US 2017/0248412 A1 · CONFOCAL SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY MEASUREMENT WITH FIXED FOCAL POSITIONS

Abstract

An apparatus is described for measuring surface topography of a three-dimensional structure. In many embodiments, the apparatus is configured to focus each of a plurality of light beams to a respective fixed focal position relative to the apparatus. The apparatus measures a characteristic of each of a plurality of returned light beams that are generated by illuminating the three-dimensional structure with the light beams. The characteristic is measured for a plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure. Surface topography of the three-dimensional structure is determined based at least in part on the measured characteristic of the returned light beams for the plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An apparatus for measuring surface topography of a three-dimensional structure, the apparatus comprising:

an optical probe moveable relative to the three-dimensional structure;
an illumination unit configured to generate a plurality of incident light beams, each of the plurality of incident light beams comprising a first wavelength component;
an optical system configured to focus the first wavelength component of each of the plurality of incident light beams to a respective fixed focal position relative to the optical probe while measuring the surface topography;
and
a detector unit configured to measure a plurality of returned light beams that are generated by illuminating the three-dimensional structure with the plurality of incident light beams in order to measure the surface topography.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Confocal surface topography measurement with fixed focal positions

Life of this patent

Confocal surface topography measurement with fixed focal positions

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18