IP Library Granted Patent US 12,584,733
Granted Patent B2
US 12,584,733 · App. 18/230,613 · Granted Mar 24, 2026

Thin film thickness adjustments for three-dimensional interferometric measurements

Inventors: Nachum Yoav (Yavne, IL); Yulia Lovsky (Yavne, IL); Ronen Levy (Yavne, IL)
G01B11/2441G01B9/02029G01B9/0207G01B9/02075G01B9/02079G01B11/06G01N21/9501G01B2210/56
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,584,733
App. No.
18/230,613
Granted
Mar 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A 3D surface map of a workpiece is determined using an interferometric quantitative phase imaging technique. The workpiece includes a transparent thin film or layers stack. The 3D surface map is corrected based on a thickness and a refractive index of the transparent thin film or layers stack. This technique can be used with an inspection system configured to perform an interferometric quantitative phase imaging.

Claims (29)

1 . A system comprising:

a stage configured to hold a workpiece;

an inspection system configured to perform an interferometric quantitative phase imaging; and

a processor in electronic communication with the inspection system, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a 3D surface map that includes height information in a 2D arrangement from a phase map, wherein the workpiece includes a transparent thin film or layers stack near or on a feature, and wherein the phase map is generated from phase imaging data; and

correct at least one value in the height information of the 3D surface map based on a thickness and a complex refractive index of the transparent thin film or layers stack.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the feature is a bump, a micro-bump, a pillar, a metal-nail, an electronic device, or a transparent feature.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, flat panel, printed circuit board, or glass substrate.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further including a reflectometer configured to measure the thickness and the refractive index.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the correcting uses a phase shift correction.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the transparent thin film or layers stack technique uses only one wavelength, dual wavelength, or multi-wavelength illumination.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the interferometric quantitative phase imaging uses coherent illumination, non-coherent illumination, or partially-coherent illumination.

8 . A method comprising:

determining a 3D surface map of a workpiece using an interferometric quantitative phase imaging technique, wherein the workpiece includes a transparent thin film or layers stack near or on a feature, and wherein the 3D surface map includes height information in a 2D arrangement;

measuring a thickness and a refractive index using a reflectometer; and

correcting, using a processor, at least one value in the height information of the 3D surface map based on the thickness and the refractive index of the transparent thin film or layers stack.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the feature is a bump, a micro-bump, a pillar, a metal-nail, an electronic device, or a transparent feature.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, flat panel, printed circuit board, or glass substrate.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the correcting uses a phase shift correction.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the transparent thin film or layers stack technique uses only one wavelength, dual wavelength, or multi-wavelength illumination.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the interferometric quantitative phase imaging uses coherent illumination, non-coherent illumination, or partially-coherent illumination.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the thickness is based on a measured phase difference between two points on the workpiece.

15 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the refractive index has a real part and an imaginary part.

16 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising one or more programs for executing the following steps on one or more computing devices comprising:

determining a 3D surface map of a workpiece from data generated using an interferometric quantitative phase imaging technique, wherein the workpiece includes a transparent thin film or layers stack near or on a feature, and wherein the 3D surface map includes height information in a 2D arrangement;

correcting at least one value in the height information of the 3D surface map based on a thickness and a refractive index of the transparent thin film or layers stack.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the feature is a bump, a micro-bump, a pillar, a metal-nail, an electronic device, or a transparent feature.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer, flat panel, printed circuit board, or glass substrate.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the correcting uses a phase shift correction.

Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250044073A1 · Feb 6, 2025
References Cited (22)
US 6304330B1 · Millerd et al. · 2001 [cited by applicant]
US 6956658B2 · Meeks et al. · 2005 [cited by applicant]
US 7324210B2 · De Groot et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 9147102B2 · Koren et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 10541164B2 · Cheng et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10830709B2 · Smith · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20040080757A1 · Stanke · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20090021723A1 · De Lega · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20140093986A1 · Popescu · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20180195855A1 · Liu · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20200357704A1 · Schaefer · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210247328A1 · Nam · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210285893A1 · Okuzono et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220011088A1 · Boulanger · 2022 [cited by examiner]
CN 111664802A · 2020 [cited by examiner]
JP 7083695B2 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022013703A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
Ku, Yi-Sha et al. “Metrology for Measuring Bumps in a Projection Layer Based on Phase Shifting Fringe Projection”. Applied Sciences 2022, 12(2), 898. (Year: 2022). [cited by examiner]
Zhou, Renjie et al. “Semiconductor defect metrology using laser-based quantitative phase imaging”. Quantitative Phase Imaging, Proc. of SPIE vol. 9336, 2015. (Year: 2015). [cited by examiner]
Ku et al., Metrology for Measuring Bumps in a Protection Layer Based on Phase Shifting Fringe Projection, Applied Sciences, 2022, 12, 898. [cited by applicant]
Balak, Improving the Accuracy of Bump Height and Coplanarity Measurement, Semiconductor Digest, https://sst.semiconductor-digest.com/2016/12/improving-the-accuracy-of-bump-height-and-coplanarity-measurement/, retrieved … [cited by applicant]
Kim et al., Thickness Measurement of a Transparent Thin Film Using Phase Change in White-Light Phase-Shift Interferometry, Current Optics & Photonics, Oct. 2017, vol. 1, No. 5, 505-513. [cited by applicant]