Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7898661?dq=6,123,819
Timestamp: 2017-07-27 15:56:43
Document Index: 521919852

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'application No. 04078145', 'Application No. 04078145', 'Application No. 04078145', 'Application No. 2000', 'Application No. 2003', 'Application No. 2000', 'Application No. 2009', 'Application No. 2003', 'Application No. 2009', 'Application No. 2000', 'application No. 2010', 'art 1', 'art 2', '§ 1']

Patent US7898661 - Spectroscopic scatterometer system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsBefore 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/US7898661?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7898661 - Spectroscopic scatterometer systemAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7898661 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/642,670Publication dateMar 1, 2011Filing dateDec 18, 2009Priority dateMar 6, 1998Fee statusPaidAlso published asDE69922942D1, DE69922942T2, EP1073876A1, EP1073876B1, EP1508772A1, EP1508772B1, US6483580, US6590656, US7173699, US7859659, US20020033945, US20030058443, US20070091327, US20100165340, US20110125458, WO1999045340A1Publication number12642670, 642670, US 7898661 B2, US 7898661B2, US-B2-7898661, US7898661 B2, US7898661B2InventorsYiping Xu, Ibrahim AbdulhalmOriginal AssigneeKla-Tencor CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (213), Non-Patent Citations (313), Referenced by (4), Classifications (35), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSpectroscopic scatterometer system
US 7898661 B2Abstract
1. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a reference database that includes a plurality of ellipsometric functions, each ellipsometric function corresponding to a set of values of said one or more parameters, said values including at least values of line width, height and side wall angle of periodic diffracting structures;
a detector detecting ellipsometric parameters of a diffraction from the periodic diffracting structure of said broadband radiation over a range of wavelengths;
a processor comparing said detected ellipsometric parameters to said plurality of ellipsometric functions in said database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said processor determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure; and
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of a structure adjacent to the periodic diffracting structure;
said periodic diffracting structure located on a surface of a sample, wherein said adjacent structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least said index of refraction of the adjacent structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure, and the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
2. An instrument for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure located adjacent to a structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said instrument comprising:
an analyzer for receiving radiation from the sampling beam diffracted by the periodic diffracting structure to provide an output beam;
a spectrometer for detecting intensity data from the output beam simultaneously at a plurality of wavelengths;
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of the adjacent structure;
a processor for controlling said polarizer and analyzer so that ellipsometric functions are measured, and determining at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure by comparison of said measured ellipsometric functions to said ellipsometric functions in the reference database, said periodic diffracting structure located on a surface of a sample, wherein said adjacent structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure , and the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
3. The instrument of claim 2, wherein said device comprises a spectroscopic ellipsometer, spectrophotometer or spectroreflectometer.
4. The instrument of claim 2, wherein said device also measures thickness of the adjacent structure.
5. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said scatterometer comprising:
means for detecting ellipsometric parameters of a diffraction from the periodic diffracting structure of said broadband radiation over a range of wavelengths;
means for comparing said detected ellipsometric parameters to said plurality of ellipsometric functions in the database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said comparing means determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure; and
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of a structure adjacent to the periodic diffracting structure.
6. The scatterometer of claim 5, wherein said adjacent structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure , and the comparing means uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
7. The scatterometer of claim 5, wherein said device comprises a spectroscopic ellipsometer, spectrophotometer or spectroreflectometer.
8. The scatterometer of claim 5, wherein said device also measures a thickness of the adjacent structure.
9. The scatterometer of claim 8, wherein the thickness of the adjacent structure is not a parameter in the reference database.
10. The scatterometer of claim 5, wherein the index of refraction of the adjacent structure is not a parameter in the reference database.
11. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a reference database that includes a plurality of signature curves, each signature curve corresponding to a set of values of said one or more parameters, said values including at least values of line width, height and side wall angle of periodic diffracting structures;
a detector detecting intensity data of a diffraction from the periodic diffracting structure of said broadband radiation over a range of wavelengths; and
a processor comparing said detected intensity data to said plurality of signature curves in the reference database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said processor determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure;
said reference database constructed using information related to film thickness of an adjacent structure that is obtained without measuring said periodic diffracting structure.
12. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
said reference database constructed using an index of refraction of an adjacent structure that is obtained without measuring said periodic diffracting structure to reduce the number of signature curves in the reference database.
13. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
said sample comprising an adjacent structure having at least an index of refraction, said scatterometer further comprising a device measuring data related to said at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure without measuring said periodic diffracting structure.
14. The scatterometer of claim 13, wherein the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the adjacent structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said one or more parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
15. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of a structure adjacent to and associated with the periodic diffracting structure, said periodic diffracting structure located on a surface of a sample, wherein said associated structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least said index of refraction of the associated structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure, and the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
16. An instrument for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure located adjacent to an associated structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said instrument comprising:
a processor for controlling said polarizer and analyzer so that ellipsometric functions are measured, and determining at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure by comparison of said measured ellipsometric functions to said ellipsometric functions in the reference database; and
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of the associated structure.
17. The instrument of claim 16, said periodic diffracting structure located on a surface of a sample, wherein said associated structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure , and the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
18. The instrument of claim 16, wherein said device comprises a spectroscopic ellipsometer, spectrophotometer or spectroreflectometer.
19. The instrument of claim 16, wherein said device also measures thickness information of the associated structure.
20. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of a structure adjacent to and associated with the periodic diffracting structure.
21. The scatterometer of claim 20, said periodic diffracting structure located on a surface of a sample, wherein said associated structure is away from said periodic diffracting structure so that said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure is measured without measuring said periodic diffracting structure and the comparing means uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
22. The scatterometer of claim 20, wherein said device comprises a spectroscopic ellipsometer, spectrophotometer or spectroreflectometer.
23. The scatterometer of claim 20, wherein said device also measures thickness information of the associated structure.
24. The scatterometer of claim 20, wherein thickness of the associated structure is not a parameter in the reference database.
25. The scatterometer of claim 20, wherein the index of refraction of the associated structure is not a parameter in the reference database.
26. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a processor comparing said detected intensity data to said plurality of signature curves in the reference database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said processor determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said periodic diffracting structure being on a surface of the sample, said reference database constructed using information related to at least an index of refraction or a film thickness of an associated structure away from said diffracting structure so that said film thickness of the associated structure is measurable without measuring said periodic diffracting structure.
27. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a processor comparing said detected intensity data to said plurality of signature curves in the reference database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said processor determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said periodic diffracting structure being on a surface of the sample, said reference database constructed using optical properties of an associated structure away from said diffracting structure so that said optical properties of the associated structure are measurable without measuring said periodic diffracting structure to reduce the number of signatures curves in the reference database.
28. A scatterometer for measuring one or more parameters of a periodic diffracting structure of a sample, said one or more parameters comprising shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the structure, said scatterometer comprising:
a processor comparing said detected intensity data to said plurality of signature curves in the reference database to determine said shape of lines, linewidth, pitch, height and/or side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, wherein said processor determines at least the line width, height and side wall angle of the periodic diffracting structure, said periodic diffracting structure being on a surface of the sample and away from said periodic diffracting structure, said scatterometer further comprising a device measuring data related to at least an index of refraction of the associated structure without measuring said periodic diffracting structure, wherein the processor uses said data related to at least the index of refraction of the associated structure to reduce number of parameters of the database and processing time for determining said one or more parameters of the periodic diffracting structure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 11/614,315, entitled “SPECTROSCOPIC SCATTEROMETER SYSTEM” and filed on Dec. 21, 2006 which claims the benefit of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 10/251,246, entitled “SPECTROSCOPIC SCATTEROMETER SYSTEM” and filed on Sep. 20, 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/036,557, entitled “SPECTROSCOPIC SCATTEROMETER SYSTEM” and filed on Mar. 6, 1998 and the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference
sin θ 1 + θ r = m λ d ( 1 ) where λ is the wavelength of incident light and d the period of the diffracting structure.
