Integrated substrate defect detection using precision coating

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for improved substrate defect detection is provided. Substrate defects may be detected, possibly with defect detection equipment such as laser metrology equipment. Defects smaller than the detection limit of the detection equipment may be decorated with a layer of material to increase the effective sizes of the defects. The thickness and composition of the material deposited may be tuned depending on the composition of the substrate and the defects. The composition of the detected defects may be identified with defect identification equipment. The defect identification equipment may be an electron generating apparatus and the composition of the defects may be identified from the interaction of the electrons with the defect. The deposited material may be removed either before or during the defect identification phase to aid in the identification of the defect composition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processing chamber with at least a first process station configured to receive a substrate containing a plurality of particles;   deposition equipment configured to deposit material onto the substrate;   metrology equipment configured to detect the location of a particle on the substrate; and   one or more controllers for operating the processing chamber, the deposition equipment, the metrology equipment, the electron generating equipment, and the identification equipment, the one or more controllers comprising instructions for:
 (a) depositing, with the deposition equipment, a layer of material onto the first substrate at the first process station, and 
 (b) detecting, with the metrology equipment, a location of one of the particles on the substrate. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the metrology equipment comprises a laser. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 electron generating equipment configured to generate electrons directed at the substrate; and   identification equipment configured to identify a composition of one of the particles, wherein the one or more controllers further comprise instructions for:
 (c) generating, with the electron generating equipment, electrons directed at the substrate at the location, 
 (d) detecting, with the identification equipment, an interaction of the particle with the electrons, and 
 (e) identifying, from the interaction, a composition of the particle. 
   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein (e) comprises identifying, through the layer of material deposited on the one of the particles, a composition of that particle. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising a second process station configured to receive the substrate, wherein the one or more controllers further include instructions for transferring, after (a) and before (e), the substrate from the first process station to the second process station. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the layer of material is deposited on at least a portion of a particle of the plurality of particles. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more controllers further comprise instructions for removing, after (b) and before (c), at least a portion of the material deposited on the particle with a material removal equipment, or with removal equipment situated with the electron generating equipment. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the deposition equipment is further configured to remove material from the substrate and the removal of at least a portion of the material is removed via Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) performed by the deposition equipment. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein (e) comprises identifying the composition of the particle via Auger electrons generated by electrons from the electron generating equipment interacting with the particle. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein (e) comprises identifying the composition of the particle via X-Rays from electrons generated from the electron generating equipment interacting with the particle. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the layer of material is deposited around the particle. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the deposition equipment is configured to perform Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the particle is a size that is undetectable with the metrology equipment without the deposition of the material.