Film thickness measuring method and apparatus, and thin film device manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus using same

A method for measuring the thickness of thin film, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating light onto a sample in which a plurality of layers of films are formed and the surface thereof is covered by an optically transparent thin film;
• detecting the reflected light generated by said sample due to the irradiation of said light, by means of an optical system;
• and
• determining the thickness of said optically transparent film using spectral waveform information for the reflected light thus detected;
• wherein, in the step of determining the thickness of said optically transparent film, regional models having a plurality of layer structures are established, the waveforms of the reflected light from said regional models are calculated, and the thickness of said optically transparent film is determined by fitting, using said calculated waveform information and the spectral waveform information of the detected reflected light.

A method for measuring the thickness of thin film, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating light onto a sample having a composition in which a pattern formed onto the surface thereof is covered by an optically transparent thin film;
• detecting the reflected light generated by said sample due to the irradiation of said light, by means of an optical system;
• and
• determining the thickness of said optically transparent film using spectral distribution waveform information for the reflected light thus detected;
• wherein, in the step of determining the thickness of said optically transparent film, a regional model is established which takes into account a region were the reflected light from said pattern and the reflected light from the layer beneath said pattern are mixed, the waveform of the reflected light from the regional model thus established is calculated, and the thickness of the optically transparent film covering said pattern is determined using the waveform information thus calculated and the spectral waveform information of said detected reflected light.

A method for measuring the thickness of thin film, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating light onto a wafer surface;
• detecting the reflected light from said wafer surface generated by said irradiation of light;
• and
• measuring the film thickness on the basis of the reflected light thus detected;
• wherein, in the step of measuring said film thickness, measurement points are determined using spectral data from said detected reflected light;

An apparatus for measuring the thickness of thin film, comprising:

• irradiating means for irradiating light onto a sample having an optically transparent thin film formed onto the surface thereof;
• detecting means for detecting the reflected light generated by said sample due to the irradiation of said light by said irradiating means, by means of an optical system;
• and
• film thickness calculating means for calculating the film thickness from the data detected by said detecting means;
• wherein said film thickness calculating means determines the thickness of said optically transparent film by using surface area ratio information for said pattern within the detection field of view of said optical system.

An apparatus for measuring the thickness of thin film, comprising:

• irradiating means for irradiating light onto a sample having an optically transparent thin film formed onto the surface thereof;
• detecting means for detecting the reflected light generated by said sample due to the irradiation of said light by said irradiating means, by means of an optical system;
• and
• film thickness calculating means for calculating the film thickness from the data detected by said detecting means;
• wherein said film thickness calculating means establishes a regional model comprising a plurality of layer structures calculates the waveform of the reflected light from said regional model, and determines the thickness of said optically transparent film by fitting, using the waveform information thus calculated and the spectral waveform information of the detected reflected light.

A method for measuring film thickness comprising the steps of:

• irradiating light onto a particular chip of a plurality of chips on a wafer formed with a plurality of chips whereon a circuit pattern and an optically transparent thin film for covering said circuit pattern are formed respectively;
• detecting the light reflected by the particular chip region of said wafer due to said irradiated light;
• determining measurement points for measuring the film thickness of said optically transparent thin film on said wafer by using information for the spectral waveform data of the reflected light thus detected;
• and
• measuring the film thickness of said optically transparent thin film at said measurement points, by successively irradiating light onto the measurement points thus determined.

A method for fabricating semiconductor devices, comprising:

• a film forming step for forming thin film on a substrate;
• a CMP step for processing the thin film formed on said substrate;
• an exposure step for coating resist onto said thin film thus processed and exposing a pattern thereon to light;
• an etching step for etching said CMP processed thin film, using said exposed resist as a mask;
• and
• a step for irradiating light onto the substrate having undergone said film forming step or the substrate having undergone said CMP step, detecting the reflected light from said substrate generated by said irradiation, obtaining spectral data for said reflected light, and measuring the thickness of the thin film on the substrate using the spectral data, to an accuracy of 10 nm or less;
• wherein the process conditions of at least one process of said film forming step, CMP step, exposure step and etching step is controlled using the results measured in said measuring step.

A method for manufacturing semiconductor devices, comprising:

• a film forming step for forming thin film on a substrate;
• a CMP step for processing the thin film formed on said substrate;
• an exposure step for coating resist onto said thin film thus processed and exposing a pattern thereon to light;
• an etching step for etching said CMP processed thin film, using said exposed resist as a mask;
• a step for irradiating light onto the substrate having undergone said film forming step or the substrate having undergone said CMP step, detecting the reflected light from said substrate generated by said irradiation, obtaining spectral data for said reflected light, determining measurement points using this spectral data, and measuring the thickness of the thin film at each of the measurement points thus determined;
• and
• a step for measuring the thickness of the thin film on the substrate having undergone said film forming step or the substrate having undergone said CMP step, at each measurement point determined using the spectral data of said reflected light as obtained by detecting the reflected light of the light irradiated onto said substrate;
• wherein the process conditions of at least one process of said film forming step, CMP step, exposure step or etching step is controlled using the results measured in said measuring step.