Patent · US Expired

High accuracy film thickness measurement system

US4776695A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
5References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 2, 1986
Grant dateOct 11, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 2, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B11/0633
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A system for ascertaining the thickness of thin films, especially on semiconductor substrates, comprising a light source, a randomized bifurcated fiber optic bundle, a pentamirror, a rapid scanning monochromator with a rotating grating, a photodetector, and A/D converter, an interface and a data reduction computer. The randomized bifurcated fiber optic bundle via the pentamirror directs light to and receives reflected light from a surface of the thin film, the reflected light passes through the bifurcated bundle to the monochromator and to the photodetector whose output is read by the A/D converter. A timing control circuit is provided which has an input from an encoder coupled to the motor rotating the grating and clock and trigger outputs coupled to the A/D converter so that the A/D converter consistently samples the analog signal representative of the same portions of the reflected visible spectra returned from the thin film under test.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.