Grating pitch measurements with the molecular measuring machine

John Kramar; Jau-Shi Jay Jun; William B. Penzes; Fredric Scire; E. Clayton Teague; John S. Villarrubia

doi:10.1117/12.371144

30 November 1999 Grating pitch measurements with the molecular measuring machine

John Kramar, Jau-Shi Jay Jun, William B. Penzes, Fredric Scire, E. Clayton Teague, John S. Villarrubia

Proceedings Volume 3806, Recent Advances in Metrology, Characterization, and Standards for Optical Digital Data Disks; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371144
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

At the National Institute of Standards and Technology, we are building a metrology instrument called the Molecular Measuring Machine (M³) with the goal of performing nanometer- accuracy two-dimensional feature placement measurements over a 50 mm by 50 mm area. The instrument uses a scanning tunneling microscope to probe the surface and an interferometer system to measure the lateral probe movement, both having sub-nanometer resolution. The continuous vertical measurement range is 5 micrometer, and up to 2 mm can be covered by stitching overlapping ranges. The instrument includes temperature control with millikelvin stability, an ultra-high vacuum environment with a base pressure below 10^-5 Pa, and seismic and acoustic vibration isolation. Pitch measurements were performed on gratings made by holographic exposure of photoresist and on gratings made by laser-focused atomic deposition of Cr. The line pitch for these gratings ranged from 200 nm to 400 nm with an estimated standard uncertainty of the average pitch of 25 X 10^-6. This fractional uncertainty is derived from an analysis of the sources of uncertainty for a 1 mm point-to- point measurement, including the effects of alignment, Abbe offset, motion cross-coupling, and temperature variations. These grating pitch measurements are uniquely accomplished on M³ because of the combination of probe resolution and long-range interferometer-controlled stage. This instrument could uniquely address certain dimensional metrology needs in the data storage industry.

Citation Download Citation

John Kramar, Jau-Shi Jay Jun, William B. Penzes, Fredric Scire, E. Clayton Teague, and John S. Villarrubia "Grating pitch measurements with the molecular measuring machine", Proc. SPIE 3806, Recent Advances in Metrology, Characterization, and Standards for Optical Digital Data Disks, (30 November 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371144

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available