Method and apparatus for improved ellipsometric measurement of ultrathin films
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorCarlos Strocchia-Rivera
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for implementing ellipsometry for an ultrathin film includes directing a polarized light beam incident upon a sample surface, receiving an initial reflected beam from the sample surface and redirecting the initial reflected beam back upon said sample surface one or more times so as to produce a final reflected beam. The final reflected beam is received through an analyzer and at a detector so as to determine characteristics of the ultrathin film.
Claims15
A method for implementing ellipsometry for an ultrathin film, the method comprising:
- directing a polarized light beam incident upon a sample surface;
- receiving an initial reflected beam from said sample surface and redirecting said initial reflected beam back upon said sample surface one or more times so as to produce a final reflected beam;
- and
- receiving said final reflected beam through an analyzer and at a detector so as to determine characteristics of the ultrathin film.
A method for determining film thickness and composition for an ultrathin film formed on a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
- directing a polarized light beam incident upon a surface of the ultrathin film;
- receiving an initial reflected beam from said ultrathin film surface, said initial reflected beam having a phase shift with respect to said beam incident upon the ultrathin film surface;
- redirecting said initial reflected beam back upon said sample surface for a plurality of iterations, wherein said phase shift is increased with each of said iterations, so as to produce a final reflected beam;
- and
- receiving said final reflected beam through an analyzer and at a detector so as to determine the film thickness and composition of the ultrathin film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.