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KLA-Tencor Alpha

1. 106 image illustration eeseessssse 104 image Save 45 installation LL 13 installation procedure computer Connections saneennoenenennnenennne 17 computer power UD 18 computer voltage check 16 instrument setup 16 Page 149 of 153 July 2004 launch system software 19 stage table installation 19 installed Options nnannnanenannennnnnnennnnnnnnnnennnni 132 instrument OVervleu 12 instrument shipping eseeeee eese 21 giigerelU rero p EN EE 12 L language changing ssnnsnnnnnsnnnnnnnnnnnnnneennnne 60 least square line method 76 HEN UNN 127 leveling operator rarannrrnnnrvnnrvnnrnnnrnnnnnnnennnr 102 leveling the Profile least square line method 76 minimum zone line method 76 polynomial fit method 76 two zones meihod 76 leveling the stage 70 loading a sample 36 65 M magnetic grid eeseeeeseeeseeeees 108 main window software sssnsenesnnnenesrenennn 38 maintenance service DOC 127 troubleshooting eeessssss 127
2. 105 removing a user account ssss 31 repeatability stability specifications 141 required radius stylus ssse 43 resetting the system eesessessss 31 resolution scan arrrnrnnnrnannnnrnannnnrnannneennnnnene 40 SO ene tit PM etatem m M LEE 134 reviewing a document 100 rotating the stage ssss 66 roughness Garameiere 90 roughness parameters additional 92 S safety limit elevator 59 sample handling specifications 142 ere go NE RR NET 36 65 positioning ccceccceeeceeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeees 36 66 EMO AGING eM 72 Viewing cc0ccceeeceeecesceeneceeececeeeeeeeesaeeees 36 66 sampling vie EN 90 CIE 40 sampling length 109 saving a document NR TOT 99 Alpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential cR 48 profile trace data 49 96 the video image eese 45 scan ADO P C P 68 analysis Ivpe 68 oie EEE 25 calibration recipe 51 MENN RR NC 41 iz bens 40 sampling rate eseesssss 40 SE EEE NE 39 cero 40 cuz PM TP OOS
3. 31 user account modifying 31 user account remOoving 31 user lee 27 user management dialog 28 DOX DIOL eda 124 C calibration backlash PM T 56 Scan recipes rrarrnnrnnnrnnnnanvnnrnannnnnnannnnrnasennen 51 SIUS ere 54 vertical ecale 50 changing the stylus rarrrarrrnrrrnnrrnrrvnnrvnnrrnrr 136 circle illustration eeesesssse 105 compatibility software and firmware 130 contact speed stylus 43 control chart E 123 copyright pnoiice 2 creating new Userg 30 crosshairs NE 45 defining position rrranrrnnnnrrnnnernnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnne 63 D data file exporting esses 143 data review analysis features eeseseussse 102 applying a template 100 exporting data 101 exporting parameter values 101 OVerView essesssssseeeeee enne nnne nnns 98 PN ee 102 results from Manual Sequence 118 Page 148 of 153 July 2004 reviewing a document 100 saving a document 99 window organization eeessees 98 data review button eeeeseeseesesee 25 GALA SAVING ed 49 date illustration sseesseeesse 105 defining manual sequence recip
4. 142 PO 141 repeatability stability 141 sample handling 142 PENN 40 stage SE PE EEE 70 jeep 66 starting a scan eranrrnnrvnnrrnnrvnnrvnnrnnnrvnrnnernnnnnnn 67 starting the System 22 35 statistical summary eeeeseeesessse 122 SSCS EEE 120 10 qoo RR 124 control chart E 123 defining populations 120 EI elei EE 124 TN 125 statistical summary esses 122 status LEDS T 127 step height evaluation modes AALS EE EN 80 2 zones Delta Averaging 81 lte un Ve 82 step height measurement study 104 step height parameters 87 88 SIUdIGS T 103 Abbott Firestone curve 104 area of a hole peak 104 average power spectrum density 104 frequency spectrum uessss 104 profile curve rrarrrnnrrnnrnnarnnanrvanenanenanenanennee 104 step height measurement 104 surface finish CUFVe snnonnsnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne 104 stylus SAUSEN E 42 available styli 134 652 1 S UALS EE 136 contact speed 43 Alpha Step IQ User
5. Chapter 5 Defining a Recipe 5 1 ORGANIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE MAIN WINDOW The window is divided in two horizontal areas The upper part allows defining and controlling the measurement the lower part is dedicated to the profile display the profile curve and associated metrological results A 154 p H t Li HEB tee Kees BE TICTTETS duk EEE ft E fum Ps 500 um i Tere E Sean Time 1 San Speed Soun Advanced Scantirection e samp rg fate som Peschta 1 en ie 3 Measurement control area Mic ln 44 8 urs Weg AVE ren ME AD fm Analysis display area D E amp Bn Bn 1n 13 340 185 1 XO 5 40 50 280 3X0 um Figure 5 1 The Alpha Step IQ main window with its two areas For information on the video display areas please refer to 5 2 6 The Video Display NOTE The available system functions are determined by the user s logon permission level refer to Section 3 5 USER Groups and System Access Restrictions and by the installed options refer to Section 12 3 Software Versions and Installed Options Depending on the permission level and the options some of your buttons tabs or windows may be inactive or different from the ones shown in this manual Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 38 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 5 2 HOW TO DEFINE A MEASUREMENT RECIPE 5 2 1 What is a Recipe
6. Figure 6 11 Changing the Video driver properties in the Video Proc Amp tab CAUTION Modify only the settings in the Video Proc Amp tab Do not modify the settings in the other tabs Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 62 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 6 6 2 Defining the Position of the Crosshairs The position of the alignment crosshairs on the video display shows the position where the scan will start The user may want to align the crosshairs exactly with the center of the stylus tip in case the stylus or the camera has been changed NOTE The alignment is particularly important for the Match function for Manual Sequences In case the stylus or the camera has been changed between the moment when the reference site image has been taken and the moment of the Manual Sequence scan an alignment is necessary in order to fulfill the match criteria AND to start the scan at the correct position Instructions 1 Load a sample onto the stage 2 Move the stylus down adjusting it to Center bias 3 Right click on the live video display area maximize the video display and choose Define new crosshairs position 4 Click with the crosshairs cursor on the center of the stylus tip Figure 6 12 Correcting the crosshairs position If you want to reset the position of the crosshairs to the center position choose Heset current crosshairs position If the user tries to adjust the crosshairs when the styl
7. The Save button saves the current Manual Sequence Recipe under its name The Run button allows a user to run a Manual Sequence Recipe loaded in the Manual Sequence window For further information please refer to Section 10 3 Profiling from a Manual Sequence Recipe 10 2 2 1 Modifying the Associated Recipe If a user wants to modify the content length of the profile measurement speed calculated parameters of the recipe associated to the Manual Sequence Recipe he has to switch to Scan mode and has to load and modify the copy of the original recipe file in the corresponding Manual Sequence Recipe s folder Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 114 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Look in 215 ample 5 Et Desktop Rapid ey My Computer s r Local Disk C 153 Program Files OG Alpha Step IO 9 Users OG MyllzerMame 3 Manual Sequence me 1 File name IF apid scan 2 5 mm aig Files af type I Recipe aid Figure 10 5 Modifying the copy of the associated recipe 10 3 PROFILING FROM A MANUAL SEQUENCE RECIPE 1 In the main Scan window click on the Run Sequence button and choose the Manual Sequence Recipe msr you want to run refer to section 10 2 Defining a Manual Sequence Recipe for instructions on creating a Manual Sequence Recipe Scan Manual Sequence Manual Sequence name san en Sample 5 d Save into folder of EI p Associated recipe name Up
8. 5 Click on the Settings button and click on the Backlash Calibration tab 6 Enter the values as required Figure 6 7 and click on the Save button to validate the calibration Backlash Calibration Old Calibration value Step Width measured From Right to Left Step Width measured From Left to Right Total Step Width Standard Step Width New Calibration value Figure 6 7 Backlash Calibration window Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 58 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 6 4 SETTING THE ELEVATOR SAFETY LIMIT The Stage Settings tab available from the Settings menu defines a security limit for the elevator sample stage The elevator will not be able to move higher than one millimeter over this limit in order to protect both the stylus and the measured component by preventing a collision When configuring the elevator safety limit it is recommended to place a substrate on the stage that Will be typically used in day to day operations Elevator safety limit Previous value pn h Leam Position Stop New Value pm fo Save Position Figure 6 8 Setting the Elevator Safety Limit CAUTION A stylus force of at least 10mg is needed when teaching the stage safety limit Vibrations during the descent portion of the procedure may cause the stylus to trigger a signal indicating it has reached the surface If this occurs cancel the Stage Safety Limit configuration and increase the stylus forc
9. for all populations Pop1 1 10 Pop 2 11 20 Pop 3 21 30 Figure 11 5 Example of a Box Plot study Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 124 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 11 3 5 Scatter Plot The scatter plot allows the user to study the relationship between two parameters one represented on the horizontal axis the other one on the vertical axis It provides the user with Linear Regression analysis it is possible to display a regression line predictive equation and the coefficient of determination R Scatter Plot of Ra 558 0 080 pm and Fa GS 0 080 Um for population Pop 3 21 30 Ro GS 0080 pm 109 110 110 3111 3111 112 112 113 113 114 114 115 115nm Fa GS 0 080 um Figure 11 6 Example of a Scatter Plot study The following statistical parameters are available Statistical Explanation Parameter Coefficient of The coefficient of determination R shows how much of the variability in Y determination R values can be explained by the fact that they are related to X The value of the coefficient of determination may vary from 0 to 1 A coefficient of determination of 0 indicates that there is no correlation between the Y and the X parameter whereas a coefficient of determination of 1 indicates that the Y parameter is correlated with the X parameter ghe dyr yy KS LE x DA gt y r p Regression line The closer the coefficient of determination R is to 1 the
10. A header footer may contain ordinary illustrations Image Text Block Page Number Current Date or specific header footer illustrations e Header Footer Video Image displays the image of the sample at the start of the scan e Header Footer Document name text illustration automatically filled in with the file name e Header Footer Author text illustration author name can be filled in by the user e Header Footer Comment text illustration comment can be filled in by the user e Header Footer Scan Date date illustration can be filled in by the user The user can e fillin header footer text author comment date e load another header footer file for the current document e switch to Header Footer mode to edit the header footer e define a default header footer for all new documents For more information please refer to the online help Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 107 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 8 PREFERENCES Several display and analysis preferences may be selected when clicking on the Options menu and selecting Preferences The settings will be applied to the whole software program They are not saved within the document or the recipe 9 8 1 Grid 9 8 1 1 Magnetic Grid This tab allows the operator to select to turn on or off the magnetic grid The magnetic grid is used when moving windows or object in the document If the magnetic grid is on the objects will on
11. Manual Sequence Recipes Optional Feature NOTE Manual Sequence is an optional feature for more information about d options refer to Section 12 3 2 Installed Options 10 1 PRESENTATION 10 1 1 What is a Manual Sequence Recipe Manual Sequence Recipes facilitate repetitive measurements This type of measurement is typically used to perform semi automatic measurements on several scan sites of one or several samples The operator uses the X and Y axis adjustment knobs to navigate from one scan site to the next one comparing a saved video image to the displayed live video Once all scans are performed predefined analysis documents allow the user to analyze the collected data 10 1 2 Presentation of the Basic Steps 1 A user creates a Manual Sequence Recipe He chooses the scan recipe that will be used for all individual scans of the Manual Sequence Then he uses the Manual Sequence window in Editing mode to define the successive scan sites giving them a name and capturing an image to identify each site Finally he saves the Manual oequence Recipe in the folder of the operator who will run the Manual Sequence Recipe For detailed instructions refer to section 10 2 Defining a Manual Sequence Recipe 2 An operator runs the Manual Sequence Recipe He chooses the Manual Sequence to run Once the Manual Sequence window is open in Run mode he navigates to the first scan site and checks its position using the Match function to compa
12. directory itself located at the installation root directory If you report a bug these files must be sent with the bug report and a precise bug description 12 2 3 Diagnostic Scans A diagnostic scan differs from a normal scan in that the stage does not move A diagnostic scan helps determine how much the operating environment is contributing to the noise level By examining the TIR results after a diagnostic scan you can rate the quietness of the environment This scan is designed to eliminate any contributions to noise from the sample surface that is being scanned and from mechanical noise being produced from operation of the instrument 12 2 3 1 Performing a diagnostic scan NOTE This function is available from the standard recipe screen to get d the following dialog box Click on the Advanced button inside the recipe screen to get the following dialog box Extended 5can Parameters X MaMHul Scan Scan Delay Wy ait Far F fe Delay only on first scan C Delay on all scans Figure 12 2 Extended Scan Parameters Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 129 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 In a No Motion Scan see Figure 12 2 above the system performs the measurement as described in the recipe except that the scan motor X axis does not move The stylus will stay fixed on the surface without moving collecting data during the amount of time specified in the recipe In a No Null Scan the
13. it is possible to export the measured data the filtered data or whatever modified data available in the document To export the data select the File menu click on Save As and set the File Type to one of the following data formats e Alpha Step IQ Data File format a convenient binary format e Alpha Step 500 Data File format a binary format used also by previous generation Alpha Steps e ASCII Data File a text format used to export the data into another application Each format is explained in Appendix B Exporting Data 9 3 5 Reviewing Exported Data To review a data file or to import a data file select the File menu then click on Open and select a file in the dialog box Be sure to set the File Type to one of the Data file formats not Analysis Document e Alpha Step IQ Data File format pro spro a convenient binary format e Alpha Step 500 Data File format rwb a binary format used also by previous generations of Alpha Step systems e ASCII Data File txt a text format used to import data from other applications The ASCII file must contain one X Z couple on each line regularly spaced out horizontal X positions and their corresponding height Z The values must be in mm The X and Z values are separated by a TAB character 9 3 6 Exporting Parameter Values If the current document contains studies producing numeric results it is possible to export these parameter values in an ASCII file as a te
14. manual sequence recipe 110 maximizing the video display 45 measurement control specifications 142 recipe definition ssseeessesss 39 Starting A SCAN wis iiverdencivandesduvdnivadaviaudeciverionnay 47 slep gt E 79 stopping a ecan 47 summary illustration 105 measuring the stylus tip 137 menu Commande 25 minimum zine line method 76 modifying a user account 31 modifying the profile sessssee 74 monthly preventive maintenance 140 moving the stylus up and down 46 multi scan Groflmg 69 Alpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential N HO EEG T t 109 O operating environment ssssssss 13 operators erase deiert 103 L G ao EN E 102 i e m 102 series of profiles sssuusssss 103 SYMMEtTY DERE ERE ER EET 102 thresholding 102 la 102 organization data review window rarrrnrrrnrrvnnrvnnrvnrnnnnnnn 98 main software WINdOW ssnnsennneneennnenennne 38 manual sequence window 111 overview data review rrrarrrnrronnnrrnnnvvnnnnvnnrnnanennnnnn
15. see Resolution below Resolution The resolution field defines the spacing between each data point in the profile In other words this is the pace at which the profile data are sampled by the instrument electronics analog to digital converter The resolution depends on the Scan Speed and the Sampling Rate Resolution um Scan Speed Sampling Rate EXAMPLE A speed of 10 um s and a Sampling Rate of 50 Hz produces a profile with a data spacing of 0 2um 2000 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 40 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 NOTE If this relation gives a result below 0 01 um the software automatically sets the resolution to 0 01 um This is the smallest spatial resolution possible As a result of this relation the resolution is not input by the user but automatically computed by the software from the sampling rates and the scan speed Scan Time This field displays the time needed to perform the measurement as defined by the current recipe visible on the screen In essence the scan time is simply the scan length divided by the scan speed For multi scans the homing time is calculated in the total time Contrary to former systems of the Alpha Step range the scan time is not limited Scan Direction This field allows the user to select the scan direction left to right or right to left In this example the left to right direction is preferred over the right to left direction bec
16. software firmware compatibility 130 software firmware diagnostics 128 software Crash 131 status LEDS cE 127 turning off the system seeessssse 31 two zones method 76 U Zille el Tu el usc 108 Page 152 of 153 July 2004 unloading the sample 72 user ou A 25 creating new Userg 30 default users rrrarerarenaroranoranenanennnennnennnennee 29 lte 27 modifying an account 31 removing an account 31 user management dialog 28 using a scan recipe to profile 67 V vertical scale calibration 50 video display adjusting crosshairs ssssssse 45 EE 63 Ta 0 Ezio 45 MAXIMIZING e une dann 45 SS EEE 61 viewing the sample 36 66 W ET 18 eegen 2 waviness filter rrrrnrernnrrrnnrrrarernanennnnennnnnnn 108 waviness parameters nensennennnnnennneennnne 96 weekly preventive maintenance 140 Z zoom Operator oennenannannanneennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnennne 102 ZOOMING the porotle 77 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential 0084995 000 Rev AA Page 153 of 153 July 2004
17. 67 ME Yc 41 ME ar 40 scan speed filter effect 85 scan diagnostics rrarararerarenarennnernnernnennnennee 129 EE 47 STN eee eee 125 semi annual preventive maintenance 140 sensor range sivius 42 serial number 131 series of profiles operator 103 settings analysis Ivpe 44 DUOI MER RERO PR 25 print Viel 44 E ln e E 39 video deplay 61 shipping contents eese 15 shipping the instrument 21 software AC Oo mE Em 134 crash recovery eeeseeseeee eene 131 data review button 25 data review window organization 98 diagnostics M CT 128 exit button 25 installed options 132 language rannnnnrrnnrvnnnvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne 60 main window organization 38 manual sequence window organization 111 i is gt 134 SCAN DUTON H 25 settings button 25 Page 151 of 153 July 2004 top level menu commands 25 user button rrrrrrarerarornnrvnnrnnnrnnnnnnnnnnnrnnnnenn 25 version and serial number 131 software firmware compatibility 130 cuo 120 specifications sre T H 14 measurement control 142 ene m
18. Alpha July 2004 Page 4 of 153 KLA Tencor Confidential Alpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA Leveling CC i j oo Knob HA Control Knob scanner Assembly ps OE tar Measurement Stage Figure ii Aloha Step IQ Close Up of Measurement Area Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 5 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS T n PAGE COPYRIGHT enge m 2 WARRANTY 2 TRADEMARKS vn 3 TABLE OF CONTEN e c dees 6 DLHMAFIEH Se E 12 Ml INSTESUBIBINT NER EN 12 CHAPTER 2 INSTALLA qj o umm 13 2 1 OPERATING ae Al E 13 2 1 1 Facility Specifications nennen nnne nnne nnne nnn nnn nnne nnns 14 2 2 EQUIPMENT DELIVERY E 15 2 SHIPPING CONTENTS 15 SE NO TALES TION NS 16 2 4 1 Checking the computer voltage settngs 16 2 4 2 Setting Up the Instrument and Computer 16 2 4 3 Launching the Alpha Step IQ Software nennen nennen nnn na nnns aane 19 2 5 MULTIPLE USERS OF THE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE nnne n nnn nnn nnne nennen nain 20 2 5 SHIPPING THE INSTRUMENT se 21 2 6 1 Shipping l 15 9 2 15 1 6 E 21 CHAPTER Je GE EE 22 3 1 STARTING UP THE SYSTEM 22 3 2 PROTECTING THE STYLUS ARM ASSEMBLY sse mene nnne nnne rrr nn nennen nennen 23 3 3
19. Document D Images E January values txt Text Document amp LH Manual Sequence EE March values txt Text Document C3 Recipes fe Temp Figure 3 10 Example of a user s Statistical Population Sources folder Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 33 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 WARNING Do not rename or move files or folders related to Statistics or to Manual Sequences Some files contain relative paths that will not work if you move the source files CAUTION Only data saved in one of the Users directories will be included in the archive when using the Backup function Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 34 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 4 Loading and Navigating a Sample This chapter is a brief tutorial to guide the operator in sample measurement It describes e Loading a sample e Viewing and positioning the sample e Unloading the sample This chapter assumes a basic knowledge of the instrument as described in Chapter 3 Basic Skills Chapter 3 should be read before proceeding The example used throughout this tutorial follows a continuous sequence of steps By carefully following the instructions the screens that appear should be very similar to the example screens reproduced in this chapter To work through this chapter a sample is required to profile A calibration standard works well for this purpose 4 1 STARTING THE SYSTEM e If
20. IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page80f 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 3 2 Applying a Template Document 100 9 3 3 Reviewing Ree Han E E 100 9A Te OMI 1D T 101 9 3 5 Reviewing Exported NR ER 101 9 3 6 Exporting Gel 101 E PRINTING DATA eee 102 DNB EM ET 102 9 5 1 Operators EEE TR RED 102 GT 103 5 MUS TAOS 104 SES ES iie NEE 106 9 9 5 THS Lis or Data FiOS T 106 9 6 NAVIGATION IN THE DOCUMENT nnn nennen nnns nsns nnn na sii arn n nien nnns sns nnns 107 9 7 EDITING THE HEADER FOOTER eeeeseseeennnIe eene nennen rh h nnn n nnns nsns nsns nsns n i rrr nnne nnne nnne enne nns 107 SS PFREFEREN ES 108 GE EE Ee E 108 SPAM OU ES MM 108 SET 108 VANER M 109 9 0 0 Samping LEN uer 109 SRoRoN er 0 ODUONS sesirikanira Rin sne ie AR neie Aa era ie i a a iaa aneirin 109 CHAPTER 10 MANUAL SEQUENCE RECIPES OPTIONAL FEATURE 110 10 1 PRESENTATION slede 110 10 1 1 What is a Manual Sequence Recipe n nosnnnennnsnnnennnrnnnrnnnrnnnrrrenrnerrnenrnnrrnerrnnrrnerrnnrrnereerrnene 110 10 1 2 Presentation of the Basic Steps rrrrarrrrarnrrnnnrr
21. If you want to adjust the measurement cursors manually be sure that you have zoomed in the data screen as much as possible on the region of the apex See Figure 12 10 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 138 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 a fa I width S Figure 12 12 Cursor Positioning for Radius Determination 4 Click on the Data Review button then select Distance Measurement from the Studies Menu Click inside the Distance Measurement Graph then in the Parameters icon in the toolbar Then select the Radius in the list If the cursors are well positioned i e only the circular part of the profile is between the two bars then the Radius value is correct Stylus tips are not perfectly spherical typically the radius varies being smallest at the tip and larger as the curve flattens out into the shaft Note the Radius is calculated from the Least Square Arc fitted to the profile curve It provides accurate results if the width of the arc is sufficient If the TIR of the arc is small i e the arc is almost flat then the result may have a large uncertainty For features that are small enough the effective radius of the stylus at the area where the tip contacts the sample surface is smaller than it is for larger features If the value of b in Figure 12 10 can be chosen as the TIR value of a typical measurement then the actual effective radius of the stylus at that scale can be more precisely stat
22. In order to define a profile measurement several settings are required For instance the user has to define the length of the profile the type of analysis to be carried out the roughness or step height parameters to be computed and the shape of the final document to be printed These settings can be defined saved into a single file and retrieved This batch of information is called a Recipe Click on the Edit button in the Recipe toolbar to enable the fields 5 2 2 Definition of the Scan Settings scan Length 500 pm 1 Time Scan Time 102 Scan Speed SU pms Advanced Scan Direction LA Sampling Fate FO Hz Resolution 1 um Figure 5 2 Area of the Screen Defining the Scan Settings Scan Length This field allows the user to define the scan length It corresponds to the length supplied as a result of the scan The stylus actually scans a slightly larger segment The two ends of the motion are not used to collect data The minimum acceptable length is 0 1 um If necessary the length is automatically set by the software to a multiple of the resolution The maximum acceptable length changes depending on the scan direction e The maximum scan length is 2 mm when measuring from right to left e The maximum scan length is 10 mm when measuring from left to right NOTE If the content of the Scan Length input field is invalid the field appears in red text to warn about the contents When defining the position a
23. Instrument Exit the Alpha Step IQ software and or go to the Start Menu and select Shut Down computer Refer to section 3 6 Turning Off or Resetting the System to see how to properly switch off the system 2 Remove the Cables Remove cables from the rear of the instrument Fig 2 1 and the rear of the computer Pull each connector out carefully Pull on the connector shells not the cables 3 Packaging To return the instrument to KLA Tencor Corporation be sure to use the original packing materials Place the computer and cables in their original boxes and place the scanner carefully inside its container and secure the foam base around it Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 21 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 3 Basic Skills 3 1 STARTING UP THE SYSTEM Switch on the computer and wait until Windows has launched and the Alpha Step IQ software has automatically been loaded Alpha Step IQ Username Administrator E Password av Figure 3 1 The Alpha Step IQ User Identification screen e The KLA Tencor logon screen is displayed e The elevator stage moves to its home position and the system performs various self tests that are chronicled as a series of screen messages This should last approximately 20 seconds e After the stage has moved to its home position enter your User Name and your Password to access to the instrument Your user name is related to a user group that allows y
24. Required Stylus Force Chart 5 2 Stylus Force Color Coding Contact Speed This field allows defining a value from 1 to 10 representing the speed at which the stylus comes down to the surface This speed is slowest at 1 and fastest at 10 It is recommended to keep the Contact Speed between 3 5 to gain a balance between faster measurements and stylus tip life Additionally if measuring soft surfaces such as gold and photoresist a Contact Speed of 1 3 is recommended Required Radius This field allows the user to define the stylus tip to be used in the recipe The selected stylus might depend on the hardness of the material scanned the application and on the lateral resolution required This field is provided for information to different users Changing the stylus requires a physical stylus replacement Refer to Section 12 5 Changing The Stylus for more information Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 43 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 5 2 4 Selecting the Analysis Type Analysis This field allows the operator to choose between predefined display and analysis types e Measured Profile The raw unprocessed scan data profile as it was acquired e Roughness Waviness The filtered roughness profile with associate roughness parameters e Step Height The scan trace for step height analysis and related parameters The analysis type and its associated settings leveling zoom cursor position selected param
