Phase-structured illumination as a tool to detect nanometer asymmetries

Sandy Peterhänsel; Maria Laura Gödecke; Karsten Frenner; Wolfgang Osten

doi:10.1117/1.JMM.15.4.044005

7 December 2016 Phase-structured illumination as a tool to detect nanometer asymmetries

Sandy Peterhänsel, Maria Laura Gödecke, Karsten Frenner, Wolfgang Osten

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 15, Issue 4, 044005 (December 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.4.044005

Abstract

Phase-structured illumination is investigated as a possible extension of scatterometric measurement methods for silicon line gratings. This is done by means of rigorous simulations. Special emphasis is put on the capability of this approach to detect nanoscale fabrication asymmetries such as sidewall angles, bottom rounding, and floor tilt. The studied setup features a focused spot (numerical aperture=0.7), i.e., scanned over the sample, while analyzing the phase distribution in the image plane. This phase distribution can be accessed via holographic imaging. The results are compared to conventional nonstructured illumination. It is shown that by employing phase structuring, the resulting phase changes are larger, even if only symmetric deviations are considered. For asymmetric deviations, phase-structured illumination provides much higher sensitivity and better capability to detect the sign of the asymmetry.

Citation Download Citation

Sandy Peterhänsel, Maria Laura Gödecke, Karsten Frenner, and Wolfgang Osten "Phase-structured illumination as a tool to detect nanometer asymmetries," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 15(4), 044005 (7 December 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.4.044005

Published: 7 December 2016

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available