N K Technology Ltd

Phillip Walsh

Guoguang Li

Abdul Rahim Forouhi

Shuqiang Chen

Mehdi Balooch

Marc T Aho

Homan Amin

An apparatus and method for examining features of a sample with a broadband beam of light obtained from a long-wavelength source that may include two distinct emitters that emit a long-wavelength radiation and a short-wavelength source that emits a short-wavelength radiation. A passage is positioned between the sources and a reflective beam combining optics is provided for shaping the long-wavelength radiation to enter the short-wavelength source via the passage and also for shaping the short-wavelength radiation that exits through the passage and propagates toward the long-wavelength source. The reflective beam combining optics shape the short-wavelength radiation such that it re-enters the short-wavelength source via the passage and is combined with the long-wavelength radiation into the broadband beam that exits the short-wavelength source. A beam steering optics projects the broadband beam to a spot on the sample, and a scattered broadband radiation from the spot is intercepted and shaped to a broadband signal beam, which is passed through a sampling pinhole that passes a test portion of it on to a detector for optical examination; the test portion that is passed can correspond to a center portion of the spot.

System and method for high intensity small spot optical metrology

An apparatus and method for determining a physical parameter of features on a substrate by illuminating the substrate with an incident light covering an incident wavelength range &#x394;&#x3bb;, e.g., from 190 nm to 1000 nm, where the substrate is at least semi-transparent. A response light received from the substrate and the feature is measured to obtain a response spectrum of the response light. Further, a complex-valued response due to the feature and the substrate is computed and both the response spectrum and the complex-valued response are used in determining the physical parameter. A direct approximate phase measurement is provided when the response light is transmitted light.

Phase shift measurement using transmittance spectra

Optical characterization of lateral features of a pattern is provided. A plane-wave optical response is calculated for each feature. At least one of these plane-wave responses is calculated from an effective optical property (e.g., a waveguide modal refractive index). Such effective optical properties depend on feature geometry and on intrinsic material optical properties. The plane-wave responses for each feature are combined to generate a modeled pattern response. By fitting the modeled pattern response to a corresponding measured pattern response, estimates for pattern feature parameters are obtained. The use of an effective optical property improves model accuracy, especially for features having a size on the order of a wavelength or less, without significantly increasing computation time.

Optical determination of pattern feature parameters using a scalar model having effective optical properties

An apparatus and method for determining a physical parameter of features on a substrate by illuminating the substrate with an incident light covering an incident wavelength range &#x394;&#x3bb;, e.g., from 190 nm to 1000 nm, where the substrate is at least semi-transparent. A response light received from the substrate and the feature is measured to obtain a response spectrum of the response light. Further, a complex-valued response due to the feature and the substrate is computed and both the response spectrum and the complex-valued response are used in determining the physical parameter. The response light is reflected light, transmitted light or a combination of the two. The complex-valued response typically includes a complex reflectance amplitude, a complex transmittance amplitude or both. The apparatus and method take into account the effects of vertical and lateral coherence length and are well suited for examining adjacent features.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Phillip Walsh