Nanoscale grating characterization using EUV scatterometry and soft x-ray scattering with plasma and synchrotron radiation.

Modern semiconductor structures reach sizes in the nanometer regime. Optical metrology characterizes test structures for the quality assessment of semiconductor fabrication. The limits of radiation to resolve nanometer structure sizes can be overcome by shortening the wavelength.

Characterization of nanoscale gratings by spectroscopic reflectometry in the extreme ultraviolet with a stand-alone setup.

The authors present a study on the dimensional characterization of nanoscale line gratings by spectroscopic reflectometry in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range (5 nm to 20 nm wavelength). The investigated grating parameters include the line height, the line width, the sidewall angle and corner radii. The study demonstrates that the utilization of shorter wavelengths in state-of-the-art optical scatterometry provides a high sensitivity with respect to the geometrical dimensions of nanoscale gratings.