Method for processing an object with miniaturized structures

Abstract

A method for processing an object with miniaturized structures is provided. The method includes feeding a reaction gas onto a surface of the object. The method also includes processing the object by directing an energetic beam onto a processing site in a region, which is to be processed, on the surface of the object, in order to deposit material on the object or to remove material from the object. The method further includes detecting interaction products of the beam with the object, and deciding whether the processing of the object is to be continued or can be terminated with the aid of information which is obtained from the detected interaction products of the beam with the object. The region to be processed is subdivided into a number of surface segments, and the interaction products detected upon the beam striking regions of the same surface segment are integrated to form a total signal in order to determine whether processing of the object must be continued or can be terminated.

1 . A method, comprising:
 a) processing an object by directing an energetic beam onto a region of a surface of the object to deposit material on the object or to remove material from the object, a reaction gas being present at the region of the surface of the object, the region of the surface of the object comprising surface segments;   b) for a given surface segment, detecting interaction products of the energetic beam with the object and integrating the detected interaction products to provide a total signal for the given surface segment; and   c) based on information obtained in b), deciding whether to continue processing the object or to terminate processing of the object.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the areas of the surface segments differ from one another by at most 300%. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, during b) signals are detected only when the beam incident on the object is more than a predetermined minimum distance from an edge of the region of the surface of the object. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the minimum spacing is selected so that the signal caused by the interaction products virtually exclusively exhibits material contrast. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each of the surface segments has a minimum size such that, on the basis of the spatial integration over the surface segments and of a parallel temporal integration over a number of irradiation cycles, statistical noise of the detected signal of the interaction products is smaller than the change in the detected signal of the interaction products which is to be expected on the basis of the change in material occurring during processing. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a quotient of a square of a circumference around a surface segment and an area of the surface segment is less than 30 for at least 90% of the surface segments. 
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein:
 a) is performed with a first set of beam parameters of the beam;   scanning of the surface of the object in b) is performed with a second set of beam parameters for the beam; and   the second set of beam parameters is different from the first set of beam parameters.   
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein a processing rate for the second set of beam parameters is less than a processing rate for the first set of beam parameters. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 7 , a pixel dwelltime for the second set of beam parameters is greater than a pixel dwelltime for the first set of beam parameters. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 7 , a sequence in which the beam strikes different locations of the surface of the object for the first set of beam parameters is different from a sequence in which the beam strikes different locations of the surface of the object for the second set of beam parameters. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, during scanning of the surface of the object in b), feeding the process gas to the object is reduced when compared with feeding of process gas during a). 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, after step c), processing of the object by directing the beam onto the processing site on the surface of the object in the presence of the reaction gas is continued only in regions on the surface of the object in which adequate processing has not yet been established in c). 
     
     
         13 . A method, comprising:
 a) processing an object by directing an energetic beam onto a processing site of a surface of the object to deposit material on the object or to remove material from the object, a reaction gas being present at the region of the surface of the object;   b) scanning the surface of the object with the energetic beam and detecting interaction products of the energetic beam with the object; and   c) based on detected interaction product of the energetic beam with the object, deciding whether to continue processing the object or to terminate processing of the object,   wherein a first set of beam parameters is used for the energetic beam during a), a second set of beam parameters is used for the energetic beam during b), and the second set of beam parameters is different from the first set of the energetic beam parameters.   
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the first and the second sets of beam parameters differ from one another so that a processing rate during a) is greater than a processing rate during b). 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a pixel dwelltime for the second set of beam parameters is greater than a pixel dwelltime for the first set of beam parameters. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a sequence in which the beam strikes different locations of the surface of the object for the first set of beam parameters is different from a sequence in which the beam strikes different locations of the surface of the object for the second set of beam parameters. 
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein, during b), feeding of the process gas to the object is reduced or stopped. 
     
     
         18 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein, after step c), processing of the object by directing the beam onto the processing site on the surface of the object in the presence of the reaction gas is continued only in regions on the surface of the object in which adequate processing has not yet been established in c). 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a region of the object region to be processed is subdivided into a number of surface segments, and the interaction products detected upon the beam striking regions of the same surface segment are integrated to form a total signal in order to determine whether processing of the object is to be continued or can be terminated. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the areas of the surface segments differ from one another by at most 300%. 
     
     
         21 . The method as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein, during b) signals are detected only when the beam incident on the object is more than a predetermined minimum distance from an edge of the region of the surface of the object. 
     
     
         22 . The method as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein the minimum spacing is selected such that the signal caused by the interaction products virtually exclusively exhibits material contrast. 
     
     
         23 . The method as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein each of the surface segments has a minimum size such that, on the basis of the spatial integration over the surface segments and of a parallel temporal integration over a number of irradiation cycles, the statistical noise of the detected signal of the interaction products is smaller than the change in the detected signal of the interaction products which is to be expected on the basis of the change in material occurring during processing. 
     
     
         24 . The method as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein a quotient of a square of a circumference around a surface segment and an area of the surface segment is less than 30 for at least 90% of the surface segments. 
     
     
         25 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the energetic beam comprises a charged particle beam. 
     
     
         26 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the energetic beam comprises an electron beam.