Method and system for measuring in patterned structures

1. A method for use in controlling at least one parameter of a patterned structure characterizing a patterning process applied to the structure, the method comprising:

(i) providing calibration data indicative of a merit function characterizing optical measurements in a patterned structure as a function of values of a certain parameter of the pattern including at least one value of the merit function below a certain threshold and at least one value of the merit function above said certain threshold;

(ii) applying the optical measurements to at least one test patterned structure and determining a merit function, wherein the test patterned structure is characterized by a value of said certain parameter of the pattern intentionally increased by a predetermined value above a natural value of said certain parameter induced by a patterning process by which said pattern is produced on the test patterned structure;

(iii) analyzing the determined merit function and the calibration data and determining said natural parameter value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one certain parameter comprises at least one of a line edge roughness and a line width.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said providing of the calibration data comprises:

preparing at least one calibration test structure characterized by a value of said certain parameter of the pattern intentionally increased by a predetermined value above a natural value of said certain parameter induced by a patterning process by which said pattern in the calibration test structure is produced;

applying an engineering measurement tool to said at least one calibration test structure and measuring said certain parameter;

applying said optical measurements to said at least one calibration test structure, determining the merit function, and determining the calibration data in the form of the merit function and corresponding values of the measured parameter.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said engineering tool comprises at least one of scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said optical measurements comprise optical critical dimension (OCD) measurements.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the OCD measurement comprises at least one of normal incidence scatterometry, polarized normal incidence scatterometry.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein said providing of the calibration data comprises preparing a plurality of the calibration test structures comprising at least two calibration test structures differing from one another in said intentionally increased value of the certain parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said plurality of the calibration test structures comprises a calibration test structure with no intentional increase of said certain parameter.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the preparation of the at least one calibration test structure comprises modeling an effect of the intentional increase of the certain pattern parameter and estimating an optimal range for said values of the intentional increase of the certain parameter.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said certain parameter used for modeling is a randomly varying line edge roughness.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein an effect of said certain parameter onto the merit function is substantially orthogonal to effects of all other parameters of the structure onto the merit function.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said certain parameter is a fixed parameter for an optical model used for determination of the merit function.

13. The method of claim 1 , comprising applying the optical measurements to a patterned area in a sample to be controlled and determining a merit function corresponding to a natural value of said certain parameter of the pattern resulting form the patterning process applied to the patterned area.

14. A method for use in controlling a patterning process applied to a sample to create a patterned structure, the method comprising:

(i) providing calibration data indicative of a merit function characterizing optical measurements in a patterned structure as a function of values of a certain parameter of the pattern including at least one value of the merit function below a certain threshold and at least one value of the merit function above said certain threshold;

(ii) applying the optical measurements to at least one test patterned structure and determining a merit function, wherein the test patterned structure is characterized by a value of said certain parameter of the pattern intentionally increased by a predetermined value above a natural value of said certain parameter induced by a patterning process by which said pattern is produced on the test patterned structure;

(iii) analyzing the determined merit function and the calibration data and determining said natural parameter value.

15. A method for use in controlling a patterning process applied to a sample to create a patterned structure, the method comprising:

(i) providing calibration data indicative of a merit function characterizing optical measurements in a patterned structure as a function of values of a line edge roughness including at least one value of the merit function below a certain threshold and at least one value of the merit function above said certain threshold;

(ii) applying the optical measurements to at least one test patterned structure and determining a merit function, wherein the test patterned structure is characterized by a value of said line edge roughness intentionally increased by a predetermined value above a natural value of said line edge roughness induced by the patterning process;

(iii) analyzing the determined merit function and the calibration data and determining said natural value of the line edge roughness.