The OptiPrime-CD is an Ultra-High Resolution and Ultra-High Sensitivity Scatterometer with Thin Film Measurement Capabilities. The system utilizes Polarized Reflectance (Rs, Rp) data to determine the optical properties (n and k), and thicknesses of thin films and critical dimensions (depth, CDs, and profiles) of the structures being analyzed. This fully-automated system can be configured for various size wafers (300mm (12”), 200mm(8”), 150mm(6”)) for a large variety of semiconductor applications. Raw reflectance data is acquired over a wide wavelength range (190 – 1000 nm) with optimized signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in the capability of the OptiPrime-CD to characterize increasingly smaller features of current and next generation products. The n&k software combines the Forouhi-Bloomer(FB) equations and Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) to analyze the raw data. The Forouhi-Bloomer (FB) equations, derived from first principles of quantum physics, are universal equations describing the Refractive Index, n, and Extinction Coefficient, k, as functions of wavelength, λ, whereas RCWA determines optical critical dimensions. By combining FB and RCWA, very complex and complicated structures can be readily analyzed. Also available is the manual-load, and cost-effective counterpart of the OptiPrime-CD, the n&k OptiPrime-CD-M, utilizing the same optical configurations and analysis capabilities, but without the automatic loading system.
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