SEMVision H20 Defect Analysis

In today’s most advanced nodes, optical inspection has limited capability when distinguishing defects from process variation noise, resulting in dense defect maps with high false alarms or nuisance rate. As a result, the number of defect candidates delivered to eBeam review has increased from ten to a hundred-fold. Process control engineers increasingly need defect review systems that can analyze exponentially growing amounts of samples while maintaining the speed and sensitivity required for high-volume production. 

The SEMVision H20 defect review system uses cold field emission (CFE) eBeam technology to enable sub-nanometer resolution of the smallest buried defects. The SEMVision H20 introduces second generation CFE technology that provides faster imaging speed while maintaining the high sensitivity and sub-nanometer resolution. With quicker wafer sampling abilities, chipmakers can gather the same amount of information in a fraction of the time.  

To complement advanced imaging capabilities, the SEMVision H20 integrates deep learning AI capabilities for automatic extraction of the critical defects from “nuisance defects” and noise, enabling more accurate and efficient defect characterization. Chipmakers can train the AI model using their own defect images or design simulations, providing flexibility on how the system learns and increases binning accuracy.

The H20 joins the SEMVision family, the most advanced and widely used eBeam review system in the world. While the G7 will continue to serve the mature technology nodes, the SEMVision H20 with CFE technology ushers in a new era of complex 3D architecture inflections, including new gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, as well as the formation of higher-density DRAM and 3D NAND memory.