82 results about "Spectroscopic ellipsometry" patented technology

A terahertz time-domain spectroscopic ellipsometry system includes a sample stage, a terahertz emitter configured to provide pulses of terahertz radiation with preselected polarization components to illuminate a sample on the sample stage along an incident direction, and a coherent terahertz detection system arranged to coherently detect pulses of terahertz radiation from the terahertz emitter along an emerging direction after at least one of reflecting from or passing through the sample. The sample stage is rotatable to vary a relative angle between the incident direction and the emerging direction, and the coherent terahertz detection system substantially maintains alignment for amplitude and polarization detection as the relative angle is varied.

Ta₂O₅ and Al₂O₃ thin films were fabricated by pulsed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with simultaneous delivery of O₂ and the metal precursor. By appropriately controlling the gas-phase environment self-limiting deposition at controllable rates (˜1 Å/pulse) was obtained. The process was insensitive to substrate temperature, with a constant deposition rate observed from 90-350° C. As-deposited Ta₂O₅ films under these conditions displayed good dielectric properties. Performance improvements correlate strongly with film density and composition as measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Pulsed PECVD eliminates the need for gas actuation and inert purge steps required by atomic layer deposition.

The invention relates to an optical parameter detection method of low-radiation coated glass, wherein the low-radiation coated glass is SnO2:F/SiCxOy, 0<x<1, and 1<y<4. The invention belongs to a coated glass detection field. On basis of obtaining a spectroscopic ellipsometry of SnO2:F/SiCxOy energy saving coated glass, the method introduces a five-layer film structure and an optical dispersion equation, returns an actually-measured spectroscopic ellipsometry by iteration, and finally obtains a film structure of the SnO2:F/SiCxOy coated glass and optical parameters of each layer. By the method, on-line real time monitor of optical performances of the coated glass can be implemented. The method can obtain an accurate film structure and the optical parameters only by optical test means, has advantages of no damage on a sample, small time consuming for measuring, simple measuring method, and no special requirement on a sample surface to be measured, and is very suitable for performance detection of the SnO2:F/SiCxOy energy saving coated glass.

Before the diffraction from a diffracting structure on a semiconductor wafer is measured, where necessary, the film thickness and index of refraction of the films underneath the structure are first measured using spectroscopic reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry. A rigorous model is then used to calculate intensity or ellipsometric signatures of the diffracting structure. The diffracting structure is then measured using a spectroscopic scatterometer using polarized and broadband radiation to obtain an intensity or ellipsometric signature of the diffracting structure. Such signature is then matched with the signatures in the database to determine the grating shape parameters of the structure.

Methods and systems for performing simultaneous spectroscopic measurements of semiconductor structures at ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths are presented herein. In another aspect, wavelength errors are reduced by orienting the direction of wavelength dispersion on the detector surface perpendicular to the projection of the plane of incidence onto the detector surface. In another aspect, a broad range of infrared wavelengths are detected by a detector that includes multiple photosensitive areas having different sensitivity characteristics. Collected light is linearly dispersed across the surface of the detector according to wavelength. Each different photosensitive area is arranged on the detector to sense a different range of incident wavelengths. In this manner, a broad range of infrared wavelengths are detected with high signal to noise ratio by a single detector. These features enable high throughput measurements of high aspect ratio structures with high throughput, precision, and accuracy.

