| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7385409 |
System and method of mitigating effects of component deflection in a probe card analyzer |
June 10, 2008 |
| A system and method of mitigating the effects of component deflections in a probe card analyzer system may implement three-dimensional comparative optical metrology techniques to model deflection characteristics. An exemplary system and method combine non-bussed electrical planarity |
| 7373275 |
System and method of point matching measured positions to template positions |
May 13, 2008 |
| A system and method of point matching measured positions to template, or reference, positions for various applications may generally comprise creating force field vectors and moments operative to perturb measured point locations into alignment with template point locations. Progressive |
| 7372584 |
Dual photo-acoustic and resistivity measurement system |
May 13, 2008 |
| A measurement system for measuring aspects of a wafer combines an apparatus for performing a conductivity measurement, such as a four-point probe system, with apparatus for performing an optical measurement, such as a photoacoustic measurement system. Results are obtained and combined |
| 7369234 |
Method of performing optical measurement on a sample |
May 6, 2008 |
| The invention relates to a method of performing an optical measurement on a sample, such as an ellipticity measurement. The sample is irradiated with a polarized irradiation beam and a return beam is linearly polarized. The irradiation or return beam is modulated with a birefringence |
| 7366344 |
Edge normal process |
April 29, 2008 |
| An edge inspection method for detecting defects on a wafer edge normal surface includes acquiring a set of digital images which captures a circumference of the wafer. An edge of the wafer about the circumference is determined. Each digital image is segmented into a plurality of horiz |
| 7340087 |
Edge inspection |
March 4, 2008 |
| A semiconductor inspection tool comprises an edge top camera for obtaining images of a top edge of a wafer, an edge normal camera for obtaining images of a normal edge of the wafer, and a controller for receiving the images of the top edge of the wafer and the images of the normal edge o |
| 7316938 |
Adjustable film frame aligner |
January 8, 2008 |
| A film frame aligner for automatically aligning a film frame includes a film frame support, a film frame pusher for pushing the film frame, and a film frame location mechanism for locating at least one notch in the film frame. |
| 7253887 |
Metrology system with spectroscopic ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurements |
August 7, 2007 |
| A photoacoustic system with ellipsometer, where the ellipsometer includes a laser light source for generating an incident beam, an element for focusing the incident beam on a sample, a unit for measuring the change in amplitude of the incident beam on reflection and a unit for measuring |
| 7230441 |
Wafer staging platform for a wafer inspection system |
June 12, 2007 |
| A wafer staging platform for a wafer inspection system for inspecting of semiconductors or like substrates and method of handling wafers. The platform and related method is designed to reduce the amount of time needed to exchange wafers on a processing tool. The staging platform can |
| 7220034 |
Fiber optic darkfield ring light |
May 22, 2007 |
| A fiber optic darkfield ring light with many angled fiber optic light lines with direct illumination in a very small package. The fiber optic darkfield ring light includes a base with multiple light heads and multiple light covers attached thereto, a main cover, an optional cord grip |
| 7206442 |
Optical inspection method utilizing ultraviolet light |
April 17, 2007 |
| A system and method for inspecting structures formed on the surface of an object using ultraviolet (UV) light. The object is placed in position and illuminated with at least one wavelength of UV light, directed at its surface from a UV source. At the moment of illumination, an image is |
| 7197178 |
Photoresist edge bead removal measurement |
March 27, 2007 |
| An edge bead removal measurement method includes determining an edge of a wafer about a circumference of the wafer. A location of a wafer notch on the edge of the wafer is determined. A location of a center of the wafer is determined. A distance from the edge of the wafer to an edge bead |
| 7196300 |
Dynamic focusing method and apparatus |
March 27, 2007 |
| A method and apparatus for dynamically focusing an imaging mechanism on a moving target surface having a variable geometry is herein disclosed. Apparatus for focusing an imaging mechanism may include an objective, a prism, or another optical device that forms part of an optical train of |
| 7192173 |
Optical throughput condenser |
March 20, 2007 |
| An optical throughput condenser re-concentrates light thereby causing light which otherwise would be wasted outside of the useful A.OMEGA. product, also known as optical throughput, of an illuminating system to be redirected back into the useful A.OMEGA. product. The optical throughp |
| 7170075 |
Inspection tool with a 3D point sensor to develop a focus map |
January 30, 2007 |
| An inspection system, and process for use thereof, for inspecting semiconductors or like substrates. The inspection system includes an inspection device and an auxiliary sensor apart from the inspection device. The auxiliary sensor is used to collect height data and generate a map of |
| 7158235 |
System and method for inspection using white light interferometry |
