Presentation Information
[8p-N102-4]Automation and Efficiency Enhancement of High-Quality Data Acquisition for Semiconductor Cross-Sectional Imaging Using an In-Lens FE-SEM
〇SHUNYA TANAKA1, YUSUKE FUKUCHI2, TAKESHI SUNAOSHI2, DAIJI KIRIHATA2, SATOSHI OKADA2 (1.Hitachi, Ltd., 2.Hitachi High Tech Corp.)
Keywords:
Automation,Image processing,Electron Microscope
We report on the automation of high-quality data acquisition for semiconductor cross-sectional imaging using an in-lens FE-SEM. For tilt adjustment, we developed an automated method based on electron channeling patterns (ECP). The crystal axis is detected from the ECP using phase-only correlation, and the specimen tilt is automatically adjusted so that the observation direction is perpendicular to the cross-section. For focus adjustment and astigmatism correction, we introduced a directional sharpness metric defined in the frequency domain. Conventional derivative-filter-based methods suffer from arbitrariness in filter size and insufficient directional discrimination. Our power-spectrum-based directional sharpness enables stable evaluation even for images with sparse edge features, allowing reliable autofocus and automatic astigmatism correction. These developments eliminate operator dependency and enable efficient acquisition of high-quality images for semiconductor metrology.