Finding the True Measure of Nanoscale 'Roughness'

Straight edges, good. Wavy edges, bad. This simple description holds true whether you are painting the living room or manufacturing nanoscale circuit features.
In a technical paper* published in June, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and SEMATECH describe an improved method for determining nanoscale "linewidth roughness," an important quality control factor in semiconductor fabrication. Their research shows that current industry measurement methods may be exaggerating roughness of the smoothest circuit features by 40 percent or more above true values.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news4577.html">Finding the True Measure of Nanoscale 'Roughness'</a></p> <p> Straight edges, good. Wavy edges, bad. This simple description holds true whether you are painting the living room or manufacturing nanoscale circuit features. <br>In a technical paper* published in June, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and SEMATECH describe an improved method for determining nanoscale "linewidth roughness," an important quality control factor in semiconductor fabrication. Their research shows that current industry measurement methods may be exaggerating roughness of the smoothest circuit features by 40 percent or more above true values.</p>