Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080278733 | Probe For Measuring the Thickness of Frost Accretion on a Surface - The invention relates to a probe for measuring the thickness of frost accretion on a surface. According to the invention, the probe comprises a plurality of measuring stages (E | 11-13-2008 |
20080285060 | Measuring System for Optical Monitoring of Coating Processes - The invention concerns a measuring system for optical monitoring of coating processes in a vacuum chamber, in which the light source is arranged inside the vacuum chamber between the substrate carrier and a shutter is arranged beneath the substrate carrier and the light-receiving unit is arranged outside the vacuum chamber in the optical path of the light source. The substrate carrier is designed to accept at least one substrate, and it can move across the coasting source in the vacuum chamber, preferably revolving about an axis, whereby the substrate or substrates cross(es) the optical path between the light source and the light-receiving unit for transmission measurement, and the shutter shades a measurement area across the coating source. | 11-20-2008 |
20090027695 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THICKNESS OF ETCHING RESIDUES ON A SUBSTRATE - A method of determining a thickness of a residue layer on a substrate includes: (1) taking a first set of optical scatterometry measurements on the substrate after an etching procedure; (2) taking a second set of optical scatterometry measurements on the substrate after a post-etch cleaning procedure; (3) calculating a difference measurement between the first set and second set of optical scatterometry measurements; (4) determining an initial thickness measurement of the residue layer based on the difference measurement by applying a first dispersion model; and (5) adjusting the initial thickness measurement by applying a second dispersion model based on a material composition of the residue layer. Numerous other aspects are provided. | 01-29-2009 |
20090051939 | Substrate film thickness measurement method, substrate film thickness measurement apparatus and substrate processing apparatus - A jet of water in a cylindrical form is supplied from a jet nozzle onto a measurement surface of a substrate to form a column of the water extending between the nozzle and the measurement surface. Light is emitted from an irradiation fiber and transmitted through the column of water to the measurement surface. The light reflected by the measurement surface is received by a light-receiving fiber through the column of water. A measurement calculation unit measures the thickness of a film formed on the substrate, based on the intensity of the reflected light. | 02-26-2009 |
20090059243 | Method for determining the absolute thickness of non-transparent and transparent samples by means of confocal measurement technology - The invention relates to a method for determining the absolute spatially resolved double-sided topography and thickness of specimens using two opposite confocally working microscopes. After the unit has been calibrated, the topography of the specimen is measured on both sides of the specimen, is added and the calibration plane is subtracted. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method. | 03-05-2009 |
20090059244 | Web Measurement Device - A sensor is provided that measures web caliper using optical and magnetic measuring devices. The optical measuring devices may employ a confocal chromatic aberration method to accurately determine the distance to the moving web and the magnetic devices may be ferrite core coil and target. Means of stabilizing a moving web are included for improving dynamic measurement accuracy. | 03-05-2009 |
20090086217 | SHEET THICKNESS MEASURING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A sheet thickness measuring device includes: an illumination unit that outputs a light that is illuminated into a stack of sheets from a first area defined on one of faces including a top face, a bottom face, and side faces of the stack of sheets; a detection unit that detects a light amount distribution of light entered into the stack of sheets and propagated to a second area through the stack of sheets, the second area defined on one of the side faces of the stack of sheets; and a calculation unit that calculates a thickness of a sheet in the stack of sheets based on the light amount distribution detected by the detection unit. | 04-02-2009 |
20090168079 | REFLECTIVE FILM THICKNESS MEASUREMENT METHOD - A reflective film thickness measurement method includes reading an original spectral image of a thin film measured by a broadband light source passing through a measurement system, transforming the original spectral image into a broadband reflectance wavelength function and then into a broadband frequency-domain function, dividing the broadband frequency-domain function by a single-wavelength frequency-domain function to obtain an ideal frequency-domain function, inverse-transforming the ideal frequency-domain function into an ideal reflectance wavelength function, and performing a curve fitting on the ideal reflectance wavelength function and a reflectance wavelength thickness general expression, so as to obtain a thickness of the thin film. A spectral image spatial axis direction processing method is performed to eliminate optical aberration in a deconvolution manner, so as to obtain spectral images of high spatial resolution. | 07-02-2009 |
20090190141 | SYSTEM FOR MEASURING A SAMPLE WITH A LAYER CONTAINING A PERIODIC DIFFRACTING STRUCTURE - To measure the critical dimensions and other parameters of a one- or two-dimensional diffracting structure of a film, the calculation may be simplified by first performing a measurement of the thickness of the film, employing a film model that does not vary the critical dimension or parameters related to other characteristics of the structure. The thickness of the film may be estimated using the film model sufficiently accurately so that such estimate may be employed to simplify the structure model for deriving the critical dimension and other parameters related to the two-dimensional diffracting structure. | 07-30-2009 |
20090244551 | SENSOR APPARATUS FOR DETECTING AN OVERHANG ON THE LOAD OF A CARRIER DEVICE - A sensor apparatus for detecting an overhang on a load of a carrier device, having a sensor arrangement with at least one transmitter and a receiver and also an electronic unit for control purposes. According to the invention, the sensor arrangement senses two regions of the carrier device with a load during a movement of the carrier device such that evaluation of the geometrical position of the regions in relation to one another is made possible, wherein the first region relates to the carrier device and the second region relates to the load. Furthermore, the electronic unit is designed for generating a signal for each region and linking the signals such that it is possible to ascertain an overhang from this. | 10-01-2009 |
