Patent · US Active

Method, device and system for measuring nanoscale deformations

US8502143B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
10References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 17, 2008
Grant dateAug 6, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 25, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is provided that includes the steps of i) providing a specimen in the form of a wafer having a measurement area and a reference area, assumed to be without deformations and coplanar with the measurement area; ii) illuminating one face of the specimen with an electron beam (Fin); iii) superposing a beam (F1B) of radiation diffracted by the measurement area (B) with a beam (F1A) of the radiation diffracted by the reference so as to cause these two beams to interfere; iv) measuring the spatial periodicity and the orientation of the fringes of the interference pattern (FI); and v) deducing from this a difference in the lattice parameter and/or the orientation between the reference and measurement areas, which is indicative of a state of deformation of the latter at the nanoscale. A device and system for implementing the method is also provided.

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