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Three-Dimensional (3D) Nanometrology Based on Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Stereophotogrammetry†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2017

Vipin N. Tondare ,
John S. Villarrubia  and
András E. Vladár
Vipin N. Tondare
Affiliation:
Engineering Physics Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8212, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA Theiss Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
John S. Villarrubia
Affiliation:
Engineering Physics Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8212, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
András E. Vladár*
Affiliation:
Engineering Physics Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8212, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
*
*Corresponding author. andras@nist.gov
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Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a sample surface from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images taken at two perspectives has been known for decades. Nowadays, there exist several commercially available stereophotogrammetry software packages. For testing these software packages, in this study we used Monte Carlo simulated SEM images of virtual samples. A virtual sample is a model in a computer, and its true dimensions are known exactly, which is impossible for real SEM samples due to measurement uncertainty. The simulated SEM images can be used for algorithm testing, development, and validation. We tested two stereophotogrammetry software packages and compared their reconstructed 3D models with the known geometry of the virtual samples used to create the simulated SEM images. Both packages performed relatively well with simulated SEM images of a sample with a rough surface. However, in a sample containing nearly uniform and therefore low-contrast zones, the height reconstruction error was ≈46%. The present stereophotogrammetry software packages need further improvement before they can be used reliably with SEM images with uniform zones.

Keywords

JMONSELscanning electron microscopythree-dimensionalphotogrammetrynanometrology
Type
Instrumentation and Software
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 23 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 967 - 977
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2017 

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Footnotes

†

Contributions of the National Institute of Standards and Technology are not subject to copyright in the United States.

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