Dual-Probe CD-AFM Calibration

Xidex proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of calibrating a critical-dimension atomic force microscope (CD-AFM) without the use of a reference artifact in such a way that high-precision critical dimensions can be generated independently of changes in probe tip shape (including the effects of tip wear), presence of the surface force uncertainties, and the stage uncertainties. The proposed calibration method relies on a tip-to-tip based calibration with a dual-probe CD-AFM architecture. The proposed calibration method adopts an alternative approach that rejects model-dependence in favor of an entirely new dual-scanning-probe NanoCaliperTM architecture that is virtually model-independent. The prospect of removing the major sources of uncertainty in scanning probe tools provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate a revolutionary new breed of CD-AFM tool that paves the way for scanning probe measurements that are both precise (i.e., highly repeatable) and accurate (i.e., traceable to reference artifacts). Results of the proposed Phase 1 SBIR research will enable us to quantify the achievable repeatability of a tip-to-tip calibration procedure. Once fully demonstrated, this calibration procedure will be used with the NanoCaliperTM CD-AFM commercial tool we are currently developing.