Patent ID: 8964178
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: G01B,G01N,G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for characterizing properties of an article having a multi-layer structure comprising a multiplicity of sites comprising different periodic patterns, the method comprising: providing at a memory utility of a control unit connectable to an optical measurement unit a theoretical model of prediction indicative of optical properties of different stacks defined by geometrical and material parameters of corresponding sites, wherein said sites have at least one of a geometrical parameter and a material parameter in common in addition to having different local geometrical and material parameters, said geometrical and material parameters of said theoretical model thereby including said local and common parameters; performing at the optical measurement unit optical measurements on at least two different stacks of the article and generating optical measured data indicative of the geometrical parameters and material composition parameters including said at least one common parameter for each of the measured stacks; and processing at a processor utility of the control unit the optical measured data, said processing comprising simultaneously fitting said optical measured data for the multiple measured stacks with said theoretical model by iterative alteration of said local and common parameters and extracting said at least one common parameter, thereby enabling to characterize the at least said at least one common parameter of the multi-layer structure within the single article.