Since the periods of the gratings in the state-of-the-art devices are generally below 1μ only the 0th and +/−1ST diffraction orders exist over a practical angular range. A traditional scatterometer that measures the entire diffraction envelope does not provide the data required for an accurate analysis. One prior optical technique for characterizing submicron periodic topographic structures is called 2-⊖ scatterometry.
The 2-⊖ scatterometer monitors the intensity of a single diffraction order as a function of the angle of incidence of the illuminating light beam. The intensity variation of the 0th as well as higher diffraction orders from the sample provides information which is useful for determining the properties of the sample which is illuminated. Because the properties of a sample are determined by the process used to fabricate the sample, the information is also useful as an indirect monitor of the process.
In 2-⊖ scatterometry, a single wavelength coherent light beam, for example, a helium-neon laser, is incident upon a sample mounted on a stage. By either rotating the sample stage or illumination beam, the angle of incidence on the sample is changed. The intensity of the particular diffraction order (such as zeroth-order or first order) as a function of incident angle, which is called a 2-⊖ plot or scatter “signature” is then downloaded to a computer. In order to determine the different parameters such as linewidth, step height, shape of the line, and angle of the side-walls (the angle the side-wall makes with the underlying surface, also known as the “wall angle”), a diffraction model is employed. Different grating parameters outlined above are parameterized and a parameter space is defined by allowing each grating-shaped parameter to vary over a certain range.
A rigorous diffraction model is used to calculate the theoretical diffracted light fingerprint from each grating in the parameter space, and a statistical prediction algorithm is trained on this theoretical calibration data. Subsequently, this prediction algorithm is used to determine the parameters that correspond to the 2-⊖ plots or scatter “signature” measured from a target structure on a sample.
While 2-⊖ scatterometry has been useful in some circumstances, it has many disadvantages. The periodic diffracting structure is frequently situated over one or more films that transmit light. Therefore, any diffraction model employed must account for the thicknesses and refractive indices of all films underneath the diffracting structure. In one approach, the thickness and refractive indices of all layers must be known in advance. This is undesirable since frequently, these quantities are not known in advance. In particular, the film thickness and optical indices of materials used in semiconductor fabrication often vary from process to process.
Furthermore, since the intensity of the particular diffraction order as a function of incidence angle of the sampling beam is acquired sequentially as the incident angle is varied, data acquisition for the 2-⊖ plot or scatter “signature” is slow and the detected intensity is subject to various noise sources such as system vibration and random electronic noise which may change over time as the incident angle is varied.
Another aspect of the invention is directed towards a scatterometer for measuring a parameter of a diffracting structure of a sample, including a source which emits broadband radiation; a polarizer that polarizes the broadband radiation to produce a sampling beam sampling the structure; and means for detecting intensities or ellipsometric parameters of a-diffraction from the structure over a range of wavelengths.
FIG. 3A is a graphical plot of the intensity of the zeroth diffraction order as 51 different functions of the angle of incidence of the illuminating light beam in a 2-⊖ scatterometer, where the nominal linewidth is assumed to be 250 nanometers, and the 51 functions are obtained assuming linewidths from 225 to 275 nanometers, at 1 nanometer steps, for comparison with predicted results of the invention.
FIG. 3C is a plot of the means square error difference measurement as a function of linewidth, between the signature generated for the grating having the nominal linewidth of 250 nanometers and other signatures obtained for other linewidths using 2-⊖ scatterometry, and using the preferred embodiment of this invention over a full range of the spectrum and over UV and visual wavelength bands of the full spectrum useful for illustrating the invention.
FIG. 4A is a graphical plot of the intensity of an ellipsometric parameter tan (psi) as 5 different functions of the wavelength of the illuminating light beam according to the invention where the nominal linewidth is assumed to be 180 nanometers, and the 5 functions are obtained assuming linewidths at 178, 179, 180, 181, 182 nanometers, for comparison with predicted results of the invention.
