Abstract

Light scattering techniques have been widely applied for surface topography measurement, from the measurement of surface texture to the measurement of critical dimensions. With the growing demands from manufacturing industry, advanced light scattering techniques have been developed to address the challenges of fast, in-process, accurate and robust surface topography measurement. Numerous novel applications from industry have also raised different requirements. To meet these requirements, novel systems and algorithms have been developed which have integrated new hardware and software, as well as the fast-developing accelerated computational techniques. Applications for mechanical engineering and semiconductor manufacturing, such as scatterometers using extreme ultraviolet lithography technology, defect detection for optical and microstructured surfaces and monitoring of tool wear, have made use of the advantages of light scattering techniques. In addition, emerging technologies in artificial intelligence and hardware acceleration have been used for solving complex inverse scattering problems. This chapter reviews the novel designs of advanced systems and methods using light scattering approaches.