Fiber probes image subresolution lithography mask features, say H. M. Marchman and others at AT&T

Fiber probes image subresolution lithography mask features, say H. M. Marchman and others at AT&T Bell Laboratories (Murray Hill, NJ) in a report on nanometer-scale metrology for quarter-micron lithography. As the feature size in lithography decreases, metrology equipment for the masks and reticles is strained to kee¥up. Scanning electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes can nondestructively image x-ray masks. The researchers suggest the use of novel fiberoptic probes to image features smaller than 0.5 µm on phase-shift masks used with optical lithography. (J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, Nov./Dec. 1994)