Nova Ltd.

A method for evaluating a sample, the method includes performing one or more pump probe measurements, wherein a pump probe measurement includes (i) illuminating the sample by a laser pump beam that is modulated by a modulation frequency; (ii) illuminating the sample by a laser probe beam; (iii) detecting radiation resulting from the illumination of the sample; (iv) determining, based on the detected radiation, thermo-reflectance information regarding a sample region located at a depth of the sample; wherein the thermo-reflectance information comprises information about an oscillatory component of a thermal response of the sample measured during the pump probe measurement; and (v) determining a presence of one or more sample abnormalities based on the analysis results.

Systems and methods are provided for measuring properties of a sample such as a semiconductor element by illuminating a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) with spatially separated non-polarized input optical beams such that the PBS polarizes the input optical beams to produce at least two polarized intermediate optical beams having different (e.g., orthogonal) polarization properties. The polarized intermediate optical beams are further directed to illuminate substantially the same area of a sample. Light returned from the illuminated sample area is directed again through the same PBS to form at least two polarized output beams, having different (e.g., orthogonal) polarization properties, where the differently polarized output optical beams are detectable by use of one or more optical detectors. In some embodiments, the sample is simultaneously illuminated by combined intermediate polarized optical beams of different polarization properties and the polarized output optical beams are also simultaneously measured by the optical detector(s).

A method and system are presented for use in measuring characteristic(s) of patterned structures. The method utilizes processing of first and second measured data, wherein the first measured data is indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of illuminating and/or collected light conditions corresponding to the characteristic(s) to be measured, and the second measured data comprises at least one spectrum obtained from the patterned structure in Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) measurement session. The processing comprises applying model-based analysis to the at least one Raman spectrum and the at least one OCD spectrum, and determining the characteristic(s) of the patterned structure under measurements.

A method and system are presented for use in measuring one or more characteristics of patterned structures. The method comprises: performing measurements on a patterned structure by illuminating the structure with exciting light to cause Raman scattering of one or more excited regions of the pattern structure, while applying a controlled change of at least temperature condition of the patterned structure, and detecting the Raman scattering, and generating corresponding measured data indicative of a temperature dependence of the detected Raman scattering; and analyzing the measured data and generating data indicative of spatial profile of one or more properties of the patterned structure.

A method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable medium for Raman spectroscopy. The method may include determining first acquisition parameters of a Raman spectroscope to provide a first acquisition set-up, the determining is based on at least one expected radiation pattern to be detected by a sensor of the Raman spectroscope as a result of an illumination of a first area of a sample, the first area comprises a first nano-scale structure, wherein at least a part of the at least one expected radiation pattern is indicative of at least one property of interest of the first nano-scale structure of the sample; wherein the first acquisition parameters belong to a group of acquisition parameters; setting the Raman spectroscope according to the first acquisition set-up; and acquiring at least one first Raman spectrum of the first nano-scale structure of the sample, while being set according to the first acquisition set-up

An optical measurement system, which include an illumination path that is configured to illuminate an illuminated area of a sample; a collection path configured to collect illumination emitted from the illuminated area as a result of the illumination of the illuminated area; a spatial filter that is tunable; a Raman detector; and wherein the spatial filter is positioned upstream to the Raman detector, and is configured to spatially filter the illumination emitted from the illuminated area to provide spatially filtered illumination. The Raman detector is configured to receive the spatially filtered illumination and to generate one or more Raman spectra.

A system and methods for OCD metrology are provided including receiving training data for training an OCD machine learning (ML) model, the training data measured from multiple wafers and including multiple pairs of corresponding input and label datasets obtained from each respective wafer. The input dataset of each pair includes multiple scatterometric datasets, measured at multiple respective locations defined by a first map. The label dataset of each pair includes one or more critical dimension (CD) parameters of respective locations defined by a second map, the second map including at least one location not in the first map. The OCD ML model is then applied to a new set of scatterometric datasets, measured from locations of a new wafer, according to the first map, to generate predicted CD parameters of locations of the second map on the new wafer.

A method for use in measuring one or more characteristics of patterned structures, the method including providing measured data comprising data indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions corresponding to the one or more characteristics to be measured, processing the measured data, and determining, for each of the at least one Raman spectrum, a distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency (RCE) within at least a part of the structure under measurements, being dependent on characteristics of the structure and the predetermined configuration of the at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions in the respective optical measurement scheme, and analyzing the distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency and determining the one or more characteristics of the structure.

An optical measurement system, the optical measurement system comprises optics, wherein the optics include a collection path and an illumination path and an objective lens. The optics is configured to acquire Raman spectrums of one or more structural elements located at a measurement site of the sample while being set-up to apply one or more optics parameters that comprise an illumination angle out of a set of multiple illumination angles that correspond to a numerical aperture of the objective lens. Each of the one or more structural elements has a dimension that ranges between one tenth of nanometer to one hundred microns; an optical spectrometer; a Raman detector that is downstream to the optical spectrometer; and a control unit that is configured to determine an expected radiation pattern to be detected by the Raman detector when the optics are set-up to apply the one or more optics parameters.

A control system and method are presented for use in optical measurements on patterned samples. The control system comprises a computer system configured for data communication with a measured data provider and comprising a data processor configured and operable to receive and process raw measured data of first and second types concurrently collected from the patterned sample being measured. said first and second types of the measured data comprising, respectively. scatterometry measured data. characterized by first relatively high signal-to-noise and predetermined first relatively low spatial resolution, and interferometric measured data characterized by second relatively low signal-to-noise and predetermined second relatively high spatial resolution, said data processor being configured to process the measured data to determine pattern parameters along said patterned sample characterized by said first signal to-noise and said second spatial resolution.