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Step-height Metrology for Data Storage Applications

Published

Author(s)

R Koning, Ronald G. Dixson, Joseph Fu, Thomas Brian Renegar, Theodore V. Vorburger, V W. Tsai, Michael T. Postek

Abstract

The measurement of bump heights and pit depth on compact discs (CD) with atomic force microscopes (AFMs) is quite different from the measurement of step heights on step height calibration standards. Both the bumps and the pits show much larger transition regimes and more structural irregularities. The irregularities disqualify the effective use of profile based algorithms, which minimize the influence of any remaining motion deviations of the scan apparatus, to determine the height. Therefore a histogram height algorithm has to be used. The results of the bump height and pit depth measurements varied about 20 nm over the different sample regions. The remaining approximately 30 nm difference between the average of the bump height and pit depth is believed to result from the sample preparation procedure. By itself, the large sample variation observed will result in rather large measurement uncertainties for the measurement of the average height and depth of these features, if the averaging does not include a large amount of data taken at many different sample positions.
Proceedings Title
Proceedings of SPIE, Recent Advances in Metrology, Characterization, and Standards for Optical Digital Data Disks, Fernando L. Podio, Editor
Volume
3806
Conference Dates
July 21, 1999
Conference Location
Denver, CO, USA
Conference Title
Optical Disk Testing Equipment and Testing Methodologies

Keywords

atomic force microscopy, compact disc, data storage, data versatile disc, metrology, step height

Citation

Koning, R. , Dixson, R. , Fu, J. , Renegar, T. , Vorburger, T. , Tsai, V. and Postek, M. (1999), Step-height Metrology for Data Storage Applications, Proceedings of SPIE, Recent Advances in Metrology, Characterization, and Standards for Optical Digital Data Disks, Fernando L. Podio, Editor, Denver, CO, USA (Accessed March 29, 2024)
Created October 31, 1999, Updated October 12, 2021