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In recent years, scatterometry has become one of the most commonly used methods for CD metrology. With decreasing structure size for future technology nodes, the search for optimized scatterometry measurement configurations gets more important to exploit maximum sensitivity. As widespread industrial scatterometry tools mainly still use a pre-set measurement configuration, there are still free parameters to improve sensitivity. Our current work uses a simulation based approach to predict and optimize sensitivity of future technology nodes. Since line edge roughness is getting important for such small structures, these imperfections of the periodic continuation cannot be neglected. Using fourier methods like e.g. rigorous coupled wave approach (RCWA) for diffraction calculus, nonperiodic features are hard to reach. We show that in this field certain types of fieldstitching methods show nice numerical behaviour and lead to useful results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to characterize line edge and line width roughness in patterns with sub-50 nm critical dimensions challenges existing platforms based on electron microscopy and optical scatterometry. The development of x-ray based metrology platforms provides a potential route to characterize a variety of parameters related to line edge roughness by analyzing the diffracted intensity from a periodic array of test patterns. In this study, data from a series of photoresist line/space patterns featuring programmed line width roughness are measured by critical dimension small angle x-ray scattering (CD-SAXS). For samples with designed periodic roughness, CD-SAXS provides the wavelength and amplitude of the periodic roughness through satellite diffraction peaks. For real world applications, the rate of decay of intensity, termed an effective “Debye-Waller” factor in CD-SAXS, provides an overall measure of the defects of the patterns. CD-SAXS data are compared to values obtained from critical dimension scanning electron microscopy (CD-SEM). Correlations between the techniques exist, however significant differences are observed for the current samples. A tapered cross sectional profile provides a likely explanation for the observed differences between CD-SEM and CD-SAXS measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ISMI metrology in collaboration with the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has begun investigating applications of high-energy scanning electron microscope metrology to a semiconductor environment. The initial findings show potential for overlay metrology, non-visible defect detection and an expanded definition of line edge roughness measurements. While this is a preliminary experiment to estimate the efficacy of high-energy scanning electron microscopes for overlay metrology, the initial conclusion is that, at a minimum, a high-energy scanning electron microscope has good potential as a reference measurement system for overlay, defect, and line edge roughness diagnostics. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]