Apparatus and method for determining trench parameters

1. An apparatus comprising:

a peak detection unit configured to determine at least one peak parameter of a peak in a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off a sample that comprises trench structures; and

an evaluation unit configured to determine, from the at least one peak parameter and from an effective refractive index of the sample, a trench parameter of the trench structures; and

a step analyzer unit configured to determine an orientation of different steps in trench structures via the phase of the reflection spectrum, wherein different steps in the trench structures define trench sidewall sections that extend toward or away from an axial center of the trench structures in relation to other trench sidewall sections.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a transformation unit configured to determine, from a reflection spectrum of the infrared radiation reflected off the sample, the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

an analyzer unit configured to determine the reflection spectrum of the reflected infrared radiation reflected off the sample.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the analyzer unit is configured to determine reflection spectrum as one of a reflectance spectrum, an amplitude spectrum, a power spectrum, a phase change spectrum, an amplitude change spectrum and a power change spectrum.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a storage unit that stores correlation information describing a correlation between effective refractive indices of a plurality of different samples comprising trench structures and peak parameters in Fourier transformed reflection spectra assigned to the plurality of different samples;

wherein the evaluator unit is further configured to determine, from the correlation information, a correction value that contains information about the effective refractive index of the sample.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the peak detection unit is configured to assign a peak in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off the sample to a fragmented reflection plane corresponding to a bottom edge of the trench structures.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the evaluator unit is configured to evaluate the correction value using a model based fitting algorithm.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluator unit is configured to determine the trench parameter as an average trench depth of the trench structures based upon the effective refraction index and an optical path difference between portions of the reflected infrared radiation.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a peak detection unit configured to determine at least one peak parameter of a peak in a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off a sample that comprises trench structures; and

an evaluation unit configured to determine, from the at least one peak parameter and from an effective refractive index of the sample, a trench parameter of the trench structures as an average trench volume that is based upon a peak shift that results from different fill materials in the trench structures and from the refractive indices of the different fill materials.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a peak detection unit configured to determine at least one peak parameter of a peak in a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off a sample that comprises trench structures; and

an evaluation unit configured to determine, from the at least one peak parameter and from an effective refractive index of the sample, a trench parameter of the trench structures as an average trench volume expansion coefficient that is based upon a peak shift resulting from a volume expansion in the trench structures.

11. A metrology apparatus comprising:

an infrared radiation detection device configured to detect an infrared radiation reflected off a sample comprising trench structures;

an analyzing device configured to determine a reflection spectrum of the reflected infrared radiation;

a transformation device configured to determine, from the reflection spectrum, a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum;

a calculator device configured to determine, from a parameter of a peak in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum and from an effective refractive index of a section of the sample above a bottom edge of the trench structures, a trench parameter of the trench structures; and

a step analyzing device configured to determine an orientation of a step in the trench structures via the phase of the reflection spectrum, wherein the step in the trench structures defines a trench sidewall section that extends toward or away from an axial center of the trench structures in relation to other trench sidewall sections.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the calculator device is configured to determine, from a position of the peak, an optical path difference between portions of the reflected infrared radiation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:

a storage device that stores correlation information that links information about effective refractive indices of a plurality of different samples comprising trench structures to peak parameters in Fourier transformed reflection spectra assigned to the plurality of samples;

wherein the calculator device is further configured to determine, from the peak parameters and the correlation information, a correction value that contains information about the effective refractive index of the sample.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the analyzing device is configured to determine the reflection spectrum as one of a reflectance spectrum, an amplitude spectrum, a power spectrum, a phase change spectrum, an amplitude change spectrum and a power change spectrum.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the transformation device and the calculator device are integrated into a single processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the infrared radiation detection device is configured to measure the intensity and/or polarization state of infrared radiation reflected from the sample.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:

an infrared radiation emitting device configured to irradiate the sample with infrared radiation.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising:

a model-based fitting unit configured to compare and match trench parameter values determined from a model with trench parameter values that are determined by the calculator device.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the calculator device is configured to calculate the trench parameter as an average trench depth of the trench structures based upon the optical path difference and the correction value.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the calculator device is configured to calculate the trench parameter as an average trench volume of the trench structures based upon a peak shift resulting from different fill materials in the trench structures and from the refractive indices of the different fill materials.

