Critical-dimension grazing-incidence small angle X-Ray scattering: applications and development (Conference Presentation)

As the lithographically manufactured nanostructures are shrinking in size, conventional techniques, such as microscopies (SEM, AFM) reach their resolution limits. We have developed a high-performance Grazing Incidence SAXS simulation tool to reconstruct the in-depth profile highly ordered material such as line gratings [1, 2]. Here, we will present the latest development and applications of the technique using x-rays to characterize line gratings and contact holes. Specifically, we will show how the CD-GISAXS approach has been extended to extract the in-depth profile dispersion of the lines, leading to a quantification of the line edge roughness. Finally, by introducing a recent study which harnessed the chemical sensitivity provided by soft x-ray scattering to extract latent image profiles from resists [3], we highlight new applications for this technique with high potential.