompt action to remedy them. Having developed and installed the IS2700 dark-field inspection system for patterned wafers on the production line, Hitachi Group has made it possible to perform high-speed, high-sensitivity monitoring of defects and particles produced by beyond-90-nm-node processes. With the IS2700 it is possible to detect defects, such as particles, scratches, pattern short circuits, and cracks, on patterned wafers at a sensitivity of 0.10 µm. It can inspect all product wafers of 300-mm diameter wafer at high speed, namely, a throughput of 37 wph (wafers per hour). In addition, its user-friendly operation makes recipe creation easy, and it is equipped with an interface that provides defect analysis functions, automatic DFC (dark-field classification), and analysis through high-resolution DUV (deep ultraviolet) defect-review optical system and SEM (scanning electron microscope) defect data link.
dark field, patterned wafer inspection, high throughput, high sensitivity, user friendly operation
