Abstract

We construct an instrument that facilitates the measurement of nanoscale defects. It is based on heterodyne interferometry with phase measurement that utilizes a polarizing beam splitter to form a measuring signal and an oscillating cantilever tip that acts as a scanning probe to get the measurement values of sample topography. The dependence of the tip displacement on the variation of tip–sample distance and the comb scanning of the sample topography are investigated by experiments. The results prove that the tip displacement increases and is enough to be discriminated in various positions where the sample is approached. The system has been successfully utilized to measure the defect characterization by measuring the pitch of the standard sample. The results also show that the heterodyne system has good repeatability, a large measurement range, and high accuracy, with a measurement stability of $0.5\mathrm{nm}$.

© 2009 Optical Society of America

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