Surface profile measuring apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8947674-B2
Application number	US-201313794884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2013
Priority date	Apr 23, 2012
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

A surface profile measuring apparatus includes a reflection unit to reflect a reference beam diffracted by a first diffraction grating and cause the reflected reference beam to be incident on the first diffraction grating again, a detection unit to receive an interference beam in which the reference beam diffracted again by the first diffraction grating and a measuring beam reflected by a sample surface optically interfere with each other, and detect an interference intensity signal for each, wavelength in the interference beans, a shifting unit to shift the first diffraction grating in a direction perpendicular to a grating groove direction of the first diffraction grating, a calculation unit to calculates a phase on a basis of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength varying with a degree of shift, and a measurement unit to measure the sample surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A surface profile measuring apparatus comprising:
a light source operable to emit a light beam having a plurality of wavelengths;
a splitter unit operable to split the light beam into a reference beam and a measuring beam;
a first diffraction grating operable to diffract the reference beam;
a reflection unit operable to reflect the reference beam diffracted by the first diffraction grating and cause the reflected reference beam to be incident on the first diffraction grating again;
a detection unit operable to receive an interference beam in which the reference beam, which is incident again on the first diffraction grating and diffracted by the first diffraction grating, and the measuring beam, which is reflected by a sample surface, optically interfere with each other, and operable to detect an interference intensity signal for each wavelength in the interference beam;
a plurality of parallel grating grooves provided in a surface of the first diffraction grating;
a shifting unit operable to shift the first diffraction grating in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of parallel grating grooves in the first diffraction grating surface;
a calculation unit operable to calculate a phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength in the interference beam on a basis of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength varying with a degree of shift of the first diffraction grating caused by the shifting unit; and
a measurement unit operable to measure the sample surface on a basis of the phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength.

2. A surface profile measuring apparatus comprising:
a light source operable to emit a light beam having a plurality of wavelengths;
a splitter unit operable to split the light beam into a reference beam and a measuring beam;
a first diffraction grating operable to diffract the reference beam;
a second diffraction grating operable to diffract the reference beam diffracted by the first diffraction grating and cause the diffracted reference beam to be incident on the first diffraction grating again;
a detection unit operable to receive an interference beam in which the reference beam, which is incident again on the first diffraction grating and diffracted again by the first diffraction grating, and the measuring beam, which is reflected by a sample surface, optically interfere with each other, and operable to detect an interference intensity signal for each wavelength in the interference beam;
a plurality of parallel grating grooves provided in a surface of the second diffraction grating;
a shifting unit operable to shift the second diffraction grating in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of parallel grating grooves in the second diffaction grating surface;
a calculation unit operable to calculate a phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength in the interference beam on a basis of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength varying with a degree of shift of the second diffraction grating caused by the shifting unit; and
a measurement unit operable to measure the sample surface on a basis of the phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength.

3. The surface profile measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first cylindrical lens operable to focus the measuring beam to form a first focus spot of a linear shape parallel to a first direction on the sample surface;
a third diffraction grating located in an optical path of the interference beam and having grating grooves parallel to the first direction; and
a second cylindrical lens operable to focus the interference beam diffracted by the third diffraction grating to form a second focus spot of a linear shape parallel to the first direction on the detection unit.

4. The surface profile measuring apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first direction is a longitudinal direction of the first focus spot.

5. A surface profile measuring method comprising:
emitting a light beam having a plurality of wavelengths;
splitting the light beam into a reference beam to enter a first diffraction grating and a measuring beam to enter a sample surface, wherein a plurality of parallel grating grooves are provided in a surface of the first diffraction grating;
reflecting the reference beam diffracted by the first diffraction grating and causing the reflected reference beam to be diffracted again by the first diffraction grating;
detecting an interference intensity signal for each wavelength in an interference beam through the use of a detection unit by receiving the interference beam in which the reference beam diffracted again by the first diffraction grating and the measuring beam reflected by the sample surface optically interfere with each other;
shifting the first diffraction grating in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of parallel grating grooves in the first diffraction grating surface;
calculating a phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength in the interference beam on a basis of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength varying with a degree of shift of the first diffraction grating performed by the shifting; and
measuring the sample surface on a basis of the phase of the interference intensity signal for each wavelength.

6. The surface profile measuring method according to claim 5 , wherein the measuring beam is focused on a first focus spot of a linear shape parallel to a first direction and is incident on the sample surface, and
wherein the interference beam is diffracted by a third diffraction grating having grating grooves parallel to the first direction, is focused on a second focus spot of a linear shape parallel to the first direction, and is then incident on the detection unit.

7. The surface profile measuring method according to claim 6 , wherein the first direction is a longitudinal direction of the first focus spot.

8. The surface profile measuring apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first cylindrical lens operable to focus the measuring beam to form a first focus spot of a linear shape parallel to a first direction on the sample surface;
a third diffraction grating located in an optical path of the interference beam and having grating grooves parallel to the first direction; and
a second cylindrical lens operable to focus the interference beam diffracted by the third diffraction grating to form a second focus spot of a linear shape parallel to the first direction on the detection unit.

9. The surface profile measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a thickness correcting plate disposed either between the beam splitter and the sample surface or between the beam splitter and the first diffraction grating;
wherein the thickness correcting plate has a same thickness as the beam splitter.

10. The surface profile measuring apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a thickness correcting plate disposed either between the beam splitter and the sample surface or between the beam splitter and the first diffraction grating;
wherein the thickness correcting plate has a same thickness as the beam splitter.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fukui Atsushi
• Oikaze Hirotoshi

Classifications

• G01B9/02015 Primary

  characterised by the beam path configuration · CPC title

• G01B11/2441 Primary

  using interferometry · CPC title