We report on a fast and accurate shape metrology for nanoscale structures by analyzing the scattering pattern of visible light. The technique is based on model-based scatterometry which is inverse measurement technique comparing measured scattering data with numerical simulations of the scattering process using a physical model of the structures. We demonstrate the concept for an array of silicon nanopillars that are arranged in a twodimensional lattice and show that the proposed methodology provides a fast and reliable determination of the pillar dimensions with nanometer precision. Since the technique works contact-free and is applicable to large area samples, it can be readily implemented in an industrial environment for inline metrology applications.

Date Published: 13 May 2013
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8788, Optical Measurement Systems for Industrial Inspection VIII, 87881O (13 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2020880

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8788:
Optical Measurement Systems for Industrial Inspection VIII
Peter H. Lehmann; Wolfgang Osten; Armando Albertazzi, Editor(s)