21. A method of manufacturing integrated circuits, the method comprising:

forming trench structures in a substrate suitable for the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

performing a spectrometrologic method to determine the trench parameter of the trench structures, wherein the spectrometrologic method comprises:

determining a reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off a substrate that includes trench structures;

performing a Fourier transformation of the reflection spectrum to determine a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum;

evaluating a correlation of peak parameters in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum and a correction value containing information about an effective refractive index of a section of a sample above a bottom edge of the trench structures; and

evaluating at least one peak parameter of a peak in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum to determine, from the peak parameter and the correction value, a trench parameter of the trench structures;

wherein the trench parameter is an average trench volume of the trench structures that is determined by:

determining a first position of the peak with a first material with a first refractive index filling the trench structure;

filling the trench structures with a second material with a second refractive index which is different from the first refractive index; and

determining, from a resulting peak shift and from the first and second specific refractive index, the average trench volume.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

reworking or discarding the substrate when the trench parameter falls outside of a predetermined range.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the trench parameter is an average trench depth of the trench structures that is determined based upon an optical path difference and the effective refractive index, wherein the optical path difference is determined from the position of the peak between portions of the reflected infrared radiation.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the evaluating of the correlation of peak parameters in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum comprises:

determining a peak value of at least one calibration sample comprising trench structures; and

measuring an average trench depth of the trench structures of the at least one calibration sample via optical analysis methods.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the reflection spectrum is one of a reflectance spectrum, an amplitude spectrum, a power spectrum, a phase change spectrum, an amplitude change spectrum and a power change spectrum.

26. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

defining a starting model for a model-based fitting algorithm using the determined trench parameter.

27. A method of manufacturing integrated circuits, the method comprising:

forming trench structures in a substrate suitable for the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

performing a spectrometrologic method to determine the trench parameter of the trench structures, wherein the spectrometrologic method comprises:

determining a reflection spectrum of infrared radiation reflected off a substrate that includes trench structures;

performing a Fourier transformation of the reflection spectrum to determine a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum;

evaluating a correlation of peak parameters in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum and a correction value containing information about an effective refractive index of a section of a sample above a bottom edge of the trench structures; and

evaluating at least one peak parameter of a peak in the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum to determine, from the peak parameter and the correction value, a trench parameter of the trench structures;

wherein the trench parameter is an average trench volume difference and wherein the method further comprises:

determining a first position of the peak;

expanding the trench structures;

determining a second position of the peak;

determining, from the first and second position, a peak shift of the peak in the Fourier transformed spectrum;

determining, from the peak shift, a new effective refractive index of the substrate portion; and

calculating the average trench volume difference of the trench structures before and after expanding the trench structures from the new effective refractive index and the specific refractive indices of materials embedding the trench structures and materials filling the trench structures.

28. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-signal computer storage medium; and

a program code mechanism embedded in the non-signal computer storage medium and comprising a calculator code device configured to determine, from a parameter of a peak in a Fourier transformed reflection spectrum and an effective refractive index of a section of a sample comprising trench structures, a trench parameter of the trench structures as an average trench volume that is based upon a peak shift that results from different fill materials in the trench structures and from the refractive indices of the different fill materials.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 , further comprising:

a transformation code device configured to Fourier-transform a reflection spectrum of the reflected infrared radiation.

30. The computer program product of claim 28 , further comprising:

a correlation data device configured to store correlation information linking information about effective refractive indices of a plurality of samples comprising trench structures to peak parameters in Fourier transformed reflection spectra assigned to the plurality samples;

wherein the calculator code device is configured to determine, from the correlation information and from peak parameters of the Fourier transformed reflection spectrum, a correction value that contains information about the effective refractive index of the sample.

31. The computer program product of claim 30 , wherein the correlation information is embedded in the non-signal computer storage medium.