Modeling and experimental aspects of apparent beam width as an edge resolution measure

Charles N. Archie; Jeremiah R. Lowney; Michael T. Postek Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.350854

14 June 1999 Modeling and experimental aspects of apparent beam width as an edge resolution measure

Charles N. Archie, Jeremiah R. Lowney, Michael T. Postek Jr.

Proceedings Volume 3677, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XIII; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.350854
Event: Microlithography '99, 1999, Santa Clara, CA, United States

Abstract

The SEMATECH advanced advisory group recently issued a critical dimension (CD) scanning electron microscope (SEM) specification. One component of this specification was the measurement of the apparent beam width (ABW). This measure is essentially an edge width measurement determined from the video profile of a good quality isolated structure of typical semiconductor material like photoresist on antireflective coating on silicon. The waveform is acquired under typical linewidth measurement conditions. The ABW measurement convolutes all the edge resolution-limiting contributors that are present during the linewidth measurement process because it is an actual measurement on a product wafer structure. These factors include beam size, depth of field, autofocus imprecision, astigmatism and electronic filtering in a single measurement. The choice of the ABW artifact, in itself, is also a potential contributor to the measurement and must be fully understood. Using the NIST Monte Carlo modeling program, MONSEL-II, the ABW measurement technique is examined and many contributing factors to measurement variation are studied. Results are compared with experiments using an existing ABW artifact. Furthermore, the requirements for future ABW artifacts are determined and discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Charles N. Archie, Jeremiah R. Lowney, and Michael T. Postek Jr. "Modeling and experimental aspects of apparent beam width as an edge resolution measure", Proc. SPIE 3677, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XIII, (14 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.350854

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