20090244552 | Method for Forming and Measuring the Thickness of a Coating - A coating thickness monitor is disclosed that includes at least one radiation source directed at least a portion of the substrate. The coating thickness monitor includes at least one probe for capturing at least a portion of the radiation reflected and refracted by the coating on the substrate. The captured radiation is at least a portion of the radiation directed to the substrate from the radiation source. Further, the coating thickness monitor includes at least one detector in communication with the at least one probe, the at least one detector capable of processing the captured radiation to allow a determination of the thickness. | 10-01-2009 |
20090251710 | METHOD FOR MEASURING COATING UNIFORMITY - A method of determining thickness uniformity of a coating, the coating being formed on the surface of an object, the method comprising determining coating thickness data within portions of the surface, the portions including at least one generally concave portion and at least one generally convex portion, and presenting the coating thickness data as a graphical representation for each portion. | 10-08-2009 |
20090303496 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING PROBE WAVELENGTH IN LASER EXCITED SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE SPECTROSCOPY - The penetration depth of surface acoustic wave scales with wavelength. To measure thinner films using impulse stimulated thermal scattering (ISTS) it is advantageous to reduce the measurement wavelength to on the order of 1 micron. One way to reduce the measurement wavelength is to employ a high numerical aperture lens to converge an excitation and probe laser beam in an optical system at wider angles. While doing this, the increased optical/mechanical tolerances can be reduced by fine-tuning the phase between an excitation laser pattern and a probe laser pattern by adjusting either a neutral-density filter or matching plate for a particular wavelength. Blocking unwanted diffraction order beams generated by the optical system with a specialized design beam block plate is needed to retain the long wavelength capability. | 12-10-2009 |
20100014102 | Cooled Wall Thickness Control - A casting includes a wall thickness check feature for measuring thickness of a wall second aside an in-wall cooling passageway. The thickness is determined by observing the existence and/or size of an opening formed by the feature. The casting is cast from a pattern including portions forming the feature. To manufacture the pattern, a pattern-forming die is assembled with a ceramic feedcore and a refractory metal core (RMC). The assembling leaves an inlet portion of the RMC engaged to the ceramic feedcore and leaves an outlet portion of the RMC engaged to the die. A pattern-forming material is molded in the die at least partially over the ceramic feedcore and RMC. The die is disengaged from the pattern-forming material. The assembling engages a stepped projection of the RMC with a mating surface of the die. | 01-21-2010 |
20100073689 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THICKNESS MEASUREMENT - The material strength of extensive objects can be determined efficiently by using two distance measures, wherein a first distance measurer determines the distance to a first main surface of the object and a second distance measurer determines the distance to a second main surface object opposing the first main surface. If potential measurement errors due to the extensive geometry are avoided by determining a reference distance between the first distance measurer and the second distance measurer by a reference object, the thickness of the object between the first main surface and the second main surface can be determined with high accuracy and velocity. | 03-25-2010 |
20100073690 | PARAMETER MEASUREMENT USING MULTI-LAYER STRUCTURES - Various embodiments disclosed herein include methods for measuring a parameter associated with a workpiece. Such a method may include providing a first overlay pattern on the workpiece and a second overlay pattern over the first overlay pattern. The first overlay pattern may comprise a first plurality of features spaced apart from each other, and the second overlay pattern may comprise a second plurality of substantially optically transmissive features spaced apart from each other. The second plurality of features may be offset with respect to and partially overlapping the first plurality of features. The method may further comprise directing light onto the first and second overlay pattern such that the light is reflected from both the first and second overlay patterns and using reflectometry to obtain a measure of the parameter from the reflected light. | 03-25-2010 |
20100103433 | DIFFERENTIAL CRITICAL DIMENSION AND OVERLAY METROLOGY APPARATUS AND MEASUREMENT METHOD - A method is described for measuring a dimension on a substrate, wherein a target pattern is provided with a nominal characteristic dimension that repeats at a primary pitch of period P, and has a pre-determined variation orthogonal to the primary direction. The target pattern formed on the substrate is then illuminated so that at least one non-zero diffracted order is detected. The response of the non-zero diffracted order to variation in the printed characteristic dimension relative to nominal is used to determine the dimension of interest, such as critical dimension or overlay, on the substrate. An apparatus for performing the method of the present invention includes an illumination source, a detector for detecting a non-zero diffracted order, and means for positioning the source relative to the target so that one or more non-zero diffracted orders from the target are detected at the detector. | 04-29-2010 |
20100134805 | WIDTH AND THICKNESS DETECTING MECHANISM OF SHREDDER - A width and thickness detecting mechanism of a shredder includes a shredding path, a first width sensor, a second width sensor, a third width sensor, a thickness detecting module, and a control unit. The thickness detecting module includes two thickness sensors. After the width of the article is detected by means of the first width sensor, the second width sensor and the third width sensor, a proper thickness sensor is allocated to detect the thickness of the article. | 06-03-2010 |
20100157316 | PICOSECOND ULTRASONIC SYSTEM INCORPORATING AN OPTICAL CAVITY - A method for characterizing a sample is described. The method includes applying a first pulse of electromagnetic radiation to the surface of the sample and thus creating a propagating strain pulse within the sample. A second pulse of second electromagnetic radiation is applied to the surface of the sample so as to intercept the propagating strain pulse. The first and second pulses are applied through a structure, such as a reflector, that is disposed over the surface of the sample at a distance predetermined to form an optical cavity; the cavity having a width related to a wavelength of the second electromagnetic radiation. The method includes detecting at least one optical property of a reflection of the second pulse from the sample. The detected optical property(ies) of the reflection are associated with a characteristic of the sample. An apparatus, computer-readable medium and structure are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
