Patent ID: 7589845

Claim:
A method of controlling a fabrication cluster using an optical metrology system, the optical metrology system configured to measure a structure on a workpiece and configured to meet one or more signal criteria, the method comprising: developing an initial design by the optical metrology system based on a determined range of capabilities of the optical metrology system; developing a metrology signal model by the optical metrology system, the optical metrology system comprising optical components along an optical path; selecting one or more signal criteria by the optical metrology system; collecting signal data for each optical component; if one or more calculated signal criteria derived from the collected signal data do not match a set of one or more signal criteria, modifying the initial design of the optical metrology system and iterating the developing of the metrology signal model, selecting one or more new signal criteria, collecting new signal data and performing a new comparison of the new calculated one or more signal criteria to the set of signal one or more criteria until there is a new match of one or more of the new calculated signal criteria to the set one or more of signal criteria; measuring the structure on the workpiece using the initial design of the optical metrology system; extracting one or more profile parameters of the structure; transmitting at least one profile parameter of the structure to the fabrication cluster by a metrology processor, the fabrication cluster having process parameters and equipment settings; and adjusting at least one process parameter and/or equipment setting of the fabrication cluster based on at least one profile parameter of the structure by the optical metrology system.