Two-dimensional calibration artifact and measurement methodology

In this paper we describe our design and the manufacturing of a 2D grid artifact of chrome on quartz on a 150 mm X 150 mm X 6.35 mm plate. The design has been agreed upon by a number of Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers International participants working on a 2D grids calibration task force within the microlithography committee of SEMI. We present the measurement procedures and describe the algorithms used in the measurement process. We have procured a prototype artifact which is expected to be developed into a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) distributed standard reference material once the final design has been agree upon. We will present measurements made at leading industrial sites and develop a traceability chain based on these measurements in combination with NIST based measurements. The artifact has been measured on the NIST linescale interferometer as well as other NIST metrology tools. We will also present the status of the comparisons between these measurements and those performed by the industrial collaborators.