Film measurement system

04/01/1997

Film measurement system

The Prometrix UV-1280SE combines spectroscopic ellipsometry and broadband spectrophotometry in a single platform, providing the capabilities needed to support etch, lithography, and CMP applications, as well as providing advanced characterization of new materials such as SiON anti-reflective layers, silicon-rich oxides, silicon carbide, and SiGe. The tool directly measures film thickness, refractive index, and the extinction coeffiecient of single- or multilayer thin-film stacks simultaneously, without needing to reference or extrapolate. The UV-1280SE provides the means of accounting and compensating for surface roughness, resulting in increased accuracy in refractive index measurements. Other capabilities include an enhanced simultaneous multilayer measurement algorithm for higher throughput and a new etch-to-clear algorithm for production environments. A new optical design for the illumination source offers a minimum of 3000 hours of uninterrupted performance. Tencor Instruments, Mountain View, CA; ph 415/969-6767, fax 415/968-9482, URL http://www.tencor.com.