The potentials afforded by the incorporation of a commercial proximal probe microscope (PPM) into a high resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) are substantial for MEMS inspection and metrology. An instrument of this type is currently being tested at the National Institute of Standards and TEchnology. This instrument will be used in the development of NIST traceable standards for dimensional metrology at the nanometer level. The combination of the two microscopic techniques facilitates: high precision probe placement, the capability of measuring and monitoring the probe geometry, monitoring the scanning of the probe across the feature of interest and an ability for comparative microscopy. The integration of the commercial instrument is the first step in the development of a custom NIST integrated SEM/SxM metrology instrument. This paper presents early results regarding the integration of the two instruments and the application of these instruments to the development of SRM 2090 and the prototype SEM sharpness standard.

Date Published: 2 September 1997
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 3225, Microlithography and Metrology in Micromachining III, (2 September 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.284545

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3225:
Microlithography and Metrology in Micromachining III
Craig R. Friedrich; Akira Umeda, Editor(s)