ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR NANO-SCALE MEASUREMENTS USING

NEAR-FIELD OPTICS

The objective of this project is to develop a nano-scale optical

measurement technology based on the near-field imaging
principle. The development is aimed to improve the performance
of the commercial SNOM systems for specific industrial
applications in the failure analysis of nano-electronics and this
would involve developing the nano-scale probe-sample sensing
and control, the near-field modelling, the near-field signal
detection, and the SNOM image processing. The technologies will
be integrated to deliver a SNOM system capable of 50nm spatial
resolution.

see fig in chrome- type nano processing

Solution
To achieve high quality nano-scale probe regulation, adaptive
control schemes are developed to overcome hysteresis and creep.
This method is able to identify the nonlinearities and compensate
them to a satisfactory level.
Near-field modelling will be investigated by a systematic
approach. The functional model of the near-field system is used
to explore the theoretical aspects of characterising the near-field.
The FDTD approach will be tailored to numerical analysis of near-
field modelling.
In near-field detection, homodyne and heterodyne approaches
are explored to extract the near-field signals. To remove the low
frequency noises such as drift resulting from the thermal effect
on fibres, active homodyne and heterodyne schemes are
developed.
To remove the noise effects in the SNOM images, adaptive 2D
filtering technologies are to be developed to deblur the images
from the distortions resulting from scanning motion. The near-
field model developed earlier will also be used to remove the
artefacts in the SNOM images.
Applications
There are four major application areas which use SNOM
measurements extensively: Semiconductor, data storage,
material science and life science. SNOM is used for failure
analysis and would lead to tremendous savings. For example, in a
typical semiconductor front-end fabrication unit, this can save
about US$1.5 million per day in yield gain.
1. SNOM in Semiconductor
In the semiconductor sector, older generation technologies were based on 200
mm wafers with typically 2 to 3 layers of about 0.25 microns feature sizes,
aluminum interconnects etc. The next generation technologies involve 300 mm
wafers, with 5 to 7 layers of feature sizes down to 0.045 um. Additionally,
copper interconnects and low-k dielectric films posed greater requirements on
the accuracy of failure analysis. This technological migration requires the
demand from conventional 2D metrology to 3D metrology to increase.
According to VLSI, the overall process diagnostic equipment growth rate till
2008 is around 15% annually, with a total market size of US$1.5 billion. The
profilometry market, a relatively small segment, with an estimated market size
will not exceed US$300 million by 2008.
2. SNOM in Data Storage
The data storage sector is not as vibrant as the semiconductor industry in term of
the technological transition. However, global consumers continue to drive strong
demand for smaller and faster data storage. The growth rate in this sector is 24%
 till 2008 (VLSI). This strong demand is due primarily to the expanded
application space of hard disk drives in MP3 players, digital video and storage
networks.
3. SNOM in Nanotechnology
World research funding in nanotechnology will increase at a double digit rate. It
was estimated by the Nano Business Alliance that world-wide research funding
in nanotech reached US$ 4 billion in 2004. Among the big spenders are Japan,
US, Europe and China.
4. SNOM in Life Sciences
SNOM applications in life sciences are yet to be popularised. Conventional
measurement tools used are scanning electron microscopes, and transmission
electron microscope. The unique capability of SNOM to reveal transparent top
layers will see wider applications of SNOM.
Problems Addressed
The objective of the project is to establish a core competence in
nano-scale measurements by using a SNOM system. To this end,
the following enabling technologies have been identified and are
to be developed in the project.
1. Nano-scale probe-sample separation sensing: this is the first
step to ensure proper probing of the near-field of optical
signals.
2. Nano-scale probe regulation using PZT: accurate regulation
requires a good automatic compensation control of the PZT
nonlinearities including hysteresis and creep which have been
identified as the key factors limiting the SNOM imaging quality.
3. Near-field modelling: as the near-field is formed by small
aperture and small separation, the near-field optical field
distribution depends on many parameters. Near-field modelling
is required to quantify the relationship between the
parameters.
4. Near-field signal detection: as the near field optical signals
decay very fast and are buried within significant background
light signals, they are too weak to be detected. This technology
is to detect the near-field signals from the noisy background.
5. Scanning near-field image formation and processing: as the
near-field is detected using a small aperture, the optical
properties over a large area are obtained by scanning the probe
over the area to form an image. The scanning motion causes
distortion to the SNOM image. Moreover, probe wear also
brings about artefacts in SNOM images. The technology is
developed to remove the distortion and artefacts.