The invention discloses a method and device for rapidly measuring sidewall appearance of a micro-nano deep groove structure, which can simultaneously and rapidly measure the parameters of the sidewall appearance of the micro-nano deep groove structure, such as line width, groove depth, sidewall angle, sidewall roughness and the like. The method comprises the steps of: projecting elliptical polarized lights, which is obtained by polarizing light beams with the wavelengths ranging from near infrared waveband to middle infrared waveband, onto the surface of a structure to be measured; collecting zero-level diffraction signals on the surface of the structure to be measured, and calculating to obtain a measured infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry of the micro-nano deep groove structure; calculating theoretical spectroscopic ellipsometries in the near infrared waveband and the middle infrared waveband respectively by using a wavelength allocation modeling method, matching the theoretical spectroscopic ellipsometries with the infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry measured in the experiment by using a stepwise spectral inversion method, and sequentially extracting the groove structure parameter and the roughness parameter. The device comprises an infrared light source, first, second, third and fourth off-axis parabolic mirrors, a Michelson's interferometer, a planar reflector, a polarizer, a sample bench, an analyzer, a detector and a computer; and the method is a noncontact, nondestructive low-cost method for rapidly measuring the sidewall appearance.

The invention belongs to the technical field of optical thin film optical constant measurement, and particularly relates to a method for measuring optical constants of a Gel-xCx thin film infrared spectroscopy area. The method for measuring the optical constants of the Gel-xCx thin film infrared spectroscopy area comprises the following steps: measuring a thin film infrared transmitted spectrum so as to confirm the position of an absorption peak, establishing a thin film optical constant physical model according to the position of the absorption peak, and calculating by using an infrared transmitted spectrum and elliptical polarization spectrum combined composite target retrieval method to obtain optical constants such as the refractive index, the extinction coefficient and the physical thickness of a Gel-xCx thin film. Specifically, according to the scheme, the accurate position and the absorption magnitude of the absorption peak are confirmed according to the transmitted spectrum of a single-layer infrared thin film, on the basis, and regression calculation on an ellipsometry spectrum is performed, so that the optical constants of the thin film are obtained. The method has the advantages that the long optical constants of the thin film, particularly the optical constants of infrared thin films with absorption peaks, can be accurately obtained.

The invention belongs to the technical field of an optical electronic device and particularly relates to an elliptical polarization instrument sample room device with variable temperature and a temperature change method thereof. The device provided by the invention comprises a gas bottle, an air valve, an electromagnetic valve, a Dewar bottle, a sample room, a sample table, a heating resistor, a temperature sensor, a temperature controller and the like, wherein the sample room is divided into an upper cavity and a lower cavity; the lower cavity is in a cuboid shape; the side of the upper cavity is in a trapezoid shape; and optical windows are formed on the inclined planes at the two sides of the upper cavity. The temperature change method provided by the invention is divided into a high temperature mode and a low temperature mode, wherein in the low temperature mode, low-temperature liquid is heated by utilizing normal-temperature gas to generate low-temperature refrigerating gas and the low-temperature refrigerating gas is injected into the sample room through a heat-insulating gas pipeline, thus the sample table reaches the set low temperature; and in the high temperature mode, the heating is carried out through the heating resistor, thus the sample table reaches the set high temperature. The device provided by the invention has the advantages of convenient manufacture and low cost, and the temperature change method provided by the invention has the advantages of good effects and strong practicability and can be used for various elliptical polarization spectral measurements.

The invention belongs to the technical field of an optical electronic device and particularly relates to a time resolution elliptical polarization spectrum measuring system. The measuring system provided by the invention comprises a laser device, a beam splitter, reflectors, a delayer, a beam expander, a sample, a polarizer, a multi-channel analyzer, a CCD (charge coupled device) detector, a computer system, a stepper motor and the like, wherein the laser device adopts a tunable femtosecond ultrafast laser light source; the pulse light which is emitted from the light source is divided into pump light and detection light through the beam splitter; the pump light is vertically irradiated to the sample after passing through the delayer, the two reflectors and the beam expander; the detection light is irradiated to the sample after passing through the beam expander and the polarizer; the light passes through the multi-channel analyzer after being reflected by the sample and detected by the CCD surface array detector; and a computer computes the corresponding time resolution optical constant spectrum. The time resolution elliptical polarization spectrum measuring system provided by the invention has wide application prospects in multiple fields of physics, chemistry, biomedicine, environmental science and the like.

