Semiconductor etching process control
First Claim
1. A method for inspection or measurement of thin films, in which the film is illuminated with a light beam, the wavelength of which is selected to be one at which the layer of interest is not absorbing, said wavelength is scanned through a range of wavelengths, and the intensity variation of the reflected beam is measured;
- and in which the light beam is derived from a light source of very narrow line width, the accuracy of the wavelength is maintained within tightly defined limits, and the wavelength is tuned across the desired range to derive a data set of reflection level and wavelength.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The thickness of a silicon wafer (3) within a processing vacuum enclosure (1) is measured or monitored by an optical apparatus (50) via a window (4). The optical apparatus (5) comprises a laser which is tuneable across a range of wavelengths while maintaining a narrow bandwidth. The optical apparatus (5) also includes a detector receiving reflected light. The wavelength variation produces interference effects which are used, by examination of the detector output, to give a measure of thickness or other parameters.
20 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A method for inspection or measurement of thin films, in which the film is illuminated with a light beam, the wavelength of which is selected to be one at which the layer of interest is not absorbing, said wavelength is scanned through a range of wavelengths, and the intensity variation of the reflected beam is measured;
- and in which the light beam is derived from a light source of very narrow line width, the accuracy of the wavelength is maintained within tightly defined limits, and the wavelength is tuned across the desired range to derive a data set of reflection level and wavelength.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- 17. Apparatus for inspection or measurement of thin films, comprising a tuneable narrow band light source with a width of wavelength, which light source can be tuned across a range of wavelengths while maintaining a narrow line width, and an optical assembly for focussing the laser spot on the film structure to be inspected and for transmitting reflected light to an optical sensor.
Specification