Periodic patterns and technique to control misalignment
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system to measure misalignment error between two overlying or interlaced periodic structures are proposed. The overlying, or interlaced periodic structures are illuminated by incident radiation, and the diffracted radiation of the incident radiation by the overlying or interlaced periodic structures are detected to provide an output signal. The misalignment between the overlying or interlaced periodic structures may then be determined from the output signal.
113 Citations
118 Claims
-
1-20. -20. (canceled)
-
21. A method for detecting misalignment of overlying or interlaced periodic structures, comprising:
-
illuminating the overlying or interlaced periodic structures with incident radiation;
detecting diffracted radiation from the illuminated portions of the overlying or interlaced periodic structures to provide an output signal; and
determining a misalignment between the structures from the output signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. An apparatus for detecting misalignment of overlying or interlaced periodic structures, comprising:
-
a source providing polarized incident radiation beam to illuminate the overlying or interlaced periodic structures;
at least one analyzer collecting diffracted radiation from the structures;
at least one detector detecting diffracted radiation collected by the analyzer to provide output signals; and
a signal processor determining any misalignment between the structures from the output signals. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
42-43. -43. (canceled)
-
44. An apparatus for making overlying or interlaced periodic structures and detecting misalignment between the overlying or interlaced periodic structures, comprising:
-
a deposition instrument to provide the overlying or interlaced periodic structures;
a source providing polarized incident radiation beam to illuminate the overlying or interlaced periodic structures;
at least one analyzer collecting diffracted radiation from the structures;
at least one detector detecting diffracted radiation collected by the analyzer to provide output signals; and
a signal processor determining any misalignment between the structures from the output signals and providing the misalignment to the deposition instrument. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
-
-
53-54. -54. (canceled)
-
55. A method for controlling layers alignment in a multi-layer sample, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(i) providing a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
(ii) illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
(iii) analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
-
-
74. An apparatus for controlling alignment of layers in a multi-layer sample, comprising:
-
a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers of the sample, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
optics illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
a processor analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
-
-
84. A method for controlling layers alignment in a multi-layer sample, the method comprising:
-
(i) providing a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
(ii) illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
(iii) analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.
-
-
85. A method for measuring layers alignment in a multi-layer sample, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(i) providing a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
(ii) illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
(iii) analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.
-
-
86. An apparatus for measuring alignment of layers in a multi-layer sample, comprising:
-
a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers of the sample, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
optics illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
a processor analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.
-
-
87. A method for measuring layers alignment in a multi-layer sample, the method comprising:
-
(i) providing a measurement site including two regions located one above the other in two different layers, respectively, said regions containing patterned structures of certain known periodicity;
(ii) illuminating said site with electromagnetic radiation and detecting a parameter of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures indicative of a lateral shift between the patterned structures; and
(iii) analyzing said parameter to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.
-
-
88. A line-on-line structure, comprising:
-
a first layer having a plurality of lines of a first medium and a plurality of lines of a second medium, each line of the first medium being placed adjacent to lines of the second medium; and
a second layer having a plurality of lines of a third medium and a plurality of lines of the second medium, each line of the third medium being aligned with a center of a line of the first medium in the first layer, each of said first and third media having an optical property different from that of the second medium. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97)
-
-
98. A line-in-line structure, comprising:
-
a first layer having a plurality of lines of a first medium and a plurality of lines of a second medium, each line of the first medium being placed adjacent to lines of the second medium; and
a second layer having a plurality of lines of a third medium and a plurality of lines of the second medium, each line of the second medium in the second layer being aligned with a center of a line of the second medium in the first layer, each of said first and third media having an optical property different from that of the second medium. - View Dependent Claims (99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107)
-
-
108. A method for multi-orientation of orthogonal pairs, comprising:
-
placing a grating; and
shining light on the grating wherein the light is not perpendicular to the orientation of the grating.
-
-
109. A line-in-line structure, comprising:
-
a first layer having a plurality of lines of a first medium and a plurality of lines of a second medium, each line of the first medium being placed adjacent to lines of the second medium; and
a second layer having a plurality of lines of a third medium and a plurality of lines of a fourth medium, each line of the fourth medium in the second layer being aligned with a center of a line of the second medium in the first layer, each of said first and third media having an optical property different from that of the second and/or fourth media. - View Dependent Claims (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118)
-
Specification