Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
  • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
  • G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
  • G01B11/06—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material
  • G01B11/0616—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material of coating
  • G01B11/0641—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material of coating with measurement of polarization

Definitions

• the present invention relates to optical analyzers, and more particularly to an optical measurement system having a stable single wavelength ellipsometer and a broadband spectroscopic measurement module to accurately characterize multi-layer thin film stacks.
• the preferred measurement systems rely on non-contact, optical measurement techniques, which can be performed during the semiconductor manufacturing process without damaging the wafer sample. Such optical measurement techniques include directing a probe beam to the sample, and measuring one or more optical parameters of the reflected probe beam.
• optical measurement techniques include directing a probe beam to the sample, and measuring one or more optical parameters of the reflected probe beam.
• multiple optical measuring devices are often incorporated into a single composite optical measurement system.
• OPTI-PROBE which incorporates several optical measurement devices, including a Beam Profile Reflectometer (BPR), a Beam Profile Ellipsometer (BPE), and a
• BRS Broadband Reflective Spectrometer
• the BPR and BPE devices utilize technology described in U.S. Patents 4,999,014 and 5,181,080 respectively, which are incorporated herein by reference.
• the composite measurement system mentioned above combines the measured results of each of the measurement devices to precisely derive the thickness and composition of the thin film and substrate of the target sample.
• the accuracy of the measured results depends upon precise initial and periodic calibration of the measurement devices in the optical measurement system.
• recently developed measurement devices have increased sensitivity to more accurately measure thinner films and provide additional information about film and substrate composition. These newer systems require very accurate initial calibration.
• heat, contamination, optical damage, alignment, etc. that can occur over time in optical measurement devices, affect the accuracy of the measured results. Therefore, periodic calibration is necessary to maintain the accuracy of the composite optical measurement system.
• a common reference sample is a "native oxide" reference sample, which is a silicon substrate with an oxide layer formed thereon having a known thickness (about 20 angstroms). After fabrication, the reference sample is kept in a non-oxygen environment to minimize any further oxidation and contamination that changes the thickness of the reference sample film away from the known thickness, and thus reduces the effectiveness of the reference sample for accurate calibration.
• the same reference sample can be reused to periodically calibrate the measurement system. However, if and when the amount of oxidation or contamination of the reference sample changes the film thickness significantly from the known thickness, the reference sample must be discarded.
• reference samples with known thicknesses have been effective for system calibration. Oxidation and contamination that routinely occurs over time with reference samples is tolerable because the film thickness change resulting from the oxidation/contamination is relatively insignificant compared to the overall thickness of the film (around 100 angstroms).
• new ultra-sensitive optical measurement systems have been recently developed that can measure film layers with thicknesses less than 10 angstroms. These systems require reference samples having film thicknesses on the order of 20 angstroms for accurate calibration.
• the subject system which includes a wavelength stable calibration ellipsometer can be modified to improve the characterization of individual layers of multi-layer thin film stack.
• the present invention is a thin film optical measurement system with a wavelength stable ellipsometer that can be used for calibration and to enhance the characterization of multi-layer thin film stacks.
• the stable wavelength ellipsometer functions to precisely determine the thickness of a film on a reference sample.
• the measured results from the calibration ellipsometer are used to calibrate other optical measurement devices in the thin film optical measurement system.
• a reference sample having a film with a known composition can be repeatedly used to calibrate ultra-sensitive optical measurement devices, even if oxidation or contamination of the reference sample changes the thickness of the film over time.
• the calibration reference ellipsometer uses a reference sample that has at least a partially known composition to calibrate at least one other non-contact optical measurement device.
• the reference ellipsometer includes a light generator that generates a quasi-monochromatic beam of light having a known wavelength and a known polarization for interacting with the reference sample. The beam is directed at a non-normal angle of incidence relative to the reference sample to interact with the reference sample.
• An analyzer creates interference between S and P polarized components in the light beam after the light beam has interacted with reference sample.
• a detector measures the intensity of the light after the beam has passed through the analyzer.
• a processor determines the polarization state of the light beam entering the analyzer from the intensity measured by the detector.
• the processor determines optical properties of the reference sample based upon the determined polarization state, the known wavelength of light from the light generator and the at least partially known composition of the reference sample.
• the processor operates at least one other non-contact optical measurement device that measures an optical parameter of the reference sample.
