Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for measuring pattern dimension

US5159643A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
3References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 7, 1991
Grant dateOct 27, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 7, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B15/00
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A pattern dimension measuring method for measuring the dimension of a measuring portion of a pattern of a specimen placed on a specimen stage by controlling a deflector of a scan type electron microscope capable of setting a desired inclination angle of the specimen stage a lens barrel, applying an electron beam to the measuring portion of the specimen, and image processing a secondary electron signal from the measuring portion, the method comprising: a first step of calculating the distance between top edges of the measuring portion of the pattern by image processing the secondary electron signal when the electron beam is applied to the measuring portion at an inclination angle of zero; a second step of obtaining the number of pixels at a taper portion of the measuring portion of the pattern by image processing the secondary electron signal when the electron beam is applied to the measuring portion at a first predetermined inclination angle which allows to observe the bottom edges; a third step of obtaining the number of pixels at the taper portion by image processing the secondary electron signal when the electron beam is applied to the measuring portion at a second predetermined…

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