The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 24, 2006
Filed:
Oct. 09, 2002
Youxian Wen, Livermore, CA (US);
Cheryl Staat, San Jose, CA (US);
Jon Opsal, Livermore, CA (US);
Therma-Wave, Inc., Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
A standardized sample for scatterometry includes four quadrants each including an inner block surrounded by four outer blocks. A pattern of gratings is repeated within each of the blocks using different resolutions and orientations. Each grating within an outer block has a matching grating within the block's pair. A grating and its matching grating are negative images of each other—the pitch and line-size of a grating are equal, respectively to the line size and pitch of the matching grating. The inner block also includes a series of background patterns positioned behind the gratings. These patterns include repeating patterns of hole and repeating line structures. This series of structures cover a large die area, helping to simulate the conditions faced by real-world scatterometers. The various structures feature a high-degree of alignment, allowing rapid verification using SEM or other techniques.