Surface profiling apparatus
First Claim
1. Surface profiling apparatus for obtaining surface profile data for a sample surface, the apparatus comprising:
- 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 to move at least one of the sample surface along the sample path or 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 to sense light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface, the sensor includes a plurality of pixels, each pixel arranged in the sensor to provide a light intensity data value representing the light intensity associated with a corresponding one of the regions of the sample surface, the sensor adapted to sense sets of light intensity data, each set of light intensity data being one frame of light intensity data sensed at one interval along the measurement path and comprising a plurality of the light intensity data values, such that each light intensity data value in the set of light intensity data represents the light intensity sensed by at least one corresponding pixel of the sensor;
a data processor 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 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 to enhance image data representing one set of light intensity data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes, the image enhancer comprising at least one of;
a gradient determiner to determine from a set of light intensity data light intensity gradient data and a modifier to modify the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined gradient data;
ora contrast determiner to determine contrast difference data by comparing the set of light intensity data with a reference set of light intensity data and a modifier to modify the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined contrast difference data.
1 Assignment
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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
21 Claims
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1. 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 to move at least one of the sample surface along the sample path or 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 to sense light intensity resulting from interference between light reflected from the reference surface and regions of the sample surface, the sensor includes a plurality of pixels, each pixel arranged in the sensor to provide a light intensity data value representing the light intensity associated with a corresponding one of the regions of the sample surface, the sensor adapted to sense sets of light intensity data, each set of light intensity data being one frame of light intensity data sensed at one interval along the measurement path and comprising a plurality of the light intensity data values, such that each light intensity data value in the set of light intensity data represents the light intensity sensed by at least one corresponding pixel of the sensor; a data processor 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 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 to enhance image data representing one set of light intensity data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes, the image enhancer comprising at least one of; a gradient determiner to determine from a set of light intensity data light intensity gradient data and a modifier to modify the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined gradient data;
ora contrast determiner to determine contrast difference data by comparing the set of light intensity data with a reference set of light intensity data and a modifier to modify the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined contrast difference data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A data processing method comprising:
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directing light 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, by sensing with a plurality of pixels, each pixel arranged to provide a light intensity data value representing the light intensity associated with a corresponding one of the regions of the sample surface, so as to sense sets of light intensity data, each set of light intensity data being one frame of light intensity data sensed at one interval along the measurement path and comprising a plurality of the light intensity data values, such that each light intensity data value in the set of light intensity data represents the light intensity sensed by at least one corresponding pixel; 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 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, enhancing image data comprising at least one of; determining a gradient from a set of light intensity data light intensity gradient data and modifying the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined gradient data;
ordetermining contrast difference data by comparing the set of light intensity data with a reference set of light intensity data and modifying the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined contrast difference data. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. 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 or 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, the sensing means including a plurality of pixels, each pixel arranged in the sensing means to provide a light intensity data value representing the light intensity associated with a corresponding one of the regions of the sample surface, the sensing means being adapted to sense sets of light intensity data, each set of light intensity data being one frame of light intensity data sensed at one interval along the measurement path and comprising a plurality of the light intensity data values, such that each light intensity data value in the set of light intensity data represents the light intensity sensed by at least one corresponding pixel of the sensing means; 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 one set of light intensity data to be displayed on a display to facilitate the detection by a user of the interference fringes, the image enhancing means comprising at least one of; gradient determining means for determining, from a set of light intensity data light intensity, gradient data and modifying means for modifying the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined gradient data;
orcontrast determining means for determining contrast difference data by comparing the set of light intensity data with a reference set of light intensity data and modifying means for modifying the image data to be displayed in accordance with the determined contrast difference data.
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21. 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 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 to effect relative movement along a measurement path between the sample surface and the reference surface; a sensor 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 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 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 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 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 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 to process the calibration surface topography data obtained in the calibration measurement operations; and a mean surface calculator 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