Method and system for optical metrology in patterned structures

1. An optical metrology method for use in determining one or more parameters of a patterned structure located on a semiconductor wafer on top of an underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, the method being carried out by a computer system comprising a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

obtaining first measured data PMD being a function ƒ of spectral intensity I λ and phase ϕ, PMD=ƒ(I λ ;ϕ), corresponding to a complex spectral response of the underneath layered structure to incident radiation;

performing optical measurements of the patterned structure when disposed above the underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, thereby obtaining second measured data S meas indicative of specular reflection spectral response to incident radiation from a sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure; and

determining measurements of physical characteristics of the patterned structure by analyzing, via the processor, the second measured data S meas to determine values for one or more parameters of the structure, wherein the parameters represent the physical characteristics of the structure, the analyzing comprising:

providing a general function F describing a relation between a theoretical optical response S theor of the sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure, a modeled optical response S model of the patterned structure, and the complex spectral response PMD of the underneath layered structure, such that S theor =F(S model ;PMD), and

utilizing, via the processor, the general function F(S model ;PMD) for comparing the second measured data S meas and the theoretical optical response S theor in a fitting procedure, and determining the one or more parameters of the patterned structure from the theoretical optical response S theor corresponding to a best fit condition between the second measured data and the theoretical optical response.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing a preliminary measurement session on the underneath layered structure and providing to the processor the first measured data PMD=ƒ(I λ ;ϕ) about the underneath layered structure prior to manufacturing the patterned structure on the semiconductor wafer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preliminary measurement session directly provides both the spectral intensity I λ and the phase ϕ data.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the preliminary measurement session comprises an interferometric measurement.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the preliminary measurement session provides direct measurement of the spectral intensity I λ , and provides for reconstructing the phase ϕ data.

6. The method of claim 5 , the preliminary measurement session comprises measurements with different polarization alignments for reconstructing the spectral phase ϕ data.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the phase is reconstructed using modeling spectral reflectivity of the underneath layered structure.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the spectral phase ϕ data is extracted from the reflectivity data by using a complex-functions processing of the reflectivity data.

9. An optical metrology system for determining one or more parameters of a patterned structure located on a semiconductor wafer on top of an underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, wherein the parameters represent physical characteristics of the patterned structure, the measurement system comprising a computer system comprising:

apparatus configured to

obtain first measured data PMD indicative of spectral intensity I λ and phase ϕ, PMD=ƒ(I λ ;ϕ), corresponding to a complex spectral response of the underneath layered structure, and

perform optical measurements of the patterned structure when disposed above the underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, thereby obtaining second measured data S meas indicative of specular reflection spectral response of a sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure; and

a data processor configured and operable to process the first and second measured data, the data processor configured and operable to execute:

a general function generator that generates a function F describing a relation between a theoretical optical response S theor of the sample formed by the patterned structure located on top of the underneath layered structure, and a modeled optical response S model of the patterned structure and the complex spectral response PMD of the underneath layered structure, such that S theor =ƒ(S model ;PMD); and

an analyzer module preprogrammed for determining measurements of the physical characteristics of the patterned structure by utilizing the general function and comparing the second measured data S meas and the theoretical optical response S theor in a fitting procedure, and determining values for one or more parameters of the patterned structure from the theoretical optical response S theor corresponding to a best fit condition between the second measured data and the theoretical optical response.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first measured data comprises the spectral intensity I λ and phase ϕ of the underneath layered structure.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first measured data comprises the spectral intensity I λ response of the underneath layered structure, and wherein the data processor comprises an extractor module for reconstructing the phase ϕ data from the spectral intensity I λ response.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus is a measurement unit configured for performing an interferometric measurement scheme.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus is a measurement unit configured for performing measurements with different polarization alignments.

14. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform an optical metrology method for use in determining one or more parameters of a patterned structure located on a semiconductor wafer on top of an underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, the method being carried out by a computer system, the computer system comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory, and the method comprising:

input data which comprises

obtaining first measured data PMD being a function ƒ of spectral intensity I λ and phase ϕ, PMD=ƒ(I λ ;ϕ), corresponding to a complex spectral response of the underneath layered structure to incident radiation;

performing optical measurements of the patterned structure when disposed above the underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, thereby obtaining second measured data S meas indicative of specular reflection spectral response to incident radiation from a sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure; and

determining measurements of physical characteristics of the patterned structure by analyzing, via the processor, the second measured data S meas to determine values for one or more parameters of the patterned structure, wherein the parameters represent the physical characteristics of the patterned structure, the analyzing comprising:

providing, via the processor, a general function F describing a relation between a theoretical optical response S theor of the sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure, a modeled optical response S model of the patterned structure, and the complex spectral response PMD of the underneath layered structure, such that S theor =F(S model ; PMD); and

utilizing, via the processor, the general function F(S model ;PMD) for comparing the second measured data S meas and the theoretical optical response S theor in a fitting procedure, and determining the one or more parameters of the patterned structure from the theoretical optical response S theor corresponding to a best fit condition between the second measured data and the theoretical optical response.

15. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, for use in determining one or more parameters of a patterned structure located on a semiconductor wafer on top of an underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, wherein the parameters represent physical characteristics of the structure, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for causing apparatus to

obtain first measured data PMD being a function ƒ of spectral intensity I λ and phase ϕ, PMD=ƒ(I λ ;ϕ), corresponding to a complex spectral response of the underneath layered structure to incident radiation, and

perform optical measurements of the patterned structure when disposed above the underneath layered structure on the semiconductor wafer, thereby obtaining second measured data S meas indicative of specular reflection spectral response to incident radiation from a sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure;

computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine measurements of the physical characteristics of the patterned structure by analyzing the second measured data S meas to determine values for one or more parameters of the patterned structure, the analyzing comprising: providing a general function F describing a relation between a theoretical optical response S theor of the sample formed by the patterned structure and the underneath layered structure, a modeled optical response S model of the patterned structure, and the complex spectral response PMD of the underneath layered structure, such that S theor =F(S model ; PMD); and

computer readable program code for causing the computer to utilize the general function F(S model ; PMD) and comparing the second measured data S meas and the theoretical optical response S theor in a fitting procedure, and determining the one or more parameters of the patterned structure from the theoretical optical response S theor corresponding to a best fit condition between the second measured data and the theoretical optical response.