25. The following items are shipped with the basic system One Alpha Step IQ User Manual and training Video Clips on CD ROM One Alpha Step IQ Software Program CD ROM One Installation Guide Document One electronic key dongle One stylus 5um radius 60 cone angle installed One stylus cleaning tool One hex key wrench 0 050 for adjusting the stylus force One Scanner Power Supply with power cord One Computer a Color Monitor if selected a mouse and a keyboard One Scanner to Computer USB cable One set of tweezers for stylus replacement One wrench for stylus replacement Check that all of the items in the above list were received Contact KLA Tencor Corporation if anything is missing Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 15 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 NOTE The carrier is responsible for damage incurred during shipping and should be contacted immediately if the shipping containers appear to be damaged Be sure to retain all damaged containers and documentation for inspection by the carrier NOTE Save the carton the computer boxes and all packing materials in the event that the instrument is to be returned to KLA Tencor Corporation These items are essential for safe shipping and have to be purchased from KLA Tencor Corporation if they are not available 2 4 INSTALLATION In order to install the Alpha Step IQ instrument please carefully follow the instructions in this chapter 2 4 1 Che
26. addition of the right to administrate user accounts An administrator cannot create a Maintenance user The administrator also has access to backup and restore functions as well as system diagnostics and software upgrades NOTE There can only be one administrator for the system Maintenance Reserved for KLA Tencor personnel Has complete access to the system in addition to diagnostic functions in order to help tuning and repairing the instrument There is only one maintenance user and that user cannot be removed KLA Tencor reserves the right to record accesses to this level and to verify these in connection with warranty rights NOTE Losing a password or a user name requires an action by the d administrator It is not possible to use the instrument without a user name and password 3 5 1 Accessing the User Management Dialog Box Log in under an Administrator account Click on the Settings button In the dialog box Figure 3 5 select the Users Management tab E X Stage Users Management Backup and Restore System Settings Video settings We bou Siren plus Force Calibration Language Settings Backlash Calibration Figure 3 5 Users Management Tab e The dialog shows the list of active system user accounts Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page280f153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 3 5 2 Default Users When the system is initially delivered or the software re installed
27. an auto ranging power module CAUTION Ensure that the computer s manual voltage switch is set to the proper voltage for the country in which it is operating An incorrect voltage can burn the power supply NOTE If power failure is a common occurrence use an Uninterruptible d Power Supply UPS device A UPS device supplies power for 30 minutes after a power failure so an orderly system shutdown can be performed Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 14 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 2 1 1 5 Ambient Temperature Specified operating range 21 5 C 72 9 F Maximum operating range 21 11 C 72 20 F For Best Accuracy 2 C maximum change hour Storage 18 to 45 C 0 to 115 F 2 1 1 6 Vibration Floor vibration from 2 40 Hz should be less than 0 2 mG G gravitational force or 9 81 m s Audio noise should be below 80 dB 2 2 EQUIPMENT DELIVERY In NOTE The carrier is responsible for damage incurred during shipping Check the shipping boxes very carefully at the time of receipt for any visible signs of possible damage If there is visible damage to any of the cartons make note of it in writing on the bill of lading before signing for the delivery This must be done with the delivery person on site at the time of delivery addition contact KLA Tencor Corporation Service Department at 1 800 600 2829 if there is any indication of damage 2 3 SHIPPING CONTENTS
28. around the negative standard Mean They can be drawn at a distance of 1 2 or 3 sigma 0 from the mean deviation lines at line 1 20r 3 sigma Min Max limits These limits show the minimum and the maximum values Variance value The variance 07 is calculated as follows A 5 x 4 g d A where c population variance x the i parameter s value or observation u the arithmetic mean of all observations and N total number of observations in the population Upper Control The yield is the proportion of observations falling inside the zone between the Limit UCL Lower user defined upper and lower control limits Control Limit LCL and Yield Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 123 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 11 3 3 Histogram This distribution bar graph represents ranges of values for a selected parameter along the horizontal axis and the number of observations falling into these ranges along the vertical axis Histogram of Height Pir for population Pap 3 21 307 Figure 11 4 Example of a Histogram study 11 3 4 Box Plot The box plot is a type of graph that is used to show the shape of the distribution its central value and variability It is useful when comparing populations The picture produced consists of the most extreme values in the data set maximum and minimum values the lower and upper quartiles the median and the mean Box Plot of Height P 1
29. by FFT This operator is used to remove certain wavelengths from the spectrum of the profile lt is especially useful to eliminate a known repeatable frequency such as those from acoustic vibration 9 5 2 Studies A study creates a frame on the document with information displayed inside The content of a study may be a curve an image a graph a series of numerical results and so on A study will not create a new data file but will be applied to the currently selected data file Each study is associated with a toolbar displayed below the menu bar that offers several display options and settings Those options can also be reached from the contextual menu right click mouse button menu Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 103 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 5 2 1 Profile Curve This study creates a frame with the profile curve Several display options can be selected such as background color curve color and vertical scale 9 5 2 2 Surface Finish Curve and Parameters This study creates a graph and a table of parameters The graph displays either the roughness or the waviness profile curve The table of parameters displays roughness or waviness parameters To select which parameters to display simply click inside the table and select the calculator icon in the toolbar 9 5 2 3 Abbott Firestone Curve This study creates a graph that can display the depth distribution and the Abbott Firestone curve This
30. calibration principle is to measure a trench from its center towards the right and from the center towards the left and evaluate the two semi widths and compare their sum to the width of the full trench When performing this calibration it is recommended to scan over a large trench with at least 100 um or more to make it easier to position the stylus and have enough acquired length to level and measure the groove Instructions 1 Measure the groove in normal conditions including the falling and rising edges Figure 6 4 Evaluate the width by positioning the cursors Be sure to level the trace Figure 6 4 Evaluating the width of the calibration trench 2 Shift the starting point of the scan to locate the stylus above the feature such that the trace will start near the center 3 Measure the groove in one direction and evaluate the width from the beginning of the trace to the rising edge Figure 6 5 Figure 6 5 Evaluating the semi width of the trench measured in one direction 4 Without moving the sample measure again the trench in the opposite direction by editing the recipe scan direction Evaluate the second half of the trench Figure 6 6 Note that the trace is displayed with the starting point on the left regardless of the scan direction Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 57 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Figure 6 6 Evaluating the semi width of the trench measured in the opposite direction
31. described in section 8 3 Leveling the Profile 9 5 1 2 Symmetry This operator is used to reverse the start and end of the profile or to invert the heights The user may select between vertical horizontal both or none 9 5 1 3 Zoom This operator is used to extract a part of the profile This operator is the same as the one described in section 8 4 Zooming the profile 9 5 1 4 Filtering gt Roughness Waviness This operator is used to generate a roughness and or a waviness profile The roughness profile contains only wavelengths shorter than the selected cutoff The waviness profile contains wavelengths longer than the cutoff wavelength 9 5 1 5 Thresholding The Thresholding operator is used to remove the data above upper and lower levels of a profile The upper and lower levels are specified by the user This allows viewing of data within a specific vertical range or threshold Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 102 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 5 1 6 Create a Series of Profiles A Series of Profiles is a set of multiple scans analyzed together i e multi scan This operator allows the user to create a Series of Profiles from individual profiles Only profiles of the exact same length can be assembled into a series of profiles The profiles must have been created by the same recipe Each profile must exist as an ASIQ binary type of file saved as a pro file type To create a
32. discriminate the small peaks the Hsc uses a positive threshold A peak will be taken into account if the peak is higher than the threshold Rmr c Material Ratio This is the ratio of the material length and the evaluation length This parameter is also known as the Bearing Ratio It uses a cutting depth value c taken from the highest peak and provides the percentage of material that is cut at the given depth Refer to Figure 8 17 for an illustration L 20 eu DU eu 100 um Rmr 85 975 2 5 um below peak Figure 8 17 Material Ratio Rmr Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 94 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 R c mr1 mr2 Section Height Difference This is the height difference between two material ratio values In the program the R c is written as RDc If mr is zero then the section height difference will provide the cutting depth from the highest peak It may be useful to calculate R c between extreme values like H c 0 5 6 99 526 in order to have an estimate of the TIR or Pt of the profile while removing a small amount of outliers 1 of the highest peaks and deepest valleys are removed Refer to Figure 8 17 for an illustration um Ret 1 71 um 10 90 Figure 8 18 Section Height Difference H c Rpm Mean Peak Heights This is defined as the arithmetic mean of Peak Heights calculated within the sampling length Individual peaks are identified and their height from the mean l
33. e Press the Delete User button 3 6 TURNING OFF OR RESETTING THE SYSTEM To terminate the user session use the Exit button from the main screen Depending on the User group and on the shut down restrictions in the Users Management tab refer to Section 3 5 3 Creating a New User exiting the software automatically may shut down the computer or not For information purpose the default settings are as follows e If the user group is Operator or Engineer this command shuts down the instrument and computer as the user normally does not need to access the computer for other purposes than using the scanner These default shut down restrictions can be disabled e lf the user is part of the Administrator or Maintenance groups this command exits the Alpha Step IQ software and brings the user back into the Windows XP desktop for service purposes Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 31 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 WARNING Never directly switch off the computer or press the Reset button instead of using the Exit button icon This would shortcut the automatic computer shutdown process and could result in corruption of configuration data necessary for proper system startup 3 7 FILES AND DIRECTORIES The software allows a user to save work files to the computer hard disk In order to sort these every user is given a directory in which several subdirectories are created The user can store files or cr
34. e to save the data in an analysis document e to save the current data file profile series of profiles Please refer to Section 8 10 Saving the profile for further information Print prints the current page of the analysis document Please refer to Section 8 11 Printing the profile for further information Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 49 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 6 Instrument Calibration All system calibrations are accessible from within the Settings menu tabs Depending on the user access level the items available inside the Settings menu may be restricted and hidden Please refer to Section 3 4 Settings Overview for more information on user access restrictions 6 1 VERTICAL SCALE CALIBRATION 6 1 1 Principle Calibration of the vertical scale using a Step Height Standard The vertical sensing transducers in the Alpha Step IQ profilers are not absolute devices and therefore require calibration The calibration factor is a number that is multiplied to the vertical scale of every measurement in order to get corrected accurate results from the instrument There is one different calibration factor for every range 20 um 400um and optional 2mm of the instrument The calibration factor of every range is set at the factory and calibrated over time as needed Calibration should be done once when installing the instrument but also on a regular basis depending on the system
35. hand side or the Page Up and Page Down buttons on the keyboard Each page also contains a customizable header and footer For further information please refer to Section 9 7 Editing the Header Footer if you wish to modify the document layout The measured data and all modified data of a document are stored in a List of Data Files For further information please refer to Section 9 5 5 The List of Data Files A menu bar is displayed at the top of the screen just below the Top Menu Scan button To switch back to Scan mode and profile a new sample just click on the Scan button on the top of the screen When closing the Data Review mode the operator will be given the choice of saving the report document or discarding it NOTE Modifications made in Data Review mode do not affect the data displayed in Scan mode They are applied to a copy of the data collected in Scan mode The following sections give you a short description of the functionalities of the Data Review mode Further information on the Data Review mode can be read in the online help by clicking on the Help menu and selecting Help Topics 9 3 REVIEWING SAVING DATA Some of the functions described below may be prohibited depending on the User level refer to Section 3 5 USER Groups and System Access Restrictions The current analysis document can be saved for review at a later time 9 3 1 Saving a Document In the File menu click on Save to save the docu
36. list of formats allows the operator to select the desired output 9 5 3 7 Page Number This illustration inserts a text frame with the current page number and optionally the total number of pages in the document Once this frame has been inserted a right click inside the frame allows the operator to define the display format 9 5 3 8 Summary of the Last Operator This illustration creates a frame that provides a summary of the last operation applied on the associated data file In some cases the operation can be modified directly from this summary for example changing the zoom area will automatically refresh the document in real time 9 5 3 9 History of Operators This illustration provides the list of all operations applied on the selected Data File from its origin data loaded from the disk or measured in Scan mode 9 5 3 10 Measurement Summary This illustration provides a summary of the recipe settings This includes the recipe name scan length scan speed and resolution among other parameters Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 105 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 5 3 11 Identity Card This illustration provides information about the Data File itself such as the number of points resolution and length of each axis 9 5 3 12 Tolerance Limit This illustration allows the user to set limits on a parameter calculated by a study in the document If the value is outside the limits a specifi
37. look from the underside of the stylus arm Gently tighten the setscrew Do not tighten it too much because you might strip the threads or damage the sensor arm pivots Set the Stylus Insertion Tool or forceps down Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 136 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 10 11 12 Spline Wrench Stylus Arm Stylus Stylus Insertion Tool Figure 12 9 Inserting the New Stylus To ensure that the stylus is fully inserted place a finger under the stylus tip and loosen the set screw Gently press upwards with your finger on the stylus tip until the stylus is fully seated Gently retighten the setscrew Do not tighten it too much because you might strip the threads or damage the sensor arm pivots Note If the stylus is not fully seated the stylus will not appear centered on the live video image cross hairs Remove the stylus wrench from the stylus arm and the mirror from the stage table Replace the scanner cover and the clear cover Check the stylus force and readjust if necessary See Section 6 2 Stylus Force Calibration for details If the stylus is not exactly at the same position as the previous one you may need to adjust the position of the alignment crosshairs on the video display See Section 6 6 2 Defining the Position of the Crosshairs for details 12 5 3 Measuring the Stylus Tip Radius This procedure describes a method of inspecting the tip of a stylus to measure its
38. may be necessary if measuring trenches that are almost 2mm in depth Chart 6 1 should suffice for polished or ordinarily machined surfaces Some surfaces have higher slopes and require as much as twice these stylus forces Brittle materials such as glass and ceramic are worked by microfracturing and a ground surface can include slopes as high as 40 Chart 6 1 Hecommended Force for Various Scan Speeds This function allows setting the stylus force The stylus force must be set mechanically but the software will supply the measured value hence allowing the user to come close to the desired value through several set check iterations Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 54 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 6 2 2 Adjusting the stylus force This function allows setting the stylus force The stylus force must be set mechanically but the software will supply the measured value hence allowing the user to come close to the desired value through several set check iterations The Stylus Force Calibration menu is available from the Settings button Stylus Force 15 6 mg Calibrate Figure 6 2 Calibrating the Stylus Force Instructions 1 Remove the transparent sample loading door cover by sliding it forwards and then up 2 Remove any sample inside the system and remove the sensor cover by lifting it straight up 3 Go inside the Settings menu and click on the Stylus Force Calibration tab Click on the Calibra
39. menu commands that are displayed at the top screen section of the Alpha Step IQ software windows Depending on the part of the software being used some of these commands may be hidden The Top Level Menus are Scan Data Review Settings User and Exit Data Review Settings User Excl Figure 3 3 Top Level Menu commands Scan The Scan button corresponds to the main Scan window that combines the recipe live video and measurement analysis screen The text on the button will be grey when using this window In Data Review mode or in Manual Sequence mode clicking on the Scan button allows the operator to come back to the main Scan window Data Review The Data Review mode provides an interface to the operator where in depth analysis and a report can be created When the operator clicks on this button the data trace and analysis that appear on the Scan screen will be taken to the Data Review mode This function hides the part of the screen dedicated to the measurement definition recipe and live video This analysis document also becomes configurable by the user for a tailored metrology study To learn how to configure the analysis document please refer to Chapter 8 Analyzing the Profile in the Scan Window and Chapter 9 Data Review Mode Settings The Settings button allows the operator to access the system s settings and calibration screens Depending on the user s access level to the soft
40. operator to analyze it as a single scan an average scan The Step Analysis Multi scan displays all the acquired scans along with a statistical summary of desired analysis parameters Multi scans are also referred to as a series of profiles These can be analyzed separately and combined with other scans once inside the Data Review mode described in detail in Chapter 9 Data Review Mode Chapter 8 Analyzing the Profile in the Scan Window also provides additional information on multi scans 7 6 2 Profiling from a Manual Sequence Recipe NOTE The optional Manual Sequence feature is documented in Chapter d 11 Profiler SPC Optional Statistics Feature 7 7 LEVELING THE STAGE The Alpha Step IQ has been mechanically leveled in factory by scanning over an optical flat However over time it may be necessary to re level the scan arm of the system specially when scans are consistently tilted in the same direction regardless of substrate used or scan locations This constant tilt in the scans may be corrected by mechanically leveling the stage NOTE The stage should be leveled mechanically only if the slope is excessive and consistent through multiple substrates and samples If the slope on the scans changes directions across various substrates and measurements then it is recommended to not level the stage mechanically Instead each scan trace should be leveled using one of the software s several leveling algorithms The object
41. order to be reloaded later or exported into other systems and offline software An analysis report contains a measured data file the description of operations applied to the data and a description of the layout for the presentation When an analysis document is reloaded it is recalculated before it can be displayed A file containing an analysis document has a file extension MNT B 1 2 Exporting the data file A single data file is composed of the z height of the measured data points It does not contain any information about the analysis the document layout nor the recipe When reloaded the data file will be displayed as a profile curve in an empty document The user will be allowed to analyze it using the analysis operators and studies B 1 2 1 Alpha Step IQ Data File Format This is the most convenient and the most compact format a binary format It is saved as a pro file extension This format contains various fields that are not relevant in the Alpha Step IQ software these fields are for use on other Profiler systems The fields that appear in gray color can be ignored when reading this format for a single or multiple 2D scan The file contains a fixed header size of 512 bytes followed by an optional comment size defined in the header and followed by the points In the case of a multiple scan file the format of one scan header points is repeated Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 143 of
42. radius or determine if it has been broken This is done by profiling an apex with a radius much smaller than the radius of the stylus tip itself Figure 12 11 Stylus Radius Measurement Tool Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 137 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 1 Enter the following specific recipe parameters a Scan Length 120um b Scan Speed 5um s c Sampling Rate 200Hz NOTE If you are using a large tip such as 12 5um radius or larger tips then a scan length of 120 um is too short to effectively analyze the radius try the following Scan length 240 um Scan speed 5 um s Sample Rate 100 Hz 2 Move the stage using the X knob to position the stylus about 50 60 um from the edge of the blade as shown in Figure 12 9 Note it might be difficult to accurately determine the position of the edge by sight If you have difficulty try taking a longer scan to locate the edge then adjust the start position accordingly and return to the shorter scan length Polished Surface Edge Fixture Figure 12 9 Positioning to Start Scan 3 Zoom the trace to the area near the apex and position the measurement cursors on either side such that the cursors clearly intersect the trace on the curved portion of the apex not further away where the trace straightens out The difference between the cursor heights should be as close to 0 as possible The height difference should be less than 3 of the measurement width
43. scan begins Note that the stylus will first travel opposite to the scan direction for a short distance then stop and move in the scan direction This allows the scanner to reach the programmed scan speed before the instrument begins to collect data The live video will capture the stylus as it scans over the surface while the measurement analysis portion of the screen displays the scan trace as it is generated Stylus Trace Figure 7 1 Stylus lowered to sample surface Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 67 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 When the scan is completed the stylus lifts and returns to its original position above the start of scan location and the measured data is displayed in the selected analysis page NOTE If the trace runs off scale or is not horizontal refer to Section 7 7 d Leveling the Stage and Section 8 3 Leveling the Profile To abort a scan e Press the stop button to abort a scan at any time Keyboard shortcut F9 If a scan is aborted the stylus will retract to its home position and the scan trace will display a flat line through the remaining portion of the scan length that was aborted The operator has the choice of starting a new scan or analyzing the aborted scan To select the analysis type The scan profile is displayed using one of the pages of the analysis document To switch to another set of analyses use the Analysis pull down menu in the recipe area of the scree
44. site image has been taken and the moment of the Manual Sequence scan You may for example decide to always use the minimum zoom position 8 Click on the Add site button to add more sites 9 When all scan sites of the Manual Sequence have been taught click on the Save button to save the Manual Sequence Recipe The recipe and all related information scan site names images will be saved in a file with a msr extension in a folder with the Manual Sequence s name that is created in the selected user s Manual Sequence folder 10 2 2 Saving and retrieving a Manual Sequence Recipe Figure 10 3 The Manual Sequence Recipe Buttons The New button clears the current Manual Sequence Recipe and allows users registered to the Engineer Administrator or Maintenance group to define a new Manual Sequence Recipe The Load button displays a list of Manual Sequence Recipes previously stored When loading another Manual Sequence Recipe the current Manual Sequence Recipe is erased and replaced by the one loaded The loaded Recipe can then be modified or run Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 113 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Look in OG S IER T Desktop E Sampi d My Computer s r Local Disk IC IG Program Files 9 Alpha Step I IG Users LC Molse ame 9 Manual Sequence File name Sample A rst Files of type Manual Sequence file mer Cancel Figure 10 4 Loading a Manual Sequence Recipe
45. tmusuxEeeio 142 A 4 SAMPLING HANDLING nnaannnnnnnnnessssssnnnrrrrrrrrrrersssstttttttttttttttstrr rrtt ttrEEEEEEEESESEAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEn n nmmr Eeer eeeeene 142 A 5 PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS sa 142 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page100f153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 APPENDIX B EXFORTING DATA oussessatut tnsestidDe te ru GM PDUU D DER DUU ND EI M PUE DU GENE 143 BLE iZeracrds api 143 B 1 1 Exporting the Analysis Report 143 B 1 2 Exporting the EE 143 LI 148 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 11 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1 INSTRUMENT OVERVIEW The Alpha Step IQ Profiler is a computerized high sensitivity surface profiler that measures roughness waviness and step height in a variety of applications It features the ability to measure micro roughness with up to 1A 0 004 yin or less resolution over short distances as well as waviness in a scan over a full surface length of 10 mm 0 4 in The computer offers powerful measurement control data storage analysis and networking The Alpha Step IQ can profile a variety of materials including e Magnetic disks e Semiconductor wafers e Precision machined and polished surfaces e Ceramics for micro electronics e Glass for flat panel displays e Optical surfaces The Alpha Step IQ pr