20100328683 | THICKNESS DETECTING MECHANISM - A thickness detecting mechanism is provided for detecting a thickness of a to-be-measured article. The thickness detecting mechanism includes a detecting arm and an optical displacement sensing module. The detecting arm is moved as the to-be-measured article is sustained against the detecting arm. The detecting arm includes a surface. The optical displacement sensing module detects the surface of the detecting arm when the detecting arm is respectively located in a first position and a second position. According to the displacement amount of the detecting arm from the first position to the second position, the thickness of the to-be-measured article is acquired. | 12-30-2010 |
20110001988 | Apparatus for Measuring Thickness - An apparatus for measuring a thickness, which includes: a first beam splitter for reflecting or transmitting a ray irradiated from an optical source or a ray reflected by a measurement object; a first lens part which condenses a ray to the measurement object and generates a reference ray having a difference of a light path in comparison with a ray reflected by the measurement object; a second lens part for condensing a ray to the object to be measured; an interference light detector which corresponds to at the first lens part so as to form a light path and detects an interference signal generated by the ray reflected by the measurement object and the reference ray; a spectroscopic detector which corresponds to the second lens part so as to form a light path different from the light path formed by the interference light detector and splits the ray reflected by the measurement object so as to detect an intensity and a wavelength of each split ray; and a light path converter for selectively transmitting a ray to one of the interference light detector and the spectroscopic detector, wherein position exchanging is performed between the first lens part and the second lens part. | 01-06-2011 |
20110007329 | Methods of inspecting structures - A method of inspecting a structure. The method includes preparing preliminary spectrums of reference diffraction intensities according to critical dimensions of reference structures, obtaining a linear spectrum from the preliminary spectrums in a set critical dimension range, radiating light to respective measurement structures formed on a substrate, measuring measurement diffraction intensities of the light diffracted by the measurement structures, and obtaining respective critical dimensions of the measurement structures from the measurement diffraction intensities using the linear spectrum. | 01-13-2011 |
20110032541 | FILM THICKNESS MEASURING DEVICE AND FILM THICKNESS MEASURING METHOD - A film thickness measuring device is provided with a light source, a spectroscopic sensor, a processor, and a storage unit, and configured in such a manner that light from the light source vertically enters a plane to be measured provided with a film and the light reflected by the plane to be measured enters the spectroscopic sensor. The storage unit stores theoretical values of reflectivity distributions of respective film thicknesses and theoretical values of color characteristic variables of the respective film thicknesses. The processor finds the thickness of the film of the plane to be measured from the reflectivity distribution measured by the spectroscopic sensor by using the theoretical values of the reflectivity distributions of the respective film thicknesses or the theoretical values of the color characteristic variables of the respective film thicknesses stored in the storage unit. | 02-10-2011 |
20110096339 | Optical Metrology On Textured Samples - One or more parameters of a sample that includes a textured substrate and one or more overlying films is determined using, e.g., an optical metrology device to direct light to be incident on the sample and detecting light after the incident light interacts with the sample. The acquired data is normalized using reference data that is produced using a textured reference sample. The normalized data is then fit to simulated data that is associated with a model having an untextured substrate and one or more variable parameters. The value(s) of the one or more variable parameters from the model associated with the simulated data having the best fit is reported as measurement result. | 04-28-2011 |
20110122423 | MONITORING SYSTEM FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE LAYER THICKNESS OF DUST IN VENTILATION DUCTS - A monitoring system is disclosed, designed to detect the depth of deposition of a substance on a′ surface ( | 05-26-2011 |
20110134440 | MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR UNIFORMITY AND RESIDUAL THICKNESS OF NANO-TRANSFER PRINTING PROCESS - The monitoring apparatus for uniformity and residual thickness of nano-transfer printing process is installed at a specific location in the surrounding of a transfer printing unit, and, during any stage of the transfer printing process, performs monitoring or measuring the forming rate and forming profile of the forming material inside the transfer printing unit. The monitoring apparatus includes a detection unit, a measuring unit and an analysis unit. The detection unit emits a detection ray to the transfer printing unit. The measuring unit receives a reaction signal of the detection ray passing through the transfer printing unit. The analysis unit analyzes the reaction signal to determine transfer uniformity and the material residual thickness in the transfer print unit. | 06-09-2011 |
20110176149 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THICKNESS DETECTION - An apparatus and method for detecting an increase in thickness of a strip of material from a desired thickness. The apparatus may comprise a light source, a light detector, an indicator, a first fiber optic cable coupled with the light source, a second fiber optic cable coupled with the light detector, and a housing. The housing may comprise a material slot for passing the strip of material therethrough and fixing optical fibers of the first fiber optic cables to reflect light off of a first and second face of the strip of material into optical fibers of the second fiber optic cable. The amount of light detected by the light detector depends on the proximity of each of the faces of the strip of material to ends of the optical fibers. The thicker the strip of material, the less light received by the light detector, which may actuate the indicator. | 07-21-2011 |
20110188056 | MEASURING APPARATUS AND MEASURING METHOD - A plurality of positions of a toner image formed on the image carrier of an image forming apparatus are irradiated with light. A plurality of light-receiving elements of a light-receiving unit receive a plurality of reflected lights reflected at the plurality of positions of the toner image. The light-receiving position of the light-receiving unit corresponding to each of the plurality of received reflected lights is detected. The toner height at each of the plurality of positions of the toner image is determined based on the detected light-receiving position. | 08-04-2011 |
20110205556 | THIN-FILM INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREFOR - A thin-film inspection apparatus includes a storage section ( | 08-25-2011 |
