Accurate extraction of fabricated geometry using optical measurement

We experimentally demonstrate extraction of silicon waveguide geometry with subnanometer accuracy using optical measurements. Effective and group indices of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides are extracted from the optical measurements. An accurate model linking the geometry of an SOI waveguide to its effective and group indices is used to extract the linewidths and thicknesses within respective errors of 0.37 and 0.26 nm on a die fabricated by IMEC multiproject wafer services. A detailed analysis of the setting of the bounds for the effective and group indices is presented to get the right extraction with improved accuracy.