US 12,456,599 B2
Metal pattern inspection method and focused ion beam apparatus
Michinobu Mizumura, Yokohama (JP)
Assigned to V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., Kanagawa (JP)
Appl. No. 18/027,051
Filed by V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., Yokohama (JP)
PCT Filed Aug. 4, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/028999
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 17, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/064871, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 31, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-160965 (JP), filed on Sep. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0326714 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. H01J 37/28 (2006.01); H01J 37/22 (2006.01); H01J 37/244 (2006.01); H01J 37/317 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/28 (2013.01) [H01J 37/226 (2013.01); H01J 37/244 (2013.01); H01J 37/3178 (2013.01); H01J 37/32449 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2806 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2817 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A metal pattern inspection method comprising:
applying voltage to a metallic pattern formed on a surface of an inspection target substrate;
scanning an inspection region on the inspection target substrate where the metallic pattern is formed using a focused ion beam cyclically in a raster scan mode to produce a secondary charged particle image of the inspection region as a function of intensities of secondary charged particles ejected from the inspection target substrate; and
detecting a breaking of or a short circuit in the metallic pattern from the secondary charged particle image, wherein
a pulsed voltage which changes in level with time is applied to the metallic pattern, and
a cycle of the pulsed voltage is selected to be shorter than a scanning cycle in which the focused ion beam is swept in a vertical or a horizontal direction.