Profile
The working group is developing, investigating and applying ultra-high resolution optical measurement methods for measuring the size micro- and nanostructures on surfaces with structure sizes down to the sub-100 nm range.
These methods are required e. g. by the semiconductor industry for the lithographical manufacturing of electronic devices, in optics industries for the characterisation of diffractive optical elements and in the field of modern nanotechnologies.
The main goals are the improvement of the measurement accuracy and efficiency, and the development of optical measurement methods, which can measure even very tiny structures having sizes well below the classical resolution limit (Rayleigh limit) of optical microscopy.
This work aims to provide suitable metrological solutions to meet future requirements of the named industries as well as for fundamental research in nanotechnologies.
Research/Development
Subjects
- Development and improvement of optical microscopic methods for dimensional characterisation of micro- and nanostructures:
- novel super-resolution dark field methods: AGID-microscopy
- ultra-high resolution microscopy in the deep UV: DUV-Microscopy
- Angular dependent (goniometric) scatterometry for dimensional measurements of periodic micro- und nanostructure
- Development and calibration of reference structures:
Standards for micro- and nanotechnology
- Angle dependend scattered light measurements (goniometric scatterometry) for dimensional measurement of periodic micro- and nanostructures
- Measurements of grating periods by means of optical diffraction
- Spectroscopic measurements of the polarising properties of structured surfaces to characterise the surface structures by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry and Mueller polarimetry
- Development of optical measurement methods to characterise structures of dimensions much smaller than the used optical wavelength:
Optical Sub-wavelength metrology or nanometrology, respectively
- Investigation and modelling of the interactions between nanoscale structures and electromagnetic radiation including different illumination detection and imaging properties of the different measurement systems and methods with respect to applications for ultra-high resolution metrology and in close cooperation with the PTB working group Modelling and Simulation
Projects
The working group is cooperating in research projects with international partners from
industry, universities, research institutes and metrology institutes.
Current projects: 
EMPIR 17FUN01: Light-matter interplay for optical metrology beyond the classical spatial resolution limitsEMPIR 19ENG05 High throughput metrology for nanowire energy harvesting devices
BMBF-Projekt Simulation und Maschinelles Lernen für die hochgenaue dimensionale Mikroskopie
EMPIR 20FUN02 Pushing boundaries of nano-dimensional metrology by light
EMPIR 20IND04 Traceable metrology of soft-X-ray to IR optical constants and nanofilms for advanced manufacturing
EMPIR 20IND04 Metrology in manufacturing compound semiconductors for power electronics
Services
- Calibration of feature width (300 nm - 200 µm)
- Calibration of grating period (mean pitch) by optical diffraction (144 nm - 4 µm)
- Calibartion of feature distance (pitch) by UV microscopy (450 nm - 200 µm)
Further information:
No. 40, 42and 128 of the ‘Measurement and calibration capabilities of the division Optics
Information
- Overview on standards for nanometrology
http://www.nanoscale.ptb.de/nanoscale/nanoscale-standards.htmlhttp://www.nano-refmat.bam.de/en/
Linewidth calibrations on photomasks are offered also by an accredated laboratory (DAkkS) in collaboration with PTB:
Vistec Electron Beam GmbH in Jena
- Chair and organisation of the bi-annual SPIE conference
Modelling Aspects in Optical Metrology in Munich
(21 - 24 June 2021, technical programme)
- Chair and organisation of the bienual EOS conference Frontiers in Optical Metrology
(07. – 11. September 2020 online, technical programme)
Next Frontiers in Optical Metrology: 2022