• the processor calibrates the other optical measurement device by comparing the measured optical parameter from the other optical measurement device to the determined optical property from the reference ellipsometer.
• the reference ellipsometer has the further benefit in that it can be used to very accurately measure the overall optical thickness of an unknown multi-layer stack on a substrate.
• the term total optical thickness refers to the effective thickness of the stack which corresponds to a single uniform layer with uniform optical parameters (i.e. n and k).
• a stable wavelength ellipsometer is an excellent tool for determining the total optical thickness of a layer or a stack having a thicknesses less than 500 angstroms and is the best tool for stacks having a thickness of 200 angstroms or less.
• the reference ellipsometer which provides only a single wavelength, single angle of incidence output, is not suitable for analyzing the individual layers in a stack.
• the output from the wavelength stable ellipsometer is used by the processor to determine the overall optical thickness of the multi-layer stack. This information is used by the processor to reduce the uncertainty of the analysis based on the spectroscopic measurements. By taking a number of measurements at different wavelengths with one or more different techniques, very accurate information about layer composition and thickness can be determined.
• Fig. 1 is a plan view of a composite optical measurement system with the calibration ellipsometer of the present invention.
• Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the reflective lens used with the present invention.
• Fig. 3 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the light source for the calibration ellipsometer of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is a plan view of the composite optical measurement system with multiple compensators in the calibration ellipsometer of the present invention.
• Fig. 5 is an illustration of a multi-layer stack on a sample.
• Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the steps which can be carried out to characterize individual layers of a multi-layer stack using measurements from both a stable wavelength ellipsometer and a multi-wavelength measurement.
• the present invention is a composite thin film optical measurement system 1 having a wavelength stable reference ellipsometer 2 that is used, in conjunction with a reference sample 4 having a substrate 6 and thin film 8 with known compositions, to calibrate non-contact optical measurement devices contained in the composite thin film optical measurement system 1.
• Figure 1 illustrates the composite optical measurement system 1 that has been developed by the present assignees, which includes five different non- contact optical measurement devices and the reference ellipsometer 2 of the present invention.
• Composite optical measurement system 1 includes a Beam Profile
• BPE Beam Profile Reflectometer
• BPR Broadband Reflective Spectrometer
• DUV Deep Ultra Violet Reflective Spectrometer
• BSE Broadband Spectroscopic Ellipsometer
• laser 20 generates a probe beam 24, and white light source 22 generates probe beam 26 (which is collimated by lens 28 and directed along the same path as probe beam 24 by mirror 29).
• Laser 20 ideally is a solid state laser diode from Toshiba Corp. which emits a linearly polarized 3 mW beam at 673 nm.
• White light source 22 is ideally a deuterium-tungsten lamp that produces a 200 mW polychromatic beam that covers a spectrum of 200 nm to 800 nm.
• the probe beams 24/26 are reflected by mirror 30, and pass through mirror 42 to sample 4.
• the probe beams 24/26 are focused onto the surface of the sample with a lens 32 or lens 33.
• two lenses 32/33 are mounted in a turret (not shown) and are alternatively movable into the path of probe beams 24/26.
• Lens 32 is a spherical, microscope objective lens with a high numerical aperture (on the order of 0.90 NA) to create a large spread of angles of incidence with respect to the sample surface, and to create a spot size of about one micron in diameter.
• Lens 33 is illustrated in
• Fig. 2 is a reflective lens having a lower numerical aperture (on the order of 0.4 NA) and capable of focusing deep UV light to a spot size of about 10-15 microns.
• BPE 10 Beam profile ellipsometry (BPE) is discussed in U.S. Patent 5,181,080, issued January 19, 1993, which is commonly owned by the present assignee and is incorporated herein by reference.
• BPE 10 includes a quarter wave plate 34, polarizer 36, lens 38 and a quad detector 40.
• linearly polarized probe beam 24 is focused onto sample 4 by lens 32.
• Light reflected from the sample surface passes up through lens 32, through mirrors 42, 30 and 44, and directed into BPE 10 by mirror 46.
• the position of the rays within the reflected probe beam correspond to specific angles of incidence with respect to the sample's surface.
• Quarter- wave plate 34 retards the phase of one of the polarization states of the beam by 90 degrees.
• Linear polarizer 36 causes the two polarization states of the beam to interfere with each other.
