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Multi-laboratory Comparison of Traceable Atomic Force Microscope Measurements of 70 nm Grating Pitch

Published

Author(s)

Ronald G. Dixson, Donald Chernoff, Shihua Wang, Theodore V. Vorburger, Siew-Leng Tan, Ndubuisi G. Orji, Joseph Fu

Abstract

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Advanced Surface Microscopy (ASM), and the National Metrology Centre (NMC) of the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore have completed a three-way interlaboratory comparison of traceable pitch measurements using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The specimen being used for this comparison is provided by ASM and consists of SiO2 lines having a 70 nm pitch patterned on a silicon substrate. The calibrated atomic force microscope (C-AFM), an AFM with incorporated displacement inteferometry, was used by NIST to participate in this comparison. ASM used a commercially available AFM with an open-loop scanner, calibrated by a 144 nm pitch transfer standard. NMC/A*STAR used a large scanning range metrological atomic force microscope (LRM-AFM) with He-Ne laser displacement interferometry incorporated. All three participants have independently established traceability to the SI (Système International d’Unités, or International System of Units) meter. The results of this interlaboratory comparison are in agreement within their expanded uncertainties and at the level of a few parts in 10E4
Citation
Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS
Volume
10
Issue
1

Keywords

AFM, metrology, pitch, standards, calibration, traceability

Citation

Dixson, R. , Chernoff, D. , Wang, S. , Vorburger, T. , Tan, S. , Orji, N. and Fu, J. (2011), Multi-laboratory Comparison of Traceable Atomic Force Microscope Measurements of 70 nm Grating Pitch, Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=906777 (Accessed March 29, 2024)
Created March 8, 2011, Updated February 19, 2017