Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for thin film thickness mapping

US6792075B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
14References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 21, 2002
Grant dateSep 14, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 27, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B15/02
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus and method for mapping film thickness of one or more textured polycrystalline thin films. Multiple sample films of known thickness are provided. Each sample film is irradiated by x-ray at a measurement point to generate a diffraction image that captures a plurality of diffraction arcs. Texture information (i.e., pole densities) of the sample film, is calculated based on incomplete pole figures collected on the diffraction image and used to correct the x-ray diffraction intensities from such sample. The corrected diffraction intensities are integrated for each sample film, and then used for constructing a calibration curve that correlates diffraction intensities with respective known film thickness of the sample films. The film thickness of a textured polycrystalline thin film of unknown thickness can therefore be mapped on such calibration curve, using a corrected and integrated diffraction intensity obtained for such thin film of unknown thickness.

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