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Optimizing selected variables of an optical metrology system

  • US 7,525,673 B2
  • Filed: 07/10/2006
  • Issued: 04/28/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system for examining a patterned structure formed on a semiconductor wafer using an optical metrology model, the system comprising:

  • a first fabrication cluster configured to process a wafer, the wafer having a first patterned and a first unpatterned structure, the first patterned structure having underlying film thickness, critical dimension, and profile;

    a metrology cluster including one or more optical metrology devices coupled to the first fabrication cluster, the metrology cluster configured to measure diffraction signals off the first patterned and the first unpatterned structure;

    an optical metrology model optimizer coupled to the metrology cluster, the metrology model optimizer configured to optimize an optical metrology model of the first patterned structure using one or more measured diffraction signals off the first patterned structure and with floating profile parameters, material refraction parameters, and metrology device parameters; and

    a real time profile estimator coupled to the optical model optimizer and the metrology cluster, configured to use the optimized optical metrology model from the optical metrology model optimizer, the measured diffraction signals off the first patterned structure, and a fixed value within a range of values for at least one parameter from amongst the material refraction parameters and the metrology device parameters, and wherein the real time profile estimator is configured to create an output comprising underlying film thickness, critical dimension, and profile of the first patterned structure.

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