Wave Front Phase Imaging (WFPI), a new wafer geometry technique, is presented, that acquires 7.65 million data points in 5 seconds on a full 300mm wafer providing lateral resolution of 96µm. The system has high repeatability with root-mean-square (RMS) standard deviation (σRMS) in the single digit nm for the global wafer geometry and in the sub ångström (Å = 10-10 m) range for the full-wafer nanotopography for both 200mm and 300mm blank silicon wafer. WFPI can collect data on the entire wafer to within a single pixel, in our case 96µm, away from the wafer edge roll off. The flatness of the silicon wafers used to manufacture integrated circuits (IC) is controlled to tight tolerances to help ensure that the full wafer is sufficiently flat for lithographic processing. Advanced lithographic patterning processes require a detailed map of the wafer shape to avoid overlay errors caused by depth-of-focus issues. We present WFPI as a new technique with high resolution and high data count acquired at very high speed.
Wave Front Phase Imaging (WFPI) is used to measure the stria on an artificial, transparent plate made of Schott N-BK7® glass material by accurately measuring the Optical Path Difference (OPD) map. WFPI is a new technique capable of reconstructing an accurate high resolution wave front phase map by capturing two intensity images at different propagation distances. An incoherent light source generated by a light emitting diode (LED) is collimated and transmitted through the sample. The resultant light beam carries the wave front information regarding the refraction index changes inside the sample1. Using this information, WFPI solves the Transport Intensity Equation (TIE) to obtain the wave front phase map. Topography of reflective surfaces can also be studied with a different arrangement where the collimated light beam is reflected and carrying the wave front phase, which again is proportional to the surface topography. Three Schott N-BK7® glass block samples were measured, each marked in which location the wave front phase measurement will be performed2. Although WFPI output is an OPD map, knowing the value of refractive index of the material at the wavelength used in the measurements will lead to also knowing the thickness variations of the plate.
The flatness of the silicon wafers used to manufacture integrated circuits (IC) is controlled to tight tolerances to help ensure that the full wafer is sufficiently flat for lithographic processing. Advanced lithographic patterning processes require a detailed map of the wafer shape to avoid overlay errors caused by depth-of-focus issues. A large variety of new materials are being introduced in Back-End of Lines (BEOL) to ensure innovative architecture for new applications. The standard in-line control plan for the BEOL layer deposition steps is based on film thickness and global stress measurements which can be performed on blanket wafers to check the process equipment performance. However, the challenge remains to ensure high performance metrology control for process equipment during high volume manufacturing. With the product tolerance getting tighter and tighter and architecture more and more complex, there is an increasing demand for knowledge of the wafer shape. In this paper we present Wave Front Phase Imaging (WFPI), a new wafer geometry technique, where 7.65 million data points were acquired in 5 seconds on a full 300mm wafer enabling a lateral resolution of 96μm.
We present a new wave front sensing technique based on detecting the propagating light waves. This allows the user to acquire millions of data points within the pupil of the human eye; a resolution several orders of magnitude higher than current industry standard ophthalmic devices. The first instrument was built and tested using standard calibration surfaces in addition to using an artificial eye. The paper then presents the first characterization of the optics of a real human eye measured using the newly developed high-resolution wave front phase sensing technique showing the complexity of the human eye’s ocular optics.
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