46. to give reasonable service for a reasonable period of time as determined solely by KLA Tencor Corporation KLA Tencor Corporation will at its election replace or repair them KLA Tencor Corporation may at any time discharge its warranty as to any item by refunding the purchase price and taking back the item Unless Buyer shall inspect all items and within thirty days of delivery notify KLA Tencor Corporation of any apparent defects discovered KLA Tencor Corporation shall have no liability hereunder The foregoing warranty and remedy are exclusive and KLA Tencor Corporation shall have no other liability under any other warranty express or implied either in fact or by operation of law statutory or otherwise KLA Tencor Corporation shall have no liability for special or consequential damages of any kind and from any cause arising out of the installation or use of any item Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 2 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 TRADEMARKS Alpha Step IQ is a registered trademark of KLA Tencor Corporation The Mountains Technology is a registered trademark of Digital Surf The Volcanyon Technology is a registered trademark of Digital Surf Microsoft Windows XP is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation Vibratite is a trademark of N D Industries Corp Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 3 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 S 2 2 oh X Step IQ Figure i
47. true with instruments equipped with the 2000 um Vertical Range option opecifically the stylus can be damaged whenever it encounters an obstacle higher than the bevel height of the stylus tip that is higher than 880 um 34 mils See Figure 3 2 The best way for users with the 2000 um Vertical Range to scan such features is by starting the scan from the top of the feature and allowing the stylus to come down from the higher level Scan Direction n Damage can occur with steps Figure 3 2 Protecting the Stylus CAUTION Do not scan over features taller than the Bevel Height as illustrated above Instead try measuring features taller than 880um from top to bottom NOTE The value 880 um is valid only for the standard stylus and might vary with the stylus type Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 23 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 In addition a shorter object can damage the stylus if it has sharp corners or burrs that bite into the stylus tip The following cases describe ways in which the stylus arm assembly could be damaged e lf the stylus is down and the stage is moved without monitoring the video image the stylus can hit the edge of an obstruction or precision locator CAUTION To prevent damage to the stylus if the stylus is down do not move the stage without monitoring the video e Ifthe stylus is lowered or a scan started when the sample is not directly under the sty
48. type of analysis is also known as the Histogram Analysis plot 9 5 2 4 Step Height Measurement This study creates a graph and a table of parameters The graph allows the user to move a pair of measurement bars that define the part of the profile on which the parameters will be calculated The parameters and the Step Height methods are explained in section 8 8 Alpha Step IQ Surface Analysis parameters 9 5 2 5 Area of a Hole Peak This study creates a graph and a table of parameters with the purpose of evaluating the area and other metrics of holes and or of peaks Four types of Area analyses are available which take into account inside and outside user specified boundaries as well as highest to lowest peaks and valleys 9 5 2 6 Frequency Spectrum This study displays the FFT spectrum of the profile curve A selection bar can be moved to a specific wavelength for detailed analysis Wavelengths can be removed from the spectrum for individual analysis Wavelengths can be viewed in a linear or logarithmic scale 9 5 2 7 Average Power Spectrum Density This study is similar to the Frequency Spectrum except that the horizontal axis is displayed in wavelengths as a linear axis to facilitate its understanding 9 5 3 Illustrations The Illustrations menu allows the user to add illustrations to help better explain the data analysis performed in a document 9 5 3 1 Image This illustration allows the user to add a picture or a photog
49. 04 9 8 4 Noise Filter The noise filter may only be selected when a blank document is opened The user may choose to turn the microroughness noise filter on or off and to select the desired cut off size Available cut offs are 2 5um 8um and 25 um or the operator may input another size 9 8 5 Sampling Length According to ISO standard 4288 1996 parameters are calculated as an average over a sampling length The user may select the calculation mode on all sampling lengths over the profile on a an input number of sampling lengths or on the evaluation length This is done by first opening a blank document and then selecting Preferences in the Options menu 9 8 6 Page Options The Page Options allow the user to define if the analysis document will contain several pages or a single page when switching from Scan mode to Data Review mode and when saving the document from within Scan mode using the Save Data button e Keep all analysis pages means that the acquired data when taken from Scan mode into Data Review mode is displayed such that it contains all the Analysis modes available in the Scan mode with one analysis screen per page e Keep only the current analysis page means that only the current selected page in Scan mode corresponding to the selected analysis type will be taken from Scan mode into Data Review mode Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 109 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 10
50. 12 5 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 131 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Technologies Mountains Technology 3 9 0 Build 3263 volcanyvon Technology 2 5 5 Build 2003 12 5 Board Firmware version Er Board version 1 00 Figure 12 5 Software Component Versions e Mountains is the profile analysis part running on Windows e Volcanyon is the computer part of the instrument control running on Windows e he Firmware is the software embedded in the scanner internal electronic card 12 3 2 Installed Options Refer to this part of the screen if you need to know which options have been installed Figure 12 6 provides an example of options that may be enabled on a system Options can only be programmed in factory and are secured by the electronic dongle security key Options Multi language Enabled High Range 2 mm Enabled Additional Parameters Enabled Manual Sequence Enabled Profiler SPC Enabled Figure 12 6 Dongle Security Key Enabled Options Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 132 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 12 4 BACKUP AND RESTORE If the user is part of the Administrator group the Settings button will provide access to the Backup and Restore function Backup File Informations Backup Filename Alpha Step IO IsersiAdminiskrabor Backup January Backup Restore Backup User Data Backup Scanner Settings Files Restore Ba
51. 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Ls me om se menm char 12 2 3 contains DIGITAL SURF scans scans wem a mm xStepUnit char 16 zStepUnit char 16 A2 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 144 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 mes mme omm Sue Sea date of creation must be in 4 digits N size of comments 0 if no comment comment char N 512 free comment only printable characters Table B 1 Alpha Step IQ binary Data Format PRO Note due to historical reasons of this file format in fields xStepUnit and zStepUnit the u character must be coded using MSDOS ASCII code OxE6 hexadecimal or 230 decimal Single scan files use the PRO file extensions Multiple scan files use the SPRO file extension Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 145 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 B 1 2 2 ASCII Data File Format This is a text format that contains one X Z couple on each line The horizontal position X and the corresponding height Z is coded in ASCII in mm The X and Z values are separated by a TAB character Each line ends with CR LF Carriage Return Line Feed characters This format uses the TXT file extension This format allows the user to export the data into another applications such as MS Excel or MatLab for further processing 5629 127780 5616 569232 3 999912 5611 739021 5 999868 5643 618413 7 999824 5680 328016 0 000000 1 999
52. 8 4 Filtered Profile The standard filter used to generate the roughness and waviness profiles is a phase correction Gaussian filter for which the transmission is 5096 of the cutoff wavelength The filtered profile is shortened by half of the cutoff length at both ends if the filter is Gaussian If the filter is the 2RC the profile is shortened by twice the cutoff length at the beginning of the profile The total length is shortened by one cutoff Gaussian or 2 cutoffs 2RC compared to the length of the primary profile The greater the cutoff is the shorter the filtered profile will be for a given primary profile length The graph can display the Waviness profile or the Roughness profile The user can select which parameters and trace to display Roughness or Waviness by clicking on one of the buttons located above the scan trace The parameters displayed will be those selected for the given trace By clicking on the Parameters button you can select which parameters are to be calculated and displayed If a parameter displays asterisks instead of a numerical result it means that the selected cutoff filter is not suitable for the profile the cutoff is probably too long In this case a smaller cutoff filter must be selected in order to provide a valid roughness and waviness Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 89 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 8 5 Sampling Length Roughness and waviness paramet
53. 84995 000 Rev AA July 2004 5 2 7 Moving the Stylus Up and Down The stylus must be raised in order to load a sample and brought back down to the sample in order to start the measurement Two devices will contribute to this a magnetic actuator that holds and releases the stylus and an elevator motor that moves the sample stage up and down CAUTION Raising the stylus is mandatory before removing the sample If the stylus is not raised there is a high risk of damage to the stylus you can use to move the sample up and down The following table shows the buttons in the software and the keys on the keyboard that Figure 5 7 Moving the Stylus Up and Down stylus Up Click once on the X Up button SIUS Dow Click once on the xj Down button Manual Park Glick and hold the Up button pressed Mouse command in the software interface Manual Adjust Glick and hold the Down button pressed Automatic Park Double click on the a Up button Automatic Adjust po ble click on the x Down button Command on the keyboard Press the Alt T Up key Press the Alt Down key Press the Page Up key Press the Page Down key Press the N Home key Press the End key Explanation The stylus moves up The stylus moves down The stylus moves up and the stage moves down The stylus moves down and the stage moves up The stylus moves up and the stage moves down until the home position is reach
54. 956 9 999780 5692 886564 11 999736 5666 803425 13 999692 5644 584455 15 999648 0639 754244 Table B 2 Example of a data exported in Text Data Format TXT B 1 2 3 Alpha Step 500 Data File Format This format was used by the Alpha Step 500 scanner It is a binary format and has the file extension RWB This exported format does not contain all of the original information of files generated by the Alpha Step 500 The Alpha Step 500 files contained data that was part of its file management database that is no longer available on the Alpha Step IQ res twee oma se Seene xSpacing 362 Horizontal resolution in micrometers data type 367 set to 0 for 2D 358 Vertical resolution in angstroms Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 146 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 mea me ote ste vesten Data 378 Raw data in ADC counts Table B 3 Alpha Step 500 binary Data Format RWB To obtain the height of a point in Angstroms multiply the data value by zSpacing Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 147 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 INDEX 2 2 bars step height evaluation mode 80 2 zones Delta Averaging step height evaluation mode 81 A Abbott Firestone curve study 104 aborting a scan rararanarnnernnrrnnrrnnrnnnrnnnnnannnennnn 68 aCCesSS restrictions onnnennoannennnaneennnnnnenenenenni 27 adjustment DAC
55. Alt Tab lose Figure 3 6 Users Management Window X NOTE The password fields are not case sensitive e f you want the Standard Recipes including calibration recipes to be copied in the user s directory click on the Copy Standard Recipes button e The following restrictions may be activated for the different users automatic shut down of the computer when exiting the Alpha Step IQ software inability to use the Alt Tab Windows shortcut to navigate between open programs and the use of the Windows key to open the Start Menu Uncheck the Activate restrictions box if you want to disable the restrictions e Once all the data has been entered the account can be activated by clicking on the Save Modifications button Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 30 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 3 5 4 Modifying a User Account To modify the properties of a user user s name password group default directory or restrictions e Click on the user name inside the list See Figure 3 7 Operator Operator Users U perator Engineer Engineer Users Engineer Administrator Administrator LI sers dministrabar klat Maintenance Users klat Figure 3 7 List of Users e Click the Modify User button e Change the properties using the input fields available at the bottom half of the dialog box e Press the Save Modifications button 3 5 5 Removing a User Account e Click on the user name inside the list
56. Chapter 5 Figure 5 1 The type of analysis is selected from the Analysis pull down box and is saved with the recipe For single scan recipes the Analysis pull down box provides three analysis types e Measured Profile displays the profile as it has been measured without leveling or any other treatment except for applying the As micro roughness noise ISO filter e Step Height Analysis displays the primary profile and provides cursors to define areas on which to calculate the step height related parameters e Roughness Waviness displays the roughness profile or the waviness profile and their related parameters and filters For multi scan recipes the Analysis pull down box provides five items e Measured Profiles displays the series of profiles as they have been measured without leveling or any other treatment except the As micro roughness filter e Statistical summary calculates roughness or waviness parameters on each profile of the series and displays the mean value the standard deviation and the minimum and maximum values for each selected parameter e Step Analysis multi scan displays the primary series of profiles and provides cursors to define areas on which to calculate the step height parameters It calculates step height parameters on each profile of the series and displays the mean value the standard deviation and the minimum and maximum values for each parameter e Step Analysis average identical to the Step He
57. Display Maintenance Chart 3 1 Definitions of each tab feature in the Settings Dialog Box 3 5 USER GROUPS AND SYSTEM ACCESS RESTRICTIONS CAUTION Every scanner user must be registered in a group e A high resolution profiler is a sensitive instrument For this reason the instrument functions are restricted to user groups according to each group s functional need Four levels of users have been defined as follows e Operator the basic level of user An operator can use the instrument to scan samples load recipes analyze and print data An Operator can access no other Settings of the instrument except the Stylus Force Calibration and the Stage Settings This security level allows a user to safely operate the instrument with low risk to altering the metrology procedures or damage the instrument due to lack of expertise Typically an Operator Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 27 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 corresponds to production control personnel requiring simple and or repetitive use of the system Engineer Has the same access rights as an Operator with the addition of the right to create modify and delete recipes This security level also gives access to the calibration procedures Typically the Engineer is an advance metrologist whose skills allow creating metrology procedures matching the Operator s production control applications Administrator Has the same rights as an Engineer with the
58. For further information please refer to Section 10 3 Profiling from a Manual Sequence Recipe New sequence allows users being part of the Engineer Administrator or Maintenance group to create new Manual Sequence Recipes Section 10 2 Defining a Manual Sequence Recipe provides detailed information Edit sequence allows users being part of the Engineer Administrator or Maintenance group to modify an existing Manual Sequence Recipe Once in the Manual Sequence mode the Scan button at the top of the window allows the user to return to the main window Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 111 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 10 1 4 Organization of the Manual Sequence Window The window is divided in two horizontal areas The upper part of the window is related to the definition of the Manual Sequence Recipe The two video image areas live video and saved image and the lower part of the window provide information for each scan site Scan Manual Sequence Saved Image Manual Sequence name Sample 5 Save into Folder of MyUserName current Y Associated recipe name Rapid scan 2 5 mm Gar To add the next site select Add Site If all sites have been taught save sequence and choose Run to begin sequence Capture Image Manual Sequence Editing mode List of sites Site 2 2 Site Name Image Scan ROPA 1 TFG Components Captured 2 Rectangular grooves Captured Rec
59. KIAS p EE 56 OSSES E 45 elevator safety limit s 59 Stage Jevel 70 c gg n 42 stylus Torce 55 analysis document beaderitooter 107 aire ENERO RT CENE 97 SAVING e T S 97 analysis features data files list ge 106 document navigation 107 TE WAU ONS RR RETE gen 104 Operators M 102 preferences rrarrnarrnnnrnnnrnnnrrnnnnnnnnnnnennnennee 108 e e 120 Quel weV 103 analysis TYPE EE 44 68 applying a template 100 area of a hole peak Study 104 arrow illustration eseeeesesssse 105 automatic step height evaluation mode 82 available styli 134 average power spectrum density study 104 B backlash calibration 56 eie qnom shwvcann 134 basic skills Alpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential access restrictions annnnnannannannannennenneneni 27 default userg 29 directories and files 32 new users creating eeeeeeeseses 30 protecting the stylus 23 settings OVerVlew 26 starting the Gvasiem 22 turning off or resetting the system
60. KLA Tencor Alpha Step IQ Surface Profiler 0084995 000 Rev AA COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 2004 KLA Tencor Corporation All rights reserved KLA Tencor provides this documentation without warranty in any form either expressed or implied KLA Tencor may revise this document at any time without notice This document may contain proprietary information and shall be respected as a proprietary document with permission for review and usage given only to the rightful owner of the equipment to which this document is associated This document was designed produced and published by Technical Publications KLA Tencor Corporation Send any comments to WSOTechPubs kla tencor com Printed in San Jose CA U S A KLA Tencor Confidential KLA TENCOR Corporation 160 Rio Robles San Jose California 95134 United States of America WARRANTY Except as otherwise indicated KLA Tencor Corporation warrants to the Buyer that the items sold by it hereunder are free from defects in material and workmanship and meet applicable specifications In discharge of this warranty KLA Tencor Corporation agrees either to repair or replace as it may elect any part or parts that under proper and normal use prove to be defective in material or workmanship within twelve months after delivery to Buyer except optional printers for which the warranty terms of the Original Equipment Manufacturers apply If it is recognized that some components and accessories fail
61. Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential MOC P 43 force adiusiment 55 force calibration introduction 54 JEMEN urbe ataca qnid 83 geometry and scan speed 96 measuring the tip radius 137 moving up and down sansansennennenesnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 46 Eeg MN 23 required radius esseeeseesse 43 sensor range sssesseeesee eene 42 summary of last operator illustration 105 surface analysis parameters about filtered parameters 88 WIL STENT 89 miscellaneous 87 16 6 9 9c T 90 roughness additional 92 sampling length ssssssse 90 step height using automatic method 88 MU VEINS ee 96 surface finish curve Study 104 surface parameters nnennennennnnnnnnnrnnrnernnn 87 symmetry OoDeralor 102 system EST NINO 64 settings rrvrrnnnnennnnvnnrnnnnnnnrrnnnrnnnnnnnnnnnsnnnenn 26 T template document applying 100 thresholding operator 102 time SCAM E 41 times San 40 tolerance limit illustration 106 trademarks annonnonnnnnnnnnnnonnsnnnnnrrnrrrrrnrrnrrnnne 3 troubleshooting diagnostics can 129
62. R G SCAN interrupt error The interrupts are activated one by one If l the firmware is unable to handle one of these R fefe abemerwter ierant e consesondng over E o e morore meruprenor spayed and ne process is stoppet Rjoje LVDT initialization and calibration error Table 12 1 Colored LED Error Codes NOTE These error codes are successively displayed at system startup for d a duration of approximately 20 seconds In case one of the above listed error codes is displayed please contact the technical support service 12 2 2 Software and Firmware Diagnostics If the user group is Administrator the Settings menu gives access to the System Settings function System Status OQ Interrupts Status Camera Status Gauge Status Q Measurement Axis Status Q Drop Gauge Status Q Elevator Status Ask Status of the System Show Lag Files Figure 12 1 System Status Tab Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 128 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 The System Status consists of e The status of the auto check of the system board electronic behavior which is run whenever the system is switched on and whenever you click on the Ask Status of the System button The status list has one entry per electronic device on the board e Show log files displays the diagnostic files Mountains spy and Volcanyon spy It can only be used for diagnostic purposes These files are stored on the log
63. Recipe and section 10 3 Recipe aiq associated to the the Profiling from a Manual Sequence manual sequence Recipe Analysis documents mnt created by Manual Sequence scans Folders x Mame Type E C MyUserName 2004 02 09 11H54 File Folder E C Data 2004 07 09 12H02 File Folder 3 HeaderAndFooter G 2004 02 09 12H15 File Folder E Images 2004 02 09 12H17 File Folder E 5 Manual Sequence es Height measurement For sample z aiq 834 KB AIQ File C My Manual sequence for old process eval Ej Process evaluation an sample 2 msr 1KB MSR File 9 My Sequence For new process NI site1 bmp 226 KB Bitmap Image I El OG Frocess evaluation on sample 2 site bmp 426 KB Bitmap Image El C3 Recipes S site3 bmp 226 KB Bitmap Image en Temp Figure 3 9 Example of a user s Manual Sequence subfolder If you use the optional Statistics feature the following directories are created Statistical The Statistical Population Source files See Section 9 5 4 Statistical Features Population sts contain the paths to the analysis Sources documents that make up the populations in the Data directory Folders x Mame Tvpe E E MyUserName Anril sts STS File t Data amp February sts ST5 File C3 Results with new process zl January ste STS File IG Results with old process 2 March sts 575 File O Statistical Populations Sources B April values tt Text Document C3 Header ndFooter 1 February values txt Text
64. TOP LEVEL MENU COMMANDS ses 25 Lee 26 3 5 USER GROUPS AND SYSTEM ACCESS RESTRICTIONS sss eene nennen 27 3 5 1 Accessing the User Management Dialog Box 28 SPSUAMBITII SS T 29 3 5 3 Creating a New VEE ve 30 354 eleseg EBi gleeei m c 31 3 505 REMOVING d USEF ACCOUNT uus excede on oa Uk ux a es vibe Saale I tu e a e Pu NR Eu E REN ERR UR RA Vd a Dv Eva RUN GE 31 3 6 TURNING OFF OR RESETTING THE SYSTEM 31 3 7 FILES piel izolpe lz ctP nnana 32 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page60f153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 CHAPTER A LOADING AND NAVIGATING A SAMPLE creer 35 STRING ESTEN 35 12 EOADING THE SAMPLE hp 36 4 3 VIEWING AND POSITIONING THE SAMPLE 36 CHAPTER 5 DEFINING A RECIPE iorsin 38 5 1 ORGANIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE MAIN WINDOW nnnnnnsssseenssssennnnrrrrrrrrrsssrrrrrrtrrrrrrreensssrrrnrrrrrne 38 5 2 HOW TO DEFINE A MEASUREMENT RECIPE cccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesaeaeaeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeees 39 5 2 1 Whatis a Recipe ERREUR 39 5 2 2 Definition of the Scan Settings cccceeccccssscccceeeecceececceeeccceueeeceeeecseueeecseeeessueeesseueeessuseeessaaeees 39 5 2 3 Definition of he Stylus Settings iiie eorpore eeh Pede ENEE queso sad rond Prise eode poc OI Su en dE 42 5 2 4 Selecti
65. X Y axis knobs while looking under the camera view to find an appropriate feature of interest from which a profile can be obtained Sample motion consists of two parts e Z motion motion of the measurement stage up or down and rotation of the stage about its central axis e X Y motion motion of the stage left and right X and backward and forward Y Refer to Figure l on page 4 for location of X Y knobs The video display offers a crosshairs reference to aid in precise positioning of the sample features To control the stage motion e Turn the X Axis Adjustment knob for motion along the X axis side to side parallel to the front of the instrument e Turn the Y Axis Adjustment knob for motion along the Y axis backward and forward perpendicular to the front of the instrument With the sample loaded and visible in the computer screen practice with the controls It takes a small amount of practice to become accustomed to controlling the motion CAUTION To prevent possible damage the stylus should be retracted not in contact with the substrate surface when moving the sample stage and rotary table 7 5 ROTATING THE STAGE You can rotate the sample stage to adjust the alignment of a sample using your thumb turn the rotary table until the sample is aligned as desired Refer to Figure ii on page 5 to familiarize yourself with the rotary table CAUTION prevent possible damage the stylus should be retracted not in
66. X axis If cursors are in Delta Averaging mode the position is defined as the center of the two cursors L or the two cursors R Height L Height R identify the height of the profile along the Z axis The height can be positive or negative depending on the location of the zero reference Width defined as the horizontal distance between the cursors Width Pos R Pos L Height defined as the vertical height difference between cursors Height Height L Height R TIR Total Indicator Runout the height difference between the highest peak and the lowest valley within the measurement cursor bar area It is similar to the Pt parameter if calculated on the entire profile Ave Average Height this is the average height of the profile within the measurement cursor area If calculated over the entire profile this average height is zero while the profile altitudes are centered with respect to the middle center line Slope the slope is calculated as the ratio of the difference in vertical heights to the difference in horizontal positions of the measurement cursors The slope is reported as an angle in degrees slope end ES x Radius Radius of the least square circle All points of the profile between the cursors are taken into account for the calculation Area Area of Peaks The total area bounded by the middle center line along the Z axis and the profile where it rises above the zero height reference within the meas
67. a default list of users is set up as follows LEES ONE GN Administrator Administrator Ka lt Chart 3 2 Pre configured User Groups and Passwords WARNING When the instrument is delivered the administrator is responsible for changing the passwords as soon as possible This protects the system from unauthorized access Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 29 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 3 5 3 Creating a New User e Click on the Add User button e Fill the input fields describing the new user s Name Group Password and Directory Please note that the password must be entered twice to check against typing error EN E About Step Height Calibration Stylus Force Calibration Language Settings Backlash Calibration Stage Settings Users Management Backup and Restore System Settings Video settings Username Password Group User director uper aO p era to r I 1 n p h ES 5 te p I E 1 LI Ser 1 e p era E nr Engineer muU SEE EEEE Engineer c Alpha Step IO UserslEngineer Administrator SE Administrator C Alpha Step TO Users administrator klat HERE EE Maintenance Cl lpha Step IO1Usersiklat barene operator Save Modifications Zo aas Pans emmmmmmmmm Cancel Madifications Aal Modify User Confirm Password LES MM EA Delete User Group operator sl Copy Standard Recipes User Directory foralpha step IQ Users Operator GI Activate restrictions Shut Down
