Patent ID: 6421457
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: G01N,G03F

Abstract:
A method of inspecting a target feature on a semiconductor wafer, which method comprises:forming a plurality of comparable reference features on a reference semiconductor wafer, the reference features having a profile comparable to a profile of the target feature, each of the reference features respectively associated with a different known profile and stepper setting; obtaining a reference waveform of each of the reference features; selecting one of the reference waveforms as a golden waveform; obtaining a target waveform of the target feature; comparing the target waveform with the golden waveform; identifying the reference waveform which most closely matches the target waveform to obtain the profile of the target feature and a target feature stepper setting; and determining the difference between the stepper setting associated with the golden waveform and the stepper setting associated with the target feature when the golden waveform is not the reference waveform that most closely matches the target waveform.