FIG. 4B is a graphical plot of the intensity of an ellipsometric parameter cos (delta) as 5 different functions of the wavelength of the illuminating light beam according to the invention where the nominal linewidth is assumed to be 180 nanometers, and the 5 functions are obtained assuming linewidths at 178, 179, 180, 181, 182 nanometers, for comparison with predicted results of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a plot of two sets of correlation functions between the signature for the grating having the nominal linewidth of 180 nanometers and other signatures for gratings at other linewidths, one set obtained using tan (psi) and the other set obtained using cos (delta).
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 a as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the grating shape parameters that can be parameterized and varied over a certain range include CD, h and a. 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., Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 73, No. 5, May 1985, pp. 894-937.
Where more than one grating shape parameter is varied, the calculation of fingerprints may be performed by varying only one parameter at a time while keeping the other parameters at selected constant values within selected ranges. Then another parameter is allowed to vary and so on. Subsequently, this prediction algorithm is used to determine the values of the parameters that correspond to the fingerprint measured from layer 12 c′. Since the film thickness and optical indices of any film underlying diffracting structure 12 c or 12 c′ are known from the spectroscopic ellipsometry or spectroreflectometry measurements, or are otherwise known, these values may be used in construction of the reference database so that the film thickness and refractive index need not be parameters in the database. This greatly reduces the number of variables in the parameter space and also greatly reduces the number of signatures that need to be calculated for the reference database. Thus, compared to the 2-⊖ scatterometry method where such variables need to be taken into account in the parameter space and the calculation of signatures, this invention enables a smaller database to be used when searching for solutions. Furthermore, due to the number of variables that are parameterized in such 2-⊖ scatterometry method, there may be multiple solutions which causes difficulties in obtaining a correct solution. By reducing the size of the database, this invention enables unique solutions to be found in most cases. In this manner, this invention reduces the computation time by many orders of magnitude compared to 2-⊖ scatterometry.
As compared to 2-⊖ scatterometry, the spectroscopic scatterometer of this invention measures diffraction and a number of wavelengths simultaneously. This is in contrast to 2-⊖ scatterometry where the user takes a measurement of the diffraction at one angle of incidence at a time. Such feature also speeds up the measurement process. It will also be noted that the above-described reference database is constructed without the use of reference samples. Thus, the user does not have to make reference wafers having diffracting structures analogous to the one being measured or having to take measurements from such reference samples before a database can be constructed. Furthermore, a rigorously radical model such as MMME is used to achieve accurate results.
FIG. 3A is a graphical plot of the intensity of the zeroth diffraction order as 51 functions of the angle of incidence of the illuminating light beam in a 2-⊖ scatterometer measuring structure 12 c′ of FIG. 2, where the nominal linewidth is assumed to be 250 nm, and the 51 functions are obtained assuming linewidths from 225 to 275 nanometers, at 1 nanometer steps. The incidence angles used in a calculation of the graphical plot in FIG. 3A varies from 0 to 60° with an uniform increment of 1°, which results in 61 datapoints per signature curve. The light beam is assumed to be TE polarized and the wavelength was 0.6328 microns.
FIG. 3B is a graphical plot of the intensity of zeroth diffraction order as a function of the wavelength of the illuminating light beam according to the invention used for measuring structure 12 c′ of FIG. 2 where the nominal linewidth is assumed to be 250 nm, and the 51 functions are obtained assuming linewidths from 225 to 275 nanometers, at 1 nanometer steps. These 51 functions are obtained by means of the MMME model method rigorous diffraction method described above, making use of the known or measured index of refraction and film thickness information. These curves are used in comparison with measured results of the invention to predict linewidth of the measured structure. The intensity of the zeroth order is calculated as a function of the wavelength of the illuminating light beam and the wavelengths used in the calculation varies from 0.23 to 0.850 microns with an uniform increment of 0.01 micron which results in 63 datapoints per signature curve. The light beam is assumed to be TE polarized and is illuminated at an oblique angle of 76° from the normal. FIG. 3C is a plot of the mean squares error difference measurement as a function of linewidth, between the signature generated for the grating having the linewidth of 250 nm and other signatures obtained at other linewidths using 2-⊖ scatterometry. FIG. 3C also shows plots of the mean squares error difference measurement as a function of linewidth, between the signature generated for the grating having the linewidth of 250 nm and other signatures obtained at other linewidths, and using the preferred embodiment of this invention over a full range of the spectrum as well as over ultraviolet (UV) and visual wavelength bands of the full spectrum. As will be evident from FIG. 3C, the spectroscopic scatterometer of this invention is more sensitive than the 2-⊖ scatterometer. The mean square area difference for 1 nm linewidth (CD) sensitivity are shown by Tables 1 and 2 below.
