IP Library Granted Patent US 10,942,129
Granted Patent B2
US 10,942,129 · App. 16/343,913 · Granted Mar 9, 2021

Chip defect detection device and detection method

Inventors: Pengli Zhang (Shanghai, CN); Hailiang Lu (Shanghai, CN); Fan Wang (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: SHANGHAI MICRO ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT (GROUP) CO., LTD.
G01N21/8806G01B9/02G01N21/9501H01L22/12G01B2210/48
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,942,129
App. No.
16/343,913
Granted
Mar 9, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus and method for die defect detection are disclosed. The apparatus includes: a light source unit ( 10 ) for emitting light of at least two wavelengths; a beam splitter ( 40 ) for receiving the light emitted by the light source unit ( 10 ) and splitting it into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the light reflected by a die ( 60 ) surface under inspection and thereby forming a detection beam; a reference unit ( 70 ) for receiving the second portion of the light and processing it into a reference beam; and a detection unit ( 90 ) for receiving the detection beam and the reference beam. The reference beam crosses the detection beam at an angle and thus produces interference fringes on a sensing surface of the detection unit ( 90 ), based on which a defect parameter of the die ( 60 ) surface under inspection is determined. This apparatus is capable of measuring a die with improved accuracy and efficiency and is suitable for the measurement of large dies.

Claims (222)

1. An apparatus for die defect detection, comprising:

a light source unit for emitting light of two wavelengths;

a beam splitter for splitting the light emitted by the light source unit into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion reflected by a die surface under inspection and thereby forming a detection beam;

a reference unit having a surface configured to receive the second portion of the light and thereby form a reference beam; and

a detection unit for receiving the detection beam and the reference beam, wherein the reference beam crosses the detection beam at an angle and thus forming interference signals on a sensing surface of the detection unit, and wherein a defect parameter of the die surface under inspection is determined based on the interference signals;

wherein intensities, detected by the detection unit, of light with a shorter wavelength and of light with a synthetic wavelength generated from the two wavelengths respectively satisfy:

I

1

cos

(

2

π

λ

1

·

2

(

z

+

x

·

sin

θ

)

)

;

I

2

cos

[

(

2

π

λ

1

-

2

π

λ

2

)

·

2

(

z

+

x

·

sin

θ

)

]

=

cos

[

2

π

λ

2

-

λ

1

λ

1

λ

2

·

2

(

z

+

x

·

sin

θ

)

]

,

where: I 1 represents the intensity of the light with the shorter wavelength λ 1 ; I 2 represents the intensity of the light with the synthetic wavelength generated from the two wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 ; θ represents an angle at which the surface of the reference unit is inclined with respect to a vertical direction perpendicular to the die surface under inspection; z represents a height of a measurement point on the die surface under inspection; and x represents a horizontal position of a sensing pixel in the detection unit.

2. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 1 , wherein the detection unit comprises at least one detector for detecting the interference signals.

3. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 2 , wherein the detection unit comprises a plurality of detectors, each configured for the detection of light with a corresponding one of the wavelengths.

4. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 2 , wherein the detector is implemented as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor or charge-coupled device image sensor.

5. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 1 , wherein the reference unit comprises a reflective element having a surface for receiving the second portion of the light and forming the reference beam, the surface of the reflective element inclined at an angle with respect to a vertical direction perpendicular to the die surface under inspection.

6. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 1 , wherein the light with the shorter wavelength λ 1 determines a resolution of the apparatus for die defect detection, with the light with the synthetic wavelength generated from the two wavelengths determining a vertical measurement range of the apparatus for die defect detection, the resolution and the vertical measurement range of the apparatus for die defect detection given by the following equations:

R 0 =λ 1 /2/SNR;

Z 0 =λ S /2,

where: R 0 represents the resolution of the apparatus for die defect detection; SNR represents a signal-to-noise ratio of the apparatus for die defect detection; Z 0 represents the vertical measurement range of the apparatus for die defect detection; and λ S represents the synthetic wavelength generated from the two wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 .

7. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 1 , further comprising an objective lens for magnifying the die surface under inspection, the objective lens disposed between the beam splitter and the die surface under inspection.

8. A method for die defect detection using the apparatus for die defect detection as defined in claim 1 , the method comprising:

emitting light of two wavelengths by a light source unit;

splitting, by a beam splitter, the light emitted by the light source unit into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion reflected by a die surface under inspection and thereby forming a detection beam, the second portion forming a reference beam through a reference unit; and

detecting, by a detection unit, interference signals generated by the detection beam and the reference beam, and determining a defect parameter of the die surface under inspection.

9. An apparatus for die defect detection, comprising:

a light source unit for emitting light of three wavelengths denoted respectively as λ 1 , λ 2 and λ 3 ;

a beam splitter for splitting the light emitted by the light source unit into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion reflected by a die surface under inspection and thereby forming a detection beam;

a reference unit having a surface configured to receive the second portion of the light and thereby form a reference beam; and

a detection unit for receiving the detection beam and the reference beam, wherein the reference beam crosses the detection beam at an angle and thus forming interference signals on a sensing surface of the detection unit, and wherein a defect parameter of the die surface under inspection is determined based on the interference signals;

wherein the detection unit comprises a number of superpixels, each of the superpixels comprising a plurality of pixels, each of the pixels configured to measure an intensity given by:

I

(

x

,

y

)

=

A

1

2

+

B

1

2

+

2

A

1

B

1

cos

(

θ

x

,

y

,

1

+

φ

1

)

+

A

2

2

+

B

2

2

+

2

A

2

B

2

cos

(

θ

x

,

y

,

2

+

φ

2

)

+

A

3

2

+

B

3

2

+

2

A

3

B

3

cos

(

θ

x

,

y

,

3

+

φ

3

)

;

where: (x, y) represents a coordinate of the pixel; B 1 , B 2 and B 3 represent coefficients of the wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 and λ 3 of the light in relation to transmission and reflection thereof; A 1 , A 2 and A 3 represent coefficients of the wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 and λ 3 of the light in relation to reflectance of the die surface under inspection; φ 1 , φ 2 and φ 3 represent initial phases of the wavelengths λ 1 , λ 2 and λ 3 of the light; I(x, y) represents the intensity detected by the pixel at the coordinate (x, y); and θ x,y,i represents an angle between light with the wavelength λ i reflected back from the reference unit and light with the wavelength λ i reflected back from the die surface under inspection, measured by the pixel at the coordinate (x, y), where i=1, 2, 3.

10. The apparatus for die defect detection of claim 9 , wherein the defect parameter of the die surface under inspection is determined by an FFT algorithm.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2025
From: SHANGHAI MICRO ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT (GROUP) CO., LTD.
To: AMIES TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072912/0466 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 6, 2019
From: ZHANG, PENGLI; LU, HAILIANG; WANG, FAN
To: SHANGHAI MICRO ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT (GROUP) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 049396/0436 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 201610916613.9 · Oct 20, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200173932A1 · Jun 4, 2020