68. aannnnannnnennenennnnnnenrnnesrnrrstrrrsrrrrstrrrsrrrrsrrrsrrrrsrrrrrrrrsnrrrrsrrrrerrrrnne 61 6 6 2 Defining the Position of the Crosshairs ccccccccccseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeeeeeesseeeesseeeeeseeeeesaeeeeesaaeees 63 CHAFIEH d SS Egeter 64 kla Oyo TEM DESCRIPTION hp 64 TA ENVIRONMENTAL TET 64 pe WES BC EB M 65 7 4 VIEWING AND POSITIONING THE SAMPLE 66 now ei WE EIC c eens eis 66 7 6 PROFILING FROM SCAN RECIPE aao nta deeg Eois tara rmn enee eeh denge Eege deeg 67 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page70f153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 TO Profiling a Muse ME 69 7 6 2 Profiling from a Manual Sequence Hecpne 70 Tel LEVEUNG Mee 70 o x5 gEe Wculzhi 72 CHAPTER 8 ANALYZING THE PROFILE IN THE SCAN WINDOWN 73 8 1 INTRODUCTION EK 73 8 2 MODIFYING THE PROFIL EE 74 Wa LEVELING THE PROFILE EE 75 8 3 1 Least Square Line Method SI 76 8 3 2 Minimum Zone Line Method MATT 76 031 TWO ZONES Method UL HP 16 6 34 Polynomial Fit Method essiri a Km 76 8 4 ZOOMING THE PROFILE esses nnne nennen nennen nnnni rr hn nnns ens s sss n nnns i rrr nnn nn nennen nenne nnns TT 8 5 STEP HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS canna ah c inea c Io n agens pese na cus Ve Fo denn ee pa aye kue
69. al profile slopes defined within the sampling length L 2 Lok dx In the software interface RAq is written as RDa RAq Root Mean Square Wavelength This parameter is calculated as a ratio of other parameters derived from root mean square values RAq 27 EL RAg In the software interface RAq is written as RLq RSm Mean Width of Profile Elements Arithmetic mean of the profile element widths defined within a sampling length When the Sm is applied on a periodic sample it provides a good estimation of its periodicity RPc Peak Count Density of peaks per unit length measured at a specified peak count level The Pc requires entering a band for the height discrimination This band is divided in two parts symmetrically around the mean line It is used to avoid inclusion of small peaks that are not significant A peak is counted if it is higher than the upper limit of the band and its edges are falling below the lower limit of the band The number of peaks is evaluated then divided by the length of the profile It is generally given in peaks mm Refer to Figure 8 16 for an illustration Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 93 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Figure 8 16 Peak Count parameter RHsc High Spot Count This parameter is provided for compatibility with the Alpha Step 500 It is recommended to use the RPc instead The Hsc is calculated in a similar way as the Pc but instead of using a band to
70. analysis type and preferences selected parameters header footer and as a whole entity these are stored into a single file referred to as a recipe Save As saves the current recipe but allows the user to give a different name or to choose a different folder This function is used to create a new recipe from an existing recipe or from the default recipe Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 48 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Windows considerations The name given will define the file name used to store the recipe The default directory is specific to a given user and is defined by the Administrator when the user account is created refer to section 3 5 USER Groups and System Access Restrictions The Save As dialog box allows the operator to create folders and to save or delete recipes in these folders Edit Users registered to the Engineer Administrator or the Maintenance group are allowed to modify the recipes Clicking on the Edit button unlocks all the necessary input fields corresponding to the settings that can be changed in the recipe Cancel restores the entries of the recipe prior to editing by canceling the Edit command If the optional Manual Sequence feature is installed the Sequence menu with its 3 menu items is displayed instead of the Cancel button Please refer to Chapter 10 Manual Sequence Recipes Optional Feature for further information Save Data allows the operator
71. ation min max lower upper quartile median of the user selected parameters Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 117 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 KLA fencor Alpha Step IQ Profile Curve 1 Profile 2 1 3 Pt 23 5 um Scale 40 pm U 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 350 600 650 700 750 600 850 900 350m Std dev D 317 D 0 HeightMean WidthMean Figure 10 9 Example of a Statistical Summary document of a Manual Sequence NOTE The documents for the different scan sites are dynamically linked to the statistical summary document Modifications of the profile Zooming leveling or modifications of the parameters to display carried out in the analysis document of an individual scan site will update automatically the parameter values displayed in the statistical summary document The series of profiles displayed however will not be refreshed The series of profiles shows the raw profile traces without leveling nor zoom resulting from the scan 10 4 2 Reviewing Results from a Manual Sequence To review the results of a Manual Sequence scan at a later time in Data Review mode select the File menu then click on Open Results from a Manual Sequence and select a folder containing results in the dialog box Results from Manual Sequences are stored in the respective User s Manual Sequence folder refer to section 3 7 Files and directories Be sure to select a folder of type YYYY MM DD hhH
72. ause of the surface geometry If the scan was performed from right to left the stylus would be damaged Figure 5 4 Importance of the Scan Direction Advanced The Advanced button is used to set up instrument diagnostics tests and incorporate a scan delay to the measurements Refer to section 12 2 3 Diagnostic Scans for further information Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 41 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 5 2 3 Definition of the Stylus Settings Sensor Range 400 um I 23 8 pm Required Stylus Force 33 3 mg Adjustment m Valley bias Contact Speed 5 Elevator Position um Required Radius Analysis Measured Profile 5 0 um Figure 5 5 This Combination of Fields Provides the Stylus and Analysis Settings Sensor Range The range is the maximum height difference that the instrument can measure peak to valley The available ranges are as follows e 20 um e 400 um e 2mm available as an option only The corresponding instrument electronic resolution smallest recordable increment in height is given beside each range in the pull down menu Adjustment Defines where the sensor sets within its range when brought down to the surface using the down arrow key This is used to optimize the available vertical range User selection The measurement starts with the stylus at the following position Valley Bias Optimized to measure a valley negative step hole shape Measurem
73. by number of points microns or as a percentage of the data When the zoom method and region are selected click on the OK button for changes to take place Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 77 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 Original data Eegeregie KC e F F L i r 5 Q r r 1 r mS aix iE et DU 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 250 300 320 340 360 380 Um zez e zs zk e e e e e H Position r Units Results n E 330 f Points j Zoomed Data e um 200 Size 400 um C x ha C Whole Data Result data DU 90 100 110 3120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190pm Figure 8 3 The Zoom operator window Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 78 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 5 STEP HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS High accuracy measurements are easy to make on clean geometry and smooth surfaces as in Figure 8 5 A standard deviation of 8 or 0 196 of the measured step height is possible to achieve with the Alpha Step IQ This precision can be reached by having a noise level that is much smaller relative to the measured step height negligible instrument drift and calibrations by an accurate step height standard sample The Alpha Step IQ has near zero electronic drift is temperature compensated and offers a precise software calibration technique When the surfaces are rough as in Figure 8 5 or the height of the step is small enough tha
74. c message and or a colored light may be displayed This function is useful in a production atmosphere and when applying templates to new data sets 9 5 3 13 Parameter table for current study This item allows the user to create a new table of parameters associated with a study 9 5 3 13 Parameter table for all studies This item allows the user to create a new table of parameters containing the parameters selected by the user among the results of all studies in the document This is useful when it is desired to summarize data parameters from multiple studies in one table 9 5 4 Statistical Features NOTE The optional Profiler SPC features are documented in Chapter 11 d Profiler SPC Optional Statistics Feature 9 5 5 The List of Data Files The measured data and all modified data are stored in a List of Data Files This List may be displayed as a list of small images in a window to the right of the document Click on the Data Menu and select View Hide the List of Data Files The list of data files can also be seen in the Data Menu Clicking on a specific data file in the List will select it as the current data file of the document The current data is also modified each time a study is opened by clicking inside it When selecting a study the analysis is performed on the highlighted data file The List of data files is particularly useful when the user wishes to perform a series of operations without displaying the intermediat
75. cking the computer voltage settings Always check the voltage on the computer before powering up for the first time WARNING Always verify that the computers voltage is set correctly before plugging in the computer Some computers do not automatically switch to the correct voltage and require a manual adjustment to change from 110 to 220 240 volts Powering up the computer when set to the incorrect voltage causes damage to the power supply unit 2 4 2 Setting Up the Instrument and Computer 2 4 2 1 Setting up the Instrument and Computer e Position the scanner computer and monitor in an environment as described in 2 1 1 Facility Specifications e Interconnect the scanner computer keyboard mouse monitor and printer if any See Figure 2 1 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 16 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Power USB link to the computer Not used 7 o Video Output External video monitor not gt provided Figure 2 1 Rearview of the Alpha Step IQ Scanner Showing Connections 2 4 2 2 Connecting the Instrument to the Computer There is a single USB cord between the instrument and the computer The video display on the computer screen and the instrument data are routed through different channels in the same USB cable 1 2 Connect the keyboard and the mouse to the computer Connect the dongle key to the printer port Connect the printer if any to the computer using t
76. ckup User Data Date D1 26 04 Size 92 9 Mb File count 317 Files in Archive DL lpha Step IO1Usersj Administrator Data 20031104121656 results text Di Alpha Step 10 Users Administrator Sequence Cer amique 2003 12 08 14H521site 1 leftisitel mnt DL lpha Step IO1Usersj4dministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 06 14H52Ysite 1 leftisitel raw pro DL Alpha Step 10 Users Administrator Sequence Ceramique 2003 12 08 14H52tsite 1 leftisitel results txt DL lpha Step IO1Usersj 4 dministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 06 14H52I site 2 middletsite mnt DL Alpha Step IO1Usersj Administrator Sequence C ramique 2003 12 08 14H52 site 2 middlelsite raw pro DL lpha Step IO1Usersj4dministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 06 14H52tsite 2 middlelsite results txt Di A lpha Step IO1Usersj Administrator Sequence Cer amique 2003 12 08 14H52Ysibe 3 right sike3 mnt DL lpha Step IO1Usersj4dministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 06 14H5z2Ysibe 3 rightsite3 raw pro Di Alpha Step IO1UsersjAdrninistratorlSequence Ceramique 2003 12 08 Idi Zeite 3 right site results Ext Dj lpha Step IO1Usersj4dministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 068 14H52Y Statistical summary Statistical summary mnt Di Alpha Step 10 Users Administrator Sequence C ramique 2003 12 06 14H521Statistical summaryistakistics definition txt Dj lpha Step I01Usersj drministrator SequencelCeramique 2003 12 08 14H52YStatistical su
77. closer the points are to a straight line This line is called Regression line Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 125 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 11 4 APPLYING THE ANALYSIS TO ANOTHER POPULATION SOURCE When a statistical analysis document is open the user can load an existing population source and use these populations instead of the current population source All statistical parameters in the current document will be recalculated using the parameter results of the population source that has been loaded This function allows the user to apply the same statistical analyses and the same presentation to other measurement results Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 126 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 12 Maintenance 12 1 SERVICE POLICY The KLA Tencor Corporation Service Organization is available to you in the United States Europe and Japan We also have representatives in China Taiwan Singapore and Korea Our commitment is to provide a technical response by telephone within 24 hours often within the same business day Our commitment for on site repair is 48 hours In the United States we handle all service requests through a central number located in California Call 800 600 2829 Monday through Friday between 6 00 A M and 6 00 P M Pacific Standard Time to arrange for service or repair work or to order replacement parts otandard on site service hours are Monday thro
78. contact with the substrate surface when moving the sample stage and rotary table Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 66 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 7 6 PROFILING FROM A SCAN RECIPE To profile a sample the Alpha Step IQ moves the scanning arm over the sample while the stylus rests on the sample surface The up and down movement of the stylus provides the profile data The Scan recipe specifies how the scanning arm moves and how the data is to be analyzed The Scan recipe holds the current settings of parameters such as scan length scan speed and type of surface data to be calculated and displayed Please refer to Chapter 5 Defining a Recipe to get familiar with the settings applied to a scan inappropriate settings might result in damages to the stylus or the substrate sample CAUTION For instruments equipped with the 2000 um Vertical Range Option the stylus can be damaged whenever it encounters an obstacle higher than the 880 um 34 mils bevel height of the stylus tip See Section 3 2 Protecting the Stylus Arm Assembly and Figure 3 2 Protecting the Stylus To scan high features scan the higher feature starting from the highest point of the feature towards it lowest point To start a scan e Press the Stan button Keyboard Shortcut F8 The stylus lowers and if necessary the stage table moves upward until the stylus makes contact with the sample at the start of scan position Then the
79. croroughness during the post processing of the data if the noise filter has been activated refer to section 9 8 4 Noise Filter Standard Roughness Parameters Additional Roughness Parameters Ra Rq Rp Rv Rz Rt R3z Rsk Rku Rmr Rdc RDq RSm RPc Rpm Rpsd RLo Rfd Table 8 2 Roughness Parameters Ra Average Roughness Average Roughness is the arithmetic average of the absolute values of the profile height deviations within the sampling length L Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 90 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 1 L Ra S Ja Rq Root Mean Square Roughness also called RMS Root mean square average of the profile height deviations within the sampling length L Rq Z dx This parameter corresponds to the standard deviation of the height distribution of the data file points Rp Maximum Profile Peak Height Largest profile peak height measured from the mean line within the sampling length Rv Maximum Profile Valley Depth Largest profile valley depth measured from the mean line within the sampling length Rz Maximum Height of Profile The sum of the largest peak height and the largest valley depth defined within the sampling length d NOTE For a sampling length Rz Rp Rv is always true Rt Total Height of Profile The sum of the largest peak height and the largest valley depth defined within the evaluation length This parameter is equivalent to the TIR calculat
80. de of the analysis frame already visible on the screen and the header footer defined in the current recipe The operator can fill in the header footer information for the current document author comment scan date by right clicking on the background of the Scan window s measurement analysis section and choosing Edit Header Footer properties The fields can only be edited if the corresponding illustration is present in the header footer section of the current document Right clicking on the background of the Scan window s measurement analysis section and choosing Load Header Footer allows the operator to load another header footer 8 12 CONCLUSION There are many factors that contribute to profiling a surface Environmental interference as well as stylus geometry and filtering can affect the data results Also as the scan speed increases the distance between data points increases unless the sampling rate is also increased These factors must be taken into consideration when determining an application for step height measurement surface roughness or waviness Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 97 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 9 Data Review Mode 9 1 OVERVIEW The Data Review mode enables the user to analyze the data using extended functions When data has been measured the Data Review button located at the top of the screen is enabled By clicking on it the collected data is placed in an exte
81. dvantages This allows the user to save time by preparing documents for each application or each type of sample and then just applying these documents to new measurements For example if the user is interested in measuring step heights and evaluating whether they are within specification a template may be used First the user measures a step height and in Data Review levels the trace measures the step height and confirms whether it is within specification Now saving this file and applying it as a template allows the user to then measure another step height and by simply applying a template the leveling and measurement is complete 9 3 2 3 Cautions e To apply a document on a multi scan file it is necessary to prepare a multi scan document and vice versa e The template document is limited to one data file at a time do not load more than one data file in the List of Data Files 9 3 3 Reviewing a Document To review a saved document select the File menu then click on Open and select a document file in the dialog box Be sure to set the File Type on Analysis Document to load a document Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 100 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 3 4 Exporting Data It is possible to save the selected data profile series of profiles in a separate file The selected data is shown in blue in the Bank of data files and is checked in the Bank menu Depending on which data is selected
82. e 112 ee 39 scan dl e E 39 description svslem 64 diagnostics ecl T 129 software and firmware 128 direction scan sseeeeemmmIR 41 directories Ee 32 document preferences magnetic grid sseeesseeeee 108 noise E 109 page ODIIOfIS sciistevepcast Sent tuvk deut cua savwsdacenansase 109 sampling length sss 109 unit output EE 108 waviness filter rrrrnrrrnnrrnnnrrranrnnanennnnnnnnnnr 108 E editing a recipe eeeseeeeeeeeeeeee 49 elevator position range rrrrnnnnnnnnnnanennnnennnnnnnnnnnnnennnne 43 IA E 59 environment operating ssssenneneense1neeeenn 13 environmental effects ssssssuss 64 equipment delivery eeeeeseessees 15 erase defect operator 103 SUM DUNMOW aaret deed ee din 25 exporting NE PNE M EE EEE EIN 101 data EEE NER 143 parameter values rrrrrnnrnnnrrnnrrnnrnnnnrvnnennrr 101 F facility specifications annnannaannennnannennnennnnn 14 ambient temperature 15 computer and printer s nneneeneennennennnnennnni 14 computer power rrrnnrnnnnnnnrnnnenanennnrnnnevnnenner 14 instrument dimensions 14 A
83. e can be exported to other systems or offline software When exporting files to other systems or offline software these will default to English unless the Multiple Language option is also available in the new system 6 6 MODIFYING THE VIDEO SETTINGS 6 6 1 Modifying the light settings If the default video settings do not allow for a quality video image if the samples measured are particularly dark or bright users being part of the engineer group or the administrator can adjust the video image settings to get a better image Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 61 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Instructions Click on the Settings menu and select the Video settings tab Light settings Move Ehe cursor to modify the light intensity of the video display Click on Default to reset the default value LC Default video driver properties Click op the button to display the video driver properties window These settings allow vau to modify Ehe hue contrast brightness and saturation of the video image Figure 6 10 Changing the video settings Video Decoder Advanced Camera Control Wideo Proc Amp Brightness o F Contrast j 2 E Hue is E Saturation j E IT Sharpness ke E Gamma j E white balance o m Backlight Lomp kg MEN n FolorEnable Auto
84. e analysis screen Leveling Knob Figure 7 4 Leveling the Stage Since the substrates used may vary and the location where these are scanned varies as well it is recommended to level the stage just close enough to a flat line across the screen Also noise and vibrations will affect the results and a truly flat and perfect scan trace is unrealistic to achieve Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 71 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 7 8 UNLOADING THE SAMPLE To unload the sample follow these instructions 1 Press the D arrow button to lower the stage table to its lowest position 2 Turn the Y Axis Adjustment Knob to move the stage table forward 3 Open the measurement area door 4 Liftthe sample off the stage table Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 72 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 8 Analyzing the Profile in the Scan Window 8 1 INTRODUCTION While creating a recipe was discussed in Chapter 5 and taking a scan was discussed in Chapter 7 this chapter discusses how to analyze a scan profile in Scan mode The Alpha Step IQ software collects the data and processes it to make calculations based on the operator input and settings defined in the recipe The results are displayed in the Scan window s measurement analysis section In Scan Mode the lower part of the screen displays analysis results such as Step Height values or Roughness and Waviness parameters refer to
85. e as described in Section 6 2 then complete the Stage Safety Limit configuration as described in this section Instructions 1 Place on the sample stage a typical substrate used in daily system operations Lower the elevator if necessary to provide enough room to place the substrate Please ensure the stylus force is at least 10mg before proceeding with the next steps 2 Go inside the Settings menu and click on the Stage Settings tab Refer to Figure 6 8 for an illustration of the Stage Settings tab contents 3 Click on the Learn Position button The Learn Position button will lift the stylus and move the elevator down Once the elevator stage reaches the absolute zero position the system will lower the stylus and begin moving the stage up until it touches the stylus 4 The new elevator height is noted automatically in the New Value um entry This input field is set to the resulting position of the elevator plus 1 mm 5 Click on the Save Position button to save the value currently displayed in the Elevator oafety Limit field Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 59 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Alternatively a known elevator limit can be typed directly into the field and saved by clicking the Save Position button If the operator knows the elevator heights of the system when using different substrates this new height may be input directly and changes saved between runs without having to teach a new
86. e data files in the document The list allows him to keep these data files for further analysis later on The List of Data Files should not be used as a shortcut to move to a viewable screen window or to a particular item within the document It is rather a summary of the sequence in which the analysis is conducted throughout the document Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 106 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 6 NAVIGATION IN THE DOCUMENT When the document contains several pages it is easy to navigate through it by using the vertical scroll bar on the right side of the screen It is also possible to use the Page Up and Page Down keys on the keyboard The Edit menu also provides the following menu entries Next Page Previous Page Moves to the Next or Previous page of the document Append a page Appends a new blank page at the end of the document Remove pages Removes one or more pages from the document Any frames and data inside the selected page or pages will be deleted as well 9 7 EDITING THE HEADER FOOTER By default each page in the document contains a header and footer The header footer is identical for all pages in the same document The header footer is saved in the analysis document and is also part of the recipe in Scan mode The default header can be customized to suit the user s needs The modified header footer can be saved in a separate header footer file and be re used for other documents
87. e of filter to the 2RC filter used in old generation Alpha Step systems The changes can be performed in the Preference dialog box available in the Data Review mode when opening a new document Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 88 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 WARNING Results given by 2RC filter differ significantly from those given by the Gaussian filter It is strongly recommended to use the Gaussian filter especially on steps and grooves as it introduces less errors than the 2RC The 2RC filter is provided in the Alpha Step IQ to allow for backwards compatibility with results produced by older generation Alpha Step systems Some parameters are defined on a sampling length which is a length corresponding to the value of the cut off Ac In this case an estimated value of the parameter is calculated on each of the sampling lengths of the profile and the final result is given as an average of those estimated values See the Preferences dialog box to select the number of sampling lengths used to calculate the parameter Other parameters are defined on the evaluation length which is the entire length of the filtered profile In this case only one value of the parameter is calculated Parameters provided in this set are calculated according to the Surface Texture standard ISO 4287 1997 The American standard ASME B46 1 1995 contains most of the ISO standards elements but sometimes with slight differences 8
88. e system Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 53 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 The New Calibration Factor is the ratio found between the theoretical height of the sample and the one actually measured by the instrument It will be applied to all future measurements of the corresponding vertical range until a new calibration is performed When saving the changes the current date and time is also recorded with the new calibration for reference purposes 6 2 STYLUS FORCE CALIBRATION 6 2 1 Introduction to low force profiling The stylus force is adjusted manually within its range of 1 0 99 9 mg Chart 6 1 illustrates the recommended forces for low noise traces at various scan speeds Higher speeds tend to require higher stylus forces to ensure constant contact between the stylus and substrate A stylus with a small radius might require a low stylus force on soft substrates A higher force will minimize the effects of environmental noise Note that a force less than 1 0 mg can be set however this is not recommended Also a force greater than 99 9 mg can be set but the Alpha Step IQ can only measure forces up to 99 9 mg The stylus force varies slightly as the stylus moves away from the center position the position in which it came in contact with the sample surface The force decreases approximately 1 mg for every 11 um below the center Therefore use at least 20 mg when in the 400 um range Forces up to 90 mg
