Roger Artigas

Imaging Confocal Microscopy

Imaging confocal microscopy is a well-known technology for the 3D measurement of surface topography. A confocal microscope is used for the acquisition of a sequence of confocal images through the depth of focus of the objective. The highest signal within the images of the sequence for each pixel correlates with the height position of the topography. Confocal microscopy has many advantages over other optical techniques such as having a high numerical aperture, meaning a high lateral resolution and a high measurable local slope. The field of applications is very broad, from semiconductor, materials, paper, energy, biomedical, optics, flat panel displays, and more.

Dual-technology optical sensor head for 3D surface shape measurements on the micro- and nanoscales

New material applications and novel manufacturing processes are driving a systematic rise in market demands concerning surface inspection methods and the performance of non-contact profilers. However, analysis of the specifications and application notes of commercial optical profilers shows that no single system is able to offer all the features a general purpose user would like simultaneously. Whereas white light interferometers can achieve very fast measurements on the micro and nano-scale without any range limitation, they can not easily deal with steep smooth surfaces or structured samples containing dissimilar materials. PSI techniques allow the user to perform shape and texture measurements even below the 0.1 nm scale, but they have an extremely short measurement range. Imaging confocal profilers overcome most of these difficulties. They provide the best lateral resolution achievable with an optical profiler, but they have a resolution limit, which is dependent on the NA and cannot achieve the 0.1 nm vertical resolution. In this paper we introduce a new dual-technology (confocal & interferometer) illumination hardware setup. With this new sensor head it is possible to choose between standard microscope imaging, confocal imaging, confocal profiling, PSI and white light interferometry, by simply placing the right objective on the revolving nosepiece.

Three-dimensional micromeasurements on smooth and rough surfaces with a new confocal optical profiler

One of the objectives of surface metrology is to obtain a better and faster assessment of the micro- or nanogeometry of component surfaces. In this way the innovative concept of the profiler is changing towards non-contact modular computer- controlled systems for measuring and analyzing shape and texture of a surface. In this paper we present a new instrument which is based on the concept of confocal microscopy. In this instrument (which may be used for measurements on smooth and rough surfaces) a pattern of slits is imaged by a very high numerical aperture optical system on the surface of the sample to be measured. The reflected or diffused light is observed with a CCD array and analyzed with different digital image processing algorithms. In addition to the replacement of the existing stylus systems there are also important new potential applications for this type of instrument. We present the results obtained in micro- or nanomeasurements of high precision optical surfaces, texture assessment of non-homogeneous liquid depositions and metrology of microstructures such as master gratings and certified calibration standards. The obtained results show that the confocal profiler is robust enough to provide a surface topography with spatial resolution lower than 0.5 micrometer and uncertainty of about 10 nm.

Development of confocal-based techniques for shape measurements on structured surfaces containing dissimilar materials

One of the applications, which is considered to be very difficult to carry out with most optical imaging profilers, is the shape and texture measurements of structured surfaces obtained from the superposition of various micro or sub-micrometric layers of dissimilar materials. Typical examples are the architectures of microelectronics samples made up of Si, SiO2, Si3N4, photoresists and metal layers. Because of the very different values of the index of refraction of the involved materials, visible light is reflected in the various interfaces. As a result, some reflected wavefronts are superposed giving rise to interference patterns, which are difficult to understand in terms of surface topography and layer thickness. In this paper we introduce a new method based on non-contact confocal techniques to measure the shape of structured samples. The method is based on the comparison of the axial responses obtained in areas of the surface where there is a layer and in other areas where there is just the substrate. To our knowledge, this approach enables the confocal profilers to measure the thickness of layers on the sub-micrometric scale for the first time.

Non-contact measurement of aspherical and freeform optics with a new confocal tracking profiler

In this paper we introduce a new optical technique for the measurement of aspheric and free-form optics and moulds. This technique, called confocal tracking, consists on tracking the focus on the sample while it is moved along the horizontal XY axes. Unlike all single-point based techniques, confocal tracking images the surface, which makes it possible to determine the best in focus position within every field of view and to correct the residual tracking errors for each measured point. As a result, confocal tracking provides shape measurements with nm-level accuracy and acquisition speeds of 1 mm/s typically. Depending on sample geometry, high NA objectives can be used, with which it is possible to measure slopes as high as 65°. In addition, because confocal tracking is not a single-point but an imaging technique, it is possible to center the surface to be measured with a very quick procedure that can be automated easily. This step may be particularly relevant for optics with symmetry of revolution. The confocal tracking profiler is a proprietary technology of UPC and Sensofar and can be considered the optical equivalent of a high-accuracy contact profiler.

New interferometric technique for piston measurement in segmented mirrors

Present trends in the design of ground-based telescopes point towards the use of segmented primary mirrors. A major problem in this type of mirror is the achievement of proper segment positioning, as they have to be aligned with an accuracy of the order of a fraction of a wavelength for near-diffraction-limit telescope performance in the infrared. In this paper we present a new interferometric technique applied to the measurement of segment vertical misalignment (piston error) in segmented mirrors. The instrument is based on a high-aperture Michelson interferometer using a broadband light spectrum. The main innovation introduced in this instrument is the use of a novel optical fibre illumination technique that allows the system to measure piston error during the daytime with an uncertainty of 5 nm in a 30 µm range. A detailed description of the light spectrum, expected interferograms and piston extraction algorithms is presented here.

