Microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging: super-resolution, non-destructive metrology for semiconductor devices

Jangryul Park; Youngsun Choi; Soonyang Kwon; Youngjun Lee; Jiwoong Kim; Jae-joon Kim; Jihye Lee; Jeongho Ahn; Hidong Kwak; Yusin Yang; Taeyong Jo; Myungjun Lee; Kwangrak Kim

doi:10.1038/s41377-024-01469-3

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Microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging: super-resolution, non-destructive metrology for semiconductor devices

Original Articles

- Microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging: super-resolution, non-destructive metrology for semiconductor devices
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 13, Issue 6, Pages: 1098-1111(2024)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Metrology and Inspection Equipment R&D Team, Mechatronics Research, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 1-1 Samsungjeonja-ro, hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do 18848, Republic of Korea
  2.Process Development Department, DRAM Process Development Team, Semiconductor R&D Center, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 1-1 Samsungjeonja-ro, hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do 18848, Republic of Korea
  3.Process Development Department, Semiconductor R&D Center, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 1-1 Samsungjeonja-ro, hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do 18848, Republic of Korea
- Author bio：
  
  Kwangrak Kim (kwangrak.kim@samsung.com)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-024-01469-3
  CLC：
- Received：08 December 2023，
  
  Revised：2024-04-18，
  
  Accepted：07 May 2024，
  
  Published Online：28 May 2024，
  
  Published：30 June 2024
- Accepted：
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Park, J. et al. Microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging: super-resolution, non-destructive metrology for semiconductor devices. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1098-1111 (2024).
DOI：

Park, J. et al. Microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging: super-resolution, non-destructive metrology for semiconductor devices. Light: Science & Applications, 13, 1098-1111 (2024). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-024-01469-3.

摘要

Abstract

As semiconductor devices shrink and their manufacturing processes advance

accurately measuring in-cell critical dimensions (CD) becomes increasingly crucial. Traditional test element group (TEG) measurements are becoming inadequate for representing the fine

repetitive patterns in cell blocks. Conventional non-destructive metrology technologies like optical critical dimension (OCD) are limited due to their large spot diameter of approximately 25 μm

which impedes their efficacy for detailed in-cell structural analysis. Consequently

there is a pressing need for small-spot and non-destructive metrology methods. To address this limitation

we demonstrate a microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging (MAHSI) system

specifically designed for small spot optical metrology with super-resolution. Utilizing microsphere-assisted super-resolution imaging

this system achieves an optical resolution of 66 nm within a field of view of 5.6 μm × 5.6 μm. This approach effectively breaks the diffraction limit

significantly enhancing the magnification of the system. The MAHSI system incorporating hyperspectral imaging with a wavelength range of 400–790 nm

enables the capture of the reflection spectrum at each camera pixel. The achieved pixel resolution

which is equivalent to the measuring spot size

is 14.4 nm/pixel and the magnification is 450X. The MAHSI system enables measurement of local uniformity in critical areas like corners and edges of DRAM cell blocks

areas previously challenging to inspect with conventional OCD methods. To our knowledge

this approach represents the first global implementation of microsphere-assisted hyperspectral imaging to address the metrology challenges in complex 3D structures of semiconductor devices.

关键词

Keywords

references

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