20110216328 | POLISHING MONITORING METHOD, POLISHING METHOD, AND POLISHING MONITORING APPARATUS - A method capable of accurately monitoring progress of polishing and capable of detecting an accurate polishing end point is provided. The method includes: directing light to the substrate during polishing of the substrate; receiving reflected light from the substrate; measuring intensity of the reflected light at each wavelength; producing spectrum indicating relationship between intensity and wavelength from measured values of the intensity; calculating an amount of change in the spectrum per predetermined time; integrating the amount of change in the spectrum with respect to polishing time to obtain an amount of cumulative change in the spectrum; and monitoring the progress of polishing of the substrate based on the amount of cumulative change in the spectrum. | 09-08-2011 |
20110235055 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE THICKNESS - A system for determining a thickness of a photovoltaic module may include a first displacement sensor and a second displacement sensor along a shared axis. The system may also include a support structure that supports the first and second displacement sensors and locates the sensors on either side of the photovoltaic module. | 09-29-2011 |
20110235056 | METHOD FOR MEASURING WEAR RATE - A wear rate measurement method includes thermally coupling a focus ring having a top surface and a bottom surface with a reference piece having a bottom surface facing a susceptor and a top surface facing the focus ring; measuring a first optical path length of a low-coherence light beam that travels forward and backward within the focus ring by irradiating the low-coherence light beam to the focus ring orthogonally to the top surface and the bottom surface thereof; measuring a second optical path length of a low-coherence light beam that travels forward and backward within the reference piece by irradiating the low-coherence light beam to the reference piece orthogonally to the top surface and the bottom surface thereof; and calculating a wear rate of the focus ring based on a ratio between the first optical path length and the second optical path length. | 09-29-2011 |
20110235057 | METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE THICKNESS OF ANY DEPOSIT OF MATERIAL ON INNER WALL OF A PIPELINE - A method is provided for measurement of the thickness of any deposit of material on the inner wall of a pipeline at least partly filled with a medium including hydrocarbons, the medium being for instance oil or natural gas, wherein the method includes: projecting infrared light onto the inner wall of the pipeline along a line corresponding to the intersection between the inner wall of the pipeline and a cross-sectional plane of the pipeline; registering an image of the infrared light projected on the inner wall of the pipeline; and determining the thickness of any deposit of material on the inner wall of the pipeline based on the registered image. | 09-29-2011 |
20110235058 | Mobile Apparatus Capable of Surface Measurements - The present invention relates to a mobile apparatus and/or system that measures the thickness at one or more locations of a surface on at least a part of a substrate and methods of using the apparatus and/or system. The mobile apparatus and/or system in one embodiment includes an apparatus and/or system having a coating thickness monitor and, optionally, an apparatus and/or system for simultaneously regulating the coating thickness applied on a substrate. Under certain conditions, the apparatus and system has the ability to measure coating thickness subsequent to the coating's formation. | 09-29-2011 |
20110249276 | METHOD OF DETECTING THE WIDTH OF A COATED FILM AND DETECTION DEVICE USED IN SAID DETECTION METHOD - The method for inspecting the width of a coated film in accordance with the present invention is a method for detecting a width W | 10-13-2011 |
20110261371 | Apparatus and Method for Monitoring a Thickness of a Silicon Wafer with a Highly Doped Layer - Apparatus for monitoring a thickness of a silicon wafer with a highly-doped layer at least at a backside of the silicon wafer is provided. The apparatus has a source configured to emit coherent light of multiple, wavelengths. Moreover, the apparatus comprises a measuring head configured to be contactlessly positioned adjacent the silicon wafer and configured to illuminate at least a portion of the silicon wafer with the coherent light and to receive at least a portion of radiation reflected by the silicon wafer. Additionally, the apparatus comprises a spectrometer, a beam splitter and an evaluation device. The evaluation device is configured to determine a thickness of the silicon wafer by analyzing the radiation reflected by the silicon wafer by an optical coherence tomography process. The coherent light is emitted multiple wavelengths in a bandwidth b around a central wavelength w | 10-27-2011 |
20110279828 | INSPECTION DEVICE AND INSPECTION METHOD FOR BOILER FURNACE WATER WALL TUBES - There are provided an inspection device and an inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes, which can inspect reduced wall thickness conditions of multiple water wall tubes, extending in an up-down direction along inner wall surfaces of a boiler furnace and arranged adjacent to each other, accurately and efficiently over a wide range based on surface shapes of the water wall tubes measured by a laser displacement sensor. A scanner | 11-17-2011 |
20110299097 | FILM THICKNESS MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND MEASUREMENT METHOD - A film thickness measurement apparatus | 12-08-2011 |
20120033235 | SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT FUNCTION FOR MEASURING THE THICKNESS OF SUBSTRATES - A system for measuring the thickness of substrates in a vacuum chamber is provided. The system includes a sender adapted to emit electromagnetic radiation and a receiver including a multi-zone sensor for detecting the electromagnetic radiation. The multi-zone sensor includes a first detection zone for measuring the thickness of the substrates and a second detection zone adapted to generate a signal indicative of an alignment between the sender and the receiver. The system further includes an adjustment system adapted to automatically adjust the sender and the receiver with respect to each other based on the signal. Further, a method for adjustment of a sender and a receiver relative to each other is provided. | 02-09-2012 |
20120044506 | THIN FILMS MEASUREMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM - A method and system are provided for controlling processing of a structure. First measured data is provided being indicative of at least one of: a thickness (d | 02-23-2012 |
20120105872 | OPTICAL FILM THICKNESS METER AND THIN FILM FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH OPTICAL FILM THICKNESS METER - An optical film thickness meter capable of measurement of an optical film thickness and spectroscopic characteristics with high accuracy and a thin film forming apparatus provided with the optical film thickness meter are provided. The optical film thickness meter includes a light projector ( | 05-03-2012 |
20120127486 | METHOD OF INSPECTING A SUBSTRATE - A method of inspecting a substrate is disclosed. The method of inspecting a substrate, comprises: obtaining phase data per projecting part with regard to a substrate, by projecting pattern beam onto the substrate having a target object formed thereon through a plurality of projecting parts in sequence; obtaining height data per projecting part with regard to the substrate by using the phase data per the projecting part; compensating tilt of the height data by using the height data per projecting part; modifying the tilt-compensated height data per projecting part; and obtaining integrated height data by using the modified height data. | 05-24-2012 |
20120170059 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTACTLESS DETERMINATION OF THE THICKNESS OF A WEB OF MATERIAL, INCLUDING CORRECTION OF THE ALIGNMENT ERROR - A method for the contactless determination of the thickness of a web of material, for example a web of fibrous material using a sensor array including at least two optical measurement units between which the web can be guided. Each of the optical measurement units includes a measurement plate on the side facing the web. The optical measurement units, which are arranged on opposite sides of the web, are used to measure the distance of the measurement units from the web, and an evaluation unit is used to determine the thickness of the web from the determined distances between the optical measurement units and the web and the distance between the optical measurement units arranged on opposite sides of the web. Multiple optical sensors which are disposed at a distance from each other are associated with the optical measurement units arranged on opposite sides of the web and the evaluation unit is used to determine the angle of inclination of the measurement plates relative to the web and/or an offset between the optical measurement units arranged on opposite sides of the web or between the measurement plates of said units on the basis of the measured values obtained from the optical sensors. | 07-05-2012 |
20120293813 | Methods For Monitoring Growth Of Semiconductor Layers - Deposition of a thin film is monitored by illuminating the thin film with an incident beam during deposition of the thin film, wherein at least a portion of the incident beam reflects off the thin film to yield a reflected beam; measuring intensity of the reflected beam from the thin film during growth of the thin film to obtain reflectance; and curve-fitting at least part of an oscillation represented by the reflectance data to obtain information about at least one of thickness, growth rate, composition, and doping of the thin film. | 11-22-2012 |
20130010311 | ATMOSPHERIC MOLECULAR CONTAMINATION CONTROL WITH LOCAL PURGING - A local purging tool for purging a portion of a surface of a wafer with purging gas is disclosed. The purging tool includes a purging chamber configured to contain purging gas within a cavity of the purging chamber, a permeable portion of a surface of the purging chamber configured to diffuse purging gas from the cavity of the chamber to a portion of a surface of a wafer, and an aperture configured to transmit illumination received from an illumination source to a measurement location of the portion of the surface of the wafer and further configured to transmit illumination reflected from the measurement location to a detector. | 01-10-2013 |
20130038883 | OPTICAL CHARACTERISTIC MEASURING APPARATUS AND OPTICAL CHARACTERISTIC MEASURING METHOD - An optical characteristic measuring apparatus includes a light source, a detector and a data processing unit. Data processing unit includes a modeling unit, an analyzing unit and a fitting unit. The plurality of film model equations are solved, and prescribed calculation is performed on the assumption that the optical constants included in the plurality of film model equations is identical. Fitting is performed between a waveform obtained by substituting the obtained film thickness and the obtained optical constants of the film into the film model equations and a waveform of the wavelength distribution characteristic obtained by detector, thereby determining that the optical constants included in the plurality of film model equations is identical and that the film thickness and the optical constants obtained by the analyzing unit are correct values. | 02-14-2013 |
20130063733 | Method for evaluating thin-film-formed wafer - A method for evaluating a thin-film-formed wafer, being configured to calculate a film thickness distribution of a thin film of the thin-film-formed wafer having the thin film on a surface of a substrate, wherein light having a single wavelength λ is applied to a partial region of a surface of the thin-film-formed wafer, reflected light from the region is detected, reflected light intensity for each pixel obtained by dividing the region into many pieces is measured, a reflected light intensity distribution in the region is obtained, and the film thickness distribution of the thin film in the region is calculated from the reflected light intensity distribution. The method enables a film thickness distribution of the micro thin film (an SOI layer) that affects a device to be measured on the entire wafer surface at a low cost with a sufficient spatial resolution in a simplified manner. | 03-14-2013 |
20130083332 | Method of Measuring the Thickness of a Moving Web - Dual mounting head scanner system measures the thickness of a flexible continuous moving web such as paper by employing an optical senor positioned in the upper head to determine the distance between the optical sensor and the upper surface of the paper while a displacement sensor positioned in the lower head determines the distance between the displacement sensor, which includes an RF coil, and a reference surface on the upper head. An air clamp and vacuum source assembly on the operative surface of the lower head maintains the moving web in physical contact with a measurement surface that is incorporated in the operative surface. The optical sensor directs incident radiation onto the web at the measurement surface. Thermal isolation of the two sensors eliminates thermal interactions. | 04-04-2013 |
20130107280 | MEASURING AMOUNT OF MEDIA DURING STACK COMPRESSION | 05-02-2013 |
20130114090 | System and Method for In Situ Monitoring of Top Wafer Thickness in a Stack of Wafers - A system for holding non-contact wafer probes over the surface of a wafer which includes a system for flushing the surface of the probe during grinding. | 05-09-2013 |
20130141737 | THICKNESS MEASURING SYSTEM FOR MEASURING A THICKNESS OF A PLATE-SHAPED MEMBER - A thickness measuring system for measuring a thickness of a planar plate-shaped member on a conveyer belt includes a processor, a first distance measurer and a second distance measurer. The first distance measurer on one side of the conveyor belt can emit and receive a first light beam parallel to the conveyer belt for reflection off the planar plate-shaped member, and calculate a first distance between the first distance measurer and the plate-shaped member. The second distance measurer on the other side of the conveyor belt can emit and receive a second light beam and a third light beam for reflection off the planar plate-shaped member, and calculate a second distance between the first distance measurer and the plate-shaped member and a third distance between the second distance measurer and the plate-shaped member. | 06-06-2013 |
20130155421 | AUTHENTICATION OF ARTICLES - The present invention provides a method of authenticating the provenance of an article marked with a transparent polymer film comprising measuring the thickness of the film or of a layer within in the film by white light interferometry and/or by birefringence. | 06-20-2013 |
