Is there enough contrast under white light illumination to perform automated metrology on latent or undeveloped photoresist images for control of the lithographic process? This would be an interesting option for the next generation photolithograpy cell. To accomplish this under full automation, several different operations must be carried out: global alignment which requires a coarse focus and pattern recognition operation at low optical magnification, pattern recognition and precision autofocus at high magnigication, and finally precision edge detection at high magnification all at repeatabilities acceptable to the industry. The first look answer is yes. Below we describe the experiments and data carried out on this question.

Date Published: 1 June 1990
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 1261, Integrated Circuit Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control IV, (1 June 1990); doi: 10.1117/12.20040

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1261:
Integrated Circuit Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control IV
William H. Arnold, Editor(s)