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Search Publications by: Bryan Barnes (Fed)

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Displaying 51 - 68 of 68

Optical illumination optimization for patterned defect inspection

April 20, 2011
Author(s)
Bryan M. Barnes, Richard Quintanilha, Martin Y. Sohn, Hui Zhou, Richard M. Silver
Rapidly decreasing critical dimensions (CD) for semiconductor devices drive the study of improved methods for the detection of defects within patterned areas. As reduced CDs are being achieved through directional patterning, additional constraints and

Nested Uncertainties and Hybrid Metrology to Improve Measurement Accuracy

April 18, 2011
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Nien F. Zhang, Bryan M. Barnes, Hui Zhou, Jing Qin, Ronald G. Dixson
In this paper we present a method to combine measurement techniques that reduce uncertainties and improve measurement throughput. The approach has immediate utility when performing model-based optical critical dimension measurements. When modeling optical

Characterizing a Scatterfield Optical Platform for Semiconductor Metrology

December 21, 2010
Author(s)
Bryan M. Barnes, Ravikiran Attota, Richard Quintanilha, Martin Y. Sohn, Richard M. Silver
Scatterfield microscopy is the union of a high-magnification imaging platform and the angular and/or wavelength control of scatterometry at the sample surface. Scatterfield microscopy uses Köhler illumination, where each point on the source translates to a

Sub-50 nm measurements using a 193 nm angle-resolved scatterfield microscope

April 1, 2010
Author(s)
Richard Quintanilha, Martin Y. Sohn, Bryan M. Barnes, Richard M. Silver
Resist-on-silicon sub-50 nm targets have been investigated using a 193 nm angle-resolved scatter field microscope(ARSM). The illumination path of this microscope allows customization of the Conjugate Back Focal Plane (CBFP) while separate collection paths

The Limits and Extensibility of Optical Patterned Defect Inspection

April 1, 2010
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Bryan M. Barnes, Martin Y. Sohn, Richard Quintanilha, Hui Zhou, Chris Deeb, Mark Johnson, Milton Goodwin, Dilip Patel
New techniques recently developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology using bright field optical tools are applied to signal-based defect analysis of features with dimensions well below the measurement wavelength. A key to this approach

Traceability: The Key to Nanomanufacturing

December 30, 2009
Author(s)
Ndubuisi George Orji, Ronald G. Dixson, Bryan Barnes, Richard M. Silver
Over the last few years key advances have been made in the area of nanomanufacturing and nanofabrication. Several researchers have produced nanostructures using either top-down or bottom-up techniques, while other groups have functionalized such structures

Photomask metrology using a 193 nm scatterfield microscope

September 30, 2009
Author(s)
Richard Quintanilha, Bryan M. Barnes, Martin Y. Sohn, Lowell P. Howard, Richard M. Silver, James E. Potzick, Michael T. Stocker
The current photomask linewidth Standard Reference Material (SRM) supplied by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SRM 2059, is the fifth generation of such standards for mask metrology. The calibration of this mask has been usually

193 nm Angle-Resolved Scatterfield Microscope for Semiconductor Metrology

August 24, 2009
Author(s)
Martin Y. Sohn, Richard Quintanilha, Bryan M. Barnes, Richard M. Silver
An angle-resolved scatterfield microscope (ARSM( feating 193 nm excimer laser light wa developed for measuring critical dimension (CD) and overlay of nanoscale targets as used in semiconductor metrology. The microscope is designed to have a wide and

Angle-resolved Optical Metrology using Multi-Technique Nested Uncertainties

August 15, 2009
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Bryan M. Barnes, Hui Zhou, Nien F. Zhang, Ronald G. Dixson
This paper introduces recent advances in scatterfield microscopy using improved normalization and fitting procedures. Reduced measurement uncertainties are obtained through the use of more accurate normalization procedures in combination with better

Through-focus Scanning and Scatterfield Optical Methods for Advanced Overlay Target Analysis

September 1, 2008
Author(s)
Ravikiran Attota, Michael T. Stocker, Richard M. Silver, Nathanael A. Heckert, Hui Zhou, Richard J. Kasica, Lei Chen, Ronald G. Dixson, Ndubuisi G. Orji, Bryan M. Barnes, Peter Lipscomb
In this paper we present overlay measurement techniques that use small overlay targets for advanced semiconductor applications. We employ two different optical methods to measure overlay using modified conventional optical microscope platforms. They are

Optical Critical Dimension Measurement of Silicon Grating Targets Using Back Focal Plane Scatterfield Microscopy

January 2, 2008
Author(s)
Heather J. Patrick, Ravikiran Attota, Bryan M. Barnes, Thomas A. Germer, Michael T. Stocker, Richard M. Silver, Michael R. Bishop
We demonstrate optical critical dimension measurement of lines in silicon grating targets using back focal plane scatterfield microscopy. In this technique, angle-resolved diffraction signatures are obtained from grating targets by imaging the back focal

Extending the Limits of Image-Based Optical Metrology

June 20, 2007
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Bryan M. Barnes, Ravikiran Attota, Jay S. Jun, Michael T. Stocker, Egon Marx, Heather J. Patrick
We have developed a set of techniques, referred to as scatterfield microscopy, in which the illumination is engineered in combination with appropriately designed metrology targets. Previously we reported results from samples with sub-50 nm sized features

Zero-Order Imaging of Device-Sized Overlay Targets Using Scatterfield Microscopy

March 1, 2007
Author(s)
Bryan M. Barnes, Lowell P. Howard, P Lipscomb, Richard M. Silver
Patterns of lines and trenches with nominal linewidths of 50 nm have been proposed for use as an overlay target appropriate for placement inside the patterned wafer die. The NIST Scatterfield Targets feature groupings of eight lines and/or trenches which

Fundamental Limits of Optical Critical Dimension Metrology: A Simulation Study

January 1, 2007
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Thomas A. Germer, Ravikiran Attota, Bryan M. Barnes, B Bunday, J Allgair, Egon Marx, Jay S. Jun
This paper is a comprehensive summary and analysis of a SEMATECH funded project to study the limits of optical critical dimension scatterometry. The project was focused on two primary elements: 1) the comparison, stability, and validity of industry models

Illumination Optimization for Optical Semiconductor Metrology

September 1, 2006
Author(s)
Bryan M. Barnes, L Howard, Richard M. Silver
Uniform sample illumination via K hler illumination, is achieved by establishing a pair of conjugate focal planes; a light source is focused onto the condenser lens aperture while the image of the field aperture is focused at the plane of the specimen

Koehler Illumination for High-Resolution Optical Metrology

March 1, 2006
Author(s)
Martin Y. Sohn, Bryan M. Barnes, Lowell P. Howard, Richard M. Silver, Ravikiran Attota, Michael T. Stocker
Accurate preparation of illumination is critical for high-resolution optical metrology applications such as line width and overlay measurements. To improve the detailed evaluation and alignment of the illumination optics, we have separated Koehler

The Limits of Image-Based Optical Metrology

March 1, 2006
Author(s)
Richard M. Silver, Bryan M. Barnes, Ravikiran Attota, Jay S. Jun, James J. Filliben, Juan Soto, Michael T. Stocker, P Lipscomb, Egon Marx, Heather J. Patrick, Ronald G. Dixson, Robert D. Larrabee
An overview of the challenges encountered in imaging device-sized features using optical techniques recently developed in our laboratories is presented in this paper. We have developed a set of techniques we refer to as scatterfield microscopy which allows