20130182265 | DEVICE FOR MONITORING THICKNESS REDUCTION OF INNER SURFACE IN HEAT TRANSFER TUBE OR INNER SURFACE IN EVAPORATION TUBE - There is provided a device for monitoring a thickness reduction of an inner surface in a heat transfer tube or an inner surface in an evaporation tube, the device including: a movement unit which moves along a fin tube; a laser measurement unit which is provided in the movement unit and measures the thickness reduction of the inner surface by a laser; a cable which includes a light guiding path for introducing a laser into the laser measurement unit and a light deriving path for transmitting reflected light; and a thickness reduction determining unit which compares the laser measurement data with past data or standard data and determines the current thickness reduction. | 07-18-2013 |
20140078520 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING DOUBLE PARTS - The invention relates to the positioning of an additional photo receiver in addition to the known laser sensors for detecting double parts during transport and during the loading of machines, which are situated opposite each other. The additional photo receiver receives the laser beam from a laser sensor located opposite, exactly when there is no material in the measuring gap and the two laser sensors are precisely aligned. This arrangement makes it possible to improve the measuring process and the analysis of the measurement, and thereby increases process reliability during the monitoring of transport and the loading of machines. | 03-20-2014 |
20140118751 | PECVD PROCESS - A method of processing a substrate according to a PECVD process is described. Temperature profile of the substrate is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Plasma density profile is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Chamber surfaces exposed to the plasma are heated to improve plasma density uniformity and reduce formation of low quality deposits on chamber surfaces. In situ metrology may be used to monitor progress of a deposition process and trigger control actions involving substrate temperature profile, plasma density profile, pressure, temperature, and flow of reactants. | 05-01-2014 |
20140153003 | MEASURING APPARATUS, IMPRINT SYSTEM, MEASURING METHOD, AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - An measuring apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store a relationship, regarding an irradiation condition predetermined based on a correlation between a characteristic of each of beams of reflected light obtained from a plurality of patterns different from one another in a thickness of a residual layer in a recessed portion and the thickness of the residual layer of each of the plurality of patterns, between the characteristic of the reflected light from each pattern and the thickness of the residual layer of the pattern; and a processing unit configured to, based on a characteristic of reflected light from a pattern formed on a substrate irradiated with light under the irradiation condition and the relationship stored in the storage unit, obtain a thickness of a residual layer in a recessed portion of the pattern formed on the substrate. | 06-05-2014 |
20140176965 | THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING USING A SINGLE CAMERA - The attenuation and other optical properties of a medium are exploited to measure a thickness of the medium between a sensor and a target surface. Disclosed herein are various mediums, arrangements of hardware, and processing techniques that can be used to capture these thickness measurements and obtain three-dimensional images of the target surface in a variety of imaging contexts. This includes general techniques for imaging interior/concave surfaces as well as exterior/convex surfaces, as well as specific adaptations of these techniques to imaging ear canals, human dentition, and so forth. | 06-26-2014 |
20140185060 | DEVICES FOR DETERMINING LAYER THICKNESS AND/OR CONTAMINATION LEVEL OF A BELT - The invention relates to an apparatus for determining a layer thickness on a tape moved along a feed direction, comprising: a movement unit for moving the tape along the feed direction, a light generating unit for generating illumination radiation, a beam shaping unit disposed downstream of the light generating unit for shaping at least one strip-shaped illumination beam for linear illumination of the tape transversely with respect to the feed direction, a detector unit for detecting illumination radiation reflected and/or transmitted at the tape, and an evaluation device for determining the layer thickness on the basis of the detected illumination radiation. The apparatus can also be used for determining a degree of contamination of a surface of the tape, the surface being contaminated by particles, by detecting illumination radiation scattered at the tape. | 07-03-2014 |
20140192368 | RECORDING MEDIUM DETERMINATION APPARATUS AND RECORDING MEDIUM DETERMINATION METHOD - A recording medium determination apparatus includes a light radiation unit which radiates light toward a recording medium; a light receiving unit which receives diffuse reflection light, which is light radiated from the light radiation unit and diffuse reflected by the recording medium; a reflection portion which can reflect transmitted light, which is radiated from the light radiation unit and transmitted through the recording medium, to cause the transmitted light to be incident to the recording medium again; a switching unit which switches a reflectance state such that a reflectance of the reflection portion changes; and a determination unit which determines a thickness of the recording medium on a basis of a value of a ratio between light amounts of a plurality of the diffuse reflection lights which are reflected by the reflection portion in different reflectance states and are received by the light receiving unit. | 07-10-2014 |
20140268182 | THICKNESS MEASURING DEVICE - A thickness measuring device for measuring an object includes a thickness measuring component and a sensing determining means. The thickness measuring component includes a plurality of measuring members provided respectively in correspondence with a plurality of the objects. Each measuring member respectively measures one object by moving itself along an extending direction and/or by irradiating a light to the object. The sensing determining means retrieves an image of the measuring member and/or an image of the light reflected from the object to further obtain and display a thickness value of the object. The thickness measuring device of the present invention is more effective and inexpensive. | 09-18-2014 |
20140268183 | THICKNESS MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND THICKNESS MEASUREMENT METHOD - Thickness measurement apparatuses | 09-18-2014 |
