We develop new approaches to optical microscopy and electromagnetic modeling to enable improved metrology of nanoscale structures with dimensions more than an order of magnitude below traditional resolution limits. New applications and standards produced from these methods include defect inspection and critical dimension metrology for nanoelectronics.
Figure 1. Clean-room conditions for the NIST 193 nm Microscope allow scientists to measure state-of-the-art nanoscale features.
This project develops new approaches to optical microscopy based on a high magnification optical platform that samples the full 3-D scattered field. Both the semiconductor industry and the evolving nanomanufacturing sector are facing enormous challenges measuring nanometer scale features over large areas, needed for effective manufacturing process control of products that incorporate billions of nanoscale features. Optical microscopy is a high-throughput metrology methodology that provides a unique advantage since it is a high-bandwidth measurement method that is inherently parallel.
Measurements with sensitivity to features less than one-twentieth the wavelength can be made by analysis of scattered light profiles and the use of physics-based modeling. Extensive
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