title: Experimental characterization of subwavelength diffraction gratings by an inverse-scattering neural method.
abstract: Characterization of gratings with small period-to-wavelength ratios is difficult to perform but is very helpful in improving the fabrication process. We experimentally tested an inverse-scattering method using a neural network on silicon etched gratings. We also characterized the gratings by using two popular microscopic methods. The validity of each method was determined by comparing measured diffracted intensities with calculated ones obtained from measured profiles. An estimation of accuracy and repeatability was deduced from a scan along a grating sample. This method was thus well validated for nondestructive and noninvasive measurements under experimental conditions that were close conditions of actual usage. This method is easy to implement and requires the measurement of only a few diffracted intensities.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Traitement du Signal et Instrumentation, Unité Mixte de Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 5516, 23, rue du Docteur Paul Michelon, 42023 Saint-Etienne Cedex 2, France. stephane.robert@univ-st-etienne.fr
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: Alain Mure
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ravaud
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reynaud
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fourment
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carcenac
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arguel