20140293295 | METHOD FOR MEASURING FILM THICKNESS DISTRIBUTION - A method for measuring film thickness distribution, including calculating profile P1 indicating wavelength dependence of a reflectance of a first wafer being an object measured with respect to a light at wavelengths not less than a wavelength region of visible light; calculating profile P21 indicating wavelength dependence of a reflectance of a second wafer to light at wavelengths not less than wavelength region of visible light; obtaining a wavelength λ1 observed when profile P31 of a difference between calculated profiles P1 and P21 becomes zero; and selecting waveband including the obtained wavelength λ1 as a waveband of light for use in film thickness distribution measurement by reflection spectroscopy. The film thickness distribution of the first thin film is measured by reflection spectroscopy in a manner that a surface of the first wafer is irradiated with a light to selectively measure only reflected light at a selected waveband. | 10-02-2014 |
20140320867 | METHOD FOR PROCESSING WAFER - The invention provides a method for processing a wafer by inserting the wafer into a holding hole of a carrier to hold the wafer, and interposing the carrier holding the wafer between an upper turn table and a lower turn table to process both surfaces of the wafer simultaneously, including: before processing the wafer, detecting a height position of the upper turn table by a laser displacement sensor while interposing the carrier holding the wafer between the upper turn table and the lower turn table; and determining that the wafer is not normally held to redo the holding of the wafer if a difference between the detected height position and a reference position exceeds a threshold. The method can automatically detect accurately a failure in holding the wafer before processing to prevent the wafer from breaking and eliminate the necessity of operator's inspection using touch to improve operation efficiency. | 10-30-2014 |
20140355009 | MEASURING APPARATUS - A measuring apparatus includes a supporting column, a securing assembly, and a pair of measuring elements. The securing assembly is movably located on the supporting column at a predetermined height. The pair of measuring elements is secured on the securing assembly opposite to each other. The measuring elements receive a workpiece and transmit lasers to the workpiece respectively. | 12-04-2014 |
20150029517 | METHOD FOR MEASURING THICKNESS OF OBJECT - Methods for measuring a thickness of an object including acquiring at least one of a wavelength domain spectrum for an amplitude ratio (Ψ) and a phase difference (Δ) of reflected light from a film material, converting the wavelength domain spectrum into a 1/wavelength domain spectrum, acquiring a resulting spectrum by performing fast fourier transform (FFT) on the 1/wavelength domain spectrum, and measuring a thickness of the film material from the resulting spectrum may be provided. | 01-29-2015 |
20150049348 | Measurement Method For Height Profiles Of Surfaces - A method for optically measuring height profiles of surfaces, in which an image of the height profile is recorded using an optical recording system, is characterized in that the image is a differential interference contrast image and height gradients within the height profile are represented by intensity gradients, which are quantitatively or qualitatively evaluatable. The surfaces can have structures having a defined profile, in which intensity gradients in the differential interference contrast image, which assume, within a specified tolerance and within a specified range, a value which deviates from a predetermined value or assume a selected value from within a specified tolerance and within a specified range, indicate a defect. | 02-19-2015 |
20150092201 | METROLOGY TOOL FOR ELECTROLESS COPPER THICKNESS MEASUREMENT FOR BBUL PROCESS DEVELOPMENT MONITORING - A method including measuring a first distance to a surface of an integrated circuit substrate or a portion of an integrated circuit package by measuring an angle to it from two known points; introducing a material onto the surface; measuring a second distance to a surface of the film from the two known points; and determining a thickness of the introduced material by subtracting the second distance from the first distance. | 04-02-2015 |
20150292865 | HEIGHT DETECTING APPARATUS - A height detecting apparatus for detecting the height of a workpiece held on a chuck table. The height detecting apparatus includes a single-mode fiber for transmitting return light reflected from the workpiece and next branched by a fiber coupler, a photodetector for detecting the return light emerging from the single-mode fiber and outputting a signal corresponding to the intensity of the return light detected above, and a controller having a memory for storing a table setting the relation between wavelength and height. The controller determines the wavelength corresponding to the highest light intensity from the wavelengths detected by the photodetector in synchronism with the predetermined cycles of sweeping of light having a single wavelength by a Fabry-Perot tunable filter, and then checks this determined wavelength against the wavelength and height set in the table, thereby determining the height of the workpiece held on the chuck table. | 10-15-2015 |
20150300809 | METHOD FOR MEASURING THICKNESS VARIATIONS IN A LAYER OF A MULTILAYER SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURE - The invention relates to a method for measuring thickness variations in a layer of a multilayer semiconductor structure, characterized in that it comprises: acquiring, via an image acquisition system, at least one image of the surface of the structure, the image being obtained by reflecting an almost monochromatic light flux from the surface of the structure; and processing the at least one acquired image in order to determine, from variations in the intensity of the light reflected from the surface, variations in the thickness of the layer to be measured, and in that the wavelength of the almost monochromatic light flux is chosen to correspond to a minimum of the sensitivity of the reflectivity of a layer of the structure other than the layer the thickness variations of which must be measured, the sensitivity of the reflectivity of a layer being equal to the ratio of: the difference between the reflectivities of two multilayer structures for which the layer in question has a given thickness difference; to the given thickness difference, the thicknesses of the other layers being for their part identical in the two multilayer structures. The invention also relates to a measuring system implementing the method. | 10-22-2015 |
20150345930 | PASTE TRANSFER UNIT, ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MOUNTING DEVICE, AND TRANSFERRED FILM THICKNESS MEASURING METHOD - To measure a film thickness of a coating film ( | 12-03-2015 |
20160061583 | APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THICKNESS OF THIN FILM, SYSTEM INCLUDING THE APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR MEASURING THICKNESS OF THIN FILM - An apparatus and a system for measuring the thickness of a thin film are provided. The apparatus includes a signal detector, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) generator, an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) generator, and a thickness analyzer. The signal detector detects an electric field signal with respect to a reflected light that is reflected from a thin film. The FFT generator performs FFT with respect to the electric field signal to separate a DC component from an AC component of the electric field signal. The IFFT generator receives the separated AC component of the electric field signal, performs IFFT with respect to the AC component, and extracts a phase value of the AC component. The thickness analyzer measures the thickness of the thin film using the extracted phase value. | 03-03-2016 |
