Optics: measuring and testing – Dimension – Width or diameter
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-04
2003-08-19
Pham, Hoa Q. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Dimension
Width or diameter
C356S601000, C356S445000, C702S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06608690
ABSTRACT:
RELATED DOCUMENTS
The present application is based on Disclosure Document serial number 474051, filed May 15, 2000, entitled Optical Profilometry for Periodic Gratings with Three or More Materials per Layer by the same inventors. Therefore, it is requested that the above-specified Disclosure Document be retained in the file of the present patent application.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the measurement of periodic surface profiles using optical techniques such as spectroscopic ellipsometry. In particular, the present invention relates to optical profilometry of profile deviations of semiconductor fabrication processes, more particularly, additional-material deviations in a periodic grating.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is continual pressure on the semiconductor microchip industry to reduce the dimensions of semiconductor devices. Reduction in the size of semiconductor chips has been achieved by continually reducing the dimensions of transistors and other devices implemented on microchip arrays. As the scale of semiconductor devices decreases, control of the complete profile of the features is crucial for effective chip operation. However, limitations in current fabrication technologies make formation of precise structures difficult. For example, completely vertical sidewalls and completely horizontal top and bottom surfaces in device formation are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Sloping sidewalls and top and bottom surfaces are common. Additionally, other artifacts such as “T-topping” (the formation of a “T” shaped profile) and “footing” (the formation of an inverse “T” shaped profile) are common in microchip manufacturing. Metrology of such details about the profile is important in achieving a better understanding of the fabrication technologies. In addition to measuring such features, controlling them is also important in this highly competitive marketplace. There are thus increasing efforts to develop and refine run-to-run and real-time fabrication control schemes that include profile measurements to reduce process variability.
Optical metrology methods require a periodic structure for analysis. Some semiconductor devices, such as memory arrays, are periodic. However, generally a periodic test structure will be fabricated at a convenient location on the chip for optical metrology. Optical metrology of test periodic structures has the potential to provide accurate, high-throughput, non-destructive means of profile metrology using suitably modified existing optical metrology tools and off-line processing tools. Two such optical analysis methods include reflectance metrology and spectroscopic ellipsometry.
In reflectance metrology, an unpolarized or polarized beam of broadband light is directed towards a sample, and the reflected light is collected. The reflectance can either be measured as an absolute value, or relative value when normalized to some reflectance standard. The reflectance signal is then analyzed to determine the thicknesses and/or optical constants of the film or films. There are numerous examples of reflectance metrology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,225 given to Thakur et.al. teaches the use of reflectance metrology to monitor the thickness and refractive indices of a film.
The use of ellipsometry for the measurement of the thickness of films is well-known (see, for instance, R. M. A. Azzam and N. M. Bashara, “Ellipsometry and Polarized Light”, North Holland, 1987). When ordinary, i.e., non-polarized, white light is sent through a polarizer, it emerges as linearly polarized light with its electric field vector aligned with an axis of the polarizer. Linearly polarized light can be defined by two vectors, i.e., the vectors parallel and perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Ellipsometry is based on the change in polarization that occurs when a beam of polarized light is reflected from a medium. The change in polarization consists of two parts: a phase change and an amplitude change. The change in polarization is different for the portion of the incident radiation with the electric vector oscillating in the plane of incidence, and the portion of the incident radiation with the electric vector oscillating perpendicular to the plane of incidence. Ellipsometry measures the results of these two changes which are conveniently represented by an angle &Dgr;, which is the change in phase of the reflected beam &rgr; from the incident beam; and an angle &PSgr;, which is defined as the arctangent of the amplitude ratio of the incident and reflected beam, i.e.,
ρ
=
r
p
r
s
=
tan
(
Ψ
)
ⅇ
j
(
Δ
)
,
where r
p
is the p-component of the reflectance, and r
s
is the s-component of the reflectance. The angle of incidence and reflection are equal, but opposite in sign, to each other and may be chosen for convenience. Since the reflected beam is fixed in position relative to the incident beam, ellipsometry is an attractive technique for in-situ control of processes which take place in a chamber.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,909 by Blayo et. al. teaches a method for using spectroscopic ellipsometry to measure linewidths by directing an incident beam of polarized light at a periodic structure. A diffracted beam is detected and its intensity and polarization are determined at one or more wavelengths. This is then compared with either pre-computed libraries of signals or to experimental data to extract linewidth information. While this is a non-destructive test, it does not provide profile information, but yields only a single number to characterize the quality of the fabrication process of the periodic structure. Another method for characterizing features of a patterned material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,800 by D. H. Ziger. According to this method, the intensity, but not the phase, of zeroth-order diffraction is monitored for a number of wavelengths, and correlated with features of the patterned material.
In order for these optical methods to be useful for extraction of detailed semiconductor profile information, there must be a way to theoretically generate the diffraction spectrum for a periodic grating. The general problem of electromagnetic diffraction from gratings has been addressed in various ways. One such method, referred to as “rigorous coupled-wave analysis” (“RCWA”) has been proposed by Moharam and Gaylord. (See M. G. Moharam and T. K. Gaylord, “Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis of Planar-Grating Diffraction”, J. Opt. Soc. Am., vol. 71, 811-818, July 1981; M. G. Moharam, E. B. Grann, D. A. Pommet and T. K. Gaylord, “Formulation for Stable and Efficient Implementation of the Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis of Binary Gratings”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, vol. 12, 1068-1076, May 1995; and M. G. Moharam, D. A. Pommet, E. B. Grann and T. K. Gaylord, “Stable Implementation of the Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis for Surface-Relief Dielectric Gratings: Enhanced Transmittance Matrix Approach”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, vol. 12, 1077-1086, May 1995.) RCWA is a non-iterative, deterministic technique that uses a state-variable method for determining a numerical solution. Several similar methods have also been proposed in the last decade. (See P. Lalanne and G. M. Morris, “Highly Improved Convergence of the Coupled-Wave Method for TM Polarization”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 779-784, 1996; L. Li and C. Haggans, “Convergence of the coupled-wave method for metallic lanelar diffraction gratings”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 1184-1189, June, 1993; G. Granet and B. Guizal, “Efficient Implementation of the Coupled-Wave Method for Metallic Lamelar Gratings in TM Polarization”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 1019-1023, May, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,790 by McNeil, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,276 by McNeil, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,329 by Conrad, et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,909 by Blayo et al.)
Generally, an RCWA computation consists of four steps:
The grating is divided into a number of thin, planar layers, and the section of the ridge within each layer is approximated by a rectangular slab.
Within the grating, Fourier expansions of t
Jakatdar Nickhil
Niu Xinhui
Pham Hoa Q.
Timbre Technologies, Inc.
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