Disclosed is application of oblique angle of incidence, reflection and/or transmission mode spectroscopic ellipsometry PSI and/or DELTA, (including combinations thereof and/or mathematical equivalents), vs. wavelength data to monitor and/or control fabrication of multiple layer high/low refractive index band-pass, band-reject and varied attenuation vs. wavelength filters, either alone or in combination with transmissive non-ellipsometric electromagnetic beam turning point vs. layer data obtained at an essentially normal angle of incidence.

An optical metrology method is disclosed for evaluating the uniformity of characteristics within a semiconductor region having repeating features such a memory die. The method includes obtaining measurements with a probe laser beam having a spot size on the order of micron. These measurements are compared to calibration information obtained from calibration measurements. The calibration information is derived by measuring calibration samples with the probe laser beam and at least one other technology having added information content. In the preferred embodiment, the other technology includes at least one of spectroscopic reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry.

The invention discloses a method for non-destructively, quickly and accurately characterizing a bonding structure of a tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) film. The method comprises the following steps of: preparing the ta-C film on a quartz or silicon substrate, respectively measuring the transmittance T and ellipsometrical parameters phi and delta of the ta-C film by using an ultraviolet/ visible/ near infrared spectrophotometer and a spectroscopic ellipsometry instrument, solving the thickness df, the refractive index nf and the extinction coefficient kf of the ta-C film by using the parameters as fitting parameters and establishing a mathematical-physical model of a substrate layer, a ta-C film layer and a rough surface layer, respectively determining optical constants of materials with pure sp2C and pure sp3C bonding states, fitting with a Bruggeman algorithm under exponential moving average (EMA) approximation, and thus obtaining the chemical bond sp3/sp2 content of the ta-C film. Compared with the conventional characterizing method, the invention has the advantages that the requirement for a sample is low, the characterizing process is quick, simple and feasible, the sample is not destructed, the characterizing precision and the characterizing accuracy are high, and the method has high popularization and application value.

An in-line, in-process or in-situ and non-destructive metrology system, apparatus and method provides composition, quality and/or thickness measurement of a thin film or multi-layer thin film formed on a substrate in a thin film processing system. Particularly, the subject invention provides a spectroscopic ellipsometer performing spectroscopic ellipsometry while the wafer is in a thin film processing system. In one form, the spectroscopic ellipsometer is associated with a wet bench system portion of the thin film processing system. The spectroscopic ellipsometer obtains characteristic data regarding the formed thin film to calculate penetration depth (D_p) for a thin film formed on the substrate. Particularly, the ellipsometer obtains an extinction coefficient (k) which is used to calculate penetration depth (D_p). Penetration depth (D_p), being a unique function of the extinction coefficient (k) provides the information for the composition, quality and/or thickness monitoring of the thin film.

The subject invention relates to broadband optical metrology tools for performing measurements of patterned thin films on semiconductor integrated circuits. Particularly a family of optical designs for broadband optical systems wherein the ratio of illumination system to collection system numerical apertures is less than 1. System performance is enhanced through selection and control of the optical system partial coherence; this is accomplished through installation of beam-control apertures within the illumination and collection optical systems. The invention is broadly applicable to a large class of broadband optical wafer metrology techniques including spectrophotometry, spectroscopic reflectometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectroscopic scatterometry.

Disclosed is application of oblique angle of incidence, reflection and/or transmission mode spectroscopic ellipsometry PSI and/or DELTA, (including combinations thereof and/or mathematical equivalents), vs. wavelength data over an intermediate wavelength band range around a pass or reject band, to monitor and/or control fabrication of multiple layer high/low refractive index band-pass, band-reject and varied attenuation vs. wavelength thin film interference filters, either alone or in combination with transmissive non-ellipsometric electromagnetic beam turning point vs. layer data obtained at an essentially normal angle of incidence.