89. easurements as desired 8 If the operator desires to save this new stylus force along with the recipe click the Save button in the recipe window The new Required Stylus Force entry is now updated with the new stylus force If the background color of the Required Stylus Force entry on the recipe has turned yellow or red it means the current stylus force has deviated significantly from the one in which the recipe was saved If a scan is to start with such a recipe the system will prompt the operator that the current force is different from the one specified in the recipe and to take the action of proceeding with the measurement or canceling the scan and adjusting the force to match that of the recipe Please refer to Section 5 2 3 Definition of the Stylus Settings sub section for more information on stylus force settings and definitions of colors 6 3 BACKLASH CALIBRATION The Backlash Calibration command is available from the Settings button The command is restricted to the users who are part of Administrator and Maintenance groups The command allows measuring the mechanical backlash of the instrument Such a backlash results in a shift of the X axis coordinate between profiles measured from left to right and profiles measured from right to left Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 56 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 To calibrate the backlash you will need to measure a trench on a known reference or standard The
90. eate sub directories in each of the subdirectories The following tables list the directories that are automatically created when they are needed and the files that the users may save in them Data Measured data analysis documents mnt See section 9 3 Reviewing Saving and profiles pro spro data eaderAndF Header and footer files See section 9 7 Editing the ooter Header Footer Captured video images bmp See section 5 2 6 The Video Display Recipes Recipes aiq See section 5 2 9 Saving and Reminder a recipe is a set of Retrieving a Recipe measurement settings Falders Type E LH Users File Folder amp LC Administrator Results with old process File Folder 1 Hat e Sample 1 mnt Doc Document E LC MyUserName EE Sample 1 results Eet Text Document E 73 Data m Sample 2 mnt Doc Document 3 Header ndFooter Sample 2 results Ext Text Document Cj Images el Sample 3 mnt Doc Document LC Manual Sequence Sample 3 results txt Text Document Recipes s Sample 4 mnt Doc Document CH Temp Sample 4 results Et Text Document Operator IG Standard Recipes Figure 3 8 Example of a user s Data folder Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 32 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 If you use the optional Manual Sequence feature another directory is created Manual Manual Sequence files See section 10 2 Defining a Manual Sequence Manual Sequence Recipes msr Sequence
91. ed During a scan the stylus moves in a circular arc around the stylus arm pivot instead of a pure vertical motion This produces a slight distortion in the profile For practical purposes this distortion is very small and can be ignored If the arc at the apex of the trace is noticeably flattened or misshapen this could indicate a dull spot in the razor edge or a broken or misshapen stylus Try taking the scan at a few other locations along the razor edge If the apex of the trace appears much the same regardless of location along the razor edge this indicates a flawed stylus For more information about issues of stylus geometry and stylus characterization refer to Section 8 6 Stylus Geometry The Thin Film Step Height Standards listed in the Ordering Information appendix of your KLA Tencor Profiler manual have two stylus integrity test tracks that allow diagnostic checks of the stylus condition symmetry and cleanliness For more information see the VLSI Standards Application Note Thin Film Step Height Standard provided with the Step Height otandards Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 139 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 CAUTION Do not touch the razor edge on the Stylus Radius Measurement Tool To protect the razor edge from any contact with objects other than the stylus return the tool to its storage case promptly after use The method of stylus radius measurement is based on the assumption that the
92. ed The stylus moves down and the stage moves up until the null position is reached Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential 0084995 000 Rev AA Page 46 of 153 July 2004 5 2 8 Scanning The following paragraphs show the buttons in the software and the keys on the keyboard that you can use to start or to stop a scan Figure 5 8 Starting or Stopping a Scan Stan button or F8 keyboard key Once a recipe has been defined the measurement can be started using this button The system will start by bringing the stylus down to the surface according to the defined recipe s Adjustment Refer to Section 5 2 3 Definition of the Stylus Settings Then the actual scan will start followed by the return of the stylus to its original position When a profile is obtained the screen display automatically switches to the raw profile display The scan starts at the current stylus location and ends according to the length specified in the recipe Please note that if low saturation occurs i e the profile heights are under the specified vertical range of the sensor the profile will still be processed but the saturated parts of the profile will appear as a flat line or a series of small sinusoidal waves which represent the stylus floating in midair as it comes off the surface If a high saturation occurs i e the profile heights are above the vertical range of the sensor the scan will be stopped and the part of the profile al
93. ed over the whole roughness profile d NOTE The relationship Rf 2 Rz is always true Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 91 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 8 7 Additional Set of Roughness Parameters If the Additional Parameters Option is enabled then the following parameters are also available Rsk Skewness Measure of the asymmetry of the profile about the mean line defined within the sampling length 1 3 Rsk 1 L 3 ag x dx A negative value indicates that the height distribution is shifted to the top of the mean line A positive value indicates that the height distribution is shifted to the bottom of the mean line A value close to zero indicates that the height distribution is symmetrical and the peaks and valleys are present in equal numbers Refer to Figure 8 15 DU GU Figure 8 15 Skewness of a profile Rku Kurtosis Kurtosis is a measure of the sharpness of the probability density function of the profile defined within a sampling length Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 92 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 1 4 L Rku z ax L 0 If the Kurtosis results in a value smaller than 3 it indicates that the depth distribution is wide If it results in a value larger than 3 it indicates a sharp depth distribution and the profile height is mainly located near the mean line RAq Root Mean Square Slope Root mean square value of the loc
94. elevator position 6 5 CHANGING THE APPLICATION LANGUAGE OPTION The Alpha Step IQ application can be operated in seven languages e English e German e French e Japanese e Chinese Mandarin e Spanish e Italian This is an optional feature in Alpha Step IQ profilers This option makes all seven languages available in the Alpha Step IQ software Any recipes created and any data collected in any language is automatically translated into other languages whenever the language is changed No changes will occur to the data it is simply displayed utilizing a different language and characters By default the program will start in English and the language can be changed automatically through the Settings menu Languages tab Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 60 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Instructions 1 Click on the Settings menu and go to the Languages tab Select a language English Italian French Spanish German Chinese Japanese Figure 6 9 Changing the application language 2 Select the language of interest by clicking on the radio button next to it 3 Close the Language and Settings menu window This feature takes existing files and converts their output display into the selected language Any changes to recipes or data will also be carried over to other languages All screens and online help menus are now available in the selected language Files created in any languag
95. ent Range Center Bias Optimized to measure a randomly distributed surface e g roughness measurement Peak Bias Optimized to measure a bump positive step shape Measurement Range Chart 5 1 Adjustment Modes Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 42 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Elevator Position Displays the elevator stage substrate stage position relative to its origin in order to assess remaining available height Stylus Force The contact force applied by the stylus to the measured surface can be changed using a screw provided with the system The force is expressed in mg milligram force one gram corresponding to 0 0098 Newton For more information on stylus force calibrations see Section 6 2 Stylus Force Calibration e he Required Stylus Force is the stylus force defined as appropriate for this application It is entered into this field when a new recipe is created or when editing a recipe and saving the changes The displayed force remains available for information purposes only e The background color of the Required Stylus Force remains green as long as the current stylus force remains within 1mg of the force specified on the recipe A yellow or red background color indicates the current stylus force is no longer within the specified stylus force on the recipe Chart 5 2 defines these conditions With RSF Required Stylus Force and A deviation between Current Stylus Force and
96. ers are generally defined over a sampling length The sampling length is defined by the cutoff length of the filter e g 0 8 mm Parameters are calculated on each sampling length available in the filtered profile and displayed to the user as the average of all values For example a filtered profile of 2 mm with a cutoff of 0 25 mm will contain 8 sampling lengths In this case 8 parameter estimates will be calculated and averaged to provide the final value This method provides better stability and reference from one scan to another This averaging method is defined in the international standard ISO 4288 1998 It is possible to change this setting in the Preferences menu in the Data Review window By contrast this rule does not apply to parameters that are defined over the evaluation length such as Rt for this parameter only one value is calculated over the entire profile 8 8 6 Roughness Parameters Surface Texture parameters are calculated by finding the mean height of the profile and drawing an imaginary line that is theoretically at a height of zero Points above this mean line are considered as peaks and are positive points below the mean line are consider as valleys and are negative The user can display the Ac Lc and s Ls values used for the calculation Ac Lc Roughness Waviness Filter Cut off Cut off used to separate the roughness and the waviness profiles As Ls Microroughness Cut off Cut off used to filter the mi
97. esolution Full stylus retraction between scans Programmable descent rate Optical Magnification 10 mm 2 um s to 200 um s 50 100 200 500 or 1000 Hz 1 10 um 20 um at 0 0119 vertical resolution 2 200 um 400 um at 0 238 vertical resolution 3 1000 um 2000 um at 1 19 vertical resolution 0 01 um 100 at 2 um s scan speed Moving stylus stationary stage Manually adjustable force 1 0 99 9 mg 0 1 mg 0 5mg standard deviation Standard 70 210x High Mag option 160 480 x A 2 REPEATABILITY AND STABILITY Step Height Repeatability Standard Instrument at 20 um range at 400 um range 0 00075 um 7 5 typical standard deviation or 0 196 of measured vertical range 0 4 um 4000 typical standard deviation or 0 196 of the measured vertical range Step Height Repeatability High Vertical Range Option at 2000 um range Measurement environment Floor vibration below 0 2 mG Audio noise below 80 dB 4 um typical standard deviation or 0 296 of the measured vertical range Ambient temperature range 16 26 C Maximum rate of change 2 C hour Alpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential Page 141 of 153 July 2004 A 3 MEASUREMENT CONTROL Manual Single scan mode Repeat and average mode multi scan A 4 SAMPLING HANDLING X Y stages Z control Maximum sample size Maximum sample thickness Maximum sample wei
98. eters are part of the recipe and will be saved in the recipe file For further information on analysis types please refer to Chapter 8 Analyzing the Profile in the Scan Window 5 2 5 Defining the Print Layout When printing the profile or when saving the data in an analysis document the page layout will include a header footer The user can load another header footer by right clicking on the background of the Scan window s measurement analysis section This header footer will be saved in the recipe Refer to section 9 7 Editing the Header Footer for information on creating a new header footer 5 2 6 The Video Display RecpelD meremental pitches Mew Load Save Saves E dit cancel Save Data Print ERE ERE Figure 5 6 The Video Display Window in the Main Screen Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 44 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 The system is equipped with a camera that allows the user to see the stylus as it scans over the surface e The right video frame displays the video in real time with a set of alignment crosshairs e The left video frame is a saved image of a scan site and is saved along with the recipe It is there to aid the operator in locating a site within the live video image on the right hand side that nearly matches that which was saved When the recipe is in Edit mode and the operator presses the Capture Image button the current picture of t
99. for the current statistical document is saved in a Population source file sts file This file can be loaded at a later moment in order to be used for another statistical document containing other statistical studies refer to section 11 4 Applying the Analysis to Another Population Source The population source files sts files should be saved in the Statistical Population Sources subfolder in the user s Data folder recommended CAUTION Do not move or rename files or folders related to statistics Some files contain relative paths that will not work any more if you move the source files NOTE When the populations are defined a text file containing all parameter values of all documents of the population source is created in the same folder as the population source file It has the same name as the population source file with an values txt extension This file can be opened in other statistical programs for extended analysis Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 121 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 11 3 STATISTICAL STUDIES 11 3 1 Statistical Summary This statistical study provides a table containing the selected statistical values for the selected parameters for all populations or for a single population Statistical summary of all populations Std dev Min Height P1 2 55 929 Lc T au Ra G5 0 080 pm 0 661 Rg GS 0 080 pm D 707 Figure 11 2 Example of a Statistical Summary The f
100. ght Throat depth X Y maximum travel Stage rotation Continuous scan from recipe Scan repeated up to ten times Programmable Z load unload position X Y control via manual knobs Interactive control via software 158 mm diameter 21 mm 1 kg 81 mm 151 mm x 80 mm 360 unlimited manual rotation Leveling Manual and various software methods to level the profiles A 5 PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS e Width 44cm e Height 49 cm e Depth 79cm e Instrument weight 41 kg e Shipping weight 59 kg Voltage type AC single phase ground Voltage 100 V to 240 V auto configured Frequency 47Hz to 63Hz Power Requirement 50 VA without the computer e Electrical instrument part Differs depending on the current supply The computer is a standard PC with a color monitor e Electrical computer Notes 1 Repeatability is based on the average of 10 continuous scans taken on a 9400 Angstroms Certified Step Height Standard and must also comply with environmental specifications Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential 0084995 000 Rev AA Page 142 of 153 July 2004 Appendix B Exporting Data B 1 EXPORTING A DATA FILE Refer to section 9 3 4 Exporting Data to learn how to export a Data File This section explains the file formats used to export the Data File or an Analysis Report B 1 1 Exporting the Analysis Report The analysis report displayed in Data Review mode can be saved as a binary file in
101. he live video image on the upper right side is copied and frozen onto the Saved Image frame location The Delete Image button erases the saved video image When the recipe is saved it will be saved with whatever image is on display in the Saved Image section Only one scan site video image can be saved with the recipe Maximizing the Video Image A right click on the live video image displays a menu allowing the user to maximize the video area by converting it to a floating window The floating window can be resized with the mouse To return to the original size right click again on this window and select to minimize the video image Saving the Video Image A right click on the live video image displays a menu allowing the user to save the current image as a BMP file BMP is the standard file format of Windows for bitmap pictures The video image will be saved by default in an Images folder for a given User account and as selected within the Save window For further information about the management of files and directories please refer to Section 3 7 Files and directories Adjusting the crosshairs A right click on the live video image displays a menu allowing the user to redefine the crosshairs position in the case that the stylus has shifted or a camera has been exchanged For more information please refer to section 6 6 2 Defining the Position of the Crosshairs Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 45 of 153 00
102. he port on the dongle key Connect the monitor to the computer Connect the printer if any the computer and the monitor to a standard AC outlet Connect the external power supply one end to the scanner unit the other to the AC outlet Gently attach the USB cord one end to the instrument and the other to the assigned USB port on the back of the computer as specified in the Installation Guide Figure 2 2 illustrates the rearview of the computer where cables are to be connected Make sure to have the printer switched on when the Alpha Step IQ software is launched otherwise the dongle key might not be able to communicate with the software Once the instrument is installed always use the same USB connector to connect the instrument to the PC Otherwise Windows might detect a new hardware device and prompt for a device driver and may cause system errors Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 17 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Serial Port Parallel Port Dongle Key Port Monitor Video Integrated Graphics _ PS5 2 Mouse PS2 Keyboard Connect the ASIO USB USB 2 0 Ports Cable ONLY to this port o RHS Network Port Gigabit Ethernet Port Line Our Port Not Used Line Voltage Selector Switch CAUTION Make sure it is set to the correct voltage before you plug in the computer AC Line Voltage In Figure 2 2 Rearview of AS IQ Compute
103. he rear of the instrument is preferred The computer and printer also need at least 8 cm 3 in of space behind them to accommodate cable connections Cables should not be tightened to avoid adding computer printer vibrations to the instrument CAUTION The installation site must be free of sudden temperature changes or extreme drafts Do not place the instrument directly in the sunlight or in the airstream of an air conditioning vent or heat outlet Any of these can cause drift in the scan data NOTE The installation category of the Alpha Step IQ falls under Installation Category Overvoltage Category ll as defined in Annex J of UL 61010A 1 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 13 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 2 1 1 Facility Specifications 2 1 1 1 Instrument dimensions 44 cm 17 3 in wide 79 cm 31 1 in deep 27 5 cm 10 8 in high Instrument supporting feet fit on a 6 cm 30 in deep table Requires at least 3 inches of space in the back for cable connections 2 1 1 2 Computer and Printer Subject to variations Please note that the minimum screen resolution must be 1024 x 768 2 1 1 3 Instrument Power INSTRUMENT Voltage type AC single phase ground Voltage 100 V to 240 V auto configured Frequency 47Hz to 63Hz Maximum power 42 W max 2 1 1 4 Instrument Power COMPUTER and PRINTER Please consult the computer s User Guide shipped with the system The computer can have
104. ht clicking on the background of the Scan wndow s measurement analysis section please refer to section 9 8 6 Page Options for further information The header footer of the saved document will be the one defined in the current recipe refer to section 5 2 5 Defining the Print Layout The author date and comment fields that may be part of the header footer can be filled in by right clicking on the background of the Scan window s measurement analysis section and by choosing Edit Header Footer properties The measurement conditions recipe settings are also stored as a text comment that can be displayed inside the Data Review mode refer to section 9 5 3 10 Measurement Summary 8 10 2 Saving the profile as a data file When saving the current profile trace as a profile data file pro or the current multi scan profile traces as a series of profiles data file spro the profile will be saved exactly as it appears on the screen depending on the selected analysis type example a leveled and zoomed waviness profile The operator is prompted to enter a name for the data file and a folder location where it should be saved The data file can be opened later in an analysis document in Data Review mode refer to section 9 3 5 Reviewing Exported Data 8 11 PRINTING THE PROFILE At any moment during and after the analysis process the current page of the analysis document can be printed by clicking on the Print button Every page is ma
105. iainexsnnieneinaiesxanassines S EXERE DUE EK PRVF FPE Pr PP nnna 127 UN a ONY f c 127 22 TROUBLE CHOO TING 127 E e NN 127 12 2 2 Software and Firmware Duagonostce 128 12 2 3 Diagnostic Scans esssssssssssssssssessee nennen nenne nnne nnne nnn nean n nsn n rsen nnns nn en nsn nnns nnns 129 12 2 4 Compatibility Between Software and Scanner Firmware Version rrnnrrrrrnrnvrvnnrrernnrrenrnnrrnnnnn 130 PAESE S0ME m 131 12 3 SOFTWARE VERSIONS AND INSTALLED OPTIONS mne nnne nnn nir 131 12 3 1 Versions and Serial NUI E 131 V Installed ODUDDIS EE 132 12 4 BACKUP AND RESTORE Hveem 133 PAT Bac KUD e E E 134 P UM RESO e UD EE 134 129 CHANGING THE STYLUS EE 134 12 5 1 Available Gbvlt nennen nnn nennen nennen nsns n nenas neri r rrr n nnn nnns 134 VL Changing the SVUS acters acd Sane P 136 12 5 3 Measuring the Stylus TpbRadus 137 12 6 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE GSCHEDULE nennen nnne nennen nnn nnn nnn 140 12 6 1 Weekly an e 140 12 6 2 Monthly E a En ne 140 12 6 3 Quarterly Maintenance enne nnne nnn nnn nnns nar nnns nnn nen nnns 140 12 6 4 Semi Annual Maintenance NEEN 140 APFENLDIA A SPECIFICATIONS E 141 APR ENG PERFORMANCE C H 141 AR REP PT ELAN STABILITY Qe ne um dades ie rae eee eee 141 A 3 um
106. ight Analysis of single scans and consists of analyzing the average trace from a series of profiles or multi scans e Roughness Waviness identical to the Roughness Waviness analysis of single scans and consists of analyzing the roughness and waviness of the averaged trace for a series of profiles An extended analysis mode called Data Review is available on the Alpha Step IQ This part is described in Chapter 9 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 73 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 2 MODIFYING THE PROFILE Once the profile is obtained it is displayed in the analysis section of the screen Users part of the engineer or administrator groups have the possibility to change the units used for the display of the profile The Output Unit tab can be opened by right clicking on the background of the Scan window s measurement analysis section and by choosing General Preferences Output Unit Goen refer to Section 9 8 2 Output Unit for further information W230 LITT u c Gel 0 1 UTD EE Preferences 0 1 Laad Header men Footer od Edit Header Footer Me T 3 Figure 8 1 The Leveling operator window Depending on the Noise Filter settings the profile may be automatically filtered using a Gaussian filter noise filter with a specified cutoff As to remove the short wavelengths of the profile refer to Section 9 8 4 Noise Filter The operator can modify the view of the profile with
107. ine is collected A point is recognized as a peak if it is higher than its neighbors Rpsd Standard Deviation of Peak Heights This is defined as the Standard Deviation of Peak Heights calculated within the sampling length This parameter is complementary to the Rom parameter The standard deviation will be low if all peaks have slightly the same height RLo Developed Profile Length This is the ratio between the length measured along the profile curve and the horizontal profile length expressed in excess of 100 The result is expressed as a percentage with most of the values between 0 and 10 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 95 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Rfd Fractal Dimension The fractal dimension is a value that evaluates the complexity of the surface texture This parameter is not useful for geometrical profiles such as steps The fractal dimension value for a profile is between 1 and 2 A value near 1 means that the profile is close to a straight and smooth line while a value near 2 means that the height variations are large and frequent that the profile curves seems to fill the plane A real profile will never reach those extreme values and will generally be around 1 2 to 1 5 8 8 8 Waviness Parameters The waviness parameters have the same definition as the roughness parameters and they are written with a prefix W e g Wa instead of Ra Wsk instead of Rsk These relate to the wavines
108. ion of the stylus The stylus assembly is attached to an arm that rotates about a flexure pivot ensuring smooth and stable movement across the scan length Measurement noise from the instrument itself which would distort the accurate analysis of surface roughness is limited by decoupling the mechanisms of the scan motion from other motions within the instrument 7 2 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS The uncontrolled features of the environment can interfere with the reliability of the output data Environmental interferences can be mechanical acoustical thermal and electrical in nature Loud noises and strong non laminar air currents from air conditioning blowers also can generate nanometer signals Air currents of varying temperatures or of undulating velocities can cause differential heating or cooling of the profiler components This can generate error signals or noise Electrical interferences are always possible though not likely in modern designs To obtain optimum performance e Maintain floor vibration less than 0 2 mG where G gravitational force approximately 32 ft s2 or 9 8 m s e Maintain the ambient temperature within the following instrument specifications o Range should be 21 5 C 72 9 F o Maximum rate of change 2 C per hour Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 64 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 7 3 LOADING A SAMPLE The following sections describe how to load samples NOTE The up a
109. ity to fit more and more complicated forms To include points move and resize the frame on the profile and click on the Include button To exclude points move and resize the frame on the profile and click on the Exclude button All Included points appear with a white colored background while excluded points appear with a pink colored background Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 76 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 NOTE Care must be exercised when using the polynomial fit to level a trace Specifying a polynomial that is excessive for the trace will result in main features becoming distorted resulting in inaccurate measurements For most curved surfaces a polynomial fit between 2 and 5 order is sufficient 8 4 ZOOMING THE PROFILE By clicking the Zoom button a dialog box is displayed and the user can select to display a specific portion of the profile see Figure 8 3 The user can choose between the following operations Display a Zoom portion of the profile to magnify an area of interest hwy Display the entire profile To select the area to magnify zoom select the Zoomed Data box and move the rectangle using the mouse This is done by clicking and dragging the left and right sides of the box to enlarge or reduce the width of the rectangle Alternatively the area can be defined using co ordinates by entering numbers in the edit fields below the trace The dimensions can be specified
