Monte Carlo model for SEM linewidth metrology

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Abstract
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) can be used to measure the dimensions of the microlithographic features of integrated circuits. However, without a good model of the electron-beam/specimen interaction, accurate edge location cannot be obtained. A Monte Carlo code has been developed to model the interaction of an electron beam with a line lithographically produced on a multi-layer substrate. The purpose of the code is to enable one to extract the edge position of a line from SEM measurements. It is based on prior codes developed at NIST, but with a new formulation for the atomic scattering cross sections and the inclusion of a method to simulate edge roughness or rounding. The code is currently able to model the transmitted and backscattered electrons, and the results from the code have been applied to the analysis of electron transmission through a gold line on a thin silicon substrate, such as used in an x-ray lithographic mask.

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