Patent · US Expired

Method and system for thickness measurements of thin conductive layers

US6815947B2 · kind B2 · utility

24Cited by
12References
41Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 12, 2003
Grant dateNov 9, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 12, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B7/105
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and system are presented for measuring in an electrically conductive film of a specific sample including data indicative of a free space response of an RF sensing coil unit to AC voltage applied to the RF sensing coil. The sensing coil is located proximate to the sample at a distance h substantially not exceeding 0.2 r wherein r is the coil radius; an AC voltage in a range from 100 MHz to a few GHz is applied to the sensing coil to cause generation of an eddy current passage through the conductive film; a response of the sensing coil to an effect of the electric current through the conductive film onto a magnetic field of the coil is detected and the measured data indicative of the response is generated. The thickness of the film is determined by utilizing the data indicative of the free space measurements to analyze the measured date. The method thus provides for measuring in conductive films with a sheet resistance Rs in a range from about 0.009 to about 2 Ohm/m2.

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