110. ive of leveling the stage is to get the scans to be closer to being leveled Data collected does not change by adjusting the mechanical level of the stage The operator can always level the scan trace through one of the several software leveling algorithms Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 70 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 CAUTION The leveling knob must be turned in small increments otherwise it may do more harm than good The data analysis will not be affected by mechanically leveling the stage This feature shall be used only if the slope on the traces is excessive and consistent throughout multiple samples and it always occurs in the same direction Factors such as vibrations and noise will never allow for a truly prefect leveled stage If necessary please contact your service provider for more information To level the stage 1 Take a scan at least 1mm in length over a flat surface such as an optical flat 2 Turn the leveling knob by a few counts but never a full turn Refer to Figure 7 4 for location 3 Repeat the scan and verify if the slope of the trace has reduced If not turn back the leveling knob to its previous position by turning it in the opposite direction If the slope has reduced but is not yet leveled turn the leveling knob in the same direction but with half counts than previously 4 Repeat the previous operations until the slope is nearly zero or close enough to a flat scan across th
111. lected in the recipe to collect the step height information 14 In the respective fields enter the Measured Value provided by the scan measurements and the Standard Value as reported in the Step Height standard s certificate Note that both entries are not associated to any units The operator must maintain consistency of units in the Measured Value and the Standard Value fields For example if the measured value is provided in microns and the certificate value is in Angstroms the operator must change either of these numbers and enter both values using the same units CAUTION The system may malfunction if different units are entered to calculate a new calibration factor Please ensure units are maintained consistently when calibrating the vertical scales using step height standards 15 As soon as the Measured Value and Standard Values are entered the software will calculate a New Calibration Factor The New Calibration Factor value must be between 0 9 and 1 1 except for the 2 mm range where the value is approximately 5 If the values ever go outside these ranges please re measure the standard and confirm the standard s certificate Please contact your service provider if the new calibration factor values remain outside the indicated ranges 16 Click on the Save button to make the new calibration factor permanent or click Cancel to abort the calibration Any saved changes will take place immediately and there is no need to re start th
112. lpha Step IQ User Manual 0084995 000 Rev AA KLA Tencor Confidential instrument DOwWer 14 erue dr 15 l 32 filtered parameters 88 89 filtering effect of scan speed 85 filtering operator nannnennnannennnnnnnnnnennnnnnennne 102 firmware diagnostics sssusse 128 TENNE 43 free text block illustration 105 frequency spectrum study 104 G geometry and scan speed stylus 96 geometry StylUS annonnnnnnannannannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne 83 H header footer eese 107 histogram E 124 history of operators illustration 105 identity card illustration 106 illustrations clo M 105 ele ee ee 105 orla H 105 free text block 105 history of operatore 105 identity card o 106 Tu ie 104 measurement summary 105 page number 105 parameter table for all studies 106 parameter table for current study 106 zeige gt 105 summary of last operator 105 tolerance limit
113. lus damage to the stylus can occur This can happen when the stage is raised in such a way that the stylus drops into a hole or deep trench Then if the stage is moved damage to the stylus can occur CAUTION Do not start a scan or move the stage unless the stylus is directly over the sample or damage to the stylus can occur e Ifa sample thicker than the last sample is placed on the stage or if a substrate locator is mounted without resetting the lowest elevator position the scanner assembly can hit the sample or the locator if the stylus misses the surface e The bottom of the scanner assembly must be at least 4 mm 157 mils above the top of the sample or substrate locator The stylus drops about 2 mm 79 mils below the scanner assembly CAUTION If the sample or a substrate locator is changed to one of a different height reset the lowest elevator position see 6 4 Setting The Elevator Safety Limit Otherwise the stylus and scanner assembly could be damaged CAUTION When designing custom jigs or fixtures consider the cautions presented in this section EXAMPLE When designing a custom disk locator its center section must be flush with the top of the disk surface Damage can also occur when there is a hole in a jig a vacuum hole or a groove in a surface Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 24 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 3 3 TOP LEVEL MENU COMMANDS This section summarizes the top level
114. ly be allowed to fall in certain positions Turning this function off allows the operator to place the objects anywhere within the page 9 8 1 2 Magnetic Points Per Centimeter The user can choose between 2 4 or 5 points per centimeter The larger the number the more flexibility the user has in moving the object while in magnetic grid mode 9 8 1 3 Display Grid This allows the user to display or hide the grid 9 8 1 4 Display Magnetic Points This allows the user to display or hide the magnetic points 9 8 2 Output Unit 9 8 2 1 Preferred Unit Choosing the unit display is selected here The available units are mm um nm and Both the X and Z axes output unit can be selected The operator can also choose to have the software automatically adapt to the best unit 9 8 2 2 Number of Significant Digits The user can select the number of significant digits displayed after the decimal point This value may range between 2 and 5 Reminder The settings are applied to the whole software program and not only to the current document 9 8 3 Waviness Filter The waviness filter may only be selected when a blank document is first opened The user may choose between the ISO standard Gaussian filter or the 2RC filter which is provided for backward compatibility with the older Alpha Step systems Is it recommended to use the Gaussian filter Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 108 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 20
115. lyse A valeurs Height et HasStep mes Di Alpha Step IG SLI sers SE ngin er Data Statistical Data to Analyse A valeurs Height et HasStep mes D Alpha Step IG Users Engineer Datat Statistical Data to Analyze45 valeurs Height et AasStep mes D Alpha Step IG Users Engineer Datat Statistical Data to Analyze45 valeurs Height et AasStep mes D Alpha Step IG Users Engineer Datat Statistical Data to Analyze45 valeurs Height et AasStep mes D Alpha Step IG Users Engineer Datat Statistical Data to Analyzet Ab valeurs Height et Has Step mes D r lpha Step IG Users Engineer Datat Statistical Data to Analyzet Ab valeurs Height et Ha Step mes Population 1 Scans 1 10 Population 2 Scans 11 20 Population 3 Scans 21 30 Add population Delete population Move up 4 Move down Add Delete Move up Move down Save and Analyze Cancel Help Figure 11 1 Defining the populations to analyze In the left part of the dialog box the user can define one or several populations In the right part of the dialog box analysis documents are associated to each population In order to be analyzed statistically the documents must contain numerical parameter results These results may come from single trace measurements multi scan measure ments or Manual Sequence measurements t is up to the user to make sure that the documents to compare contain comparable values This information i e the populations and their composition
116. m failure will void the warranty As a precaution please backup your system regularly Refer to Chapter 12 Maintenance for more information 3 4 SETTINGS OVERVIEW The Settings button opens a Dialog box offering general purpose settings as well as instrument calibrations Stage Setting Users Management Backup and Restore System Settings Video settings Abou Step Height Calibration Stylus Force Calibration Language Settings Backlash Calibration Figure 3 4 Settings Tabs If changes are applied to these settings they are stored only when this dialog box is closed Not all settings are available to all groups of users The following chart lists for each tab of the dialog box its description its accessibility and where to find further information in this document Tab Name Description Accessibility user Where to find must belong to further information group Stage Settings Allows the user to set a limit to the Operator 6 4 Setting The elevator in order to prevent the tip Engineer Elevator Safety Limit and the measured component from Administrator colliding Maintenance Users Allows those with access to adda Administrator 3 5 USER Groups and Management new user change a user s rights or Maintenance System Access properties or remove a user from Restrictions its group Backup and Allows to backup and restore the Administrator 12 4 Backup and Restore users data and the scan
117. me among the default list and to enter the corresponding password Please refer to 3 5 USER Groups and System Access Restrictions If a message about the firmware version is displayed on the screen or if the auto diagnostic fails refer to the troubleshooting section 12 2 Troubleshooting Install the rotary stage table as follows e Lower the stage to its lowest position by pressing the a button e Move the stage forward by rotating the Y axis adjustment knob e Place the spindle on the underside of the rotary stage table into the front bushing in the middle of the stage as shown in Figure 2 3 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 19 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 Figure 2 3 Installing the Rotary Stage Table 2 5 MULTIPLE USERS OF THE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE It is possible to install the analysis part of the software on more than one computer An optional electronic key offline dongle is required for each computer that the software is being installed on Such further software licenses can be purchased either together with the instrument or afterwards In all cases please refer to instructions on the CD ROM package for installation Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 20 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 2 6 SHIPPING THE INSTRUMENT In order to ship the instrument to a new location or back to the factory follow these instructions 2 6 1 Shipping Preparations 1 Power Down the
118. ment under the current name or click on Save As to save it under another name When the Save As item is selected a prompt requests that a file name be entered in a dialog box Select the File Type as Analysis Document to save the report with a file name extension of mnt For information about the other file types available to save the data file profile multi scan profile refer to Section 9 3 4 Exporting Data Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 99 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 3 2 Applying a Template Document One of the great benefits and usefulness of the Data Review mode is the ability to automatically use an existing document as a template for other data files By doing so the content of the document frames settings operations etc will be applied to a new data file 9 3 2 1 How to proceed 1 Create a document to be used as a template and save it as an Analysis Document 2 Load a data file of the same type as the one used in the template document e Click on File New then on File Open to load an already existing data file refer to Section 8 10 2 Saving the profile as a data file in a new document or e Perform a scan in Scan mode and take the data file immediately into Data Review mode 3 Click Apply a Template in the File menu and select the previously saved template document 4 The document will be displayed consisting of the new data and the saved settings 9 3 2 2 A
119. mm Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 118 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 Directories C Program Filez lpha Step IG UsersyyLserN ameh anual Se Manual Sequence 9 My Manual sequence for old process E IG My Sequence for new process LH Process evaluation on sample 2 2004 02 09 11H54 CH 2004 02 09 12H02 10 2004 02 09 12H15 40 2004 02 09 12H17 LI Barnas a i ones Figure 10 10 Loading results from Manual Sequence Scan J Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 119 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 11 Profiler SPC Optional Statistics Feature NOTE Profiler SPC is an optional feature for more information about d options refer to Section 12 3 2 Installed Options The manual gives a functional overview of the statistical features More detailed instructions for use can be found in the online help 11 1 PRESENTATION The Profiler Statistical Process Control SPC feature adds interesting tools to the scanner allowing the user to compare the measurement results and to analyze their evolution This feature is particularly useful for process and production control It allows the user to better monitor and analyze their yield The Statistics menu provides the user with several process control statistics features These statistical calculations are carried out on the parameter values available in previously saved analysis d
120. mmarvisktatistics definition value Di Alpha Step 10 Users Administrator Sequence Ceramiquelcerarmique aig gt FL Ale el ee ee ee PE Lk xch ee eee e Figure 12 7 Backup window displaying the list of backed up files The backup function allows the Administrator to backup e the users data recipes analysis documents data files images or e the scanner settings files set by KLA Tencor motor speed settings linearization settings or by the user step height calibration settings CAUTION When saving users data only those files that have been saved in one of the User s directories will be saved Data saved under other locations will not be included in the backup Depending on the amount of data archived into a backup file the backup and restore command may take seconds to several minutes to complete The backup file may be up to several hundreds of megabytes in size Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 133 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 12 4 1 Backup 1 Click on the l r button to select a folder location and the name of the backup file that Will be created 2 Click on Backup User Data to backup all users recipes analysis documents data files images or on Backup Scanner Settings Files to backup the motor speed settings calibration settings linearization settings 3 Wait a few seconds When the backup is done a message appears on the screen 12 4 2 Restore Backup T
121. mples the scan speed is increased from 2 um s to 50 um s which causes the cutoff wavelength to vary from 0 17 um to 4 17 um The stylus used is the standard 5 um radius tip Figure 8 13 shows that at 2 um s the shape and height are accurately reproduced The average of the rise and fall distances is about 1 um Approximately 0 75 um of this is attributable to the stylus radius and 0 25 um is the input filter contribution Both of these effects are evident in the top and bottom of the step um Length 50 um Pt 0 467 um Scale 0 6 um Figure 8 14 Trace at 50 um s The trace at 50 um s in Figure 8 14 above has become even more distorted with its height attenuated by about 1 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 86 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 8 ALPHA STEP IQ SURFACE ANALYSIS PARAMETERS The Alpha Step IQ provides several sets of surface analysis parameters Miscellaneous surface parameters otep height parameters Roughness parameters Waviness parameters 8 8 1 Miscellaneous Surface Parameters and Step Height Parameters Parameters provided in this set are calculated between two cursors or two sets of cursors in Delta Average mode In the Delta Average mode the position of each cursor is taken to be the horizontal midpoint of each delta cursor band and the data value at this location is the average of the vertical values within these bands Pos L Pos R identify the position of cursors along the
122. n Refer to Figure 7 2 to change to another page of the analysis document for example to switch from step height analysis to a roughness waviness analysis The Analysis menu contains the following e Measured Profile The raw unprocessed scan data profile as it was acquired e Roughness Waviness The filtered roughness profile with associated roughness parameters e Step Height The scan trace for step height analysis and related parameters Figure 7 2 Selecting the analysis page Further information on analyzing and saving the scan results is supplied in Chapter 8 Analyzing the Profile Information on extended analysis possibilities can be found in Chapter 9 Data Review Mode Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 68 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 7 6 1 Profiling a Multi scan Sometimes it may be necessary or ideal to obtain an averaged trace of the profile Possible use cases are e High vibration or higher noise environment requiring taking averages of data e Analyze the repeatability and or stability of system e System qualification routines e System diagnostic tests during preventive maintenance The Alpha Step IQ offers a multiple scan mode allowing the operator to scan the same site repeatedly up to 10 times and calculate an average trace and or provide a statistical summary of all scans These types of recipes can be saved as multi scan recipes and any collected data from them can be anal
123. n Xn uli Ze Rapid scan 2 5 mm E EE 3 zl 89 8 Pe Reon ee c Pa x Image match OK Press the Start button to start the scan Down Manual Sequence Run mode Site 2 2 List of sites Site Site Name Image Scan SR 1 TFG Components Captured Complete 2 Rectangular grooves Captured Rectangular grooves Comment Upper part of the sample Minimum Match Percentage Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 115 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Figure 10 6 Running a Manual Sequence 2 Use the X and Y adjustment knobs to move to the first scan site and use the down arrow key to bring the stylus down to the surface Z adjustment 3 Compare the live video image of your scan site to the saved image by clicking on the Match button If the match percentage is not yet sufficient move the sample until you reach the correct position that satisfies the minimum match percentage NOTE If the stylus or the camera has been changed between the moment when the reference site image has been taken and the moment of the Manual Sequence scan you may want to redefine the position of the crosshairs Please refer to Section 6 6 2 Defining the Position of the Crosshairs CAUTION The matching will only work if the position of the zoom knob has not been changed between the moment when the reference site image has been taken and the moment of the Manual Sequence scan Saved Image Figure 10 7 The Match function comparing the Live
124. nanrrranrrnnnenrnnrnranrnnnnnennanennanennanennanennanennnnnsennnne 110 10 1 3 Accessing the Manual Sequence Window rrrrrnrrnrnnrrenrnnnrrrrnnrennnnrrenrnnrrennnsnennnrenrnnerennnsnennnnsee 111 10 1 4 Organization of the Manual Sequence Window rrrnrrnrnnrrrrrnnrrrvnnrrenvnnrrrnnnnrennnrrenrnnrrnnnnsrennnnere 112 10 2 DEFINING A MANUAL SEQUENCE RECIPE nenne nennen nnne nennen nennen nnns nnn nnn 112 10 2 1 Creating a Manual GeouenceHecpe ener nnne nennen nnns 112 10 2 2 Saving and retrieving a Manual ZeouenceHecpe 113 10 3 PROFILING FROM A MANUAL SEQUENCE RECIPE sse nnne 115 10 4 ANALYZING DATA FROM A MANUAL SEQUENCE nennen nnne nnne nnne nra 117 10 4 1 Analyzing Data at the End of the Manual Sequence nsnsnnnsnnnnennnnenrnsnrrnrnrrrsrrresrresrrresrreen 117 10 4 2 Reviewing Results from a Manual Geouence 118 CHAPTER 11 PROFILER SPC OPTIONAL STATISTICS FEATURE 120 Qc salem rc 120 11 2 DEFINING THE POPULATIONS TO ANALYZE eessen rebar tnup eege ege 1U gnata ra enee ee 120 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential 1 Page90of153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 TTS LIPS RI c M 122 VESEN ee 122 VNR 123 ES de FHS LOC 1 EE 124 VPN 124 1429 9 EP 125 11 4 APPLYING THE ANALYSIS TO ANOTHER POPULATION SOURCE 126 CHAPTER 12 MAINTENANGE vs eviiiconsvetessenenarne
125. nd down arrow keys on the software interface indicate the direction that the stylus is raised and lowered The keys also raise and lower the stage but in the opposite direction of the stylus l e the 7 causes the lowered stylus to raise and the stage to lower The X4 brings the stylus down and the stage up To load the sample 1 Make sure the stage table is in its lowest position by pressing and holding the D button until the stage table has fully lowered 2 Turn the Y Axis Adjustment knob to move the stage forward 3 Open the measurement area door and place the sample on the stage table Use proper handling techniques to avoid scratching or contaminating the sample stage before loading or unloading a sample NOTE To prevent possible damage to the scanner stylus always lower the 4 Close the measurement area door and turn the Y Axis Adjustment knob to move the stage backward Use the Y and X Axis Adjustment knobs to center the stage under the scanner lf the substrate is small in nature please center it near the area where the stylus comes down Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 65 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 7 4 VIEWING AND POSITIONING THE SAMPLE The Alpha Step IQ contains a high resolution video camera Once the sample is loaded onto the stage and moved underneath the camera field of view it can be seen on the computer monitor s live video screen The sample can be moved using
126. nd scan length of a profile it is important to allow some space before and after the region of interest as shown in the example below of a simple step artifact Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 39 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Beginning and end of scan should clearly straddle feature Feature width Scan length Figure 5 3 Setting Up to Scan a Step 1 Time If Scan Time is set to more than one scan the instrument scans the same location the set number of times The result is displayed as the average of the multiple scans and as a series of profiles This function is used to further reduce the acquisition noise of the instrument Between 1 and 10 repeat measurements scans can be selected a higher number is possible when the user is of group Maintenance Refer to section 7 6 1 Profiling a Multi scan for further information The multi scan function is useful when conducting step height calibrations refer to Section 6 1 Vertical Scale Calibration Scan Speed This is the speed that the stylus moves across the sample surface The pull down menu for this field provides a pre defined set of speeds to choose from Sampling rate This parameter sets the number of times per second the sensor information is recorded The pull down window for this field provides a pre defined set of sampling rates to choose from Once the scan speed and the sampling rate are determined the resolution is automatically calculated
127. nded analysis mode that provides the operator with extensive surface analysis and statistical features and that allows him to create a detailed report that may include comments and illustrations 9 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE DATA REVIEW WINDOW Scan File Edit Data Operators Studies Statistics Illustrations Reserves Options Help Dea Sk t KLA encor Alpha Step 2 Levelled with the Mini Comment RS nam Sousa ees LIME oes oe r Ww Profe S m 1e 003 um 3 Mirror none 2 Profile 1e 003 um 4 Zoom none 3 Profile 1e 003 pm 5 molaire Series of profiles 256 profiles of 15300 pm 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950pm Ready Temp 1001 Pageij6 Z Analysis Document List of Data files Figure 9 1 The Data Review Window In the Data Review mode the analysis part is maximized to fit almost the entire screen replacing the Scan data acquisition part The acquired data is displayed in an analysis document This document contains one or several pages corresponding to one or different analysis displays The number of displayed pages depends on the Page Options for further information please refer to Section 9 8 6 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 98 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Page Options These pages constitute an analysis report that can be printed and saved To navigate through the document use the vertical scroll bar located on the right
128. ner Maintenance restore calibrations Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 26 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Tab Name Description Accessibility user Where to find must belong to further information group System Software and Firmware diagnostics Administrator 12 2 2 Software and Settings Maintenance Firmware Diagnostics Gives Copyright information about Operator 12 3 Software Versions the versions of the software Engineer and Installed Options modules and lists installed Administrator options Maintenance Step Height Calibrating the Vertical Range Engineer 6 1 Vertical Scale Calibration scale of the instrument Administrator Calibration Maintenance Stylus Force Setting the force applied by the Operator 6 2 Stylus Force Calibration stylus to the measured component Engineer Calibration Administrator Maintenance Language Changing the software operation All groups but the 6 5 Changing the Settings language if available This does not multi lingual option is application language require uninstall or reinstallation of required option the software Backlash Calibrating the backlash allows the Administrator 6 3 Backlash Calibration user to remove the lateral shift Maintenance Calibration appearing between profiles measured from left to right and profiles measured from right to left Video Settings Optimizing the quality of the video Engineer 5 2 6 The Video image Administrator
129. ng the Analysis Type nnnennnnennnnennnsennnsrrresrrrrsrnerrrrrsrrerrrersrrersrrersrrersrrennrersrrernnsrrrerrernnne 44 5 2 5 Defining the Prnt F or M ai 44 5 2 6 The Video Display ee ed 44 5 2 7 Moving the Stylus Up and Down rnronnrnnnanrnnvnnnrenrnnnrnnnnnnennnnsrennnnnrnnnnsnennnnsrennnsnennnnsnennnnernnnsnernnnnsne 46 Te le e EE 47 5 2 9 Saving and Retrieving a Hechpe 48 CHAPTER 6 INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION enunnnnennnernnnennnnnnnnnnnnnennnnnnnnennnnennnennnnnnnnennnnennnr 50 6 1 VERTICAL SCALE CALIBRATION e denken conta Ea direc hated vo menter dines Ets locuti e ande Uekdsusk kun nnt biene 50 6 1 1 Principle Calibration of the vertical scale using a Step Height Standard 50 Eg tee EE EEE EE EEE EEE 51 6 2 STYLUS FORCE CALUIBRATION enne nennen nnn nnns nnne nnns nsns nnns n rrr nnn nennen nennen nenne 54 6 2 1 Introduction to low force proflmg mmn 54 6 2 2 Adjusting th stylus TOCE s E H 55 6 3 BACKLASH CALIBRATION nennen nennen nnn nnn nnn nnns sns s nsns nnne i EEEE nnne n nennen nnne nnns 56 6 4 SETTING THE ELEVATOR SAFETY LIMIT 2 s00ccccceceeccceeececessssseeeceeeeeeeeceeeeeeeceusssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeess 59 6 5 CHANGING THE APPLICATION LANGUAGE OPTION 60 6 6 MODIFYING THE VIDEO SETTINGS suser esse oneeseveecsengeataersvercsat 61 6 6 1 Modifying the light settings nnn
130. nnnn 98 Tulio OI ensien EE 12 P page number illustration 105 page OpPONS EEE 109 parameter table illustration 106 physical specifications 142 polynomial fit method 76 leet le EE 120 position elevator onnnanonnannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne 43 positioning the sample 36 66 preventive maintenance 016 DUALI PRO 140 quarterly Ae 140 Semt annu l 140 weekly 140 print current page eeeeeeeeeeeee nne 97 oc EP EE E A E E E E iat 102 print layout in Scan mode 44 profile CONCIUSION m 97 INE OCU GUON MP 73 IOV Wa 15 Mie iilo 74 SKE KA RE EE EE 96 Page 150 of 153 July 2004 Zoo IT profile curve study rrrrarernnrernnnrvnnnrrnnnnranennnre 104 Prole SPG 120 profiling from a Manual Sequence recipe 115 from a scanned recipe s nssenssnnneresnrnenrnni 67 MUSEA edene ENa 69 specifications essere 141 Q quarterly preventive maintenance 140 R recipe ENN 39 CCIM EE 49 manual sequence recipe 112 SIE 48 recovery software crash 131 rectangle illustration
131. o not reach the bottom of the groove and a falsely low height measurement is recorded Stylus Stylus Tip Angle Trace Sample Figure 8 10 Effects of Stylus Radius and Stylus Tip Angle on a High Step Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 83 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Figure 8 11 Effect of Stylus Radius on a Narrow Groove Groove width loss is defined as the length of the groove that is not traced displayed by the stylus Figure 8 12 and Table 8 1 show a graph and table of groove depth versus groove width loss for different stylus radii The significance of this table is that if the groove width is to be measured its width must be greater than the groove width loss Stylus Groove Depth um Pre free SEHR 54 28 9 54 7 3 Tso feo ia 20 Groove Width Loss um 1L F Groove Depth um Figure 8 12 Stylus Hadius and Groove Width Loss Relation Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 84 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 The 0 0 entry for stylus radius in the above figure corresponds to the theoretical limit of a point stylus on a shank with 60 angle 8 7 THE FILTERING EFFECT OF SCAN SPEED Another possible cause of height attenuation is the effect of the input filter An input filter is included in measurement systems to reduce noise and in the case of digitized instruments to prevent biasing effects in the A to D converter The cutoff frequency of the inpu
