Patent ID: 11908716
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC H  C  G | IPC C  G  H

Claim 0:
1. A method for monitoring an etch or deposition process using image-based in-situ process monitoring, the method comprising:
illuminating a measurement area on a sample disposed in a process chamber using a first input beam of electromagnetic radiation having a first peak wavelength, the first input beam generated remote from the process chamber and transmitted to at least part of an objective lens system by a first optical fiber, the objective lens system being telecentric, broadband, diffraction limited, and spectrally parfocalized, and the objective lens system disposed adjacent to a first viewing window of the process chamber, the first viewing window disposed on a lid or side of the process chamber and being transparent to allow viewing of the sample during processing;
receiving portions of the first input beam reflected from the measurement area at an imaging sensor, the imaging sensor configured to capture images of the measurement area on the sample, the portions of the first input beam reflected from the measurement area received as a first reflected beam, the first reflected beam transmitted from the objective lens system to the imaging sensor by a second optical fiber;
obtaining a sequence of first images of the measurement area using the first reflected beam received at the imaging sensor, each of the first images obtained at a different time within a monitoring period, and each of the first images comprising first pixels corresponding to different parts of the measurement area;
determining a first reflectance of one or more of the first pixels within each of the first images, the one or more of the first pixels corresponding to areas of interest within the measurement area;
determining a first change in the reflectance of the one or more of the first pixels between adjacent first images in the sequence; and
monitoring the etch or deposition process based on the first change in the reflectance.