US 12,217,930 B2
Systems and methods for thermally conditioning a wafer in a charged particle beam apparatus
Martijn Petrus Christianus Van Heumen, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Jeroen Gerard Gosen, Veldhoven (NL)
Assigned to ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed by ASML Netherlands B.V., Veldhoven (NL)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/467,642.
Application 18/467,642 is a continuation of application No. 17/493,837, filed on Oct. 4, 2021, granted, now 11,804,358.
Application 17/493,837 is a continuation of application No. 16/675,192, filed on Nov. 5, 2019, granted, now 11,139,141, issued on Oct. 5, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/756,483, filed on Nov. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0079202 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01J 37/20 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/20 (2013.01) [H01L 21/67288 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2001 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2814 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for adjusting a charged particle beam tool with a thermal conditioning station, the apparatus comprising:
a memory storing a set of instructions; and
at least one processor configured to execute the set of instructions to cause the apparatus to perform:
acquiring one or more characteristics of a plurality of structures on a wafer on a wafer stage, wherein a temperature of the wafer is preconditioned by the thermal conditioning station before the wafer is transferred onto the wafer stage for scanning with the charged particle beam tool;
determining a temperature characteristic based on the one or more characteristics of the plurality of structures on the wafer; and
adjusting the thermal conditioning station based on the temperature characteristic of the wafer.