Apparatus and method for the measurement of diffracting structures

• US 7,115,858 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2000
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Onto Innovation Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nanometrics Incorporated (Onto Innovation Inc.)
• Inventors: McGahan, William A., Holden, James M., Yarussi, Richard A., Rovira, Pablo I., Lowe-Webb, Roger R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAO, CHIH CHENG G
• Application Number:
  US09/670,000
• Time in Patent Office: 2,199 Days
• Field of Search: 356/302, 356/303, 356/305, 356/364, 356/366, 356/367, 356/368, 356/369, 356/237.2, 356/237.3, 356/237.4, 356/237.5, 250/225, 250/559.4
• US Class Current: 250/225
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4788 Diffraction for sizing particles G01N15/0205
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10

Abstract

A normal incidence reflectometer includes a rotatable analyzer/polarizer, which permits measurement of a diffracting structure. Relative rotation of the analyzer/polarizer with respect to the diffracting structure permits analysis of the diffracted radiation at multiple polarity orientations. A spectograph detects the intensity of the spectral components at different polarity orientations. Because the normal incidence reflectometer uses normally incident radiation and an analyzer/polarizer that rotates relative to the diffracting structure, or vice-versa, the orientation of the diffracting structure does not affect the accuracy of the measurement. Thus, the sample holding stage may use X, Y, and Z, as well as r-θ type movement and there is no requirement that the polarization orientation of the incident light be aligned with the grating of the diffraction structure. A non-linear multivariate regression process is used to adjust the parameters of an optical model, such as rigorous coupled-wave analysis, to provide a match with the measured data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring one or more parameters of a diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer on a sample, said apparatus comprising:

a radiation source that emits broadband radiation;

a polarizing element, said radiation passing through said polarizing element toward said sample, said radiation being normally incident on and diffracted by said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer on said sample, a zeroth order diffracted radiation passing through said polarizing element, at least one of said polarizing element and said sample are rotatable to produce a relative rotation between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure;

a spectrograph that detects the intensity of spectral components of said zeroth order diffracted radiation after passing through said polarizing element at a plurality of polarization orientations between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure;

wherein said spectrograph produces a spectrograph signal for said spectral components at a plurality of polarization orientations, said apparatus further comprising a computer system for analyzing said spectrograph signal to determine said one or more parameters of said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer on said sample, said computer system comprising;

at least one computer connected to said spectrograph to receive said spectrograph signal; and

a computer program executed by said at least one computer, wherein said computer program includes instructions for;

extracting spectral information from said spectrograph signal;

obtaining an optical model simulating said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer using at least one variable parameter;

obtaining spectral information for said optical model; and

curve fitting said spectral information for said optical model to the extracted spectral information to determine said one or more parameters of said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer on said sample.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer instructions for curve fitting comprise computer instructions for using a non-linear regression routine.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer instructions for curve fitting comprise computer instructions for:

comparing said extracted spectral information and said spectral information for said optical model;

adjusting said at least one variable parameter of said optical model to form a new optical model;

obtaining spectral information for said new optical model;

comparing said extracted spectral information and said spectral information for said new optical model; and

repeatably adjusting said at least one variable parameter to form a different optical model, obtaining spectral information for said different optical model, and comparing said extracted spectral information and said spectral information for said different optical model until an acceptable fit is achieved.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer instructions for obtaining an optical model and obtaining spectral information for said optical model comprise computer instructions for using rigorous coupled-wave analysis.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer instructions for extracting spectral information from said spectrograph signal comprise computer instructions for:

calculating the sample reflectance for a plurality of wavelengths of said radiation at a plurality of polarization orientations of said polarizing element relative to said diffracting structure; and

curve fitting said sample reflectance for said plurality of wavelengths at said plurality of orientations.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said computer instructions for curve fitting comprise computer instructions for using a non-linear regression routine.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein curve fitting said sample reflectance for said plurality of wavelengths at said plurality of orientations is performed with:

R(Θ

)=A·

cos⁴(φ

−

Θ

)+B·

sin⁴(φ

−

Θ

)+C·

cos²(φ

−

Θ

)·

sin²(φ

−

Θ

)

where R(Θ

)) is the measured reflectance at one wavelength, Θ

is the polarization orientation of said polarizing element with respect to said diffracting structure, and φ

, A, B, and C, are measurable to obtain said spectral information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spectrograph comprises:

a dispersing element that disperses the polarized beam into spectral components; and

an array of detector pixels that detects the intensity of said spectral components.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said polarizing element is a rotatable polarizing element that rotates relative to said diffracting structure.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sample stage, said sample being held on said sample stage, wherein said sample stage rotates said diffracting structure relative to said polarizing element.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sample stage is an r-θ

stage.

12. A method of measuring at least one parameter of a diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer, said method comprising:

(a) passing broadband radiation through a polarizing element to produce polarized radiation;

(b) directing said polarized radiation to be normally incident with said diffracting structure, said polarized radiation being diffracted by said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer;

(c) analyzing a zeroth order diffracted radiation with said polarizing element to produce an output beam with a polarity orientation;

(d) detecting the intensity of spectral components of said output beam;

(e) producing a relative rotation between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure to alter the orientation of said polarized element relative to said diffracting structure and repeating steps a through d;

(f) repeating step e for a plurality of orientations of said polarizing element and said diffracting structure; and

(g) using the detected intensities of said spectral components of said output beam for a plurality of orientations to determine said at least one parameter of said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating a reference database of different diffracting structures having at least one variable parameter related to a plurality of wavelengths and a plurality of orientations;

comparing said detected intensities of said spectral components to said database to determine said at least one parameter of said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein producing a relative rotation between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure comprises rotating said polarizing element.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein producing a relative rotation between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure comprises rotating said diffracting structure.

16. An apparatus for measuring one or more parameters of a diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer on a sample, said apparatus comprising:

a radiation source that emits broadband radiation, said radiation is normally incident on said diffracting structure;

a polarizing element in the beam path of said broadband radiation, wherein said radiation passes through said polarizing element toward said sample, said radiation is diffracted by said diffracting structure on said sample, a zeroth order diffracted radiation passing through said polarizing element, said polarizing element being rotatable to produce a relative rotation between said polarizing element and said diffracting structure;

a rotating sample stage for holding said sample with said diffracting structure;

a spectrograph that detects the intensity of spectral components of the zeroth order radiation diffracted by said diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer; and

a processor for comparing the detected intensity of spectral components of the zeroth order radiation to calculated intensity of spectral components for an optical model of the diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer to determine the one or more parameters of the diffracting structure and at least one underlying layer.