Progress on CD-AFM tip width calibration standards

Ronald Dixson; Boon Ping Ng; Craig D. McGray; Ndubuisi G. Orji; Jon Geist

doi:10.1117/12.921597

14 May 2012 Progress on CD-AFM tip width calibration standards

Ronald Dixson, Boon Ping Ng, Craig D. McGray, Ndubuisi G. Orji, Jon Geist

Proceedings Volume 8378, Scanning Microscopies 2012: Advanced Microscopy Technologies for Defense, Homeland Security, Forensic, Life, Environmental, and Industrial Sciences; 83780B (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.921597
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a new generation of standards for calibration of CD-AFM tip width. These standards, known as single crystal critical dimension reference materials (SCCDRM) have features with near-vertical sidewalls. This is accomplished using preferential etching on (110) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. As such, these structures are particularly useful for CD-AFM tip width calibration. As part of a previous generation of SCCDRMs that was released to the Member Companies of SEMATECH, we were able to deliver structures with linewidths ranging from as low as 50 nm up to 240 nm. These typically had expanded uncertainties (k = 2) of between 1.5 nm and 2 nm. Subsequently, these chips were used as a traceable source of tip width calibration for CD-AFM by SEMATECH and several Member Companies. We are now working on a new generation of SCCDRMs with the goal of reducing linewidth expanded uncertainties, and we are using our new CD-AFM to support this development. The features are patterned using electron beam lithography with equipment available in the new nanofabrication facility within the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) at NIST. Intact features as small as 10 nm have been observed with line width roughness (LWR) sufficiently low to support 1 nm expanded uncertainties. We believe it will be possible to fabricate features as small as 5 nm, and we are now working to refine the fabrication process and to assess the limits of our approach.

Citation Download Citation

Ronald Dixson, Boon Ping Ng, Craig D. McGray, Ndubuisi G. Orji, and Jon Geist "Progress on CD-AFM tip width calibration standards", Proc. SPIE 8378, Scanning Microscopies 2012: Advanced Microscopy Technologies for Defense, Homeland Security, Forensic, Life, Environmental, and Industrial Sciences, 83780B (14 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.921597

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available