• the axis of the polarizer 36 should be oriented at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the fast and slow axis of the quarter- wave plate 34.
• Detector 40 is a quad-cell detector with four radially disposed quadrants that each intercept one quarter of the probe beam and generate a separate output signal proportional to the power of the portion of the probe beam striking that quadrant.
• the output signals from each quadrant are sent to a processor 48.
• ellipsometric information such as and ⁇ , can be determined. To determine this information, the processor 48 takes the difference between the sums of the output signals of diametrically opposed quadrants, a value which varies linearly with film thickness for very thin films.
• BPR 12 Beam profile reflectometry (BPR) is discussed in U.S. Patent 4,999,014, issued on March 12, 1991, which is commonly owned by the present assignee and is incorporated herein by reference.
• BPR 12 includes a lens 50, beam splitter 52 and two linear detector arrays 54 and 56 to measure the reflectance of the sample.
• linearly polarized probe beam 24 is focused onto sample 4 by lens 32, with various rays within the beam striking the sample surface at a range of angles of incidence.
• Light reflected from the sample surface passes up through lens 32, through mirrors 42 and 30, and directed into BPR 12 by mirror 44.
• the position of the rays within the reflected probe beam correspond to specific angles of incidence with respect to the sample's surface.
• Lens 50 spatially spreads the beam two-dimensionally.
• Beam splitter 52 separates the S and P components of the beam, and detector arrays 54 and 56 are oriented orthogonal to each other to isolate information about S and P polarized light. The higher angles of incidence rays will fall closer to the opposed ends of the arrays. The output from each element in the diode arrays will correspond to different angles of incidence.
• Detector arrays 54/56 measure the intensity across the reflected probe beam as a function of the angle of incidence with respect to the sample surface.
• the processor 48 receives the output of the detector arrays 54/56, and derives the thickness and refractive index of the thin film layer 8 based on these angular dependent intensity measurements by utilizing various types of modeling algorithms. Optimization routines which use iterative processes such as least square fitting routines are typically employed.
• BRS 14 uses lens 32 and includes a broadband spectrometer 58 which can be of any type commonly known and used in the prior art.
• the spectrometer 58 shown in Fig. 1 includes a lens 60, aperture 62, dispersive element 64 and detector array 66.
• probe beam 26 from white light source 22 is focused onto sample 4 by lens 32.
• Light reflected from the surface of the sample passes up through lens 32, and is directed by mirror 42 (through mirror 84) to spectrometer 58.
• the lens 60 focuses the probe beam through aperture 62, which defines a spot in the field of view on the sample surface to analyze.
• Dispersive element 64 such as a diffraction grating, prism or holographic plate, angularly disperses the beam as a function of wavelength to individual detector elements contained in the detector array 66.
• the different detector elements measure the optical intensities of the different wavelengths of light contained in the probe beam, preferably simultaneously.
• detector 66 can be a CCD camera, or a photomultiplier with suitably dispersive or otherwise wavelength selective optics. It should be noted that a monochrometer could be used to measure the different wavelengths serially (one wavelength at a time) using a single detector element.
• dispersive element 64 can also be configured to disperse the light as a function of wavelength in one direction, and as a function of the angle of incidence with respect to the sample surface in an orthogonal direction, so that simultaneous measurements as a function of both wavelength and angle of incidence are possible.
• Processor 48 processes the intensity information measured by the detector array 66.
• Deep ultra violet reflective spectrometry simultaneously probes the sample with multiple wavelengths of ultra-violet light.
• DUV 16 uses the same spectrometer 58 to analyze probe beam 26 as BRS 14, except that DUV 16 uses the reflective lens 33 ( Figure 2) instead of focusing lens 32.
• the turret containing lenses 32/33 is rotated so that reflective lens 33 is aligned in probe beam 26.
• the reflective lens 33 is necessary because solid objective lenses cannot sufficiently focus the UV light onto the sample.
• BSE Broadband spectroscopic ellipsometry
• polarizer 70 includes a polarizer 70, focusing mirror 72, collimating mirror 74, rotating compensator 76, and analyzer 80.
• mirror 82 directs at least part of probe beam 26 to polarizer 70, which creates a known polarization state for the probe beam, preferably a linear polarization.
• Mirror 72 focuses the beam onto the sample surface at an oblique angle, ideally on the order of 70 degrees to the normal of the sample surface.
