Observation of Si pattern sidewall using inclination atomic force microscope for evaluation of line edge roughness

Inclination atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging has been studied on the possibility to observe a pattern sidewall in contact mode or digital probing (step-in) mode for a line edge roughness (LER) or line width roughness (LWR). Analysis of the AFM tip bending and slipping indicates that it is serious problem to measure and control very fine patterns within an error of less than 1 nm in contact of the tip on the steep slop of the pattern, and it is very important directly to observe the sidewall at inclination angle. In experiments using pyramidal tip and steep Si pattern with about 90 degrees slop, it has demonstrated that the inclination angle is 35-40 degrees for faithful observation of the sidewall. We have observed the etched strip lines on the sidewall with a width of about 100 nm and a depth of about 6.4 nm. We have demonstrated that the inclination AFM is very useful for evaluation of the LER or LWR.