This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 10294, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, and Conference Committee listing.

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) is important for metrology in several industries, and is a powerful technique for research on new materials and processes. Sophisticated instrumentation and software for VASE data acquisition and analysis is available for the most demanding research applications, while simple to use software enables the use of VASE for routine measurements as well. This article gives a basic introduction to the theory of ellipsometry, references “classic” papers, and shows typical VASE applications. In the following companion paper, more advanced applications are discussed.

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of thin film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today’s industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable - insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

A preceding companion paper provides a general introduction to Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (VASE), and also describes many typical applications of the technique. In this paper, more advanced VASE applications are discussed. These applications rely on recent advances in ellipsometric hardware, which allow extremely accurate ellipsometric data to be acquired over a broad spectral range, from the IR to VUV. This instrumentation can also quantitatively measure the optical response of nonisotropic samples. Advanced data analysis techniques are also presented.

This paper reviews scatter based metrology from its conception to its current use in modem industry. In addition to defining the terms used to quantify scattered light a review is given of both laboratory and manufacturing environment instrumentation. The semiconductor industry has taken the lead in making economical use of scatter metrology by developing “particle scanners” which are used for inspection of surface defects on both bare and patterned wafers. The development of these increasingly sophisticated instruments requires the use of scatter models and calibration techniques that are applied to not only surface roughness, but also to discrete defects. These issues are reviewed from their infancy in the early 1960’s to their (still evolving) capabilities as we approach the next century.

The intensity of radiation diffracted from periodic structures is extremely sensitive to slight variations in the geometry and composition of the diffracting structure. Rigorous diffraction theory provides a mechanism for accurate analysis of the scattered waves. Scatterometry is a metrology technique that combines the sensitivity of diffraction from periodic structures with a first principle solution of electromagnetic wave diffraction from these structures. The technique is self-calibrating, and sub-nm static and dynamic precision has been demonstrated for the measurement of sub-0.25 μm structures. We provide an overview of the development of this metrology technique, along with the theoretical foundation of rigorous diffraction analysis and its application to the analysis of the scattered data measured by the scatterometer.

Significant applications of scatterometry to a wide variety of diffracting structures made from semiconductor materials are reviewed. Data from investigations that have spanned more than 10 years and studied several types of scatterometers will be presented, and the salient results of these efforts summarized. As a metrology technique scatterometry is shown to be capable of measuring developed photoresist gratings, etched poly-Si gratings, film layer thickness', several types of photomask gratings, DRAM memory cell arrays and can even be used to characterize subtle profile features that may exist on these materials. As a sensor or process monitor, the technique is shown to have the ability to monitor stepper focus and exposure dose, post exposure bake time and photoresist silylation. To validate the success of these investigations, comparisons to measurements made by conventional metrologies like scanning electron microscopes (SEM), atomic force microscopes (AFM) and ellipsometers will be presented for much of the data. In all instances scatterometry measurements are shown to agree well with these other methods. Finally, some discussion on possible future applications, and the direction in which the technique is evolving, will be presented.

The principle and implementation of time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy are discussed. The versatility and significance of this technique for magnetic research is illustrated with experimental results, covering determination of important dynamical parameters and tracing the dynamics of magnetization reversal in microstructures. The described industrial applications include dynamical characterization of recording heads.

The characterization of surface and thin film morphologies and roughnesses significantly benefits from appropriately utilizing different measuring techniques. When suitably combining light scattering measurements, scanning force microscopy, and white fight interferometry, comprehensive characterization over a wide range of sample types and roughness scales can be accomplished A concise overview on the characterization techniques is given, followed by examples of combined measurements. The presented results include a variety of samples such as superpolished and microrough substrates, thin film coatings for applications from the visible to the deep ultraviolet region, and rough engineering surfaces.

Imaging of surfaces and structures by NSOM has matured and is routinely used for studies ranging from biology to materials science. In the present paper, new developments will be emphasized that have resulted from the incorporation of a new technique for shear force feedback control of the scanning tip. The new technique involves the use of a quartz crystal tuning fork with the microscope, and this provides an open architecture for scanning tips. Thus not only is the normal optical contrast imaging done concurrently with topography imaging with optical fibers, but now one may substitute other tips such as nanoelectrodes for electrochemical imaging of reactive surfaces in concurrence with in-situ topography imaging. The modified instrument is now a multifunctional microscope that has many diverse applications.

The focus of this chapter is on the measurement techniques for characterizing nonlinear optical properties of organic materials. Techniques for estimating both second and thirdorder nonlinear optical properties will be presented. An introduction to the NLO phenomena along with some representative examples of organic materials exhibiting second and third-order effects will be briefly described. Current research efforts and anticipated future directions in the field of organic NLO materials, their characterization and potential applications will be discussed.

Many materials are being considered as candidates for Low Dielectric Constant, InterLayer Dielectric (ILD) applications. It is expected that some users will introduce Low K ILD materials in Aluminum based processing. Simultaneously, considerable process development is underway worldwide for Copper based Dual Damascene structures and integration of Low K ILD materials in such structures. Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) is widely used in the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry for routine production monitoring. The dispersion information (variation of refractive index with wavelength) from SE can also be correlated to the microstructure and chemical composition of thin films. This provides a powerful, non-destructive and rapid method of analysis and process characterization. In this review, we discuss the application of this technique to the characterization of single and multilayered thin films based on Low Dielectric constant materials. Results of SE analysis of copper films copper oxides and dielectric multilayered films on copper are also presented.