• the reflected beam will generally have a mixed linear and circular polarization state after interacting with the sample, based upon the composition and thickness of the sample's film 8 and substrate 6.
• the reflected beam is collimated by mirror 74, which directs the beam to the rotating compensator 76.
• Compensator 76 introduces a relative phase delay ⁇ (phase retardation) between a pair of mutually orthogonal polarized optical beam components.
• Compensator 76 is rotated at an angular velocity ⁇ about an axis substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the beam, preferably by an electric motor 78.
• Analyzer 80 preferably another linear polarizer, mixes the polarization states incident on it.
• Detector/camera 86 is positioned above mirror 46, and can be used to view reflected beams off of the sample 4 for alignment and focus purposes.
• the composite optical measurement system 1 includes the wavelength stable calibration reference ellipsometer 2 used in conjunction with a reference sample 4.
• Ellipsometer 2 includes a light source 90, polarizer 92, lenses 94 and 96, rotating compensator 98, analyzer 102 and detector 104.
• Light source 90 produces a quasi-monochromatic probe beam 106 having a known stable wavelength and stable intensity. This can be done passively, where light source 90 generates a very stable output wavelength which does not vary over time (i.e. varies less than 1 %). Examples of passively stable light sources are a helium-neon laser, or other gas discharge laser systems. Alternately, a non-passive system can be used as illustrated in Fig. 3 where the light source 90 includes a light generator 91 that produces light having a wavelength that is not precisely known or stable over time, and a monochrometer 93 that precisely measures the wavelength of light produced by light generator 91.
• Examples of such light generators include solid state lasers, laser diodes, or polychromatic light sources used in conjunction with a color filter such as a grating.
• the wavelength of beam 106 which is a known constant or measured by monochrometer 93, is provided to processor 48 so that ellipsometer 2 can accurately calibrate the optical measurement devices in system 1.
• polarizer 92 is a linear polarizer made from a quartz Rochon prism, but in general the polarization does not necessarily have to be linear, nor even complete. Polarizer 92 can also be made from calcite.
• the azimuth angle of polarizer 92 is oriented so that the plane of the electric vector associated with the linearly polarized beam exiting from the polarizer 92 is at a known angle with respect to the plane of incidence (defined by the propagation direction of the beam 106 and the normal to the surface of sample 4).
• the azimuth angle is preferably selected to be on the order of 30 degrees because the sensitivity is optimized when the reflected intensities of the P and S polarized components are approximately balanced. It should be noted that polarizer 92 can be omitted if the light source 90 emits light with the desired known polarization state.
• the beam 106 is focused onto the sample 4 by lens 94 at an oblique angle.
• reference sample 4 ideally consists of a thin oxide layer 8 having a thickness d, formed on a silicon substrate 6.
• the sample 4 can be any appropriate substrate of known composition, including a bare silicon wafer, and silicon wafer substrates having one or more thin films thereon.
• the thickness d of the layer 8 need not be known, or be consistent between periodic calibrations.
• the useful light from probe beam 106 is the light reflected by the sample 4 symmetrically to the incident beam about the normal to the sample surface. It is noted however that the polarization state of nonspecularly scattered radiation can be determined by the method of the present invention as well.
• the beam 106 is ideally incident on sample 4 at an angle on the order of 70 degrees to the normal of the sample surface because sensitivity to sample properties is maximized in the vicinity of the Brewster or pseudo-Brewster angle of a material. Based upon well known ellipsometric principles, the reflected beam will generally have a mixed linear and circular polarization state after interacting with the sample, as compared to the linear polarization state of the incoming beam.
• Lens 96 collimates beam 106 after its reflection off of the sample 4.
• the beam 106 then passes through the rotating compensator (retarder) 98, which introduces a relative phase delay ⁇ (phase retardation) between a pair of mutually orthogonal polarized optical beam components.
• the amount of phase retardation is a function of the wavelength, the dispersion characteristics of the material used to form the compensator, and the thickness of the compensator.
• Compensator 98 is rotated at an angular velocity ⁇ about an axis substantially parallel to the propagation direction of beam 106, preferably by an electric motor 100.
• Compensator 98 can be any conventional wave-plate compensator, for example those made of crystal quartz.
• the thickness and material of the compensator 98 are selected such that a desired phase retardation of the beam is induced.
