Microscope for quantitative 3-D characterization of nano- and microstructured surfaces

所应用的设备应用于以非破坏性方式以高空间分辨率确定大面积的结构和表面轮廓。激光扫描、变焦和白光干涉三种互补方法的组合可在从纳米到毫米的大范围内提供精确的结构分析。获得的图像可以进行定量分析。可以精确分析且无失真的结构范围还包括具有高纵横比的结构。测量本身不包括探头与材料之间的强烈相互作用。此外，该方法不需要特定的甚至是破坏性的样品制备步骤，可以在空气中的环境条件下进行。由于这种能力和条件的结合，明斯特大学物理系和自然科学学院内的广泛研究将受益于这种目前不可用的测量方法。应用小组工作的应用实例包括用于扩散分析的金属、半导体或陶瓷材料中的溅射坑的定量几何分析，或用于光学和光子电路的多步光刻结构的过程控制测量，仅举几个例子。由于这些应用，设备必须与光刻设备位于洁净室内的直接空间环境中。具体地说，对于由对电子显微镜表征过程中引起的加速电子引起的辐射损伤具有高敏感性的材料组成的结构，该设备将允许在光刻过程的不同步骤中以更高的精度、不损坏和减少处理时间来确定结构方面。由于这些原因，应用的设备将大大扩展在明斯特大学自然科学学院内对三维结构进行定量结构分析的现有能力，并将在明斯特纳米加工设施内为广泛的用户提供。

The applied device shall serve to determine structures and surface profiles over large areas with high spatial resolution in a non-destructive manner. The combination of three complementing methods: laser scanning, focus variation and white light interferometry serves to provide precise structure analyses in the wide range from nanometers to millimeter. Images obtained can be analyzed quantitatively. The range of structures that can be analyzed precisely and without distortions includes also structures with high aspect ratios. The measurement itself does not include a strong interaction between probe and material. Moreover, the method does not require specific or even destructive sample preparation steps and can be carried out under ambient conditions in air. Due to this combination of capabilities and conditions, a wide range of research within the department of physics of the University of Muenster and within the faculty of natural sciences shall profit from this measurement method that is currently not available.Examples for applications from the work of the applying groups comprise the quantitative geometrical analysis of sputter craters in metallic, semiconducting or ceramic materials for diffusion analyses or process control measurements for the multi-step lithographic structuring of optical and photonic circuits, to list a few selected examples. Due to these applications, it is imperative that the device shall be situated in direct spatial context with the lithography devices inside the clean room. Specifically, for structures consisting of materials with high sensitivity against radiation damage by accelerated electrons as incurring during electron microscopy characterization, the device would allow determining the structural aspects at different steps of the lithographic process with enhanced precision, no damage and reduced processing time. For these reasons, the applied device would substantially extend the available capabilities for quantitative structure analyses of 3-dimensional structures within the faculty of natural science at the University of Münster and it would be available for the broad range of users within the Münster Nanofabrication Facility.