Patent ID: 6867862
Filing Date: 2005-03-15
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for measuring three-dimensional structures formed on a surface of a specimen, comprising: a beam-formation system for forming a beam of incident monochromatic electromagnetic energy and for directing said beam of incident monochromatic electromagnetic energy at a predetermined illumination angle toward a preselected region on the surface of the specimen; an energy-collection system for receiving at least a portion of said beam of incident monochromatic electromagnetic energy scattered from a three-dimensional structure formed on the surface within the preselected region and for converting said received portion of said beam of incident monochromatic electromagnetic energy into a data signal; a rotation system for rotating said beam-formation system and said energy-collection system successively through a plurality of rotation angles about a rotation axis perpendicular to the surface of the specimen and centrally intersecting the preselected region; and a processing system for processing said data signal provided by said energy-collection system at each of said plurality of rotation angles to provide a measurement of a dimension of the three-dimensional structure.