System and method for monitoring status of target

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021072163-A1
Application number	US-202017024420-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Mar 18, 2018
Publication date	Mar 11, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A monitoring system and method are presented for use in monitoring a target. The monitoring system comprises: an input utility for receiving input data comprising measured data indicative of optical response of the target measured under predetermined conditions and comprising phase data indicative of a two-dimensional profile of full phase of the optical response of the target in a predetermined two-dimensional parametric space including a two-dimensional range in which said target exhibits phase singularity; an analyzer module for processing said measured data and extracting at least one phase singularity signature of the target characterizing the target status, the phase singularity signature being formed by a number N of phase singularity points, each corresponding to a condition that the physical phase continuously accumulates a nonzero integer multiple m of 2π around said point.

First claim

1 . A monitoring system for use in monitoring a target, said monitoring system being configured for data communication with a measured data provider and comprising:
an input utility for receiving input data comprising measured data indicative of optical response of the target measured under predetermined conditions, the measured data comprising phase data indicative of a two-dimensional profile of full phase of the optical response of the target in a predetermined two-dimensional parametric space including a two-dimensional range in which said target exhibits phase singularity; an analyzer module configured and operable for processing said measured data and extracting at least one phase singularity signature of the target characterizing the target status, the phase singularity signature being formed by a number N of phase singularity points, each corresponding to a condition that the physical phase continuously accumulates a nonzero integer multiple m of 2π around said point; and an output utility configured and operable to generate output data indicative of said at least one phase singularity signature of the target characterizing the status of the target.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , comprising a mapping module configured and operable to receive the measured data and generate map data comprising phase data indicative of the profile of said full phase of the optical response of the target in said two-dimensional parametric space.

3 . The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a modeling module configured and operable for applying a model based processing to said data indicative of the at least one phase singularity signature and generating data indicative of the status of the target, thereby providing a direct measure of one or more parameters associated with at least one of the target and environment in a vicinity of the target.

4 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein said measurements in the two-dimensional range of the two-dimensional parametric space and detection of the optical response of the target include at least one of the following: measurements using spectro-angular space of multiple wavelengths and angles of incidence of illumination; measurements using spectro-thickness space of multiple wavelengths of illumination and varying thickness of the target; measurements using angular-thickness space of multiple angles of incidence of illumination and varying thickness of the target; measurements using angular-angular space for a single wavelength or a wavelength band of illumination and detection of the optical response in a pupil plane.

5 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the mapping module is configured and operable to generate the full phase profile of the optical response of the target within a 2π range.

6 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the analyzer module is configured and operable to process numeric phase representation of the measured physical phase over the angular-spectral parametric space, to identify first order (|m|=1) and higher order (|m|≥2) phase singularity points.

7 . The system according to claim 6 , wherein the analyzer module determines said condition that the physical phase continuously accumulates the nonzero integer multiple of 2π.

8 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein data indicative of the status of the target comprises at least one of the following: effective refractive index data associated with at least one property of at least one of the target and environment in a vicinity of the target; data indicative of a change in one or more structural parameters of the target caused by one or more processes being applied to the target; data indicative of a change in one or more properties of the target caused by one or more environmental conditions in the vicinity of the target; data indicative of a change in one or more conditions of the target caused by interaction of the target with foreign substances.

9 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein data indicative of the status of the target comprises effective refractive index data associated with at least one property of at least one of the target and environment in a vicinity of the target, said effective refractive index data being indicative of at least one of the following: refractive index; refractive index change; one or more properties of the target and/or environment in the vicinity of the target being in a relation with the refractive index or refractive index change.

10 . The system according to claim 1 , configured for data communication with at least one of the following: a measurement system performing one or more measurement sessions on the target and providing said measured data; a storage device where said measured data is stored.

11 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the measurement system comprises an optical system configured and operable for illuminating the target under predetermined conditions defined by the two-dimensional parametric space, and a detector device for detecting the optical response of the target, and generating said measured data.

12 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein said measurement system is configured and operable in at least one of a scan mode and a snapshot mode.

13 . A measurement system for use in monitoring status of a target, the measurement system comprising: an optical system configured for performing one or more measurements on the target of the type including at least one of ellipsometric, polarimetric, and interferometric measurements using illumination with multiple different wavelengths of incident light and multiple different angles of incidence, a detection system for detecting one or more optical responses of the target to said illumination and generating measured data indicative of a profile of a full phase of the optical response of the target in an angular-wavelength parametric space; and a control system configured as the monitoring system according to claim 1 .

14 . The measurement system according to claim 13 , wherein said optical system is configured and operable to perform measurements in the two-dimensional range of the two-dimensional parametric space and detection of the optical response of the target including at least one of the following: measurements using spectro-angular space of multiple wavelengths and angles of incidence of illumination; measurements using spectro-thickness space of multiple wavelengths of illumination and varying thickness of the target; measurements using angular-thickness space of multiple angles of incidence of illumination and varying thickness of the target; measurements using angular-angular space for a single wavelength or a wavelength band of illumination and detection of the optical response in a pupil plane.

15 . A sensing system for identifying one or more predetermined substances, said sensing system comprising a sensing unit comprising one or more targets, each target being configured to exhibit phase singularity at a predetermined two-dimensional range of a respective two-dimensional parametric space and having a surface configured for interacting with said one or more substances; and the measurement system of claim 13 .

16 . The sensing system according to claim 15 , wherein the optical system of the measurement system is configured and operable to perform measurements in the two-dimensional range of the two-dimensional parametric space and detection of the optical response of the target including at least one of the following: measurements using spectro-angular space of multiple wavelengths and angles of incidence of illumination; measur

Assignees

• Technion Res & Dev Foundation

Inventors

• Simkhovich Boris
• Rosenblatt Gilad
• Orenstein Meir

Classifications

• G01N21/41

  Refractivity; Phase-affecting properties, e.g. optical path length (G01N21/21 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/211 Primary

  Ellipsometry (optical thickness measurement G01B11/06) · CPC title

• G01N2021/215

  Brewster incidence arrangement · CPC title

• G01N21/554 Primary

  detecting the surface plasmon resonance of nanostructured metals, e.g. localised surface plasmon resonance · CPC title

• G01N21/8851 Primary

  Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges (G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002) · CPC title