As an extension of the authors' previous report of Ref 1, we describe an improved version of dispersive white-light interferometry that enables us to measure the tomographical thickness profile of a thin-film layer through Fourier-transform analysis of spectrally-resolved interference signals. The group refractive index can also be determined without prior knowledge of the geometrical thickness of the film layer. Owing to fast measurement speed with no need of mechanical depth scanning, the proposed method is well suited for in-line 3-D inspection of dielectric thin film layers particularly for the semiconductor and flat-panel display industry.

The authors describe a nondestructive measurement method that enables them to obtain the cross-sectional thickness profile of thin-film layers fast with a single operation of measurement. The method is based on spectrally resolved white-light interferometry, being capable of reconstructing the tomographic height map of thin films with depth resolutions in the nanometer range. In terms of the measuring speed and resolution, the proposed method is well suited for the in-line high-speed inspection of microelectronics devices produced in large quantities particularly in the semiconductors and flat panel displays industries.

We propose a new concept of single-shot deflectometry for real-time measurement of three-dimensional surface profile using a single composite pattern. To retrieve an accurate phase from one-frame composite pattern, we adapt the Fourier Transform (FT) method and the spatial carrier-frequency phase-shifting (SCPS) technique to our proposed deflectometry. Based on Lissajous figure and ellipse fitting method, we also correct the phase extraction error in SCPS technique by reducing the effect of background and modulation variations. The proposed technique is verified by comparing our measurement results with phase-shifting deflectometry, and the maximum difference between two measurement results is less than 30 nm rms. We also test the robustness to vibration and the measurement capability for dynamic object.

Freeform optics have emerged as promising components in diverse applications due to the potential for superior optical performance. There are many research fields in the area ranging from fabrication to measurement, with metrology being one of the most challenging tasks. In this paper, we describe a new variant of lateral shearing interferometer with a tunable laser source that enables 3D surface profile measurements of freeform optics with high speed, high vertical resolution, large departure, and large field-of-view. We have verified the proposed technique by comparing our measurement result with that of an existing technique and measuring a representative freeform optic.