20160084634 | APPARATUS AND METHOD OF TESTING A STICK - An apparatus of testing a stick includes a tension unit that applies tension to a stick having openings formed therein and fixes the stick in place, a first testing unit that is spaced apart from the stick and tests a surface of the stick, a light dispersion unit that reflects light emitted from the first testing unit, a distance measurement unit that measures a third distance from a bottom surface of the stick to the light dispersion unit, and a control unit that calculates a second distance from a starting point of a protrusion of the stick tested by the first testing unit to the light dispersion unit, calculates a difference between the second distance and the third distance so as to calculate a height of the protrusion and determines whether the stick is defective or not, based on the height of the protrusion. | 03-24-2016 |
20160102966 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FIBER PLACEMENT INSPECTION DURING FABRICATION OF FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE COMPONENTS - The disclosed systems and methods relate to inspecting uncured fiber-reinforced composite components by non-contact 3D measurements of the component using 3D digital image correlation with patterned illumination. Systems comprise a light projector configured to project a light pattern onto a form, a digital camera configured to image the light pattern, and may comprise and/or be associated with an AFP machine that is configured to lay uncured composite on the form. Methods comprise projecting a light pattern onto a form, acquiring a baseline 3D profile of the form by imaging the light pattern on the form, laying an uncured fiber piece onto the form, projecting the light pattern onto the uncured fiber piece, acquiring a test 3D profile of the fiber piece by imaging the light pattern on the uncured fiber piece, and computing a thickness difference between the test 3D profile and the baseline 3D profile. | 04-14-2016 |
20160102967 | DIFFERENTIAL LIGHTING - Described is a technology for measuring ink film thickness by use of differential lighting between two differently positioned light sources. The technology involves an image capture device, a first set of light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a second set of LEDs, where the image capture device is attached to a printer. The first set of LEDs is positioned in parallel to an image capture axis to illuminate a target object evenly from above with a light perpendicular to the target object (e.g., substrate with deposited ink droplets). The second set of LEDs is positioned to illuminate the target object at an angle, thereby casting a shadow. The image capture device takes two snapshots of the target object, utilizing a different light source (of the two sets of LEDs) for each snapshot. The snapshots are compared to determine the shadow's magnitude and the ink film thickness based on the shadow. | 04-14-2016 |
20160103050 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING WEAR OF A WORN SURFACE - A method of determining wear of a worn surface of a machine component includes providing a scanning device at a distance from the worn surface. The method also includes moving at least one of the scanning device and the worn surface relative to the other and generating a set of data points via the scanning device. Each data point of the set of data points is indicative of a depth of a corresponding point on the worn surface relative to a reference plane. The method further includes determining a maximum depth of the worn surface based on the set of data points and comparing the maximum depth to a reference value to determine a next step in a remanufacturing process of the machine component. | 04-14-2016 |
20160178514 | LINE SCAN KNIFE EDGE HEIGHT SENSOR FOR SEMICONDUCTOR INSPECTION AND METROLOGY | 06-23-2016 |
20160187121 | Non-Destructive and Optical Measurement Automation System for Web Thickness of Microdrills and Method Thereof - A non-destructive and optical measurement automation system for web thickness of microdrills and method thereof can obtain the measuring data corresponding to a certain section to be measured of a microdrill by means of automated optical measurement. Specifically speaking, the said system and method measure the section to be measured via an optical measuring plane formed by a measuring light beam, and the included angle between the optical measuring plane and the central axis of the microdrill is practically consistent with the helix angle of the microdrill. The said system and method then analyze the measuring data via a computer device to obtain the outer diameter and the depths of helical flutes corresponding to the section to be measured. Finally, the said system and method calculate the web thickness of the said section to be measured according to the outer diameter and the depths of helical flutes. | 06-30-2016 |
20160377411 | Device for Contactless Optical Distance Measurement - A device for contactless optical distance measurement includes a polychromatic light source, a light analysis unit and a measurement head. The measurement head has an aperture opening and an optical lens system, which has a chromatic longitudinal aberration. The optical lens system includes a first refractive lens element and a second refractive lens element. At least one of the refractive lens elements has at least one aspherical lens surface, and the first refractive lens element and/or the second refractive lens element has an optical material with an Abbe number 20←V d←41. The optical lens system has such a chromatic longitudinal aberration that a measurement region, which equals an axial focal shift of the optical lens system between the wavelengths of 450 nm and 700 nm, is between 0.2 mm inclusive and 10 mm inclusive. | 12-29-2016 |
20160377412 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING HEIGHT ON A SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER - Disclosed are apparatus and methods for determining height of a semiconductor structure. The system includes an illumination module for directing one or more source lines or points towards a specimen having multiple surfaces at different relative heights and a collection module for detecting light reflected from the surfaces. The collection module contains at least two detectors with one slit or pinhole in front of each detector that that are positioned to receive light reflected from one of the surfaces. A first detector receives reflected light from a slit or pinhole that is positioned before a focal point, and a second detector receive reflected light from a slit or pinhole that is positioned after the focal point so that the first and second detector receive light having different intensity values unless the surface is at an optimum focus. The system includes a processor system for determining a height based on the detected light received by the detectors from two of the surfaces. | 12-29-2016 |
20190145756 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR METROLOGY | 05-16-2019 |