Our team started working in the field of nanometrology in 2000 as researchers in the Institute of Microelectronics (presently Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology) of NCSR Demokritos. The main research activity focused on integrated circuit fabrication technologies with emphasis on lithography and pattern transfer with plasma etching on silicon and polymers. Our collaborative research was funded by the European Commission and by semiconductor and related materials companies such as Intel, Photronics, Clariant, and Arch Chemicals. The problem with Line Edge Roughness (LER) of lithographic patterns was tackled and a methodology and software were developed for its accurate measurement and complete characterization. The three-parameter model was pioneered for LER characterization including fractal and correlation aspects; a finding which afterwards influenced the ITRS lithography specifications. (V. Constantoudis et al. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 2003, v.21 p.1019, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 2004 v.22 p.1974, E. Gogolides et al. Microelectron. Eng. 2006, v.83 p. 1067).
By 2010 we had extended our work on lines from Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lithography and Direct Self Assembly (DSA), as well as contact-hole edge roughness (V.-K.M. Kuppuswamy et al. J. Micro-Nanolithography, MEMS, MOEMS, 2013 v. 12 p. 023003, V. Constantoudis et al. J. Micro-Nanolithography, MEMS, MOEMS, 2013 v. 12 p. 130005).
Since 2005, we have also been working on the characterization methodology of surface nanostructures resulting from several nano-manufacturing processes. By 2012, we enriched our analysis with concepts and methods of information science and the mathematics of complex systems. Future developments will include the hybrid and holistic metrology analysis for nanotechnology.
The proposed methodology and software found great acceptance in both academia and industry, requiring further, systematic and commercial development of the software codes, which led us to the creation of Nanometrisis.