Overlay metrology by pupil phase analysis

1. A method for measuring overlay utilizing pupil phase information, comprising:

measuring a first phase distribution across a pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a first overlay target of a semiconductor wafer, wherein the first overlay target is fabricated to have a first intentional overlay;

measuring a second phase distribution across the pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a second overlay target of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the second overlay target is fabricated to have a second intentional overlay, wherein the second intentional overlay is along a direction opposite to the first intentional overlay, wherein the first intentional overlay and the second intentional overlay have substantially the same magnitude;

determining a first phase tilt associated with a sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution;

determining a second phase tilt associated with a difference between the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution;

calibrating a set of phase tilt data utilizing the determined second phase tilt and the magnitude of the first and second intentional overlay; and

determining a test overlay value associated with the first overlay target and the second overlay target by comparing the first phase tilt to the calibrated set of phase tilt data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first phase distribution or the second phase distribution comprises:

a two-dimensional phase image.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution or the difference between the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution is performed via a phase analysis algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution or the difference between the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution is performed optically.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement of the first distribution from the first overlay target and the measurement of the second distribution from the second overlay target are performed substantially simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the illumination reflected from the first overlay target and the illumination reflected from the second overlay target comprises at least one of narrow band illumination or broad band illumination.

7. A method for measuring overlay utilizing pupil phase information, comprising:

measuring a first phase distribution across a pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a first overlay target of a semiconductor wafer, wherein the first overlay target is fabricated to have a first intentional overlay having a selected magnitude along a selected direction;

measuring a second phase distribution across the pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a second overlay target of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the second overlay target is fabricated to have a second intentional overlay, wherein the second intentional overlay is along a direction opposite to the first intentional overlay, wherein the first intentional overlay and the second intentional overlay have substantially the same magnitude;

measuring a third phase distribution across the pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a third overlay target of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the third overlay target is fabricated to have zero intentional overlay;

determining a first phase tilt associated with a sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution;

determining at least one of a second phase tilt or a third phase tilt, wherein the second phase tilt is associated with a difference between the first phase distribution and the third phase distribution and the third phase tilt is associated with a difference between the third phase distribution and the second phase distribution;

calibrating a set of phase tilt data utilizing at least one of the second phase tilt or the third phase tilt and the magnitude of the first intentional overlay and the second intentional overlay; and

determining one or more test overlay values associated with the first overlay target, the second overlay target, and the third overlay target by comparing the first phase tilt to the calibrated set of phase tilt data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first phase distribution, the second phase distribution, or the third phase distribution comprises:

a two-dimensional phase image.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution, the difference between the first phase distribution and the third phase distribution, or the difference between the third phase distribution and the second phase distribution is performed via a phase analysis algorithm.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution, the difference between the first phase distribution and the third phase distribution, or the difference between the third phase distribution and the second phase distribution is performed optically.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the calibrating a set of phase tilt data utilizing at least one of the second phase tilt or the third phase tilt comprises:

calibrating a set of phase tilt data utilizing a statistical merging of the second phase tilt or the third phase tilt.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the measurement of the first distribution from the first overlay target, the measurement of the second distribution from the second overlay target, and the measurement of the third distribution from the third overlay target are performed substantially simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the illumination reflected from the first overlay target, the illumination reflected from the second overlay target, and the illumination reflected from the third overlay target comprises at least one of narrow band illumination or broad band illumination.

14. A system for measuring overlay utilizing pupil phase information, comprising:

a phase based metrology system configured to:

measure a first phase distribution across a pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a first overlay target of a semiconductor wafer, wherein the first overlay target is fabricated to have a first intentional overlay; and

measure a second phase distribution across the pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from a second overlay target of the semiconductor wafer, wherein the second overlay target is fabricated to have a second intentional overlay, wherein the second intentional overlay is along a direction opposite to the first intentional overlay, wherein the first intentional overlay and the second intentional overlay have substantially the same magnitude; and

one or more computer systems configured to:

determine a first phase tilt associated with a sum of the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution;

determine a second phase tilt associated with a difference between the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution; and

calibrate a set of phase tilt data utilizing the determined second phase tilt; and

determine a test overlay value associated with the first overlay target and the second overlay target utilizing by comparing the first phase tilt to the calibrated set of phase tilt data.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system is configured to measure a first distribution from the first overlay target and the second distribution from the second overlay target substantially simultaneously.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system is configured to optically sum the first phase distribution and the second phase distribution and optically subtract the second phase distribution from the first phase distribution.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the illumination reflected from the first overlay target and the illumination reflected from the second overlay target comprises at least one of narrow band illumination or broad band illumination.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system includes one or more wave-front sensors.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system includes at least one of a spherical mirror or a holographic mirror.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system is configured as a two-beam interferometric optical system.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the phase based metrology system is configured to measure at least one additional phase distribution across the pupil plane of a portion of illumination reflected from at least one additional overlay target of the semiconductor wafer.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the pupil plane is divided into a plurality of symmetrical sections utilizing a spatially variable characteristic of the illumination reflected from the first overlay target or the second overlay target.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the spatially variable characteristic comprises at least one of polarization or wavelength.