Another aspect of the invention is based on the observation that, instead of detecting the intensity of the zero, first or other order of diffraction from structure 12 c or 12 c′, the apparatus 10 of FIG. 1A may be used to detect ellipsometric parameters of such order diffraction from the structure for determining one or more parameters of the diffracting structure. In other words, during the scatterometer mode, computer 40 controls polarizer 28 and analyzer 32 to cause relative rotation and motion between them, and system 10 is used for measuring ellipsometric parameters such as tan (psi) and cos (delta) adds a plurality of wavelengths, such as at wavelengths in the spectrum of radiation source 22. With either known or measured index or refraction and film thickness information of the one or more underlying films underneath the structure 12 c or 12 c′, the MMME model method described above may be used to construct a database-of tan (psi) and cos (delta) as functions of wavelength, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, corresponding to different values of parameters of the structure 12 c or 12 c′. Thus as shown in FIG. 4A, the model may be used to construct five functions for tan (psi) as functions of wavelength at five different linewidths. FIG. 4B illustrates a similar plot for the ellipsometric parameter cos (delta). The nominal linewidth is 180 nanometers. By measuring the two ellipsometric parameters of structure 12 c or 12 c′ by means of system 10, the measured functions may be compared to those in FIGS. 4A and 4B to find the best fit. The sensitivity in using the ellipsometric parameters is illustrated in FIGS. 5. FIG. FIG. 5 is a plot of the correlation between the ellipsometric parameters corresponding to the nominal 180 nanometer value and those corresponding to the remaining four line width values. Other than the above noted differences, in this aspect of the invention where ellipsometric parameters are used for determining characteristics of the structure 12 c, 12 c′, the system 10 operates in a manner and shares the same advantages essentially as those described above for measuring intensity of diffraction in determining characteristics of the structure 12 c, 12 c′. For some applications, measuring the ellipsometric parameters may offer higher sensitivity.
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Eng., vol. 36, No. 1, Jan. 1997, pp. 243-250.Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS8994943 *Nov 30, 2012Mar 31, 2015Infineon Technologies AgSelectivity by polarizationUS20110125458 *Dec 7, 2010May 26, 2011Kla-Tencor CorporationSpectroscopic Scatterometer SystemUS20130033698 *Jun 29, 2012Feb 7, 2013Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.Film thickness measurement apparatusCN103852765A *Nov 29, 2013Jun 11, 2014英飞凌科技股份有限公司Selectivity by polarization* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification356/369International ClassificationG01J4/00, G01N21/956, G01B11/02, G01N21/21, H01L21/66, G01N21/27, G03F7/20, G01N21/95, G01B11/06Cooperative ClassificationG01N21/55, G03F7/70625, G03F7/70616, G01N21/211, G01N21/4788, G03F7/70491, G01B11/0641, G01N21/95607, G01N2021/213, H01L22/12, G01N2021/556, G01N21/9501, G01N21/956, G01N2021/95615, H01L2924/0002European ClassificationG01N21/21B, G01N21/956A, G01B11/06C4, G01N21/47H, G01N21/55, G03F7/70L10B, G01N21/956, G03F7/70L10, G03F7/70L2, G01N21/95ALegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 1, 2014FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services