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.
Jon R. Pratt, Douglas T. Smith, David B. Newell, John A. Kramar, Eric P. Whitenton
Recent experiments with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Electrostatic Force Balance (EFB) have achieved agreement between an electrostatic force and a gravitational force of 10^(-5) N to within a few hundred pN/¿N. This result
Particle contamination of dielectric or conducting surfaces can be detected by shining light on the surface and looking for abnormal scattering distributions. This procedure can be simulated by computing the scattering distribution for a dielectric sphere
Accurate simulation of optical images of lines and trenches placed on semiconductors are of great interest to industry, especially in the overlay process. Similarly, optical images of photomasks in the transmission mode are also of interest. The basic
John S. Villarrubia, Andras Vladar, Michael T. Postek
Widths of developed 193 nm resist lines were measured by two methods and compared. One method was a new model-based library method. In this method the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images corresponding to various edge shapes are simulated in advance
Abstract: Technological trends are increasingly requiring dimensional metrology at size scales below a micrometer. Scanning probe microscopy has unique advantages in this size regime, but width and roughness measurements must be corrected for imaging
We investigate the influence of finite resolution on measurement uncertainty from a perspective of the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). Finite resolution in the presence of Gaussian noise yields a distribution of results that
Thomas B. Renegar, Theodore V. Vorburger, Son H. Bui
This paper presents the development of a virtual surface calibration database for parameter evaluation and algorithm verification. The database runs from a web site at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA. Companies, universities
H Kuramochi, F Perez-murano, John A. Dagata, H Yokoyama
Faradaic current during anodic oxidation is measured over a relative humidity range of 40¿70% using an atomic force microscope with humidity control. The level of detected current during the fabrication of oxide dots on H-passivated Si(001) is in the
Jack A. Stone Jr., M Amer, Bryon S. Faust, Jay H. Zimmerman
The highest accuracy method for angle measurement employed at NIST(National Institute of Standards and Technology) makes use of an automated stack of three indexing tables-- our Advanced Automated Master Angle Calibration System (AAMACS)-- in conjunction
We have characterized the accuracy of atmospheric wavelength tracking based on a laser servolocked to a simple Fabry-Peron cavity. The motivations are (1) to explore a method for air refractive index measurement and (2) to determine the stability and
Andras Vladar, Michael T. Postek, John S. Villarrubia
This study of SEM resolution is occasioned by concerns that it is no longer adequate for lithography process control in integrated circuit manufacturing. For example, according to the most recent International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, the in
The NIST M48 coordinate measuring machine (CMM) was used to measure the average diameter of two precision, silicon spheres of nominal diameter near 93.6 mm. A measurement technique was devised that took advantage of the specific strengths of the machine
Our customers usually measure mask features in order to make a business decision, such as whether or not to ship a mask to a customer. A simple cost/benefit model for mask CD metrology shows there is an optimum measurement uncertainty which will maximize
At the National Institute of Standards and Technology, our best capability for angle measurement is our Advanced Automated Master Angle Calibration System (AAMACS). This instrument is based on a triple-stack of indexing tables, used in conjunction with
These specifications and tolerances are recommended as minimum requirements for standards used by state and local weights and measures officials and others in verification of large capacity scales used in quantity determination of commmodities by means of
Ndubuisi G. Orji, Jayaraman Raja, Theodore V. Vorburger, Xiaohong Gu
Line edge roughness (LER) is a potential showstopper for the semiconductor industry. As the width of patterned line structures decreases, LER is becoming a non-negligible contributor to resist critical dimension (CD) variation. The International Technology
Ndubuisi G. Orji, Jayaraman Raja, Son H. Bui, Theodore V. Vorburger
One of the most important aspects of step height evaluation are the analysis algorithms used. There algorithms assume that the profiles and images being analyzed are ideal, but real step profiles are not ideal and the analysis algorithms can influence the
X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is being used to an increasing extent for the characterization of new gate-oxide materials, particularly for the determination of film composition, uniformity, and thickness. A key parameter for film-thickness
The indentation process of pressing a rockwell diamond indenter into inelastic material has been studied to provide a means for the analysis, simulation and prediction of Rockwell hardness tests. The geometrical characteristics of the spheroconical-shaped
Temperature measurement represents one of the most frequently and broadly used measurements, with a majority of products manufactured having temperature measurement devices as an esential component. The accuracy and precision of these temperature
Craig I. Schlenoff, Rajmohan Madhavan, Stephen B. Balakirsky
For an autonomous vehicle to navigate in real-time within a dynamic environment, it must be able to respond to moving objects. In particular, it must be able to predict, with appropriate levels of confidence, where those objects are expected to be at times
The purpose of this paper is to define standard methods for effective and efficient image-based dimensional metrology for microlithography applications in the manufacture of integrated circuits. This paper represents a consensual view of the co-authors
B Bunday, M R. Bishop, John S. Villarrubia, Andras Vladar
The measurement of line-edge roughness (LER) has recently become a major topic of concern in the litho-metrology community and the semiconductor industry as a whole, as addressed in the 2001 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS)