Abstract
We rediscover the null ellipsometry principle for an outstanding image-contrast enhancement method for darkfield imaging. Simply by adding polarizers, compensators, and a photodiode sensor to a conventional darkfield imaging system and applying the null principle, Si nano-cylinder structures as small as D20nm (H20nm) on non-patterned wafer, and gap defects as small as 14.6nm and bridge defects as small as 21.9nm on 40nm line and 40nm space patterns (H40nm), which are invisible in conventional darkfield imaging, can be distinguished from scattered noise. To the best of our knowledge, no method has been successful for identifying such small non-metal (silicon) nanoscale objects with such low magnification (×20) optics.
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