The invention relates to the technical field of ellipsometry methods and instrument equipment, in particular to a spectroscopic ellipsometry device and method based on elasto-optical modulation. Achievement of the spectroscopic ellipsometry device and method is based on 45-degree dual-drive symmetrical structure elasto-optical polarization modulation and a FPGA elasto-optical drive control and data signal treatment technology. After a compound color light source outputs quasi-monochromatic light through a monochromator, through light speed shaping and collimation, the light exits from an analyzer and is detected and received by a photomultiplier after passing through a polarizer, a to-be-measured sample and an elasto-optical modulator. In an FPGA unit, cophase component and orthogonal component demodulation of a modulated optical signal frequency doubling item is achieved, and the introduction into a control computer is achieved; the spectroscopic ellipsometry device does not need mechanical adjustment, the measuring speed is high, the precision and the sensibility are higher, automatic control is convenient, and a new theory and a new method can be provided for relative fields ofthe spectroscopic ellipsometry technology.

The invention relates to an optical parameter detecting method for Si-based buffer layer coated glass, and belongs to the field of coated glass detecting. A buffer layer coating film is made of SiCxOy, wherein x is larger than 0 but smaller than 1, and y is larger than 1 but smaller than 4. According to the method, on the basis of obtaining an elliptic polarization spectrum of the SiCxOy buffer layer coated glass, a three-layer film layer structure and an optical dispersion equation are introduced, the elliptic polarization spectrum is actually detected through the iteration in a regression mode, a film layer structure of the SiCxOy coated glass and optical parameters of all layers of the film layer structure are obtained lastly, and the optical performance of the coated glass is monitored on line according to the method. According to the method, the film layer structure and the optical parameters of a thin film can be accurately obtained according to the elliptic polarization optical testing means, a sample is not damaged, time for measurement is short, the measuring method is simple and convenient to conduct, the special requirement for the surface of a measured sample does not exist, and the method is very suitable for detecting and monitoring performance of the energy-saving SiCxOy coated glass.

An improved procedure for calibrating the azimuth angle in a metrology module for use in a metrology system that is used for measuring a target on a wafer, and the metrology modules can include oblique Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) and unpolarized or polarized spectroscopic reflectometer devices.

A spectroscopic ellipsometry system directs a near infra-red (NIR) probe beam at a test sample to allow metrology to be performed on vertical structures within the test sample. Because silicon is relatively transparent to NIR light, structural information can be determined from the polarization effects produced by the test sample, in a manner similar to that used with IR spectroscopic ellipsometry systems. However, unlike IR light, which requires delicate and costly optical and measurement components (e.g., vibration-sensitive Fourier transform sensors), NIR light can be directed and detected using more robust and inexpensive components (e.g., array-based detectors), thereby making a NIR spectroscopic ellipsometry system much more affordable and usable than conventional IR spectroscopic ellipsometry systems.

A method and system for spectroscopic ellipsometry employing reflective optics to measure a small region of a sample by reflecting radiation (preferably broadband UV, visible, and near infrared radiation) from the region. The system preferably has an autofocus assembly and a processor programmed to determine from the measurements the thickness and/or complex refractive index of a thin film on the sample. Preferably, only reflective optics are employed along the optical path between the polarizer and analyzer, a sample beam reflects with low incidence angle from each component of the reflective optics, the beam is reflectively focused to a small, compact spot on the sample at a range of high incidence angles, and an incidence angle selection element is provided for selecting for measurement only radiation reflected from the sample at a single, selected angle (or narrow range of angles). The focusing mirror preferably has an elliptical shape to reduce off-axis aberrations in the focused beam. Some embodiments include both a spectrophotometer and an ellipsometer integrated together as a single instrument. In such instrument, the spectrophotometer and ellipsometer share a radiation source, and radiation from the source can be focused by either the spectrophotometer or the ellipsometer to the same focal point on a sample. Preferred embodiments of the ellipsometer employ a rotating, minimal-length Rochon prism as a polarizer, and include a spectrometer with an intensified photodiode array to measure reflected radiation from the sample, and a reference channel (in addition to a sample channel which detects radiation reflected from the sample).