Improving the measurement of thick and thin films with optical profiling techniques

Optical profiling techniques, mainly confocal and white light interferometry, have demonstrated to be suitable techniques for characterization of transparent thick films. Measurements are carried out by vertically scanning the upper and lower film interfaces. Thickness of the layer is determined from the two peaks in the confocal axial response or from the two sets of interference fringes developed during the vertical scan. The 3D topographies of the upper and lower interfaces of the film can also be obtained. Measurements of photoresists or oxide coatings are typical examples of thick film characterization. On the other hand, measurement of thin films is considered to be a very difficult application to carry out with most optical imaging profilers. A film should be considered as thin when the two peaks obtained along the vertical scan become unresolved. We introduce new methods based on confocal techniques, which make it possible to measure sub-micrometric layers on structured samples. These techniques are based on the comparison between the axial responses obtained in areas where the film is present and those in other areas where only the substrate is present. This method has been successfully used for thickness assessment of several samples, such as a set of calibrated Si-SiO2 layers.

Micromeasurements on smooth surfaces with a new confocal optical profiler

The surface metrology market toady is moving towards non- contact modular computer-controlled system for measuring and analyzing roughness, contour and topography. In this paper we present a new optical instrument based on the concept of confocal microscopy. In this instrument, which is especially suitable for measurements on smooth surfaces, either a pinhole or a structured light pattern in imaged by a very high numerical aperture optical system on the surface of the sample to be measured. The reflected light is observed wit a CCD array and analyzed with different image data processing algorithms. Two different experimental prototypes were developed to allow the measurement not only of surfaces with good accessibility but also of those with intricate geometries, difficult access and small dimensions. Various samples such as high precision optical surfaces, master gratings, and diamond drawing dies were measured. All the results obtained show that the confocal optical profiler is robust enough to provide a surface topography with spatial resolution lower than 1 micrometers and uncertainty about 10 nm. In addition to the replacement of the existing stylus system, there are also important new potential applications for this kind of instrument.

Optical stent inspection of surface texture and coating thickness

Stent quality control is a critical process. Coronary stents have to be inspected 100% so no defective stent is implanted into a human body. We have developed a high numerical aperture optical stent inspection system able to acquire both 2D and 3D images. Combining a rotational stage, an area camera with line-scan capability and a triple illumination arrangement, unrolled sections of the outer, inner, and sidewalls surfaces are obtained with high resolution. During stent inspection, surface roughness and coating thickness uniformity is of high interest. Due to the non-planar shape of the surface of the stents, the thickness values of the coating need to be corrected with the 3D surface local slopes. A theoretical model and a simulation are proposed, and a measurement with white light interferometry is shown. Confocal and spectroscopic reflectometry showed to be limited in this application due to stent surface roughness. Due to the high numerical aperture of the optical system, only certain parts of the stent are in focus, which is a problem for defect detection, specifically on the sidewalls. In order to obtain fully focused 2D images, an extended depth of field algorithm has been implemented. A comparison between pixel variance and Laplacian filtering is shown. To recover the stack image, two different methods are proposed: maximum projection and weighted intensity. Finally, we also discuss the implementation of the processing algorithms in both the CPU and GPU, targeting real-time 2-Million pixel image acquisition at 50 frames per second.

Confocal unrolled areal measurements of cylindrical surfaces

Confocal microscopes are widely used for areal measurements thanks to its good height resolution and the capability to measure high local slopes. For the measurement of large areas while keeping few nm of system noise, it is needed to use high numerical aperture objectives, move the sample in the XY plane and stitch several fields together to cover the required surface. On cylindrical surfaces a rotational stage is used to measure fields along the round surface and stitch them in order to obtain a complete 3D measurement. The required amount of fields depends on the microscope’s magnification, as well as on the cylinder diameter. However, for small diameters, if the local shape reaches slopes not suitable for the objective under use, the active field of the camera has to be reduced, leading to an increase of the required number of fields to be measured and stitched. In this paper we show a new approach for areal measurements of cylindrical surfaces that uses a rotational stage in combination with a slit projection confocal arrangement and a highspeed camera. An unrolled confocal image of the cylinder surface is built by rotating the sample and calculating the confocal intensity in the centre of the slit using a gradient algorithm. A set of 360º confocal images can be obtained at different heights of the sample relative to the sensor and used to calculate an unrolled areal measure of the cylinder. This method has several advantages over the conventional one such as no stitching required, or reduced measurement time. In addition, the result shows less residual flatness error since the surface lies flat in the measurement direction in comparison to field measures where the highest slope regions will show field distortion and non-constant sampling. We have also studied the influence on the areal measurements of wobble and run-out introduced by the clamping mechanism and the rotational axis.