OPTICAL CHARACTERISTIC MEASURING APPARATUS AND MEASURING METHOD USING LIGHT REFLECTED FROM OBJECT TO BE MEASURED

• US 20080285026A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Mizuguchi, Tsutomu, Kawaguchi, Shiro, OKAWAUCHI, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,528,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/005 Testing of reflective surfaces, e.g. mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8422 Investigating thin films, e.g. matrix isolation method

Abstract

A measurement-purpose light source generates a measurement light used for measuring an optical characteristic of an object to be measured, and the measurement light includes a component in a wavelength range for measurement of the optical characteristic of the object. An observation-purpose light source generates an observation light used for focusing on the object to be measured and checking a position of measurement. The observation light is selected such that the observation light includes a component that can be reflected from the object to be measured. The measurement light and the observation light are thus applied independently to the object to be measured, through a common objective lens, and accordingly improvement of the precision in measurement of the optical characteristic and facilitation of focusing on the object to be measured are achieved simultaneously.

Claims

1. An optical characteristic measuring apparatus comprising:

a measurement-purpose light source generating a measurement light including a component in a wavelength range for measurement of an object to be measured;

an observation-purpose light source generating an observation light including a component that can be reflected from said object;

a condensing optical system to which said measurement light and said observation light are applied and which condenses the applied light;

a light injecting portion, at a predetermined position on an optical path from said measurement-purpose light source to said condensing optical system, injecting said observation light;

a light separating portion separating a reflected light generated at said object into a measurement reflected light and an observation reflected light;

an output portion outputting at least one of a reflected image obtained from said observation reflected light and a signal according to the reflected image; and

an adjusting mechanism capable of changing a positional relation between said condensing optical system and said object.

2. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said measurement light at said light injecting portion has a beam diameter smaller than a beam diameter of said observation light at said light injecting portion.

3. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a spectroscopic measuring portion measuring a spectrum of said measurement reflected light, wherein

said light separating portion includes a light reflecting portion disposed on a path where the reflected light generated at said object propagates,

said light reflecting portion includes an opening having a diameter smaller than a beam diameter of said measurement reflected light, said opening being located at a position corresponding to a light axis of the reflected light generated at said object, and

said spectroscopic measuring portion is positioned to receive the reflected light having passed through said opening.

4. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said condensing optical system includes a convex reflecting mirror and a concave reflecting mirror,

said convex reflecting mirror directs to said concave reflecting mirror a light entering a region located at least a predetermined radius from a light axis of said measurement light in a cross section orthogonal to the light axis of said measurement light, and

said concave reflecting mirror concentrates the light from said convex reflecting mirror on said object.

5. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mask portion masking a part of said observation light such that a predetermined observation reference image is projected on said object to be measured.

6. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said output portion includes a display showing said reflected image.

7. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said observation-purpose light source stops generating said observation light in a period in which measurement is performed using said measurement reflected light.

8. A method of measuring an optical characteristic of an object to be measured, using an optical characteristic measuring apparatus,

said optical characteristic measuring apparatus including:

a measurement-purpose light source generating a measurement light including a component in a wavelength range for measurement of said object;

an observation-purpose light source generating an observation light including a component that can be reflected from said object;

a condensing optical system to which said measurement light and said observation light are applied and which condenses the applied light;

a light injecting portion, at a predetermined position on an optical path from said measurement-purpose light source to said condensing optical system, injecting said observation light;

a light separating portion separating a reflected light generated at said object into a measurement reflected light and an observation reflected light; and

an adjusting mechanism capable of changing a positional relation between said condensing optical system and said object, and

said method comprising the steps of;

generating said observation light by said observation-purpose light source;

obtaining a reflected image from said observation reflected light separated by said light separating portion;

driving said adjusting mechanism based on a state of focusing shown by said reflected image;

generating said measurement light by said measurement-purpose light source; and

measuring a spectrum of said measurement reflected light separated by said light separating portion.

9. The method of measuring an optical characteristic according to claim 8, further comprising the step of stopping generation of said observation light by said observation-purpose light source, when generation of said measurement light is started.