Method for measuring a reflectivity of an object for measurement light and metrology system for carrying out the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422743-B2
Application number	US-202217721750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2022
Priority date	Oct 17, 2019
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

When measuring a reflectivity of an object for measurement light, initially the object and a reflectivity measurement apparatus are provided. The latter includes a measurement light source, an object holder for holding the object and a spatially resolving detector for capturing measurement light reflected by the object. A measurement light beam impinges on a section of the object within a field of view of the measurement apparatus. The reflected measurement light coming from the impinged-upon section of the object is captured. A surface area of the captured section is at most 50 μm×50 μm. The measurement is performed by the detector. Next, at least one reflectivity parameter of the object is determined on the basis of an intensity of the captured measurement light. The result is a measurement method and a metrology system operating therewith, whereby reflectivities in particular of very finely structured objects, such as lithography masks, can be measured with sufficient precision.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for measuring a reflectivity of an object, embodied in the form of a structured lithography mask or as an unstructured mask blank, for measurement light, the method comprising the following steps:
providing the object,
providing a reflectivity measurement apparatus,
having a measurement light source,
having an object holder for holding the object,
having a spatially resolving detector for capturing measurement light reflected by the object in the object holder,

impingement of a measurement light beam on a section of the object within a field of view of the measurement apparatus,
capturing the reflected measurement light coming from the impinged-upon section of the object, wherein a surface area of the captured section is at most 50 μm×50 μm, with the detector,
determining at least one reflectivity parameter of the object on the basis of an intensity of the captured measurement light; and
determining an angle variation of the reflectivity by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light impinging on exactly one captured section of the object at different angles of incidence, by way of the spatially resolving detector.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a local variation of the reflectivity of the object by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light coming from exactly one captured section of the object by way of the spatially resolving detector.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a variation of the reflectivity over a surface section of the object that is larger than the field of view of the measurement apparatus by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light coming from different sections of the object by way of the spatially resolving detector.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angle variation of the reflectivity is determined by sequential impingement on the exactly one captured section at different angles of incidence.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angle variation of the reflectivity is determined by simultaneous impingement on the exactly one captured section at different angles of incidence.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising normalizing a signal strength of the measurement light impinging on the object.

7. A metrology system for carrying out a method according to claim 1 , the metrology system comprising:
the measurement light source,
an illumination optical unit for illuminating the object to be measured, embodied as a structured lithography mask or an unstructured mask blank, with a specified illumination setting,
an imaging optical unit for transferring the measurement light reflected by a section of the object to be examined into a measurement plane, and
the spatially resolving detector, arranged in the measurement plane;

wherein the metrology system is configured to determine an angle variation of the reflectivity by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light impinging on exactly one captured section of the object at different angles of incidence, by way of the spatially resolving detector.

8. The metrology system of claim 7 , wherein the measurement light source is designed in the form of an EUV measurement light source.

9. The metrology system of claim 7 , comprising a pinhole stop as a constituent part of the illumination optical unit.

10. The metrology system of claim 7 , comprising a Bertrand optical unit in a measurement light beam path between the object and the spatially resolving detector.

11. The metrology system of claim 7 , comprising at least one energy sensor for determining a signal strength of the measurement light in a beam path before impingement on the object.

12. The metrology system of claim 7 in which the metrology system is configured to determine a local variation of the reflectivity of the object by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light coming from exactly one captured section of the object by way of the spatially resolving detector.

13. The metrology system of claim 7 in which the metrology system is configured to determine a variation of the reflectivity over a surface section of the object that is larger than the field of view of the measurement apparatus by comparing results of the capturing of the measurement light coming from different sections of the object by way of the spatially resolving detector.

14. The metrology system of claim 7 in which the metrology system is configured to determine the angle variation of the reflectivity by sequential impingement on the exactly one captured section at different angles of incidence.

15. The metrology system of claim 7 in which the metrology system is configured to determine the angle variation of the reflectivity by simultaneous impingement on the exactly one captured section at different angles of incidence.

16. The metrology system of claim 7 in which the metrology system is configured to normalize a signal strength of the measurement light impinging on the object.

17. The metrology system of claim 8 , comprising a Bertrand optical unit in a measurement light beam path between the object and the spatially resolving detector.

18. The metrology system of claim 8 , comprising at least one energy sensor for determining a signal strength of the measurement light in a beam path before impingement on the object.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Smt Gmbh

Inventors

• Capelli Renzo
• Koch Markus
• Hellweg Dirk
• Pauls Walter
• Kersteen Grizelda
• Gwosch Klaus

Classifications

• G03F7/70616

  Monitoring the printed patterns · CPC title

• G01N21/33 Primary

  using ultraviolet light (G01N21/39 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/55 Primary

  Specular reflectivity · CPC title

• G01N2021/95676

  Masks, reticles, shadow masks · CPC title

• G03F7/70608

  Monitoring the unpatterned workpiece, e.g. measuring thickness, reflectivity or effects of immersion liquid on resist · CPC title