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US 11,536,940 B2Granted
3D microscope including insertable components to provide multiple imaging and measurement capabilities
AssigneeKLA-Tencor Corporation
InventorsJames Jianguo Xu, Ken Kinsun Lee, Rusmin Kudinar, Ronny Soetarman, Hung Phi Nguyen, Zhen Hou
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Abstract
A three-dimensional (3D) microscope includes various insertable components that facilitate multiple imaging and measurement capabilities. These capabilities include Nomarski imaging, polarized light imaging, quantitative differential interference contrast (q-DIC) imaging, motorized polarized light imaging, phase-shifting interferometry (PSI), and vertical-scanning interferometry (VSI).
Claims14
A method of 3D imaging or measuring a sample, the sample including a plurality of surface features with different vertical levels, the method comprising:
- varying a relative distance between the sample and an objective lens at a plurality of predetermined steps;
- at each of a first set of predetermined steps of the plurality of predetermined steps:
- projecting an image of a patterned article onto a focal plane of the objective lens;
- and
- capturing a first image with a pattern associated with the patterned article and the sample, and storing the first image in a first image array;
- and
- at each of a second set of predetermined steps of the plurality of predetermined steps:
- capturing a second image of the sample without the pattern associated with the patterned article, and storing the second image in a second image array, wherein the second set of predetermined steps has a different number of steps than the first set of predetermined steps;
- and
- generating a 3D image of the sample or measuring the sample by analyzing the first and second images.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.