Dynamic thin film interferometry is a technique used to non-invasively characterize the thickness of thin liquid films that are evolving in both space and time. Recovering the underlying thickness from the captured interferograms, unconditionally and automatically is still an open problem. A compact setup is provided employing a snapshot hyperspectral camera and the related algorithms for the automated determination of thickness profiles of dynamic thin liquid films. The technique is shown to recover film thickness profiles to within 100 nm of accuracy as compared to those profiles reconstructed through the manual color matching process. Characteristics and advantages of hyperspectral interferometry are discussed including the increased robustness against imaging noise as well as the ability to perform thickness reconstruction without considering the absolute light intensity information.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for a thickness and a profile of a multilayer thin film using a vibration insensitive interference method are provided, which allow measuring the phase of a measurement object by acquiring a plurality of different phase-shifted interference signal images at a time through interference signals between a reference flat and the measurement object by a polarizing beam splitter, a quarter-wave plate, a shutter and a pixelated polarizing camera, and which also allow measuring reflectance of the measurement object by acquiring a plurality of reflected signal images obtained at a time through respective reflected lights for each of a reference surface and the measurement object by a plurality of different polarizers.

There is provided a film thickness measurement method which measures a film thickness of a specific film to be measured in a multilayer film in situ in a film formation system that forms the multilayer film on a substrate, the method comprising: regarding a plurality of films located under the film to be measured as one underlayer film, measuring a film thickness of the underlayer film, and deriving an optical constant of the underlayer film by spectroscopic interferometry; and after the film to be measured is formed, deriving a film thickness of the film to be measured by spectroscopic interferometry using the film thickness and the optical constant of the underlayer film.

A method of measuring a surface of an optical element and an interferometric measuring device for measuring a surface or profile of the optical element. The optical element having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The method includes defining at least a first measurement point, a second measurement point and a third measurement point on a measurement surface of the optical element being one of the first surface and the second surface, measuring a first position of the first measurement point by directing a measurement beam from a measurement head onto the first measurement point and by detecting a measurement beam portion reflected at the first measurement point, subsequently measuring at least a second position of the second measurement point and a third position of the third measurement point by directing the measurement beam onto the second measurement point and onto the third measurement point and by detecting a measurement beam portion reflected at the second measurement point and the third measurement point, respectively, and determining at least one of a decenter and a tilt of the measurement surface relative to a reference axis on the basis of at least the first position, the second position and the third position.

A method for measuring height differences between tops of multiple bumps of an upper surface of a layer, the method may include performing first measurements of the height differences between the bumps and the corresponding areas, by illuminating the bumps and the corresponding areas with first radiation; wherein the first measurements are subjected to first measurement errors; and determining the height differences between the bumps and the corresponding areas based on the first measurements and the first measurements errors.

The present invention provides a method for the analysis of a tribofilm, said process comprising: a. obtaining an image of the tribofilm using a digital imaging device b. coding each pixel in the image according to the RGB colour of said pixel; c. assigning a tribofilm thickness to each pixel on the basis of the RGB colour of said pixel to produce a tribofilm thickness data point for each pixel; d. excluding all data points for parts of the image where the thickness of the tribofilm is zero or near-zero; and e. analysing the resultant individual tribofilm thickness data points.

Implementations disclosed describe, among other things, a system and a method of scanning a substrate with a beam of light and detecting for each of a set of locations of the substrate, a respective one of a set of intensity values associated with a beam of light reflected from (or transmitted through) the substrate. The detected intensity values are used to determine a profile of a thickness of the substrate.

A measuring unit of a measuring apparatus includes a light source that emits light in a predetermined wavelength region, a condenser lens that applies the light emitted by the light source, to a plate-shaped workpiece held by a chuck table, a collimating lens that forms return light reflected by the plate-shaped workpiece into parallel light, a transmission filter that transmits interference light of the return light formed into the parallel light, a sensor that has coordinates for receiving the interference light transmitted through the transmission filter and detecting light intensity, and a controller that determines a coordinate position at which the light intensity detected by the sensor is high, as the thickness or height of the plate-shaped workpiece.

A conveyance apparatus loads a pressing member to a planarization apparatus that forms a planarized film made of a material on a substrate by bringing a flat surface of the pressing member and the material on the substrate into contact with each other. The pressing member includes a first surface including the flat surface, and a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface. The conveyance apparatus comprises a determiner configured to perform determination as to whether a determination surface of the pressing member is the first surface or the second surface, and a controller configured to control the conveyance of the pressing member based on a result of the determination by the determiner.

A substrate inspection apparatus is disclosed. The substrate inspection apparatus includes: a first light source configured to radiate an ultraviolet light onto a coated film of a substrate, the coated film being mixed with fluorescent pigments; a first light detector configured to capture fluorescence generated from the coated film onto which the ultraviolet light is radiated, and to obtain a two-dimensional (2D) image of the substrate; a processor configured to derive one region among a plurality of regions of the substrate based on the 2D image; a second light source configured to radiate a laser light onto the one region; and a second light detector configured to obtain optical interference data generated from the one region by the laser light, wherein the processor is configured to derive a thickness of the coated film of the one region based on the optical interference data.