Patent ID: 8243880

Claim:
A substrate measuring method comprising: selecting a parameter of attention from shape parameters concerning a shape of a unit structure included in a periodical structure; determining, according to the parameter of attention, measurement conditions for measuring the shape of the unit structure; making an electromagnetic wave incident on the periodical structure while changing, according to the determined measurement conditions, an azimuth in a plane parallel to a reference plane on a substrate on which the periodical structure is formed; and detecting the electromagnetic wave scattered in an azimuth direction as a direction parallel to the reference plane and an elevation direction as a direction perpendicular to the reference plane by reflection on the periodical structure, wherein the measurement conditions are determined through calculation of a scattering profile representing distribution of scattering intensities of the electromagnetic wave due to the reflection on the periodical structure and optimization corresponding to a comparison result obtained by comparing the scattering profile calculated every time a value of the parameter of attention is changed.