IP Library Granted Patent US 7,253,887
Granted Patent B2
US 7,253,887 · App. 11/343,717 · Granted Aug 7, 2007

Metrology system with spectroscopic ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurements

Assignee: Rudolph Technologies, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,253,887
App. No.
11/343,717
Granted
Aug 7, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, where the ellipsometer includes a laser light source for generating an incident beam, an element for focusing the incident beam on a sample, a unit for measuring the change in amplitude of the incident beam on reflection and a unit for measuring the phase difference of the incident beam on reflection. The system further includes an element to convert an input narrow spectrum beam generated by the laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample.

Claims (38)

1. A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, said ellipsometer comprising a laser light source for generating an incident beam, means for focusing said incident beam on a sample, means for measuring the change in amplitude of said incident beam on reflection and means for measuring the phase difference of said incident beam on reflection, further comprising means for converting an input narrow spectrum beam generated by said laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample, where a measurement is made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer, and where a result of the measurement is used to adjust a parameter of said photoacoustic system.

2. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam on a crystal.

3. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a photonic crystal optical fiber.

4. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a tapered single mode optical fiber.

5. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , where said ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurement system are both supplied laser light by said laser light source.

6. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are combined to provide an improved measurement result.

7. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , where measurements are made on a sample film stack having at least one transparent film and at least one opaque film, the measurements being made using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate thicknesses of the at least one transparent film and the at least one opaque film.

8. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 1 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate film thickness and the speed of sound in the film.

9. A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, said ellipsometer comprising a laser light source for generating an incident beam, means for focusing said incident beam on a sample, means for measuring the change in amplitude of said incident beam on reflection and means for measuring the phase difference of said incident beam on reflection, further comprising means for converting an input narrow spectrum beam generated by said laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample, where a measurement is made on a film of the sample using said photoacoustic system, and where a result of the measurement is used to adjust a parameter of said ellipsometer.

10. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam on a crystal.

11. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a photonic crystal optical fiber.

12. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a tapered single mode optical fiber.

13. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , where said ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurement system are both supplied laser light by said laser light source.

14. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are combined to provide an improved measurement result.

15. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , where measurements are made on a sample film stack having at least one transparent film and at least one opaque film, the measurements being made using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate thicknesses of the at least one transparent film and the at least one opaque film.

16. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 9 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate film thickness and the speed of sound in the film.

17. A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, said ellipsometer comprising a laser light source for generating an incident beam, means for focusing said incident beam on a sample, means for measuring the change in amplitude of said incident beam on reflection and means for measuring the phase difference of said incident beam on reflection, further comprising means for converting an input narrow spectrum beam generated by said laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample, where a measurement is made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer, and where a result if the measurement is used to determine an optical constant of the film used for calculating a thickness of the film using said photoacoustic system.

18. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam on a crystal.

19. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a photonic crystal optical fiber.

20. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , in which said means for converting includes a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a tapered single mode optical fiber.

21. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , where said ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurement system are both supplied laser light by said laser light source.

22. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are combined to provide an improved measurement result.

23. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , where measurements are made on a sample film stack having at least one transparent film and at least one opaque film, the measurements being made using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate thicknesses of the at least one transparent film and the at least one opaque film.

24. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 17 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate film thickness and the speed of sound in the film.

25. A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, said ellipsometer comprising a laser light source for generating an incident beam, an element to focus said incident beam on a sample, a unit to measure a change in amplitude of said incident beam on reflection and a unit to measure a phase difference of said incident beam on reflection, further comprising a converter to convert an input narrow spectrum beam generated by said laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample, where a measurement is made on a film of the sample using one of said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where a result of the measurement is used to adjust a parameter of the other one of the ellipsometer and photoacoustic system not used to make the measurement.

26. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a photonic crystal optical fiber.

27. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam on a crystal.

28. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a tapered single mode optical fiber.

29. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , where said ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurement system are both supplied laser light by said laser light source.

30. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are combined to provide an improved measurement result.

31. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 25 , where measurements are made on a sample film stack having at least one transparent film and at least one opaque film, the measurements being made using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate thicknesses of the at least one transparent film and the at least one opaque film.

32. A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, said ellipsometer comprising a laser light source for generating an incident beam, an element to focus said incident beam on a sample, a unit to measure a change in amplitude of said incident beam on reflection and a unit to measure a phase difference of said incident beam on reflection, further comprising a converter to convert an input narrow spectrum beam generated by said laser light source to a broadband sample measurement beam that is focused onto the sample, where a measurement is made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer, and where a result of the measurement is used to determine an optical constant of the film used for calculating a thickness of the film using said photoacoustic system.

33. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam on a crystal.

34. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a photonic crystal optical fiber.

35. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , in which said converter comprises a lens that focuses said input narrow spectrum beam into a tapered single mode optical fiber.

36. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , where said ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurement system are both supplied laser light by said laser light source.

37. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , where measurements are made on a film of the sample using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are combined to provide an improved measurement result.

38. The photoacoustic system with ellipsometer as in claim 32 , where measurements are made on a sample film stack having at least one transparent film and at least one opaque film, the measurements being made using said ellipsometer and said photoacoustic system, and where results of the measurements are used to calculate thicknesses of the at least one transparent film and the at least one opaque film.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2020
From: RUDOLPH TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: ONTO INNOVATION INC.
Reel/Frame 053117/0623 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 1019376900 · Jul 10, 2002
Provisional Application 6030612000 · Jul 17, 2001
Provisional Application 6030522700 · Jul 13, 2001
Related Publication 20060126057A1 · Jun 15, 2006