A pattern according to an embodiment includes first and second line patterns, each of the first and second line patterns extends in a direction intersecting a <111> direction and has a side surface, the side surface has at least one {111} crystal plane, the side surface of the first line pattern has a first roughness, and the side surface of the second line pattern has a second roughness larger than the first roughness.

A dynamic misregistration measurement amelioration method including taking at least one misregistration measurement at multiple sites on a first semiconductor device wafer, which is selected from a batch of semiconductor device wafers intended to be identical, analyzing each of the misregistration measurements, using data from the analysis of each of the misregistration measurements to determine ameliorated misregistration measurement parameters at each one of the multiple sites, thereafter ameliorating misregistration metrology tool setup for ameliorated misregistration measurement at the each one of the multiple sites, thereby generating an ameliorated misregistration metrology tool setup and thereafter measuring misregistration at multiple sites on a second semiconductor device wafer, which is selected from the batch of semiconductor device wafers intended to be identical, using the ameliorated misregistration metrology tool setup.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus. The apparatus according to the present disclosure comprises: at least one first light source configured to irradiate illumination light to an object on a reference surface; at least one second light source configured to irradiate pattern light to the object, a plurality of cameras configured to capture one or more illumination images and one or more pattern images; and one or more processors configured to determine a plurality of outlines indicating edges of the object based on two or more images captured in different directions among the one or more illumination images and the one or more pattern images; determine a virtual plane corresponding to an upper surface of the object based on the plurality of outlines; and determine an angle between the virtual plane and the reference plane.

An optical measurement apparatus includes a light source unit generating and outputting light, a polarized light generating unit generating polarized light from the light, an optical system generating a pupil image of a measurement target, using the polarized light, a self-interference generating unit generating multiple beams that are split from the pupil image, and a detecting unit detecting a self-interference image generated by interference of the multiple beams with each other.

Methods and systems for measurement of wafer tilt and overlay are described herein. In some embodiments, the measurements are based on the value of an asymmetry response metric and known wafer statistics. Spectral measurements are performed at two different azimuth angles, preferably separated by one hundred eighty degrees. A sub-range of wavelengths is selected with significant signal sensitivity to wafer tilt or overlay. An asymmetry response metric is determined based on a difference between the spectral signals measured at the two different azimuth angles within the selected sub-range of wavelengths. The value of the asymmetry response metric is mapped to an estimated value of wafer tilt or overlay. In some other embodiments, the measurement of wafer tilt or overlay is based on a trained measurement model. Training data may be programmed or determined based on one or more asymmetry response metrics at two different azimuth angles.

The present disclosure relates to a dimension measuring device that shortens a time required for dimension measurement and eliminates errors caused by an operator. A dimension measuring device that measures a dimension of a measurement target using an input image is provided, in which a first image in which each region of the input image is labeled by region is generated by machine learning, an intermediate image including a marker indicating each region of the first image is generated based on the generated first image, a second image in which each region of the input image is labeled by region is generated based on the input image and the generated intermediate image, coordinates of a boundary line between adjacent regions are obtained by using the generated second image, coordinates of a feature point that defines a dimension condition of the measurement target are obtained by using the obtained coordinates of the boundary line, and the dimension of the measurement target is measured by using the obtained coordinates of the feature point.

A measuring head (1; 1a) for a tactile coordinate measuring device (22), in particular an exclusively tactile coordinate measuring device, which has several sensor devices (3, 5; 3a, 5a) for determining at least one measured value at least at one measuring point (15). Advantageously, a first sensor device (3; 3a) comprises a tactile sensor and a second sensor device (5; 5a) comprises an optical detecting means (19), wherein both sensor devices (3, 5; 3a, 5a) can be connected to the tactile coordinate measuring device (22) by a single connecting section (9; 9a). Advantageously, an existing tactile coordinate measuring device can be converted into a multi-sensor coordinate measuring device without structural modifications. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for measuring a workpiece with a tactile coordinate measuring device and a coordinate measuring device.

In a dark-field metrology method using a small target, a characteristic of an image of the target, obtained using a single diffraction order, is determined by fitting a combination fit function to the measured image. The combination fit function includes terms selected to represent aspects of the physical sensor and the target. Some coefficients of the combination fit function are determined based on parameters of the measurement process and/or target. In an embodiment the combination fit function includes jinc functions representing the point spread function of a pupil stop in the imaging system.

The invention relates to a method for measuring a multilayered substrate (1, 1′, 1″), particularly with at least one structure (7, 7′, 7″, 7′″, 7.sup.IV, 7.sup.V) with critical dimensions, particularly with a surface structure (7, 7′, 7″, 7′″, 7.sup.IV, 7.sup.V) with critical dimensions, characterized in that the method has at least the following steps, particularly the following procedure:

producing (110) the substrate (1, 1′, 1″) with a plurality of layers (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6′, 6″), particularly with a structure (7, 7′, 7″, 7′″, 7.sup.IV, 7.sup.V), particularly with a structure (7, 7′, 7″, 7″′, 7.sup.IV, 7.sup.V) on a surface (6o, 6′o, 6″o) of an uppermost layer (6, 6′, 6″), wherein the dimensions of the layers and in particular the structures are known,

measuring (120) the substrate (1, 1′, 1″), and in particular the structure (7, 7′, 7″, 7′″, 71.sup.IV, 7.sup.V)) using at least one measuring technology,

creating (130) a simulation of the substrate using the measurement results from the measurement of the substrate (1, 1′, 1″),

comparing (140) the measurement results with simulation results from the simulation of the substrate (1, 1′, 1″),

optimizing the simulation (130) and renewed creation (130) of a simulation of the substrate using the measurement results from the measurement of the substrate (1, 1′, 1″), in the event that there is a deviation of the measurement results from the simulation results, or calculating (150) parameters of further substrates, in the event that the measurement results correspond to the simulation results.

A method of improving axial resolution of interferometric measurements of a 3D feature of a sample may comprise illuminating the feature using a first limited number of successively different wavelengths of light at a time; generating an image of at least the 3D feature based on intensities of light reflected from the feature at each of the successively different wavelengths of light; measuring a fringe pattern of intensity values for each corresponding pixel of the generated images; resampling the measured fringe patterns as k-space interferograms; estimating interference fringe patterns for a spectral range that is longer than available from the generated images using the k-space interferograms; appending the estimated interference fringe patterns to the respective measured fringe patterns; and measuring the height or depth of the 3D feature using the measured interference fringe patterns and appended estimated fringe patterns.