132. o restore User data or Scanner settings contained in a backup file select the corresponding backup filename with the button and click on the Restore Backup button NOTE When you restore a backup file the corresponding current files users data or scanner settings are lost and replaced by the data files or scanner settings of the backup file that has been loaded 12 5 CHANGING THE STYLUS Please note that the stylus replacement procedure is available in the instructional video provided with the instrument 12 5 1 Available Styli Replacement styli of several sizes and a stylus insertion tool are available from KLA Tencor Instruments The color band on the stylus shank defines the radius of the stylus See Table 10 2 for stylus sizes available information EE SE KE 3 ft w me us mw Rd sm wa 2 pf mw Gem Table 12 2 Available Styli for the Alpha Step IQ Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 134 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 To change the stylus you will need e A small mirror optional to position beneath the stylus arm to assist in positioning the new stylus and to catch the stylus if it falls A small piece of cardboard a clean room cloth or other similar object can also be used e Stylus wrench Included with system e The Stylus Insertion Tool or a forceps or tweezers Included with system NOTE Be very careful when changing the stylus The KLA Tencor Corporation War
133. ocuments The user is asked to select the populations measurement results on which he wants to carry out statistical analyses The user can then statistically analyze the selected populations using a Statistical Summary a Control Chart a Histogram a Box Plot and a Scatter Plot The resulting statistical document can be saved as an analysis document file mnt file 11 2 DEFINING THE POPULATIONS TO ANALYZE This dialog box allows the user to define or to modify the populations to analyze He has the possibility to define several populations in order to compare in the same statistical document parameter values coming from different groups of measurements Each population is composed of different analysis documents that contain parameter values Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 120 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Definition of Populations n Ka Sp E SE X Populations saved in the Populations source File D valpha Step IG Users Engineer D atas Statistical Populations SourcesySource File 10 30 Height Scans sts Documents in the population Populations Dr sAIpha Step IO Users E ngineer D atas Statistical Data to Analyze45 valeurs Height et HasStep mes Di Alpha Step IG Users E ngineer Data Statistical Data to Analyse A valeurs Height et HasStep mes Di Alpha Step IG Users E ngineer Data Statistical Data to Analyse A valeurs Height et HasStep mes Di Alpha Step IO Users ngin er Data Statistical Data to Ana
134. ollowing statistical parameters are available Statistical Parameter Ga Sumofthe values of all observations in population ae TZ Total number of observations in population Std dev The Standard deviation o indicates how widely data is spread around the mean The standard deviation of a population is equal to the square root of the variance Minimum value Maximum value Lower Quartile The 25th percentile 75 of the observed values lie above this value 25 lie below it Upper Quartile The 75th percentile 25 of the observed values lie above this value 75 lie below it The 50th percentile 50 of the observed values lie above this value 50 lie below it Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 122 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 11 3 2 Control Chart This graph represents the values of a selected parameter in all the documents within the selected population s Control Chart af Height P1 for all populations Yield 75 395 Figure 11 3 Example of a Control Chart study The following statistical parameters are available Statistical Explanation Parameter The population mean y is calculated as follows _ sum of the values of all observatio ne in population Total number of observations in population Positive and The standard deviation lines indicate how widely data is spread
135. ome in contact with the surface The camera view is centered on the stylus To do this perform the following Press the xj button once to bring the stylus to the down position Press and hold the xj button again until the stylus contacts the sample surface Notice that the stylus and sample are now in camera view Alternatively you can double click on the xj button This will raise the stage until it makes contact with the stylus As a safety precaution the stylus will not go past the point of contact with the surface Nothing will happen if the operator continues to press x button after the stylus has touched the surface The video display offers crosshairs to help in precise positioning Refer to Figure 5 1 Measurement Control area which illustrates a typical view of the stylus as it contacts the surface Use the mouse to press the EN button once to bring the stylus up and away from the surface Now using the X and Y axis adjustment knobs on the left side of the scanner move the sample to the desired location Align the feature of interest to the right or to the left of the live video screen crosshairs If necessary you can increase the video screen by doing a right click on the live video image and selecting Maximize Video If the image has been maximized you can minimize it again by doing a right click on it and selecting Minimize Video Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 37 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004
136. ou to access certain critical features Refer to section 3 5 2 Default Users for information about the user names and the default passwords e The main screen is displayed with the acquisition control on the upper half part of the screen If any error messages appear please refer to the troubleshooting section section 12 2 Troubleshooting Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 22 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 3 2 PROTECTING THE STYLUS ARM ASSEMBLY NOTE The KLA Tencor Corporation Warranty Policy does not cover d damage to the stylus arm assembly or the pivot caused by operator error or carelessness The Alpha Step IQ incorporates several design features to protect the stylus from damage e Whenever the stylus is down for longer than 60 seconds and a scan is not taking place the stylus lifts automatically e When the stylus reaches the upper limit of its measurement range the stylus automatically retracts and the scan is terminated Note When the stylus reaches its upper limit the trace on the screen stops ascending and becomes level e Asa safety factor the elevator can be programmed to lower only to a preset limit Refer to section 6 4 Setting The Elevator Safety Limit The above precautions protect the stylus However there are still cases where damage can occur Damage occurs whenever the stylus is down and the stylus shaft moves against a vertical wall fixed to the stage This is particularly
137. out affecting any data results The main modifications are e Leveling the Profile refer to section 8 3 Leveling the Profile e Zooming the Profile refer to section 8 4 Zooming the profile The Leveling and Zoom operations can be performed by clicking on each of the buttons that carry their names According to surface texture standards the resulting profile is called the primary profile Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 74 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 3 LEVELING THE PROFILE By clicking the Leveling button a dialog box is displayed and the user can select the way the profile will be leveled refer to Figure 8 3 The leveling method may be selected according to the type of profile e Least Squares Line recommended for random surface texture profile applications e Minimum Zone recommended for applications concerning step height type of analysis where precise leveling is not required and is equally distributed across the entire data population e 2 Zones recommended for applications concerning step height type of analysis where a user specific leveling reference is required and for when leveling to an average set of data is a best practice e Level Using a Polynomial recommended for applications where it is necessary to remove curvature in order to measure a specific feature or multiple features The user may also choose not to level the profile if the scan trace is satisfactory Fo
138. ovides the following features e Measurement of vertical features ranging from under 100 A 0 4 yin to approximately 0 4 mm 15 7 mils with a vertical resolution of 0 012 A or 0 24 A respectively e The horizontal resolution is only limited by the stylus radius and not by the number of data points However the minimum spacing between two data points is 0 01 um e Measurement of many roughness and waviness parameters with roughness and waviness separated by user selectable cutoff filters e Ability to fit and level data allowing accurate measurements on curved surfaces e Ability to repeat a scan up to ten times and automatically calculate the average thereby minimizing the effects of environmental noise on measurements e Accommodation of samples up to 150 mm 6 in wide and 21 mm 83 in thick The Alpha Step IQ software is compatible with Windows XP A minimum of 256 MB of RAM is required to ensure proper screen resolution of 1024x768 with 16 bit colors The computer is connected to the scanner using a USB link Although one USB cable is provided two USB channels are used internally one for the communication with the mother board of the scanner the other one for the digitized video The video can be seen on the PC monitor or on an external video monitor optional 1 The resolution is the minimum height variation that the system can detect and code into numbers The Alpha Step IQ internal electronics uses a 24 bit A to D conver
139. r connections 2 4 2 3 Powering on the Computer When the instrument the monitor and the computer are connected to an AC power supply power on the computer and the monitor Wait for Windows XP to boot up and for the desktop to appear NOTE If the monitor screen remains blank first make sure that the monitor power switch is on and the power cord firmly plugged into an AC outlet Next make sure that the connection from the monitor to the computer has been performed correctly with the connectors all seated and screwed in Finally try adjusting the brightness and intensity controls on the monitor If the screen is still blank call KLA Tencor Service Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 18 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 CAUTION Do not leave the display turned up to maximum intensity for longer than 1 hour or damage to the screen can occur CAUTION Do not change the BIOS settings on the computer system Changing these settings can affect the performance of the profiler system 2 4 3 Launching the Alpha Step IQ Software Start the Alpha Step IQ Software by double clicking on the Alpha Step IQ icon on the desktop screen When the Alpha Step IQ software starts an auto diagnostic of the instrument occurs The system status is reported inside the yellow rectangle on the screen The auto diagnostics should last approximately 20 seconds If the instrument is OK you are expected to select a user na
140. r this select the No Leveling option When a Leveling method is selected click the OK button for changes to take place Original data e ek p GE EL a 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 19000 16000 18000 pm I L 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 19000 18000 18000 pm Operation SP C Level using the Least Square Line SA Level using 2 bars Cancel Level using the Minimum Zone Method n t C Mo levelling Help at tA C Level using polynomial of order Include aem Exclude Figure 8 2 The Leveling operator window Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 75 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 8 3 1 Least Square Line Method LSLI In this method the software will try to best fit a straight line by minimizing the squared sum of deviations of all profile points from the line The LS line is then subtracted from the original profile As a result the general slope of the profile will be removed displaying the leveled trace 8 3 2 Minimum Zone Line Method MZLI In this method the software will enclose the profile by two parallel lines above and below the profile and try to find the slope that minimizes the distance between the two lines Applying the new slope over the entire trace then levels the original profile 8 3 3 Two Zones Method This is the simplest method the profile is leveled using a straight line that passes through the intersections of
141. ranty Policy does not cover damage to the stylus assembly or the pivot caused by operator error or carelessness when changing the stylus Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 135 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 12 5 2 Changing the Stylus 1 Lower the stage table by pressing the D button 2 Remowve the clear scanner cover by sliding it out and up 3 Remove the scanner cover by lifting it straight up 4 Place a small mirror on the stage table if one is available This will serve as an aid in positioning the new stylus for insertion and to catch the stylus in case it is dropped 5 Locate the stylus arm assembly The stylus is held in place with a 0 80 set screw at the right end of the stylus arm Hold the stylus with the stylus insertion tool or forceps and carefully loosen the setscrew with a spline wrench Do not apply pressure to the stylus arm The spline wrench is light in weight so it can be left in the screw for Step 6 below Scanner Assembly Stylus Arm Set Screw Spline wrench Figure 12 8 Removing the Stylus Stylus 6 Remove the stylus by pulling down gently with the Stylus Insertion Tool or forceps Return the stylus to its protective capsule for safekeeping 7 Hold the replacement stylus with the Stylus Insertion Tool or forceps and carefully insert it into the hole in the underside of the stylus arm Use the reflection in the mirror for guidance or if not using a small mirror
142. raph in the document The image can be taken from a file BMP JPEG GIF or WMF EMF or from the clipboard by doing a Copy and Paste of the frame Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 104 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 5 3 2 Free Text Block This illustration allows the user to type any text and modify its font size and color The background can be set to transparent to create a title over a picture or to make it look like part of another frame inside the analysis document You can use ASCII codes to write special characters u Alt 0181 Alt 0197 9 5 3 3 Arrow The arrow can be used to point to a detail on a graph The user can specify its color thickness head type and direction When inserting the arrow simply drag it to the desired position and resize as necessary 9 5 3 4 Circle The circle can be used to emphasize a detail on a graph or image The user can specify its color thickness and type When inserting the circle simply drag it to the desired position and resize as necessary 9 5 3 5 Rectangle The rectangle is used to create a frame with a certain color on the document It is a pure illustration The rectangle may also be resized and dragged to a desired location 9 5 3 6 Current Date This illustration inserts a text frame with the date or the hour displayed in one of the available formats To select the format displayed right click inside the date frame and choose format A
143. razor edge has a radius much smaller than the stylus radius Dulling the edge can invalidate this assumption 12 6 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE The preventive maintenance schedule provides a guideline to maintain a robust and quality operation of the Alpha Step IQ The schedule can be performed more or less frequently depending on usage This schedule is typical for a system used 8 hours per day 5 days per week If in doubt always contact your local service representative 12 6 1 1 2 3 12 6 2 Weekly Maintenance Visually inspect the stylus tip for dirt Perform a stylus force calibration Verify Step Height calibrations Monthly Maintenance Create a backup file and or erase unnecessary data in system 12 6 3 Quarterly Maintenance Check scan noise performance using an optical flat Make necessary adjustments to the table level and the table bow 12 6 4 1 Alpha Step IQ User Semi Annual Maintenance Perform a Step Height Calibration Perform a Backlash Calibration Check the capacity of the hard disk to make sure there is enough disk space Verify disk fragmentation levels and run de fragmentation program if necessary Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 140 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Appendix A Specifications A 1 PROFILING PERFORMANCE Scan Length Scan Speed Sampling Rate Vertical Range Horizontal Resolution Scan Method Stylus Control Stylus Range Stylus R
144. re the live video image to the saved video image If the Match percentage indicates that the position is good enough he clicks on the Start button The first scan site is profiled in the Scan window then the display switches back to the Manual Sequence window allowing the operator to navigate to the second scan site and so on For detailed instructions refer to section 10 3 Profiling from a Manual Sequence Recipe 3 The operator or the user analyzes the collected data Once the last scan of the Manual Sequence has been performed the software automatically switches to Data Review mode A predefined analysis document for the first scan site is displayed The user can display and modify the analysis document of each scan site or display a statistical summary document for all sites For more detailed information refer to section 10 4 Analyzing data from a Manual Sequence Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 110 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 10 1 3 Accessing the Manual Sequence Window The Manual Sequence window can be accessed from the Scan window The user clicks on the arrow next to the Sequence button on the Recipe toolbar and chooses one of the following menu items SEQUENCE B Save Data Run sequence Mew sequence Edit sequence Figure 10 1 The Manual Sequence Buttons in the Scan window Run sequence allows operators to run an existing Manual Sequence Recipe
145. ready scanned will be displayed with the remaining part of the scan length not profiled represented by a flat line Stop button or F9 keyboard key A click on this button interrupts the measurement and brings the stylus back to its initial position The part of the profile already scanned will be displayed while a flat line represents the remaining part of the scan not profiled Depending on the parameters selected and their ISO and ANSI definitions some of these will remain blank or contain asterisks characters if the amount of data collected is not sufficient to define these properly Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 47 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 5 2 9 Saving and Retrieving a Recipe m HU 3 C D Save Data Print Figure 5 9 The Recipe Buttons Recipe ID Untitled is a non editable display of the recipe name as a recipe is named when and only when the user saves it New clears the existing recipe and reinitializes the recipe to the default recipe Load displays a list of recipes previously stored When loading another recipe the current recipe is erased and replaced by the one loaded Save saves the current recipe i e the recipe currently shown on the screen under the same name This function will be used to modify an existing recipe by applying the succession of commands Load Edit Save Reminder a recipe contains all settings scan parameters stylus settings
146. rent methods from the top from the middle or from the bottom S 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 s pm Figure 8 8 Analysis of Multiple Step Heights and Widths in Automatic mode Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 82 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 6 STYLUS GEOMETRY One factor contributing to the distortion of a step height is the size and shape of the stylus tip The dotted line in Figure 8 10 and Figure 8 11 describes the travel path of the stylus radius Assuming two worst case scenarios Figure 8 10 displays the case of a step significantly higher than the stylus radius and Figure 8 11 displays the case of a groove width approximately equal to the stylus radius Figure 8 9 Travel Path of the Stylus If a perfectly square step is assumed the arcs in the trace are inverted replicas of the stylus radius while the slope of the trace in Figure 8 9 is a replica of the stylus tip angle typically 60 Note The length of the trace of the groove is shorter than the actual length The traces do not look like this on the instrument s display because the vertical dimensions are greatly exaggerated perhaps 1000 times the horizontal dimensions thereby minimizing any distortion The distortion due to the stylus does not interfere with accurate measurement of step heights The only case in which an inaccuracy would occur is if the groove is too narrow for the stylus Figure 8 10 This causes the stylus t
147. ructions WARNING Damage to the system may occur if it is used despite the Firmware Version warning Itis important to contact the local service representative prior to using the system Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 130 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 12 2 5 Software Crash If the Alpha Step IQ software crashes the application has to be stopped as follows e Click on Ctrl Alt Del e nthe Windows task manager select the Processes tab e Select the hawk exe file and click on the End Process button 12 3 SOFTWARE VERSIONS AND INSTALLED OPTIONS The Alpha Step IQ files are stored in the C Program files AlphaStep IQ folder WARNING Never change delete move or rename any of the installed files contained in the c Program files AlphaStep IQ folder Doing so could result in serious system software and computer failures and possible damage to hardware sub assemblies depending on the extent of the changes The About tab in the Settings menu provides information about the versions of the software modules installed the options enabled and the serial number of the software 12 3 1 Versions and Serial Number Version 1 0 0 License Serial Number KT status Figure 12 4 Version Information The Version is the general version of the Alpha Step IQ software electronics The License Serial Number is read from the dongle security key The software is made of three technologies as listed in Figure
148. s of the profile Standard Waviness Parameters Additional Waviness Parameters Wa Wq Wp Wv Wt Wsk Wku Wmr WDc Wdq WSm WPc WLo Table 8 3 Waviness parameters 8 9 STYLUS GEOMETRY AND SCAN SPEED The stylus geometry can also affect the roughness data If the wavelengths on the surface are short relative to the stylus radius they will not register on the trace or will be greatly attenuated in height The stylus radius should be small enough to penetrate the bottom of the wave satisfactorily Similarly to step height the horizontal resolution decreases as the speed increases The scan speed chosen should be consistent with the wavelengths to be measured 8 10 SAVING THE PROFILE At any moment during and after the analysis process the profile can be saved by clicking on the Save data button This button allows the operator e to save the data in an analysis document e to save the current data file profile or series of profiles Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 96 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 8 10 1 Saving the data in an analysis document The current profile trace i e the profile currently displayed and the analyses carried out on this profile are saved as a mnt file with the name and in the folder specified by the operator Depending on the Page Options all pages or only the current page of the document will be saved In Scan mode the Page Options tab can be accessed by rig
149. screen can differ in X and in Y The result given is of course the real angle 8 8 2 Step Height Parameters Using Automatic Method This set of parameters is dedicated to the automatic step height measurement methodology described in Section 8 5 In this mode the program automatically detects the steps Some settings can be used to refine the detection In this mode only statistical parameters are given e StepN Number of Steps the number of detected steps excluding steps that are not counted if they are too small or too thin for example e HeightMean Mean Step Height average height of steps calculated from the base line e HeightSD Step Height Standard Deviation This is significant only if the number of steps is greater than 5 e WidthMean Mean Step Width average width of the detected steps e WidthSD Step Width Standard Deviation this is significant only if the number of steps is greater than 5 8 8 3 About Filtered Parameters Roughness and Waviness Roughness and waviness parameters are calculated based on a filtered profile derived from a user specified filter and a cut off Ac The filter will separate surface irregularities into two components removing the wavelengths smaller than Ac into the waviness and removing the wavelengths larger than Ac into the roughness By default the filter applied to the profiles is a Gaussian filter recommended by the latest ISO and ASME standards lt is possible to change the typ
150. se gerdprMusted is tanen dekkes 79 8 5 1 Step Height Evaluation Modes nnsnennnsnnnsennesennnsrrersrrrrsrrrrsrrrrsrrrsrrrrsrrersrrrrsrrersrrersrrernrerennrereene 80 TNS GENE 83 ST TRE FILTERING EFFECT OF SCAN SPEED sierran inina i a aE aa 85 8 8 ALPHA STEP IQ SURFACE ANALYSIS PARAMETERG nennen nennen nennen nennen nnns 87 8 8 1 Miscellaneous Surface Parameters and Step Height barameiers 87 8 8 2 Step Height Parameters Using Automatic Method 88 8 8 3 About Filtered Parameters Roughness and WavinesS a nnennsenssrrenrrrerrrerrrsrrrerrrsrrnrrrsrrrerrene 88 004 Feed girsi MeL e 89 8 8 5 Sampling Length 90 8 8 6 HEEN 90 8 8 7 Additional Set of Roughness Harameters ene 92 0 0 0 NESSE I M 96 Gg STYLUS GEOMETRY AND SCAN SPEED ee 96 9 10 SAVING THE PROFILE E 96 8 10 1 Saving the data in an analysis document 97 8 10 2 Saving the profile as a data file rrrrrrnnrrrrnnnrrrrrnnnrrrnnrrnrnnnrenrnnnrnnnnsrennnnnrennnsnennnnnennnnssennnnsnennnnsee 97 Be PRINTING THE PROFILE e 97 Wee PREIS M 97 CHAPTER 9 DAILIA REVIEW MODE E 98 XM 98 9 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE DATA REVIEW WINDOW ssssseeeeeennnmm nennen nnne nennen nennen 98 9 3 REVIEWING SAVING DA pe 99 NPE 99 Alpha Step
151. series of profiles open first the individual profiles from their saved location Next select one of them and select Create a Series of Profiles from the Operators menu In the list at the left side of the window select the other profiles to be added A preview of each selected profile and of the Series is displayed at the bottom of the window Once the series is created statistical analysis and trend plots may be generated Contrary to the multi scan which implies to measure all profiles during one operation the Series of Profiles may be created from profiles collected over a large period of time providing that they are all measured with the same recipe It is recommended not to level the individual profiles before adding them in the series as the leveling may affect their length by a factor depending on their slope In other words the slope may be different from one profile to another and therefore the profile lengths will vary and it will not be possible to assemble the individual profiles into the same series of profiles It is best practice to level and apply any other operators to the series of profiles as a whole in order to maintain similarity and maintain correlation between the individual scans 9 5 1 7 Erase Defect This operator is used to remove locally a small part of the profile It can be used especially to eliminate glitches that might have been generated by a shock to the instrument during the measurement 9 5 1 8 Filtering
152. system performs the measurement as described in the recipe except that the stylus will come down but will not null on the surface instead it will stay at the drop height and execute the recipe The Scan Delay introduces a delay before a scan starts This allows residual vibrations due to the elevator motion to subside prior to taking the scan These three modes can be activated at the same time NOTE These settings are associated and saved with the recipe When a d new recipe is created these will default back to being unchecked 12 2 4 Compatibility Between Software and Scanner Firmware Version When the Alpha Step IQ software initializes it verifies the firmware version of the PCB in the scanner is compatible with the software version If not a message asking for a firmware upgrade is displayed This message will be displayed only in the event that a software or hardware upgrade is not compatible with the remaining hardware and software components of the Alpha Step IQ Alpha Step IQ Im ES A i You need to upgrade the current Firmware of the system Current Firmware version 1 12 Expected Firmware version 1 17 Do vou want to upgrade the firmware now Figure 12 3 Warning about software and scanner firmware incompatibility If you see this message click on Yes in order not to enter the software then click on the Exit button Do not use the software and contact your local service representative for further inst
