Side-wall measurement using tilt-scanning method in atomic force microscope

We have developed a novel AFM (atomic force microscope) measurement technique which can examine side-walls of fine patterns etched into wafers. This technique uses a sharpen tip tilted at an angle in combination with a "step-in" mode operation, and is thus referred as "tilt-step-in" mode. This method allows one to measure side wall shape including under cut and line edge roughness (LER).