Measurement of the thickness profile of a transparent thin film deposited upon a pattern structure with an acousto-optic tunable filter

A simultaneous volumetric thickness-profile measurement method based on an acousto-optic tunable filter for transparent film deposited upon pattern structures is described. The nondestructive thickness profilometer prevents the destruction of samples such as one encounters in using a scanning-electron microscope and provides good accuracy. The information on the volumetric thickness profile is obtained through least-squares fitting with a phase model, φ_model(k) = 2kh + ψ(k, d) + (offset), which has three unknowns: surface profile h, thickness d, and an indeterminate initial phase offset. Accurate phase information in the spectral domain can be obtained by introduction of the concept of spectral carrier frequency. Experimental results for a metal patterned sample show that the volumetric thickness profile can be determined within an error range of ∼10 nm.