153. t filter is typically one tenth the data input sampling rate Note that it passes lower frequencies which means longer wavelengths for profilers Since the filter is fixed in frequency the short wave cutoff value varies with scan speed according to the following relationship Scan Speed Short Wave Cutoff 5 amp Frequency of Cutoff According to the definition of American Roughness Standards ISO 11562 1997 and ANSI ASME B46 1 1995 the cutoff is specified at the point of 50 signal transmission The cutoffs in this case vary from 0 5 um to 50 um of wavelength as the scan speed progresses from 2 um s to 200 um s respectively In summary the short wavelength data is lost as scan speed increases If a surface wave is sinusoidal and its wavelength is the same as the input filter cutoff then its height will be attenuated by 50 Note however that approximately 196 height loss would occur when the wavelength is five times the input filter cutoff Non sinusoidal waves are affected in more complicated ways The effects of changing short wave cutoffs on a trace are shown in Figure 8 13 and Figure 8 14 The sample consists of a 20 um wide bar in oxide which is 450 thick Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 85 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 um Length 50 um Pt 0 471 um Scale 0 6 um 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 um Figure 8 13 Scan Profile Trace at 2 um s In these exa
154. t noise becomes evident in the trace each measurement cursor can be spread to average portions of the trace to preserve precision nearly that of Figure 8 5 This technique is called Delta Averaging and is displayed in Figure 8 7 Figure 8 4 Step Height Measurement of a Smooth Surface using Single Measurement Bars Figure 8 5 Step Height Measurement of Irregular Surface using Delta Averaging opened cursors Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 79 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 A high resolution depiction of a trace will show distortion in the rise and fall of individual components of the trace It does not show perfectly square corners and there is a slope along the walls of a step or trench as seen in Figure 8 7 Three factors can contribute to this condition the stylus geometry the noise filter that applies a short wave cutoff and the effect of scan speed on the value of the short wave cutoff filter These effects are explained in oections 8 6 Stylus Geometry and 8 7 The Filtering Effect Of Scan Speed 8 5 1 Step Height Evaluation Modes The Step Height Evaluation offers three modes suitable for different situations or operator preferences The methods are 2 Bars 2 Zones and Automatic The 2 Bars and 2 Zones methods can be selected by clicking on one of the buttons located above the scan trace display while the automatic mode is available only when doing a right click of the mouse while on the trace displa
155. tangular grooves Comment Upper part of the sample Minimum Match Percentage 80 9 Add site Delete Site P Figure 10 2 The Manual Sequence Window 10 2 DEFINING A MANUAL SEQUENCE RECIPE 10 2 1 Creating a Manual Sequence Recipe 1 In the main Scan window load the recipe you want to use as an associated recipe for all scans of the Manual Sequence Recipe 2 Click on the New sequence button in the Recipe toolbar 3 In the Manual Sequence window define a name for the new Manual Sequence Recipe and select in which user folder you want to save it 4 Use the X and Y adjustment knobs to move to the first scan site and use the down arrow key to bring the stylus down to the surface Z adjustment o Click on the Capture Image button The site image will automatically be saved in the Manual Sequence Recipe when saving the Recipe Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 112 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 6 Enter a name for this site You can also enter a comment about the site 7 Define a percentage in the Minimum Match Percentage field When running the Manual oequence Recipe the Match function will help the operator find the correct scan location by comparing the current live video image to the saved reference video image CAUTION When running the Manual Sequence Recipe the matching will only work if the position of the zoom knob has not been changed between the moment when the reference
156. te button The elevator will automatically move down by 2 mm to avoid any collision due to calibration between the stylus and the sample or elevator itself CAUTION Do not touch the system nor allow sudden vibrations to take place while the system is performing a stylus force calibration Sudden movements may create false readings of the stylus force If this occurs please re calibrate again while maintaining a constant environment throughout the calibration 4 Wait a few seconds for the stylus to drop and balance itself Make sure there are no abnormal vibrations during the calibration Once complete the new force will be displayed in the Stylus Force entry as shown in Figure 6 2 o Adjust the force by inserting a 0 050 inch hex key wrench into the stylus force adjustment screw See Figure 6 3 Turning the screw clockwise increases the force and counterclockwise decreases the force It is recommended to turn the screw in increments of 1 8 of a turn Click the Calibrate button again to check the new force setting Repeat until the desired stylus force is obtained Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 55 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Stylus Force Adjustment Screw Figure 6 3 Stylus Force Adjustment 6 Click on Close to exit the calibration window The changes will take place immediately upon closing the calibration window 7 Place back the sensor cover and the sample loading door and proceed with m
157. tep Height Calibration tab Instructions 1 Select the range vou want to calibrate 2 Click on Reset to reset Ehe calibration Factor En 1 3 Close the dialog Select the corresponding sensor range in the Scan window and perform a scan on your step height standard Then open this dialog again 4 Select the range you used to perform Ehe scan 5 Enter the measured value and the value indicated on your standard then click an Save Range selection Calibration Factor Calibration date 20 um 1 19 pm 1 02041 02 19 04 11 48 33 Calibrate 400 um f 23 8 pm 1 Calibrate z mm I 119 pm 1 02 19 04 11 48 46 Calibrate Calibration values Measured value 120 3 Standard value 120 Tr d TI Mew Calibration Factor 1 0025 Cancel Figure 6 1 Step Height Calibration window 2 Click on the Calibrate button that belongs to the vertical range that you want to calibrate 3 Click on Reset to reset the calibration factor to 1 4 Close the dialog 5 In the Scan window select the corresponding sensor range and the corresponding recipe D Load the calibration standard and lower the stylus tip on to the surface 7 Navigate the sample looking at the live video image and position the stylus tip about 250 um one fourth of the diameter of the stylus shank from the center of the calibration standard s area 8 Press the Stan button to start the recipe 9 Wait until the series of scans are finished and the data is a
158. ter that can code more than 16 million digits A resolution of 0 01 does not imply an accuracy or measurement uncertainty of 0 01 Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 12 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 2 Installation 2 1 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT Because of its extremely high resolution the Alpha Step IQ is very sensitive to vibration and noise To reduce vibration the Alpha Step IQ should be mounted on a granite block or special vibration resistant table to suppress environmental noise The Alpha Step IQ must be placed on a sturdy level surface capable of supporting the instrument s weight 35 Ib and measuring at least 48 cm 19 in wide by 76 cm 30 in deep There must also be enough room beneath the table or near the instrument to position the computer in such a way that all of the cables can be easily accessed The computer should not be placed adjacent to the instrument The vibration of the computer s fan can introduce noise into the scan data and the air flow from the computer fan might cause thermal drift The monitor can be placed on top of the instrument If a printer is used it should be located on a separate table to avoid introducing its own vibrational noise into the measurements Make sure that there is a minimum of 8 cm 3 in of space at the back of the instrument to accommodate cable connections For service access approximately 30 cm 12 in of air space on both sides and to t
159. the power is still on from the installation procedure the instrument should be ready for operation If not turn on the power and allow the computer to boot up automatically e Wait for the Windows XP desktop to appear If the Profiler software does not launch automatically double click on the Alpha Step IQ shortcut on the desktop e The sample stage moves to its home position and a series of self tests begin Wait a few seconds until the system indicates it is ready for use e Log into the software by providing the Username and Password NOTE Refer to Chapter 3 1 Starting Up the System for detailed d information on how to start up the system Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 35 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 4 2 LOADING THE SAMPLE After starting up the instrument load a sample onto the measurement stage Please refer to Section 5 2 7 Moving the Stylus Up and Down for further information on the buttons and keys that you can use to move the stylus up and down NOTE The up and down arrow keys in the software interface are used to raise and lower the stage When one of the buttons is clicked the stage and stylus respond by moving in opposite directions The direction on the button corresponds to the stylus movement not the stage movement The 4 moves the stylus up and the stage down The X moves the stylus down and the stage up until both come in contact with each other NOTE To prevent damage to
160. the scanner stylus always lower the stage table before loading or unloading a sample e Make sure the stage table is in its lowest position by clicking and holding the EN button until the stage table has fully lowered Verify that the elevator height entry in the Recipe area of the screen is near zero value A value between 0 um and 100 um is acceptable e Turn the Y Axis Adjustment knob to move the stage towards the front of the scanner unit e Open the measurement area door and place the sample on the stage table Use proper handling techniques to avoid scratching or contaminating the sample e Close the measurement area door and turn the Y Axis Adjustment knob to move the stage backward to position the sample underneath the sensor and stylus Use the Y and X Axis Adjustment knobs as needed to center the sample under the scanner 4 3 VIEWING AND POSITIONING THE SAMPLE The Alpha Step IQ contains a high resolution video camera Once the sample is loaded and the stage moved beneath the scanner view the sample on the computer screen to find an appropriate location to start a scan Sample motion consists of two parts e Z motion motion of the measurement stage up or down in conjunction with the stylus e X Y axis motion motion of the stage left and right X and backward and forward Y Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 36 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 To view the sample under the camera the stylus must c
161. two user specified regions within the scan profile In order to minimize the noise effect on the slope a small zone average zone is taken around each bar so that the height value is the average of all points contained in the zone The user can widen or narrow each zone using the mouse buttons by clicking and dragging the sides of each zone to the desired position Each zone can be reduced to a single line such that the leveling will only use one point instead of the averaged area When the profile is leveled using this method the averages of the data enclosed in the specified zones are brought to a height of zero 8 3 4 Polynomial Fit Method With this method the program will fit a polynomial of the selected order between 1 and 40 order using the least square method by minimizing the square root deviations from the polynomial to the selected points of the profile It is possible not to use the entire profile but only certain sections This is useful especially when the depth of a groove has to be evaluated on a curved surface The groove can be excluded from the polynomial evaluation To select the order enter a value between 1 and 40 Selecting an order of 1 will produce the same result as the Least Square Line method but here it is possible to exclude points from the calculation of the line An order of 2 is able to remove the form of a curved surface such as a stressed surface As the order increases the polynomial will have the abil
162. ugh Friday 8 A M to 5 P M local time You can arrange for other hours through a customized service contract We provide service beyond the original warranty period of 1 year as needed Repair work that is done after the original warranty expires is guaranteed for 3 months Full service contracts extend the warranty period and can be customized to your specific requirements A series of instructional videos have been included in a CD set We encourage you to view these and become familiar with the system In general we find that better trained customers experience greater instrument up time and make better use of our service resources 12 2 TROUBLESHOOTING 12 2 1 Status LEDs There are four diagnostic LEDs on the Alpha Step IQ as follows The green LED indicates that the power source is ON If the green LED is OFF check that the power and the USB cables are connected and that the PC is turned on The USB cable acts like a remote power control The board is only powered if the PC is turned on The blue LED flashes when the internal processor DSP of the instrument is operating properly The red and orange LEDs are used to display error codes as follows Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 127 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 R fo e B Resetline active o O S B _ USB initialization sm G USB interrupt error Do not confuse with blue LED blinking which corresponds to a successful regular operation
163. urement cursor area Area Area of Valleys The total area bounded by the middle center line along the Z axis and the profile where it descends below the zero reference within the measurement cursor area Area Total Area The sum of Area of Peaks Area and Area of Valleys Area Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 87 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 e ProfL Developed Length defined as the curvilinear length of the portion of profiles within the measurement cursor area calculated by the sum of all individual segments This is equivalent to the length of the profile if it is drawn as a straight line Delta Averaging cursors are not used for this calculation e MaxHt The maximum height of the profile within the measurement cursor area e MinHt The minimum height of the profile within the measurement cursor area e LS Slope Slope of the Least Squares line The slope is calculated as the ratio of the difference in vertical positions to the difference in horizontal positions of the measurement cursors All points of the profile between the cursors are taken into account for the calculation e LS Angle Angle between the horizontal line and the slope of the Least Squares line The slope is calculated as the ratio of the difference in vertical positions to the difference in horizontal positions of the measurement cursors Note The angle on the screen may differ from the real angle since the scale of the image on the
164. us is more than 3096 from the center an error message will be displayed This error message is likely due to improper stylus insertion or excessive optics misalignment The user may try to re insert the stylus making sure that it is seated properly Short term use of the system is acceptable however long term we recommend having a technician inspect the system Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 63 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Chapter 7 Profiling A Sample 7 1 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION The Alpha Step IQ characterizes a surface by scanning it with a diamond tipped stylus The resulting trace represents a cross sectional view with high vertical and spatial resolution The Alpha Step IQ can measure artifacts that are below 100 0 01 um or 0 4 yin high determine whether a surface is flat or whether it has any regular pattern of texture The Alpha Step IQ also can make a wide variety of analyses of the surface texture that allows optimization of the surface for particular applications The Alpha Step IQ digitizes the data signal to permit easy and precise quantification of the results In addition the Alpha Step IQ computer provides storage facilities for data and scan recipes It also allows many data analysis functions and flexibility of use through its extended software The Alpha Step IQ is a stylus scanning instrument with a maximum scan length of 10 mm It has a transductive sensor that registers the vertical mot
165. use and quality control process the user has in place The principle of the Calibration is to measure a known height from a Calibration Standard ideally certified and to modify the calibration factor of the instrument in order to match e the value measured on the Standard using the range to calibrate e the nominal expected value of the same supplied by the Standard manufacturer The software enables a correction up to 5 of the calibration factor of each range except for the 2 mm range where a high calibration factor of about 5 is normal If the calibration needs to exceed these values it is an indication that there are hardware problems and service may be needed Contact your service provider if needed It is recommended for consistency and good quality control practices to always use the same step height standards on each system and across various systems NOTE All vertical ranges must be calibrated When calibrating the ranges d perform each range independently Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 50 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 6 1 2 Instructions The most precise calibration comes from precision techniques carefully repeated To promote uniformity in results the Standard Recipes provide special Scan recipes named CALIB20 and CALIB400 plus CALIB2000 for instruments equipped with the 2mm High Vertical Range Option for use in routine calibration of each range The recipes were written for use e
166. vailable for analysis 10 Level the traces or average trace and measure the step height using the 2 Zones cursor bars Place one set of bars on the step or trench and the other set of measurement bars on the leveled reference area of the scan 11 Look at the Mean Step Height parameter value on the screen and take the absolute value Depending on the cursor placement the step height value may be negative or positive For step height calibration purposes always use an absolute value Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 52 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 12 Return to the Step Height calibration window Instructions 1 Select the range vou want to calibrate 2 Click on Reset to reset Ehe calibration Factor En 1 3 Close the dialog Select the corresponding sensor range in the Scan window and perform a scan on your step height standard Then open this dialog again Select the range you used to perform Ehe scan Enter the measured value and Ehe value indicated an vaur standard then click on Save Range selection Calibration Factor Calibration date 20 um 1 19 pm 1 02041 02 19104 11 48 33 Calibrate 400 um 23 8 pm 1 Calibrate 2 mm I 119 pm 1 02 19 04 11 48 46 Calibrate Calibration values Measured Value Standard Value New Calibration Factor Cancel Figure 6 1 Step Height Calibration window 13 Click on the Calibrate button that belongs to the vertical range that was se
167. video image right to the Saved image left 4 Click on the Start button The first scan site is profiled using the settings of the recipe associated to the Manual Sequence Recipe 5 Repeat steps 2 to 4 until all scan sites have been measured 6 Once the Manual Sequence Recipe has been completely run the display switches to Data Review mode and allows you to analyze the collected data Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 116 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 10 4 ANALYZING DATA FROM A MANUAL SEQUENCE 10 4 1 Analyzing Data at the End of the Manual Sequence At the end of the Manual Sequence the analysis document of the first scan site is displayed in Data Review mode In the Site field you can choose to display the analysis document of each scan site or a statistical summary document for all sites File Edit Data Operators Statistics Illustrations Reserves Options Help 2 Leveling none 1 Profile 500 um Figure 10 8 Choosing the document to display after a Manual Sequence 10 4 1 1 Analysis Document for a Scan Site An analysis document for a scan site displays the profile with the analysis type the parameters the zoom and the leveling defined in the recipe 10 4 1 2 Statistical Summary Document for All Scan Sites The summary document contains a series of profiles displaying all individually measured profile traces in a single reserve and a statistical summary table mean standard devi
168. ware some of the items on this menu may be hidden and restricted Section 3 4 Settings provides more information on the items available inside the Settings menu User The User button allows the current operator to terminate their user session and log off the software This command will take the user back into the log on screen allowing another user to log onto the system The user must have already been registered and have an account and a valid password refer to Section 3 5 USER Groups and System Access Restrictions for more information on changing or adding a user Exit The Exit button terminates the software application See Section 3 6 Turning Off or Resetting the System for additional information Depending on the settings in the Users Management tab and on the User group refer to section 3 5 3 Creating a New User exiting the software may automatically shut down the computer or not Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 25 of 153 0084995 000 RevAA July 2004 WARNING Never directly switch off or reset the computer instead of using the proper shutdown procedure as documented in 3 6 Turning Off or Resetting the System WARNING The system administrator should exercise care when using the computer for use other than accessing the Alpha Step IQ software and files copying data to the CDRW or transferring files through the network Any other use of the computer that results in software corruption and or syste
169. ween the center mean value of each of the 2 zones of a set of cursors um 8 ri WE GER 3 1 ND A 50 100 500 550 600 pim Figure 8 7 Step Height in 2 zones mode using 3 sets of cursors Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page810f 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Automatic mode This mode will automatically detect the location of a step or multiple steps and provide the number of steps the mean step height value the standard deviation among them as well as the mean step width value and the standard width deviation In order to have accurate results with this mode the trace must be leveled properly This method can only be selected from within a menu available when doing a right click on top of the scan trace Doing a right click on the scan trace and specifying a Margin Width will define the amount of data used as a reference for automatic step height and step width calculations The Margin Width can be specified as a percentage or as a fraction with the selected value representing the amount of data that is excluded from the step reference The colored regions represent the amount of data used to automatically calculate the step heights and widths Refer to Figure 8 8 For step width calculations it is advisable to let the software automatically define the most appropriate margin width by choosing Auto in the Margin width menu The step widths can be calculated with three diffe
170. xclusively with VLS Step Height Standards To copy the Standard recipe in a user directory refer to 3 5 3 Creating a New User The recipe to use will depend on the calibration sample used For example e calib2000 for a calibration recipe suitable for the 2 mm range option e calib400 for a calibration recipe suitable for the 400 um range e Calib20 for a calibration recipe suitable for the 20 um range The user may create his her own calibration recipes It is recommended for consistency and accuracy to always use the same recipe and standards when calibrating the system If creating a new calibration recipe please note the following e The calibration recipe should consist of at least 3 repeat scans so that an average step height can be calculated A recipe can be made to repeat itself by selecting a number between 1 10 in the 1 Time box on the Recipe entries e herecipe should contain sufficient data points and the scans be taken at an appropriate speed not too fast and not too slow A recipe that provides a scan that lasts 10 seconds during data collection is recommended e The analysis type must be Step Analysis multi scan e Different recipes must be created for each of the vertical ranges 20 um 400 um and optional 2 mm vertical ranges Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 51 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 To perform a step height calibration 1 Goinside the Settings menu and select the S
171. xt or a table This ASCII file may then be imported in other applications to perform additional calculations Select the File menu click on Export Parameters into a new Text File and choose one of the following file types e CSV file containing ASCII values separated by e XLS file containing ASCII values separated by e XT file containing ASCII values separated by tabulations Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 101 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 9 4 PRINTING DATA Documents can be printed as they appear on the screen Some settings may be available depending on the type of printer installed on the PC To print a file go to the File menu and select Print 9 5 ANALYSIS FEATURES The explanations presented in this section are only a brief overview of each analysis function A more detailed explanation is available in the Help menu inside the Data Review mode 9 5 1 Operators An operator is a tool that applies a mathematical operation to the data and creates a modified data file example the Zoom operator creates a zoomed data file The original data is still available so the user can select the original data to apply another operation or the modified data can be modified again if the user applies another operation to it 9 5 1 1 Leveling This operator is used to suppress the general slope of the profile or to suppress its nominal form curve This operator is the same as the one
172. y The 2 Bars and 2 Zones methods on single trace profiles provide the user with up to 3 sets of cursors The different sets of cursors allow the user to measure up to 3 different step heights on the same profile or to measure simultaneously 2 characteristics step height and width for example The number of cursor sets can be chosen by right clicking on the profile The definition of all available step height parameters is given in Section 8 8 1 Miscellaneous Surface Parameters and Step Height Parameters and 8 8 2 Step Height Parameters Using Automatic Method 2 Bars This mode provides the user with 1 2 or 3 sets of bars labeled L and R left and right respectively or L1 and R1 L2 and R2 etc The parameters displayed to the left of the screen are computed for the data inside each of the different left right sets of cursors Data outside the cursor sets is ignored for the parameter calculations Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 80 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 Um 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 pim Figure 8 6 Step Height in 2 bars mode using 3 sets of cursors 2 Zones Delta Averaging This mode provides the user with 1 2 or 3 sets of zones labeled L L and R R left and right respectively or L1 L1 and R1 R1 L2 L2 and R2 R2 etc This mode is useful for profiles containing noise or roughness where taking an average of the data is necessary The parameters are calculated bet
173. yzed as averaged data or as a series of multiple scans even after these have been saved To select and run a multi scan recipe 1 Place the substrate on the sample stage and rotary table and navigate to the desired scan position 2 From the recipe area open the pull down menu next to the Scan Length that indicates how often the scan is to be executed Refer to Figure 7 3 Scan Length 500 um tine x 3 Gs m Scan Speed SU pms Advanced Scan Direction Sampling Fate FO Hz Resolution 1 um Figure 7 3 Recipe area where multiple scans can be set up 3 Select the number of times to repeat the scan 4 Click the stat button to begin the multiple scans 5 The system will collect each scan automatically During the scan the new trace is displayed in color over the previous scans that are displayed in gray 6 After all scans are collected go inside the Analysis pull down menu box within the recipe area and specify the desired analysis type Alpha Step IQ User Manual KLA Tencor Confidential Page 69 of 153 0084995 000 Rev AA July 2004 The multi scan mode offers three new analysis types Statistical Summary Step Analysis Average and Step Analysis Multi scan The Statistical Summary provides the mean standard deviation maximum and minimum values for any selected parameters of the roughness and waviness series The Step Analysis Average displays the average profile from all the collected scans and allows the

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