An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Li Ma, Jun-Feng Song, Eric P. Whitenton, Theodore V. Vorburger, J Zhou, A Zheng
A bullet signature measurement system based on a stylus instrument was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the signature measurements of NIST Rm (Reference Material) 8240 standard bullets. The standard bullets are
The refractive index of helium at atmospheric pressure can be calculated from first principles with a very low uncertainty, on the order of 10^-10. Furthermore, the low refractive index of helium puts minimal demands on the pressure and temperature
John S. Villarrubia, Andras Vladar, Michael T. Postek
In a model-based library (MBL) approach to scanning electron microscope (SEM) linewidth measurement, a library of simulation results for a range of lineshapes is searched for a match to the measured image of the unknown line. Compared to standard
John D. Wright, Aaron N. Johnson, Michael R. Moldover, Gina M. Kline
This document provides a description of the 34 L and 677 L pressure, volume, temperature, and time (PVTt) primary gas flow standards operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Fluid Flow Group. These facilities are used to
Vibration Isolation or control is critical for the optimum operation of the Molecular Measuring Machine (M3), a high-resolution, length-metrology instrument at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This paper describes the extension of the M3
The refractive index of helium at atmospheric pressure can be determined from ab initio calculations in combination with careful pressure and temperature measurements. Therefore helium can serve as a theory-based standard of refractive index; it might be
Xun W. Xu, H Wang, Jian Mao, S T. Newman, Thomas Kramer, Frederick M. Proctor, John L. Michaloski
Since the first generation of NC machine tool was developed in 1950s, there have been many developments, which make today's NC machines completely unrecognisable from their early ancestors. These developments however are now being significantly limited by
M P. Davidson, M R. Bishop, Robert D. Larrabee, Michael T. Stocker, Jay S. Jun, Egon Marx, Richard M. Silver, Ravikiran Attota
Two types of overlay targets have been designed and evaluated for the study of optical overlay metrology. They are in-chip and arrayed overlay targets. In-chip targets are three-bar two-level targets designed to be placed in or near the active device area
Andras Vladar, Crossley E. Jayewardene, Bradley N. Damazo, William J. Keery, Michael T. Postek
The development of a very fast, very accurate laser stage measurement system facilitates a new method to enhance the image and line scan resolution of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). This method, allows for fast signal intensity and displacement
International SEMATECH (ISMT and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are working together to improve the traceability of AFM dimensional metrology in semiconductor manufacturing. Due to the unique metrology requirements and the rapid
The past two decades have witnessed the development of many CAPP (Computer-Aided Process Planning) systems. From variant process planning to generative process planning, great progress has been made. However, due to the complexity of the problems involved
Xuezeng Zhao, Joseph Fu, Wei Chu, C Nguyen, Theodore V. Vorburger
Nano-scale linewidth measurements are performed in semiconductor manufacturing, the data storage industry, and micro-mechanical engineering. It is well known that the interaction of probe and sample affects the measurement accuracy of linewidth
B Bunday, M R. Bishop, D Mccormack, John S. Villarrubia, Andras Vladar, Theodore V. Vorburger, Ndubuisi George Orji, J Allgair
The measurement of line-edge roughness (LER) has recently become a topic of concern in the litho-metrology community and the semiconductor industry as a whole. The Advanced Metrology Advisory Group (AMAG), a council composed of the chief metrologists from
John S. Villarrubia, Andras Vladar, B Bunday, M R. Bishop
The widths of 284 lines in a 193 nm resist were measured by two methods and the results compared. One method was scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of cross-sections. The other was a model-based library (MBL) approach in which top-down CD-SEM line scans of
Ravikiran Attota, Richard M. Silver, M R. Bishop, Egon Marx, Jay S. Jun, Michael T. Stocker, M P. Davidson, Robert D. Larrabee
Two types of overlay targets have been designed and evaluated for the study of optical overlay metrology. They are in-chip and arrayed overlay targets. In-chip targets are three-bar two-level targets designed to be placed in or near the active device area
Richard M. Silver, Ravikiran Attota, M R. Bishop, Jay S. Jun, Egon Marx, M P. Davidson, Robert D. Larrabee
Optical methods are often thought to lose their effectiveness as a metrology tool beyond the Rayleigh criterion. However, using advanced modeling methods, the conventional resolution limitations encountered in well-defined edge-to-edge measurements using
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is currently developing a photomask linewidth standard (SRM 2059) with a lower expected uncertainty of calibration than the previous NIST standards (SRMs 473, 475, 476). In calibrating these
Jack A. Stone Jr., M Amer, Bryon S. Faust, Jay H. Zimmerman
We have studied a number of effects that can give rise to errors in small-angle measurement systems when they are used to calibrate artifacts such as optical polygons. Of these sources of uncertainty, the most difficult to quantify are errors associated
Critical Dimension (CD) control begins at the photomask. Therefore, photomask metrology is a principal enabler for the development and manufacture of current and future generations of semiconductor devices. With the potential of 100, 65 and 45 nanometer
Critical Dimension (CD) control begins at the photomask. Therefore, photomask metrology is a principal enabler for the development and manufacture of current and future generations of semiconductor devices. With the potential of 100, 65 and 45 nanometer
Michael T. Postek, Andras Vladar, Marylyn H. Bennett
Photomask dimensional metrology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has not evolved as rapidly as the metrology of resists and integrated circuit features on wafers. This has been due partly to the 4x (or 5x) reduction in the optical steppers and
Michael T. Postek, Andras Vladar, Marylyn H. Bennett, T Rice, R Knowles
Binary and phase-shifting chromium on quartz optical photomasks have been successfully investigated with high-pressure/environmental scanning electron microscopy. The successful application of this methodology to semiconductor photomask metrology is new
This is the fifth in a series introducing the activity model in the Unified Modeling Language, version 2 (UML 2), and how it integrates with the action model. The first article gives an overview of activities and actions, while the next three cover actions
Estimating the shape and size of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip before scanning is often necessary for the correct interpretation of the STM data. This is particularly essential when using the STM as a metrology tool. It is common among