You can’t fix what you don’t measure accurately

Accuracy, not just precision

Typical SEM metrology solutions provide measurements with high precision but cannot measure the effects of stochastics with accuracy. Since LWR, LCDU, EPE and other issues comprise more than 50% of the error budget for current technology nodes, it is critical to measure what is on the wafer with accuracy, not just precision.

Fractilia solves this problem. By combining our patented edge detection technology with true computational metrology, our products measure the effects of stochastics with the accuracy you need.

The benefits are enormous.

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MetroLER accurately measures any random layout of contact holes, pillars, lines/spaces or line-ends and analyzes up to 8 populations independently. (Investigation and all SEM images in collaboration with imec)

Measure what’s on the wafer, not what’s on the image

MetroLER uses our second-generation patented FILM technology to provide:

  • The de-facto industry standard for unbiased roughness measurements (LWR, LER, PSD(0), etc.)

  • Extremely accurate measurement of line-end tip-to-tip features with improved repeatability, even for high-noise images

  • High-precision CD measurement, with systematic and random SEM errors removed

  • Extremely accurate measurement of defectivity for lines/spaces and contacts/pillars for any size data sets up to millions of features

  • Measurement of LCDU, GCDU, EPE, Pattern Placement Error and many other key metrics, accurate even for high-noise images

  • Significantly enhanced metrology tool fleet matching, tool monitoring, and across-vendor matching

  • Accurate metrology for large field-of-view images (images with large systematic across-SEM-field variations)

  • Reduced resist shrinkage by using lower-dose SEM measurements at the same accuracy/precision

  • More accurate calibration of OPC models

  • Accuracy on any patterning technology at any node at any process step : EUV, 193, 193i, SADP, SAQP, SAOP, DSA, and more

  • Self-calibrating measurements with no required user-defined input parameters

MetroLER is a software tool that runs on Windows 10 in a standalone or network configuration.

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Accurate and repeatable measurement of any layout of line-end tip-to-tip features with up to 8 populations.

The benefits are enormous

Unbiased Roughness
Measurements

MetroLER: the de facto industry standard

If your issues relate to LWR, LER, roughness or stochastics, MetroLER provides by far the most accurate measurements and analysis.

MetroLER uses the patented FILM edge detection technology to accurately measure and remove the SEM noise, which results in the most accurate unbiased roughness measurements. MetroLER measures and analyzes the full PSD and outputs critical unbiased metrics such as LWR 3-sigma, PSD(0), and Correlation Length.

Using MetroLER you can confidently compare unbiased roughness measurements across different resists, different process conditions and even different models and manufacturers of SEM tools.

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MetroLER subtracts out SEM noise to provide the most accurate measurement of unbiased LWR, LER, PSD(0), correlation length and other metrics. (Investigation and all SEM images in collaboration with imec)

Defectivity Measurement
& Analysis

A leap forward in defectivity measurements on small to massive data sets

Do you need to quantitatively measure the defectivity rates of your processes? Whether you have one SEM image or thousands, MetroLER provides the most accurate analysis available.

MetroLER automatically detects bridges and breaks for line/space patterns as well as missing and merged contacts and pillars. The software identifies the location of the defects and outputs a table of the sizes and locations of the bridges and breaks as well as statistics related to the defects. In addition, you can view meaningful plots such as stacked contours for multiple populations.

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etroLER calculates the LCDU, Global CDU, and numerous other metrics of all distributions. (Investigation and all SEM images in collaboration with imec)

Other Key Measurements

In addition to roughness and defectivity measurements, MetroLER also outputs many other key measurements and metrics, including:

  • For lines/spaces: CD and pitch, edge-to-edge correlations, Local CDU, Global CDU, bridges and breaks per mm

  • For contacts and pillars: X and Y CD, Area, Ellipticity, Eccentricity, Local CDU, Local EPE, Pattern Placement Error, Global CDU, Fraction of merged/missing features, stacked contours

  • Line-end tip-to-tip measurements

  • Overlay errors including pitch walking

  • SEM field distortion, systematic across-field CD errors, and SEM noise characteristics

  • Measurements for up to 8 individual populations per image batch

  • Across-wafer and across-die analysis

  • Full design-of-experiments support

And many others.

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MetroLER analyzes and outputs across-wafer and across-field results for dozens of metrics.

Take the SEM out of your SEM measurements

FILM — an enabling technology

MetroLER uses our second-generation patented Fractilia Inverse Linescan Model (FILM™). FILM is a physics-based algorithm for edge detection that rejects noise without resorting to statistical filtering or smoothing. The result is robust edge detection without modifying the true characteristics of the feature edge you are detecting.

Measuring and subtracting out SEM errors

The noise in a SEM image adds to the uncertainty of the feature to produce an inflated, biased roughness measurement. MetroLER fixes this problem by measuring the random noise in an SEM image and then statistically subtracting it out to produce a far more accurate unbiased measurement. Systematic SEM errors are also measured and removed.

No user-defined parameters

Unlike other tools, MetroLER is self-calibrating and requires no user-defined input parameters. This means that you will receive the same accurate measurements regardless of who is performing the analysis. In addition, all measurements and analyses are completely repeatable.

Accurate measurements across wafer process and SEM conditions

The results from other measurement tools are affected by process conditions making it difficult to determine the accurate measurements and optimal process conditions. MetroLER solves this problem by subtracting SEM errors across the range of conditions. With MetroLER you know what is on the wafer, not just what is on the SEM image.

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MetroLER automatically subtracts out SEM noise and SEM field distortion, resulting in extremely accurate unbiased roughness measurements even at low SEM dose. (Investigation and all SEM images in collaboration with imec)