January 2, 2007 |
| A system for inspecting components is provided. The system includes an image data system that generates image data of the component, such as from a position overlooking the top of a bumped wafer. An interferometry inspection system is connected to the image data system and receives the |
| 7050178 |
Method and apparatus for increasing signal to noise ratio in a photoacoustic film thickness meas |
May 23, 2006 |
| An apparatus for improving the signal to noise ratio of measurements of the thickness of layers in a thin film stack uses a photoacoustic measurement system that includes a time differentiation system for inducing a delay in pump beam pulses. The time differentiation system uses, amo |
| 7039228 |
System and method for three-dimensional surface inspection |
May 2, 2006 |
| An optical inspection system and method for inspecting a component on a printed circuit board (PCB) which determines three-dimensional information in a single scan. A first visual light source illuminates the PCB surface and component with a green light while a second visual light so |
| 7019845 |
Measuring elastic moduli of dielectric thin films using an optical metrology system |
March 28, 2006 |
| An optical metrology system is provided with a data analysis method to determine the elastic moduli of optically transparent dielectric films such as silicon dioxide, other carbon doped oxides over metal or semiconductor substrates. An index of refraction is measured by an ellipsomet |
| 7006221 |
Metrology system with spectroscopic ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurements |
February 28, 2006 |
| An optical system includes both a microspot broadband spectroscopic ellipsometer and a photoacoustic film thickness measurement system that are supplied laser light by the same laser light source. One of the systems makes a measurement, the result of which is used to adjust a paramet |
| 7002689 |
Optically-based method and apparatus for detecting and characterizing surface pits in a metal fi |
February 21, 2006 |
| An optically-based system and method are disclosed for detecting surface pits and their average depth in a metal film by an examination of pulse shape in a reflected probe beam pulse. Also disclosed is an optically-based system and method for detecting an occurrence of a failure in a |
| 6934031 |
Methods and apparatus for determining optical constants of semiconductors and dielectrics with i |
August 23, 2005 |
| A method for calculating the refractive index and the extinction coefficient for materials relates the physical parameters being calculated to the scattering caused by interband states in the material using a model which includes a quantum mechanical transition equation for transitions |
| 6886423 |
Scalable, automated metrology system and method of making the system |
May 3, 2005 |
| An automated metrology system for photoacoustic measurement of single or multi-layer films, and a method of making the system, are disclosed. Dramatic improvements in the cost of ownership of the system is attained by making the system scalable from a system having a single metrology |
| 6847443 |
System and method for multi-wavelength, narrow-bandwidth detection of surface defects |
January 25, 2005 |
| A system and method for detecting defects in surface structures, such as those formed on semiconductor wafers. A light source, preferably a strobe light, provides illumination that is separated by a filter into a plurality of selected bandwidths. The light then is transported through a |
| 6813376 |
System and method for detecting defects on a structure-bearing surface using optical inspection |
November 2, 2004 |
| A method of collating and using captured semiconductor-wafer image data in an automated defect analysis. The method includes the steps of receiving image data and, if necessary, converting it to a digital format. Once the data is in pixel-by-pixel form, each pixel is assigned a slope val |
| 6621582 |
Optical metrology system and method employing laser-server supplying laser energy to distributed |
September 16, 2003 |
| A metrology system has one or more central `metrology servers` and one or more `metrology slaves` The server delivers metrology `pump/probe` signals to multiple slave systems allowing a reduction in the number of high-cost metrology components in the master system. In certain cases, mult |
| 6519045 |
Method and apparatus for measuring very thin dielectric film thickness and creating a stable mea |
February 11, 2003 |
| A thickness metrology apparatus and method for accurately determining the actual thickness of thin dielectric film on a semiconductor wafer. The wafer is subjected to a heat treatment such as baking at a heating station of the apparatus to cause desorption of organic compounds from the f |
| 6504618 |
Method and apparatus for decreasing thermal loading and roughness sensitivity in a photoacoustic |
January 7, 2003 |
| Disclosed are methods and apparatus for reducing thermal loading of a film disposed on a surface of a sample, such as a semiconductor wafer, while obtaining a measurement of a thickness of the film in an area about a measurement site. The method includes steps of (a) bringing an optical |
| 6256097 |
Ellipsometer and ellipsometry method |
July 3, 2001 |
| An improved ellipsometry method and a self-correcting simultaneous multiple angle/multiple wavelength return path ellipsometer are disclosed which allow for simultaneous measurement at multiple angles of incidence in a manner which permits separation of instrument error from the measured |