• compensator 98 is a bi-plate compensator constructed of two parallel plates of anisotropic (usually birefringent) material, such as quartz crystals of opposite handedness, where the fast axes of the two plates are perpendicular to each other and the thicknesses are nearly equal, differing only by enough to realize a net first-order retardation for the wavelength produced by the light source 90.
• anisotropic material such as quartz crystals of opposite handedness
• Beam 106 then interacts with analyzer 102, which serves to mix the polarization states incident on it.
• analyzer 102 is another linear polarizer, preferably oriented at an azimuth angle of 45 degrees relative to the plane of incidence.
• any optical device that serves to appropriately mix the incoming polarization states can be used as an analyzer.
• the analyzer 102 is preferably a quartz Rochon or Wollaston prism.
• the rotating compensator 98 changes the polarization state of the beam as it rotates such that the light transmitted by analyzer 102 is characterized by:
• I(t) (l/2)[ I E x I 2 (1 + cos 2 ( ⁇ /2) +
• E x and E y are the projections of the incident electric field vector parallel and perpendicular, respectively, to the transmission axis of the analyzer, ⁇ is the phase retardation of the compensator, and ⁇ is the angular rotational frequency of the compensator.
• the compensator 98 can be located either between the sample 4 and the analyzer 102 (as shown in Fig. 1), or between the sample 4 and the polarizer 92, with appropriate and well known minor changes to the equations. It should also be noted that polarizer 70, lenses 94/96, compensator 98 and polarizer 102 are all optimized in their construction for the specific wavelength of light produced by light source 90, which maximizes the accuracy of ellipsometer 2.
• Beam 106 then enters detector 104, which measures the intensity of the beam passing through the compensator/analyzer combination.
• the processor 48 processes the intensity information measured by the detector 104 to determine the polarization state of the light after interacting with the analyzer, and therefore the ellipsometric parameters of the sample.
• This information processing includes measuring beam intensity as a function of the azimuth (rotational) angle of the compensator about its axis of rotation. This measurement of intensity as a function of compensator rotational angle is effectively a measurement of the intensity of beam 106 as a function of time, since the compensator angular velocity is usually known and a constant.
• the optical properties of reference sample 4 such as film thickness d, refractive index and extinction coefficients, etc., can be determined by ellipsometer 2. If the film is very thin, such as less than or equal to about 20 angstroms, the thickness d can be found to first order in d/ ⁇ by solving
• ⁇ wavelength of light
• e s , e 0 and e a are the dielectric functions of the substrate, thin oxide film, and ambient, respectively, and ⁇ is the angle of incidence.
• n jx ( ⁇ j - e a sin 2 0) 1 2 , (17) where j is s or a.
• BPE 10, BPR 12, BRS 14, DUV 16, and BSE 18 which measure various optical parameters of the sample 4.
• Processor 48 then calibrates the processing variables used to analyze the results from these optical measurement devices so that they produce accurate results. For each of these measurement devices, there are system variables that affect the measured data and need to be accounted for before an accurate measurement of other samples can be made.
• the most significant variable system parameter is the phase shift that occurs due to the optical elements along the BPE optical path. Environmental changes to these optical elements result in an overall drift in the ellipsometric parameter ⁇ , which then translates into a sample thickness drift calculated by the processor 48 from BPE 10.
• the processor 48 calibrates BPE 10 by deriving a phase offset which is applied to measured results from BPE
• the measured reflectances can also be affected by environmental changes to the optical elements in the beam paths. Therefore, the reflectances R ⁇ measured by BPR 12, BRS 14 and DUV 16 for the reference sample 4 are used, in combination with the measurements by ellipsometer 2, to calibrate these systems. Equations 9-17 are used to calculate the absolute reflectances R c ref of reference sample 4 from the measured results of ellipsometer 2. All measurements by the BPR/BRS/DUV devices of reflectance (R,.) for any other sample are then scaled by processor 48 using the normalizing factor in equation 18 below to result in accurate reflectances R derived from the BPR, BRS and DUV devices:
• the advantage of the present invention is that a reference sample having no thin film thereon, or having thin film thereon with an unknown thickness which may even vary slowly over time, can be repeatedly used to accurately calibrate ultra-sensitive optical measurement devices.
• the output of light source 90 can also be used to calibrate the wavelength measurements made by spectrometer 58.
