Surface profiling apparatus
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Accused Products
Abstract
Light is directed along a sample path towards the sample surface and along a reference path towards a reference surface such that light reflected by the sample surface and light reflected by the reference surface interfere. Relative movement is effected between the sample surface and the reference surface along a measurement path and the light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface is sensed at intervals along the measurement path to provide a number of sets of light intensity data values with each light intensity data value representing the sensed light intensity associated with a corresponding one of said regions. The sets of light intensity data are processed to determine a position along the measurement path at which a predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for each sensed region and to enhance image data representing the intensity data to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes.
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Citations
127 Claims
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1-103. -103. (canceled)
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104. Surface profiling apparatus for obtaining surface profile data for a sample surface, the apparatus comprising:
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a light director operable to direct light from a light source along a sample path towards the sample surface and along a reference path towards a reference surface such that light reflected by the sample surface and light reflected by the reference surface interfere;
a mover operable to move at least one of the sample surface along the sample path and the reference surface along the reference path to effect relative movement between the sample surface and the reference surface along a measurement path;
a sensor operable to sense light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface to provide a set of light intensity data comprising light intensity data values with each light intensity data value representing the sensed light intensity associated with a corresponding one of said regions, the sensor being operable to sense light intensity at intervals along the measurement path to provide a number of sets of such light intensity data;
a data processor operable to process the sets of light intensity data to determine from the light intensity data values associated with each sensed region a position along the measurement path at which a predetermined feature occurs in light intensity data for that sensed region; and
a surface profiler operable to determine from the positions at which the predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for the different sensed regions the relative surface heights of the different sensed regions to provide a surface profile, the apparatus further comprising an image enhancer operable to enhance image data representing a set of light intensity data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes. - View Dependent Claims (105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121)
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122. A data processing method comprising:
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directing along a sample path towards the sample surface and along a reference path towards a reference surface such that light reflected by the sample surface and light reflected by the reference surface interfere;
moving at least one of the sample surface along the sample path and the reference surface along the reference path to effect relative movement between the sample surface and the reference surface along a measurement path;
sensing light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface to provide a set of light intensity data comprising light intensity associated with a corresponding one of said regions so as to sense light intensity at intervals along the measurement path to provide a number of sets of such light intensity data;
processing the sets of light intensity data to determine from the light intensity data values associated with each sensed region a position along the measurement path at which a predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for that sensed region;
enhancing image data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes in image data in response to user input. - View Dependent Claims (123, 124, 125)
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126. Surface profiling apparatus for obtaining surface profile data for a sample surface, the apparatus comprising:
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light directing means for directing light from a light source providing means along a sample path towards the sample surface and along a reference path towards a reference surface such that light reflected by the sample surface and light reflected by the reference surface interfere;
moving means for moving at least one of the sample surface along the sample path and the reference surface along the reference path to effect relative movement between the sample surface and the reference surface along a measurement path;
sensing means for sensing light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface to provide a set of light intensity data comprising light intensity data values with each light intensity data value representing the sensed light intensity associated with a corresponding one of said regions, the sensing means being arranged to sense light intensity at intervals along the measurement path to provide a number of sets of such light intensity data;
data processing means for processing the sets of light intensity data to determine from the light intensity data values associated with each sensed region a position along the measurement path at which a predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for that sensed region; and
surface profile determining means for determining from the positions at which the predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for the different sensed regions the relative surface heights of the different sensed regions to provide a surface profile, the apparatus further comprising image enhancing means for enhancing image data representing a set of light intensity data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes.
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127. Surface profiling apparatus for obtaining surface topography data for a surface of a sample, the apparatus comprising:
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a sample support;
a light director operable to direct light along a sample path towards the sample surface and along a reference path towards a reference surface such that light reflected by corresponding regions of the sample surface and the reference surface interfere;
a mover operable to effect relative movement along a measurement path between the sample surface and the reference surface;
a sensor operable to sense, for each of a number of regions of the sample surface, light representing the interference fringes produced by that sample surface region during said relative movement;
a controller operable to carry out a measurement operation by causing said mover to effect said relative movement while said sensor senses light intensity at intervals to provide, for each of the number of regions, a set of intensity values representing interference fringes produced by that region during said relative movement;
a data processor operable to process the sets of light intensity data to determine from the light intensity data values associated with each sensed region a position along the measurement path at which a predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for that sensed region; and
a surface topography determiner operable to determine from the positions at which the predetermined feature occurs in the light intensity data for the different sensed regions the relative surface heights of the different sensed regions to provide surface topography data, the apparatus further comprising;
a reference calibrator operable to calibrate the apparatus to compensate for surface features of the reference surface, the reference calibrator comprising;
a user operable calibration initiator operable to initiate a calibration;
a calibration controller operable to cause, in response to operation of the calibration measurement initiator, operation of the controller, data processor and surface topography determiner to carry out a number of calibration measurement operations to obtain in each calibration measurement operation calibration surface topography data for the calibration sample;
a surface topography data processor operable to process the calibration surface topography data obtained in the calibration measurement operations;
a mean surface calculator operable to calculate mean surface topography data using the processed calibration surface topography data to obtain reference surface features data to enable the reference surface features to be taken into account for surface topography data obtained in a subsequent measurement operation.
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Specification