Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention is a technique of, and a system and sensor for measuring, inspecting, characterizing and/or evaluating optical lithographic equipment, methods, and/or materials used therewith, for example, photomasks. In one embodiment, the system, sensor and technique measures, collects and/or detects an aerial image produced or generated by the interaction between the photomask and lithographic equipment. An image sensor unit may measure, collect, sense and/or detect the aerial image in situ—that is, the aerial image at the wafer plane produced, in part, by a product-type photomask (i.e., a wafer having integrated circuits formed during the integrated circuit fabrication process) and/or by associated lithographic equipment used, or to be used, to manufacture of integrated circuits.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention is a technique of, and a system and sensor for sensing an aerial image produced by, for example, optical lithographic equipment used in semiconductor fabrication. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a negative electron affinity photo-electron emission device for projecting the aerial image thereon. In response, the photo-electron emission device emits electrons with a very tight energy spread in a pattern corresponding to the light intensity distribution produced by the aerial image. Electron optics is provided for guiding and projecting the electrons to form an enlarged pattern of the pattern in which the electrons are emitted. A sensing unit senses the enlarged pattern and supplies it to a device for capturing and digitizing the enlarged pattern to obtain therefrom a digitized aerial image. The resolution increase is achieved through the enlargement of the pattern by the electron optics.

Abstract: A semiconductor source of emission electrons which uses a target of a wide bandgap semiconductor having a target thickness measured from an illumination surface to an emission surface. The semiconductor source is equipped with an arrangement for producing and directing a beam of seed electrons at the illumination surface and a mechanism for controlling the energy of the seed electrons such that the energy of the seed electrons is sufficient to generate electron-hole pairs in the target. A fraction of these electron-hole pairs supply the emission electrons. Furthermore, the target thickness and the energy of the seed electrons are optimized such that the emission electrons at the emission surface are substantially thermalized. The emission of electrons is further facilitated by generating negative electron affinity at the emission surface. The source of the invention can take advantage of diamond, AlN, BN, Ga1−yAlyN and (AlN)x(SiC)1−x, wherein 0≦y≦1 and 0.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program products detect a position of a new alignment mark on a substrate by producing an alignment signal model from sample alignment signals and fitting the new alignment signal to the alignment signal model. The alignment signal model may be produced from the multiple sample alignment signals using singular value decomposition, based on subspace decomposition of the alignment signals. By producing an alignment signal model from multiple sample alignment signals, asymmetries in the sample alignment marks and/or in the coatings that are fabricated on the sample alignment marks, may be taken into account when detecting the position of a new alignment mark.

Abstract: An electron beam system provides low aberration, 10 nm resolution at 100 eV landing energy. The system comprises a lens unit ?46! having a built-in semiconductor junction detector ?58!. The detector surrounds the sample-side of a focusing electrode ?48! just upstream from a retarding electrode ?50! which is positioned less than a millimeter from the sample ?34!. Because the detector is within a few millimeters of the sample, it provides efficient detection of secondary electrons from the sample. The retarding electrode decreases the energies of the primary beam ?22! from 10 keV to less than 100 eV, reduces distortions due to sample surface topography, and serves to accelerate secondary electrons back toward the detector, further improving detection efficiency.

Abstract: Thin film masks with precisely located and positioned features are manufactured using a methodology herein called quantum lithography. A thin film layer, such as a chromium film, is deposited on a substrate such as quartz glass. Then, a set of precisely located dividing lines is defined in the thin film layer. The dividing lines are spaced in accordance with a predefined coordinate system and intersect so as to define tiles between the dividing lines. An electron beam pattern generator may be used to generate a large number of identical masks having a thin film with precisely located dividing lines. These masks will each be customized by subsequent processing steps. Each such mask is customized by selectively identifying a subset of the tiles and removing the selected subset of tiles to form a mask pattern in the thin film layer.