Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and Q-space weighting filter for ×3 CD-extraction accuracy improvement

A small angle x-ray scattering simulator has been developed for metrology and inspection applications based on the first Born approximation considering non-ideal equipment-related factors. The simulator shows good reproducibility in various device structures and measurement environments, including slit-configurations and incident angles. In addition, a Q-space adaptive weighting method is proposed to enhance about 300% accuracy, especially on non-single repeated pitch structures such as VNAND with complex x-ray diffraction patterns.