Date of Award

1-1-2015

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Program

Nanoscale Sciences

Content Description

1 online resource (vii, 84 pages) : color illustrations

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Alain C Diebold

Committee Members

Yudong Hao, Nathaniel Cady, Hassaram Bakhru, Vincent LaBella

Keywords

Ellipsometry, FEM, OCD, Plasmonics, RCWA, Scatterometry, Plasmons (Physics), Diffraction gratings, Optoelectronic devices, Integrated circuits

Subject Categories

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Abstract

In semiconductor manufacturing, defect analysis and process control are extremely important for optimal device performance and yield enhancement. One in-line tool used for quick optical characterization is the ellipsometer. Because it is nondestructive and largely automated, ellipsometers have become key tools in this process. Scatterometry based optical critical dimension (OCD) analysis is the full optical modeling of ellipsometric measurements using regression-based structures. Specifically for metallic gratings, OCD has a couple of challenges. First, the sensitivity to changes in the width of the metal lines is decreasing for smaller widths. Second, the main scatterometry spectral simulation method (rigorous coupled wave analysis, RCWA) can produce wildly inaccurate results if convergence is not maintained.

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