Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080218762 | System For Detecting Anomalies And/Or Features of a Surface - A cylindrical mirror or lens is used to focus an input collimated beam of light onto a line on the surface to be inspected, where the line is substantially in the plane of incidence of the focused beam. An image of the beam is projected onto an array of charge-coupled devices parallel to the line for detecting anomalies and/or features of the surface, where the array is outside the plane of incidence of the focused beam. | 09-11-2008 |
20080229811 | STABILIZING A SUBSTRATE USING A VACUUM PRELOAD AIR BEARING CHUCK - Substrate processing method and apparatus are disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes a non-contact air bearing chuck with a vacuum preload. | 09-25-2008 |
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 |
20090195779 | SYSTEM FOR SCATTEROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS AND APPLICATIONS - Instead of constructing a full multi-dimensional look-up-table as a model to find the critical dimension or other parameters in scatterometry, regression or other optimized estimation methods are employed starting from a “best guess” value of the parameter. Eigenvalues of models that are precalculated may be stored and reused later for other structures having certain common characteristics to save time. The scatterometric data that is used to find the value of the one or more parameter can be limited to those at wavelengths that are less sensitive to the underlying film characteristics. A model for a three-dimensional grating may be constructed by slicing a representative structure into a stack of slabs and creating an array of rectangular blocks to approximate each slab. One dimensional boundary problems may be solved for each block which are then matched to find a two-dimensional solution for the slab. A three-dimensional solution can then be constructed from the two-dimensional solutions for the slabs to yield the diffraction efficiencies of the three-dimensional grating. This model can then be used for finding the one or more parameters of the diffracting structure in scatterometry. Line roughness of a surface can be measured by directing a polarized incident beam in an incident plane normal to the line grating and measuring the cross-polarization coefficient. The value of the one or more parameters may then be supplied to a stepper or etcher to adjust a lithographic or etching process. | 08-06-2009 |
20090278044 | In-Situ Differential Spectroscopy - A spectrometer having an electron beam generator for generating an electron beam that is directed at a sample. An electron beam positioner directs the electron beam onto a position of the sample, and thereby produces a secondary emitted stream from the sample, where the secondary emitted stream includes at least one of electrons and x-rays. An secondary emitted stream positioner positions the secondary emitted stream onto a detector array, which receives the secondary emitted stream and detects both the amounts and the received positions of the secondary emitted stream. A modulator modulates the electron beam that is directed onto the sample, and thereby sweeps the electron beam between a first position and a second position on the sample. An extractor is in signal communication with both the modulator and the detector array, and extracts a differential signal that represents a difference between the signals that are received from the first position and the signals that are received from the second position. | 11-12-2009 |
20100073665 | DEFECT DETECTION USING TIME DELAY LOCK-IN THERMOGRAPHY (LIT) AND DARK FIELD LIT - To increase inspection throughput, the field of view (FOV) of an IR camera can be moved over the sample at a constant velocity. Throughout this moving, a modulation (e.g. optical or electrical) can be provided to the sample and IR images can be captured using the IR camera. Moving the FOV, providing the modulation, and capturing the IR images can be synchronized. The IR images can be filtered to generate the time delay LIT, thereby providing defect identification. In one embodiment, this filtering accounts for the number of pixels of the IR camera in a scanning direction. For the case of optical modulation, a dark field region can be provided for the FOV throughout the moving, thereby providing an improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during filtering. | 03-25-2010 |
20100074515 | Defect Detection and Response - To increase inspection throughput, the field of view of an infrared camera can be moved over the sample at a constant velocity. Throughout this moving, a modulation (such as optical or electrical) can be provided to the sample and infrared images can be captured using the infrared camera. Moving the field of view, providing the modulation, and capturing the infrared images can be synchronized. The infrared images can be filtered to generate the time delay lock-in thermography, thereby providing defect identification. In one embodiment, this filtering accounts for the number of pixels of the infrared camera in a scanning direction. For the case of optical modulation, a dark field region can be provided for the field of view throughout the moving, thereby providing an improved signal-to-noise ratio during filtering. Localized defects can be repaired by a laser integrated into the detection system or marked by ink for later repair in the production line. | 03-25-2010 |
20110069306 | Referenced Inspection Device - A tool for investigating a substrate, where the tool has a tool head for investigating the substrate, a chuck for disposing an upper surface of the substrate in proximity to the tool head, and an air bearing disposed on the tool head adjacent the substrate. The air bearing has a pressure source and a vacuum source, where the vacuum source draws the substrate toward the air bearing and the pressure source prevents the substrate from physically contacting the air bearing. The pressure source and the vacuum source work in cooperation to dispose the upper surface of the substrate at a known distance from the tool head. By using the air bearing as part of the tool in this manner, registration of the substrate to the tool head is accomplished relative to the upper surface of the substrate, not the back side of the substrate. | 03-24-2011 |
20110169944 | Dark Field Inspection System With Ring Illumination - A dark field inspection system that minimizes the speckle noise due to sample surface roughness can include a plurality of beam shaping paths for generating a composite, focused illumination line on a wafer. Each beam shaping path can illuminate the wafer at an oblique angle. The plurality of beam shaping paths can form a ring illumination. This ring illumination can reduce the speckle effect, thereby improving SNR. An objective lens can capture scattered light from the wafer and an imaging sensor can receive an output of the objective lens. Because the wafer illumination occurs at oblique angles, the objective lens can have a high NA, thereby improving optical resolution of the imaging sensor, and the resulting signal level. | 07-14-2011 |
20120026489 | Multi-Spot Illumination for Wafer Inspection - Illumination subsystems for multi-spot wafer inspection are provided. | 02-02-2012 |
20120062877 | Referenced Inspection Device - A tool for investigating a substrate, where the tool has a tool head for investigating the substrate, a chuck for disposing an upper surface of the substrate in proximity to the tool head, and an air bearing disposed on the tool head adjacent the substrate. The air bearing has a pressure source and a vacuum source, where the vacuum source draws the substrate toward the air bearing and the pressure source prevents the substrate from physically contacting the air bearing. The pressure source and the vacuum source work in cooperation to dispose the upper surface of the substrate at a known distance from the tool head. By using the air bearing as part of the tool in this manner, registration of the substrate to the tool head is accomplished relative to the upper surface of the substrate, not the back side of the substrate. | 03-15-2012 |
20120256559 | LED Solar Illuminator - An apparatus for illuminating a target surface, the apparatus having a plurality of LED arrays, where each of the arrays has a plurality of individually addressable LEDs, and where at least one of the arrays is disposed at an angle of between about forty-five degrees and about ninety degrees relative to the target surface, where all of the arrays supply light into a light pipe, the light pipe having interior walls made of a reflective material, where light exiting the light pipe illuminates the target surface, and a controller for adjusting an intensity of the individually addressable light sources. | 10-11-2012 |
20130250582 | Multi-Spot Illumination for Wafer Inspection - Illumination subsystems for multi-spot wafer inspection are provided. One illumination subsystem includes a diffractive optical element configured to separate an illumination light beam into multiple light beams and a refractive lens array positioned in the path of the multiple light beams. The refractive lens array is configured to relay the laser beam waist at the diffractive optical element onto a wafer surface and to separately and simultaneously focus each of the multiple light beams to a wafer for inspection. | 09-26-2013 |