• the sample 4 can be tipped, or replaced by a tipped mirror, to direct beam 106 up to mirror 42 and to dispersion element 64.
• processor 48 can calibrate the output of detector 66 by determining which pixel(s) corresponds to that wavelength of light.
• the calibrating ellipsometer 2 of the present invention is not limited to the specific rotating compensator ellipsometer configuration discussed above.
• the scope of the present invention includes any ellipsometer configuration in conjunction with the light source 90 (having a known wavelength) that measures the polarization state of the beam after interaction with the sample and provides the necessary information about sample 4 for calibrating non-contact optical measurement devices.
• null ellipsometry which uses the same elements as ellipsometer 2 of Fig. 1, can be used to determine the film thickness d for calibration purposes.
• the ellipsometric information is derived by aligning the azimuthal angles of these elements until a null or minimum level intensity is measured by the detector 104.
• polarizers 92 and 102 are linear polarizers
• compensator 98 is a quarter- wave plate.
• Compensator 98 is aligned so that its fast axis is at an azimuthal angle of 45 degrees relative to the plane of incidence of the sample 4.
• Polarizer 92 has a transmission axis that forms an azimuthal angle P relative to the plane of incidence
• polarizer 102 has a transmission axis that forms an azimuthal angle A relative to the plane of incidence.
• Polarizers 92 and 102 are rotated about beam 106 such that the light is completely extinguished (minimized) by the analyzer 102.
• Null ellipsometry is very accurate because the results depend entirely on the measurement of mechanical angles, and are independent of intensity. Null ellipsometry is further discussed by R.M.A. Azzam and N.M. Bashara, in Ellipsometry and Polarized Light (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1977); and by D.E. Aspnes, in Optical Properties of Solids: New Developments, ed. B.O. Seraphin (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1976), p. 799.
• compensator 98 from ellipsometer 2, and use motor 100 to rotate polarizer 92 or analyzer 102. Either the polarizer 92 or the analyzer 102 is rotated so that the detector signal can be used to accurately measure the linear polarization component of the reflected beam. Then, the circularly polarized component is inferred by assuming that the beam is totally polarized, and what is not linearly polarized must be circularly polarized.
• Such an ellipsometer commonly called a rotating- polarizer or rotating-analyzer ellipsometer
• an incomplete polarimeter because it is insensitive to the handedness of the circularly polarized component and exhibits poor performance when the light being analyzed is either nearly completely linearly polarized or possesses a depolarized component.
• the substrate of materials such as silicon contribute enough to the overall phase shift of the light interacting with the sample that accurate results can be obtained without the use of a compensator.
• the same formulas above can be used to derive thickness d, where the phase shift induced by the compensator is set to be zero.
• beams 24, 26, and/or 106 can be transmitted through the sample, where the beam properties (including the beam polarization state) of the transmitted beam are measured.
• a second compensator can be added, where the first compensator is located between the sample and the analyzer, and the second compensator located between the sample and the light source 90, as illustrated in Fig. 4.
• These compensators could be static or rotating.
• compensator 98 can be replaced by a non-rotating opto-electronic element or photo-elastic element, such as a piezo-electric cell retarder which are commonly used in the art to induce a sinusoidal or static phase retardation by applying a varying or static voltage to the cell.
• a non-rotating opto-electronic element or photo-elastic element such as a piezo-electric cell retarder which are commonly used in the art to induce a sinusoidal or static phase retardation by applying a varying or static voltage to the cell.
• Sample 200 includes a semiconductor substrate 202 which is typically silicon but could be germanium, gallium arsenide, etc. A plurality of thin film layers are deposited on top of the substrate. The thickness of these layers in the illustration has been exaggerated for clarity.
• thin film layers 204 to 210 are deposited on the stack.
• the most typical materials used to form thin film layers include oxides, nitrides, polysilicon, titanium and titanium-nitride. Each of these materials have different optical characteristics. As the number and variation of the thin film layers increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine characteristics of individual layers even if multiple measurements are taken.
• the reference ellipsometer of the subject system can further be used to help better analyze complex multi- layer stacks.
• the output from the reference ellipsometer is limited and is not particularly helpful in analyzing individual layers in a stack, it can be used to provide a very accurate determination of the total optical thickness T of the stack.
