Benchmarking of advanced CD-SEMs at the 130nm CMOS technology node

The Advanced Metrology Advisory Group (AMAG) is a council composed of the chief CD-metrologists from the International SEMATECH consortium's Member Companies and from the National Institute of Standards (NIST). The AMAG wrote and, in 2000, updated the "Unified Advanced CD-SEM Specification for Sub-0.18um Technology (Version 2000)" [Deleporte, et a]., 20011 to be a living document which outlines the required performance of advanced CD-SEMs for vendor compliance to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors [ITRS, 2001], and also conveys other Member companies' collective needs to vendors. Following this specification, a benchmarking effort of the four currently available advanced CD-SEMs has been performed. This paper presents the results of this effort. Previous studies under this same project have been published [Deleporte, 2000]. The AMAG Unified Specification includes sections outlining the test methodologies and wafer-target requirements for each parameter to be benchmarked, and, if applicable, prescribes a target specification compatible with the ITRS. Parameters to be considered include: Precision, Repeatability and Reproducibility Accuracy Charging and Contamination Pattern Recognition and Navigation Accuracy Throughput Instrumentation Outputs The exact results of this project have been communicated to the International SEMATECH Member Companies and to the relevant tool suppliers. While actual identity of the tools in question and the exact numerical results cannot be communicated outside of this group, this report serves as a platform to communicate the current general performance abilities of advanced CD-SEM tools to the CD-Metrology community at large through showing general ranges of the values of the results. Also included is a comparison of progress with respect to the ITRS.