SYSTEM OVERVIEW

    SEM accuracy or better — Measure defects and lines as small as 0.1 µ
    Excellent Repeatability — 5 nm, or 1% of size, on hard and soft defects
    Objective measurements — Get accurate, operator-independent results
    Easy to use — Measure defects while reviewing; requires just one mouse-click
    Fast — Highly reliable measurements in one second

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

    The AVI sits next to your existing reticle inspection tool and uses its video signal to measure sizes accurately.

    During defect review, the operator turns to the AVI system and clicks on the defect in question.

    In one second, the AVI’s patented Flux Area Measurement™ measures the amount of light the defect blocks or absorbs. Size is displayed as diameter or area.

    The defect measurements, image and information are saved to a database for later review and analysis.

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SAVE TIME AND MONEY

    Avoid unneeded repairs — Reduce your guard bands and avoid the costs and delays of repairing masks that are within spec

    Reduce risk — Reduce the risk of shipping or using masks with critical defects

    Increase inspection tool throughput — Reduce machine time and management time spent evaluating and discussing marginal defects

    Reduce management consults and eliminate uncertainty — Assure that your operators get the same measurements as your vendor or customer

    Raise operator confidence; reduce training — After only 20 minutes of training, even new operators get the right answer, every time

    Accelerate your process development

    Increase early delivery premiums

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SYSTEM CAPABILITIES

    Measures hard and soft defects:
          Diameter, Opacity, Height/Width, Max. Dimension

    CD Measurements: same as defect measurements

    Edge and CD Uniformity (range and standard deviation)

    Contact Area: displayed as sqrt(area)

    Corner Radius (absolute)

    Butting Error

    OPC: Area, Separation, Asymmetry

    Built-in Statistics: Mean, Standard Deviation, Range

Operates on standard or phase-shift masks

Defect Size Range: 0.08 to 1.5 µ. Up to 100 µ depending on video source

Accuracy: 2% of defect size

Repeatability: 5 nm or 1% of the defect size on defects 0.25 µ and larger. 5 nm for defects 0.08 to 0.25 µ.

Speed: 1-5 seconds per measurement

Compatibility: KLA3xx (including UV systems), KLA Starlight, KLA 2xx, Lasertec, DRS-I, DRS-II, KMS, Nikon, Probing Solutions, others on request

Output: Screen, printout, email, spreadsheet and database

Defect Library: Images and measurements are stored in database for later review and analysis. Defect lists may be retrieved by customer, mask ID, comment, keyword, or date.

Equipment: Image processing computer; ethernet ready

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ACCURACY

AVI measurements are within 12 nm of the Verimask design size for ALL defects from 0.1 to 1 µ (after subtracting a process offset). By comparison, the Verimask measurements provided by Dupont vary by over 150 nm. Verimask measurements, which have traditionally been the industry standard, are performed on a Vickers microscope.

SEM measurements match the AVI within 7 nm on edge defects. SEM measurements of holes and spots differ from the design size by 50-100 nm (due to charging and SEM edge effects).

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REPEATABILITY

AVI repeatability is better than 5 nm, or 1% of the defect size.

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