• the processor 48 can use the measurements obtained from the reference ellipsometer in combination with the other measurements to improve the accuracy of the analysis of the individual layers.
• Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating how the system can be configured to analyze multi-layer stacks. The steps shown in Figure 6 would generally occur after calibration in the manner discussed above. In addition, it should be noted that the data gathering steps are shown in sequential order in Figure 6 for illustration purposes only. In fact, the various measurements can be made in any order. The results are stored in the processor as each measurement is completed. When all the desired measurements are completed, then the processor can analyze the data.
• the ellipsometer 2 is used to measure the test sample (step 230).
• the test sample 200 would be placed in the apparatus in place of the reference sample 4 shown in Figure 1.
• the output from the measurement, in the form of first output signals, would be sent to the processor 48 in step 232.
• the output of the ellipsometer 2 will be used to calculate the total optical thickness T of the layers.
• the light source 90 be a laser which generates a fixed and known wavelength.
• light source 90 is a helium neon laser having a fixed output of 632.8 nanometers. The advantage of the helium neon laser is that it is low in cost, can be tightly focused and generates a known wavelength output regardless of room temperature or power levels.
• the most desirable measurement will include a multi- wavelength measurement as shown in step 234.
• This multi- wavelength measurement may be based on either the change in phase or magnitude of a reflected beam.
• the white light source 22 can be used for either type of measurement.
• the detector 58 can measure changes in magnitude of the reflected beam across a large wavelength range for either the broadband reflective spectrometer (BRS) 14 or the deep ultraviolet reflective spectrometer (DUV) 16.
• BRS broadband reflective spectrometer
• DUV deep ultraviolet reflective spectrometer
• the detector 58 generates output signals corresponding to a plurality of wavelengths.
• Step 236 indicates the spectroscopic magnitude measurement.
• Step 238 illustrates the BSE measurement.
• the second output signals corresponding to the different wavelengths of either type of multi-wavelength measurement are sent to the processor 48 for storage (step 240).
• both magnitude and phase measurements are taken and sent to the processor. Additional measurements are desirable to help more accurately characterize the layers.
• these measurements include those taken by the beam profile ellipsometer system (BPE) in step 242 and beam profile reflectometer system (BPR) in step 244.
• BPE beam profile ellipsometer system
• BPR beam profile reflectometer system
• the processor can use the combination of inputs from the measurement systems to characterize the sample.
• the processor will typically include a modeling algorithm which utilizes an iterative process such as a least squares fitting routine to determine the characteristics of individual layers.
• a modeling algorithm which utilizes an iterative process such as a least squares fitting routine to determine the characteristics of individual layers.
• an iterative process such as a least squares fitting routine to determine the characteristics of individual layers.
• an initial calculation of the parameters of the stack is made using Fresnel equations and a predetermined "best guess" of layer characteristics.
• the calculation produces a set of theoretical values which correspond to a set of measurement results that can be obtained using the various test systems in the device.
• the set of theoretical values are then compared to the set of measurements that were actually obtained from the various test systems and an evaluation is made as to the closeness or "fit" between the actual and theoretical values.
• this mathematical modeling is expanded to include parameters representative of the total optical thickness of the stack (step 250). This analysis assumes that the multilayers stack is actually a single layer with common characteristics. The model will generate a set of additional theoretical values corresponding to the measurements which should be generated by the narrow-band, off -axis ellipsometer measurement.
• this type of measurement can be accurate to within a single angstrom or less.
• the subject invention is not limited to the particular algorithm used to derive the characteristics of the individual layers.
• alternative approaches can be used.
• the high level of computing power now available permits approaches to be utilized which include genetic algorithms.
• genetic algorithms to determine the thickness of thin film layers can be found in "Using Genetic Algorithms with Local Search for Thin Film Metrology," Land, et. al., Proceeding of the Seventh International Conference on Genetic Algorithms, July 19-23, page 537, 1997.
• the only requirement of the subject invention is that the algorithm be designed such that the measurements from the off-axis ellipsometer be used to evaluate the theoretical overall optical thickness of the multilayer stack and that this information be used to help minimize ambiguities in the analysis of the characteristics of the individual layers.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26687865

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (43)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1998
  • 1998-06-05 JP JP2000502402A patent/JP4231902B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-05 WO PCT/US1998/011562 patent/WO1999002970A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-06-05 EP EP98926302A patent/EP1012571A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events