Polarization of Light Scattered by Particles on Silicon Wafers

Published

January 1, 1999

Author(s)

Li Piin Sung, George W. Mulholland, Thomas Germer

Abstract

Bidirectional ellipsometry has been developed as a technique for distinguishing among various scattering features near surfaces.Employi Employing incident light with fixed polarization, the technique measures the principal angle of polarization and the degree of linear Polariza polarization of light scattered into directions out of the plane of incidence. This technique has been successfully applied to distinguish Betweeb between subsurface defects and microroughness. Theoretical models have predicted that the polarization of light scattered by particles should a should also be different than that scattered by subsurface defects and microroughness. In this paper, experimental results will be presented which show good agreement with these models for a range of sizes of polystyrene latex spheres on silicon wafers. The results demonstrate that the that the polarization of light scattered by particles can be used to determine the size of particulate contaminants on silicon wafers and other smooth smooth surfaces. The model calculations, based on different degrees of approximation, demonstrate that the mean distance of a particle from the s is surface is the primary determinant of the scattered light polarization for small scattering angles.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings SPIE, Vol. 3619, entitled Surface Characterization for Computer Disks, Wafers, and Flat Panel Displays

Volume

3619

Conference Dates

January 23-29, 1999

Conference Location

Undefined

Conference Title

Surface Characterization for Computer Disks, Wafers, and Flat Panel Displays

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

bidirectional ellipsometry, particles, polarimetry, polystyrene latex spheres, scatter, surfaces

Citation

Sung, L. , Mulholland, G. and Germer, T. (1999), Polarization of Light Scattered by Particles on Silicon Wafers, Proceedings SPIE, Vol. 3619, entitled Surface Characterization for Computer Disks, Wafers, and Flat Panel Displays, Undefined (Accessed January 18, 2025)