IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,303,307
Granted Patent B2
US 12,303,307 · App. 18/095,926 · Granted May 20, 2025

Semiconductor device measurement method using x-ray scattering and semiconductor device manufacturing method including the measurement method

Inventors: Jaeyong Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Hidong Kwak (Suwon-si, KR); Minjung Shin (Suwon-si, KR); Seungryeol Oh (Suwon-si, KR); Chuhee Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Byunghyun Hwang (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
A61B6/44A61B6/483
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,303,307
App. No.
18/095,926
Granted
May 20, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A semiconductor device measurement method using X-ray scattering includes preparing a semiconductor device including a repeat structure, irradiating X-rays onto the semiconductor device to obtain a first X-ray scattering image, calculating a second X-ray scattering image through simulation, the second X-ray scattering image corresponding to a target repeat structure for the semiconductor device, generating a repeat structure mask by analyzing a position of a signal for a regular repeat structure from the second X-ray scattering image, removing the repeat structure mask from the first X-ray scattering image and generating an error image; and analyzing the error image and calculating irregularities for the repeat structure of the semiconductor device.

Claims (46)

1. A semiconductor device measurement method using X-ray scattering, the semiconductor device measurement method comprising:

preparing a semiconductor device including a repeat structure;

irradiating X-rays onto the semiconductor device to obtain a first X-ray scattering image;

calculating a second X-ray scattering image through simulation, the second X-ray scattering image corresponding to a target repeat structure for the semiconductor device;

generating a repeat structure mask by analyzing a position of a signal for a regular repeat structure from the second X-ray scattering image;

removing the repeat structure mask from the first X-ray scattering image and generating an error image; and

analyzing the error image and calculating irregularities for the repeat structure of the semiconductor device.

2. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating irregularities comprises calculating a structural dispersion in a field of view (FoV).

3. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating irregularities comprises quantifying the irregularities with respect to the error image.

4. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 3 , wherein the irregularities are quantified as an average value with respect to a distance based on a center of the error image, or the irregularities are quantified as a value obtained by applying a weight to the distance based on the center of the error image.

5. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 4 , further comprising managing a process dispersion of the semiconductor device based on the quantified irregularities.

6. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein

the first X-ray scattering image and the second X-ray scattering image are brightest in respective centers thereof due to a diffraction phenomenon, and

a signal portion due to irregularities is maintained in the error image.

7. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the repeat structure comprises a high aspect ratio (HAR) structure.

8. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the repeat structure comprises a storage node of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a channel hole of a vertical NAND (VNAND).

9. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the first X-ray scattering image and the second X-ray scattering image are obtained by using a small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement device.

10. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 1 , wherein the preparing comprises preparing a wafer including a plurality of semiconductor devices.

11. A semiconductor device measurement method comprising:

loading a wafer into a small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement device;

measuring a semiconductor device in the wafer with the SAXS measurement device;

storing a first X-ray scattering image for the semiconductor device;

modeling a target repeat structure for the semiconductor device;

analyzing X-rays with respect to the modeled target repeat structure;

storing a second X-ray scattering image with respect to the target repeat structure; and

removing the second X-ray scattering image from the first X-ray scattering image and calculating structural irregularities of a repeat structure of the semiconductor device in an X-ray measurement field of view (FoV),

wherein the irregularities represent a difference between an actual repeat structure of the semiconductor device and the target repeat structure.

12. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 11 , wherein the storing of the first X-ray scattering image is performed separately from the storing of the second X-ray scattering image, and

the calculating the structural irregularities comprises calculating structural dispersion in the FoV.

13. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 11 , wherein the calculating the structural irregularities comprises numerically quantifying the structural irregularities.

14. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 13 , wherein the structural irregularities are quantified as an average value of a distance from a center with respect to an image in the X-ray measurement FoV, or the structural irregularities are quantified as a value obtained by applying a weight to the distance from the center.

15. The semiconductor device measurement method of claim 11 , wherein the repeat structure comprises a high aspect ratio (HAR) structure.

16. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising:

preparing a semiconductor device including a repeat structure;

irradiating X-rays onto the semiconductor device to obtain a first X-ray scattering image;

calculating a second X-ray scattering image through simulation, the second X-ray scattering image corresponding to a target repeat structure for the semiconductor device;

generating a repeat structure mask from the second X-ray scattering image by analyzing a position of a signal for a regular repeat structure;

removing the repeat structure mask from the first X-ray scattering image and generating an error image;

analyzing the error image and calculating irregularities for the repeat structure of the semiconductor device; and

applying the irregularities to a process dispersion management of the semiconductor device.

17. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 16 , wherein the calculating irregularities comprises quantifying the irregularities with respect to the error image by calculating structural dispersion in a field of view (FoV).

18. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 17 , wherein the irregularities are quantified as an average value with respect to a distance based on a center of the error image, or the irregularities are quantified as a value obtained by applying a weight to the distance based on the center of the error image.

19. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor device is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a vertical NAND (VNAND), and the DRAM or the VNAND have a high aspect ratio structure.

20. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 16 , wherein:

the first X-ray scattering image and the second X-ray scattering image are brightest in respective centers thereof due to a diffraction phenomenon, and are obtained using a SAXS measurement device, and

a signal portion due to irregularities is maintained in the error image.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 11, 2023
From: LEE, JAEYONG; KWAK, HIDONG; SHIN, MINJUNG; OH, SEUNGRYEOL; LEE, CHUHEE; HWANG, BYUNGHYUN
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062349/0129 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2022-0066351 · May 30, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230380783A1 · Nov 30, 2023
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