We demonstrate the capability of fluorescence x-ray microscopy with a 0.25 μm beam for in situ measurements of Cu-wiring interconnects of submicron dimensions. We are able to measure submicron line widths, lengths, and thicknesses of both Cu and W structures, and a Ta liner in the test vehicle, to the absolute accuracy of 0.03 μm, and a relative accuracy of ∼4% in lateral dimensions, and ∼10% in heights. The shape of a buried electromigration void was also determined. This nanoscale nondestructive characterization technique promises to be powerful for a variety of materials systems.

The orbital character, orientation, and magnetic polarization of the O-2p unoccupied states near the Fermi level (E-F) in CrO2 was determined using polarization-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism from high-quality, single-crystal films. A sharp peak observed just above E-F is excited only by the electric-field vector (E) normal to the tetragonal c axis, characteristic of a narrow band (approximate to 0.7 eV bandwidth) constituted from O-2p orbitals perpendicular to c (O-2p(y)) hybridized with Cr 3d(xz-yz) t(2g) states. By comparison with band-structure and configuration-interaction cluster calculations our 3d results support a model of CrO2 as a half-metallic ferromagnet with large exchange-splitting energy (Delta(exch-split)approximate to 3.0 eV) and substantial correlation effects.

This letter describes quantitative nondestructive measurements of multilayer submicron Cu/SiO2 interconnect structures such as Cu lines, vias, and W lines with lateral dimensions down to 300 nm and electromigration defect structures using scanning transmission x-ray microscopy employing a 0.2 μm x-ray beam. Typical measurement accuracies are ⩽60 nm for widths and lengths and ⩽10% in height. The high-resolution and nondestructive nature of this technique provide a very powerful probe of physical properties of nanoscale and submicron materials and structures.