US 12,467,879 B2
Optical phase measurement method and system
Gilad Barak, Rehovot (IL); Danny Grossman, Herzliya (IL); Dror Shafir, Kiryat Ono (IL); Yoav Berlatzky, Kibbutz Beit Guvrin (IL); and Yanir Hainick, Tel-Aviv (IL)
Assigned to NOVA LTD., Rehovot (IL)
Filed by NOVA LTD., Rehovot (IL)
Filed on Mar. 4, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/595,292.
Application 18/595,292 is a continuation of application No. 17/303,723, filed on Jun. 6, 2021, abandoned.
Application 17/303,723 is a continuation of application No. 16/231,718, filed on Dec. 24, 2018, granted, now 11,029,258, issued on Jun. 8, 2021.
Application 16/231,718 is a continuation of application No. 15/300,768, granted, now 10,161,885, previously published as PCT/IL2015/050389, filed on Apr. 12, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/975,989, filed on Apr. 7, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2024/0361253 A1, Oct. 31, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 21/956 (2006.01); G01B 9/02001 (2022.01); G01B 9/02015 (2022.01); G01B 9/02055 (2022.01); G01B 9/0209 (2022.01); G01B 11/06 (2006.01); G01J 3/453 (2006.01); G01N 21/88 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 21/956 (2013.01) [G01B 9/02007 (2013.01); G01B 9/02032 (2013.01); G01B 9/02072 (2013.04); G01B 9/0209 (2013.01); G01B 11/0675 (2013.01); G01J 3/4535 (2013.01); G01N 21/8806 (2013.01); G01B 2210/56 (2013.01); G01B 2290/70 (2013.01); G01N 2021/8848 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A measurement system for use in measuring parameters of a patterned sample, the system comprising:
a broadband light source;
an optical system configured as an interferometric system;
a detection unit; and
a control unit;
wherein the interferometric system is configured to provide spectral phase retrieval, comprises a beam splitter, and defines illumination and detection channels having a sample arm and a reference arm comprising a reference reflector, and is configured for inducing an optical path difference between the sample and reference arms while maintaining a fixed distance between at least a portion of the reference reflector and the beam splitter;
the detection unit comprises a two dimensional sensor configured and operable for detecting a combined light beam formed by a light beam reflected from said reflector and a light beam reflected from a sample as a result of an illumination of the sample with a line of light, and generating measured data that comprises spectrograph data that is indicative of spectral interference pattern formed by at least two spectral interference signatures; and
said control unit is configured and operable for receiving the measured data and applying a model-based processing to the spectral interference pattern for determining one or more parameters of the pattern in the sample.