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Patent US7859659 - Spectroscopic scatterometer system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsBefore the diffraction from a diffracting structure on a semiconductor wafer is measured, where necessary, the film thickness and index of refraction of the films underneath the structure are first measured using spectroscopic reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry. A rigorous model is then used...http://www.google.com/patents/US7859659?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7859659 - Spectroscopic scatterometer systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7859659 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/614,315Publication dateDec 28, 2010Filing dateDec 21, 2006Priority dateMar 6, 1998Fee statusPaidAlso published asDE69922942D1, DE69922942T2, EP1073876A1, EP1073876B1, EP1508772A1, EP1508772B1, US6483580, US6590656, US7173699, US7898661, US20020033945, US20030058443, US20070091327, US20100165340, US20110125458, WO1999045340A1Publication number11614315, 614315, US 7859659 B2, US 7859659B2, US-B2-7859659, US7859659 B2, US7859659B2InventorsYiping Xu, Ibrahim AbdulhalmOriginal AssigneeKla-Tencor CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (103), Non-Patent Citations (458), Referenced by (5), Classifications (38), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSpectroscopic scatterometer system
US 7859659 B2Abstract
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/251,246, filed Sep. 20, 2002, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/036,557, filed Mar. 6, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,580, which applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.
sin θ 1 + sin θ r = m λ d ( 1 ) where λ is the wavelength of incident light and d the period of the diffracting structure.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon substrate 12 a and a diffracting structure 12 c′ having a linewidth CD, pitch p, height h, and wall angle α as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the grating shape parameters that can be parameterized and varied over a certain range include CD, h and α. A rigorous diffraction model, such as the model method by modal expansion (MMME), is used to calculate the theoretical diffracted light fingerprint from each grating in the parameter space, and a, statistical prediction algorithm such as Partial-Leased-Squares (PLS) or Minimum-Mean-Square-Error (MMSE) is trained on this theoretical calibration data. For a description of the MMME, please see “Convergence of the Coupled-wave Method for Metallic Lamellar Diffraction Gratings,” by Li et al., Journal of the Optical Society of America A Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 1184-1189, June 1993; and “Multilayer Modal Method for Diffraction Gratings of Arbitrary Profile, Depth, and Permittivity,” by Li et al., Journal of the Optical Society of America A Vol. 10, No. 12, pp. 2582-2591, December 1993.
Instead of using the MMME, the grating shape parameters can also be parameterized using rigorous coupling waveguide analysis (“RCWA”). Such method is described, for example, in “Rigorous coupled-wave analysis of planar-grating diffraction,” by M. Moharam et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am., Vol. 71, No. 7, July 1981, pp. 811-818, “Stable implementation of the rigorous coupled-wave analysis for surface-relief gratings: enhanced transmittance matrix approach,” by M. Moharam et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, Vol. 12, No. 5, May 1995, pp. 1077-1086, and “Analysis and Applications of Optical Diffraction by Gratings,” T. Gaylord et al., Proceedinqs of the IEEE, Vol. 73, No. 5, May 1985, pp. 894-937.
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Oxide (ONO) Structures," Aug. 1991, 2 pages.206IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Horizontal Sample Attachment for Vertical Sample Ellipsometer," Jun. 1982, 4 pages.207IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Integrated Notched Pin Joint and other Multilayer Structures with High-Aspect Ratio Gaps and Method of Fabrication Thereof ," Apr. 1995, 3 pages.208IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Laser Ablation of Polymer Thin Films," Jan. 1995, 1 page.209IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Laser Micro-Fabrication of Waveguide Devices," Apr. 1989, 3 pages.210IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Laser Sizing of Green MLC Laminates," Apr. 1982, 2 pages.211IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Measurement Method for Solder Creep Resolution of Less Than 5 Microns," Apr. 1978, 2 pages.212IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Measuring Torsional Properties of Tubes," Aug. 1969, 2 pages.213IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Metallic Overlayer for CoP Protection in Thin Film Disks," Aug. 1989, 2 pages.214IBM 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Contact Slider of High Refractive Index," Feb. 1994, 1 page.232IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Structure for Inspection of Voids in Dielectric Thin Films," Mar. 1995, 2 pages.233IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Surface Finish Apparatus for Thin Film Disks," Jan. 1994, 1 page.234IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Thickness and Refractive Index Determination for Thin Films," Oct. 1983, 2 pages.235IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Ultrafast Ellipsometric Mapping of Thin Films," Feb. 1994, 2 pages.236IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Use of Reflectivity Measurement in Infrared to Access in N-58 Ceramic Wafers," Dec. 1995, 2 pages.237IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Vertical Position Sensing with Rotating Pinhole Confical Optics," Sep. 1973, 2 pages.238IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "A sidewall Image Definition Technique for Producing Extremely Fine Semiconductor Chip Features," May 1987, 2 pages.239IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Active Alignment And Measuring Tool for Fiber-Optic Laser Subassemblies," Sep. 1990, 2 pages.240IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Automated Laser Driver Laser-Planarisation Process," Oct. 1994, 2 pages.241IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Batch-Fabricated Magnetic Microactuators," Sep. 1994, 2 pages.242IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Beam Multiplication for Erasing Optical Phase-Change Recording," Jan. 1986, 1 page.243IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "CO2 Laser-Scanning System using a Telecentric Relay System," May 1987, 3 pages.244IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Combined Optical Inspection and Electrical Measurement System," Oct. 1994, 1 page.245IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Contactless Electrical Equivalent Oxide Thickness Measurement," Mar. 1987, 2 pages.246IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Contactless Resistance Measurement by a Combination of E-beam and Photoemission Methods," Jan. 1987, 2 pages.247IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, "Contactless Substrate Temperature Measurement by Laser 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