Patents Represented by Attorney Stallman & Pollock LLP
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Patent number: 7248367Abstract: To measure USJ profile abruptness, a PMR-type optical metrology tool is to perform a series of two or more measurements, each with different pump/probe beam separations. Quadrature (Q) and in-phase (I) measurements are obtained for each measurement and used to derive a line in I-Q space. An abruptness measurement is derived by comparing the line slope to a similar line slope obtained for a sample having a known USJ profile. USJ profile depth is measured by obtaining quadrature (Q) values for one or more measurements. Each Q value is translated to a corresponding depth measurement using a table or similar lookup device.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2004Date of Patent: July 24, 2007Assignee: Therma-Wave, Inc.Inventors: Alex Salnik, Lena Nicolaides, Jon Opsal
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Patent number: 7248362Abstract: A small-spot imaging, spectrometry instrument for measuring properties of a sample has a polarization-scrambling element, such as a birefringent plate depolarizer, incorporated between the polarization-introducing components of the system, such as the beamsplitter, and the microscope objective of the system. The plate depolarizer varies polarization with wavelength, and may be a Lyot depolarizer with two plates, or a depolarizer with more than two plates (such as a three-plate depolarizer). Sinusoidal perturbation in the resulting measured spectrum can be removed by data processing techniques or, if the depolarizer is thick or highly birefringent, the perturbation may be narrower than the wavelength resolution of the instrument.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2006Date of Patent: July 24, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Adam E. Norton, Kenneth C. Johnson, Fred E. Stanke
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Patent number: 7246334Abstract: State nodes in a sequential digital circuit are identified using a graph-based method based upon the topology of the circuit. In accordance with the method, the device level circuit netlist is reduced to a graph representation using a well-defined set of rules. The unique properties of state nodes can be translated to properties of the graph representation of the circuit. Identification of state nodes is required for proper initialization of sequential circuits for simulation by a device level digital simulator.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2005Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: National Semiconductor CorporationInventors: Tathagato Rai Dastidar, Partha Ray
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Patent number: 7244028Abstract: A projection video display includes at least one laser for delivering a light beam. The display includes a beam homogenizer and a condenser lens. A scanning arrangement is provided for scanning the light in beam in a particular pattern over the condenser lens in a manner that effectively increases the beam divergence. The scanned beam is homogenized by a beam homogenizer and a spatial light modulator is arranged to receive the homogenized scanned light beam and spatially modulate the beam in accordance with a component of an image to be displayed. Projection optics are projecting the homogenized scanned light beam onto a screen. The scanning provides that the homogenized scanned light beam at the screen has a coherence radius less than the original coherence radius of the beam. The reduced coherence radius contributes to minimizing speckle contrast in the image displayed on the screen.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2004Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: Coherent, Inc.Inventors: Sergei V. Govorkov, Luis A. Spinelli, Juan L. Chilla, Andrea Caprara, Murray K. Reed
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Patent number: 7245420Abstract: The lifetime of optical components used in deep-UV (DUV) excimer laser systems, including systems in a MOPA configuration, can be increased by reducing the intensity of pulses incident upon these components. In one approach, an output pulse can be “stretched” in order to reduce the peak power of the pulse. A pulse stretching component can be used, which can be mounted outside the laser enclosure with a horizontal beam path in order to provide a delay line with a minimum impact on the laser system footprint. The horizontal beam path also can minimize the number of optical components in the arm containing the high power beam. A beamsplitting prism can be used with the delay line to avoid the rapid degradation of coatings otherwise exposed to intense UV beams. The prism can expand the beam in the delay line in order to minimize beam intensity and losses due to reflection.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2007Date of Patent: July 17, 2007Assignee: Lambda Physik AGInventors: Sergei V. Govorkov, Gongxue Hua, Timur Misuryaev, Alexander O. Wiessner, Thomas Schmidt, Rainer Paetzel
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Patent number: 7242700Abstract: A laser system includes an optically pumped laser resonator that produces a fundamental-wavelength beam. A temperature-tuned frequency converter outside the laser resonator converts a portion of the fundamental-wavelength beam to a frequency-converted beam. The frequency converter includes at least one temperature-tuned optically nonlinear crystal. The power and position of the frequency-converted beam are dependent on the temperature of the optically nonlinear crystal and the optical pumping power. The power and position of the frequency-converted beam are monitored. The temperature of the optically nonlinear crystal is adjusted to maintain the frequency-converted beam at a predetermined position. The optical pump power is adjusted to maintain the power of the frequency-converted beam at a predetermined level.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2004Date of Patent: July 10, 2007Assignee: Coherent, Inc.Inventor: Charles Xiaoyi Wang
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Patent number: 7238577Abstract: A method is provided for obtaining extremely fine pitch N-type and P-type stripes that form the voltage blocking region of a superjunction power device. The stripes are self-aligned and do not suffer from alignment tolerances. The self-aligned, fine pitch of the alternating stripes enables improvements in on-state resistance, while ensuring that the superjunction device is fully manufacturable. Only one masking step is required to fabricate the alternating N-type and P-type stripes.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2005Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: National Semiconductor CorporationInventor: Zia Alan Shafi
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Patent number: 7239712Abstract: An inductor-based integrated MEMS microphone and a method of making the microphone is provided. The microphone structure includes a vibrating inductor that is suspended over another stationary inductor such that the magnetic field induced from one inductor induces an electrical potential across the other. The stationary inductor is embedded in a dielectric material that is etched out over the stationary inductor to provide the cavity over which the vibrating inductor is suspended.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2004Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: National Semiconductor CorporationInventors: Robert Drury, Peter J. Hopper, Michael Mian, Peter Johnson
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Patent number: 7239656Abstract: A method of minimizing contamination of optical components of a laser resonator is disclosed. The resonator components are located in an enclosure, which may contain contaminants including water vapor and organic favor released by the optical components, mounts of the optical components, or the enclosure itself. The enclosure may also contain suspended particulate matter. In order to reduce the level of these contaminants, a purging system extracts gas from the enclosure and passes the gas through a desiccant, an organic vapor trapping material, and a particulate matter filter then returns the extracted gas to the enclosure. The purging system is particularly useful for ultrafast lasers and ultraviolet lasers where the power of the laser radiation increases the probability of destabilizing reactions between laser radiation and contaminants.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2004Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: Coherent, Inc.Inventors: Yang Pang, Matthew Perry Philpott
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Patent number: 7239558Abstract: A non-volatile memory (NVM) cell splits its basic functions, i.e. program, erase, read and control, among a four PMOS transistor structure, allowing independent optimization of each cell function. The cell structure also includes an embedded static random access memory (SRAM) cell that utilizes a latch structure to preprogram data to be written to the cell and a plurality of cascoded NMOS pass gates. The cell structure reduces total programming time and provides the flexibility of programming the entire cell array simultaneously or one row or sector of the array at a time.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2005Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: National Semiconductor CorporationInventors: Pavel Poplevine, Annie-Li-Keow Lum, Hengyang Lin, Andrew J. Franklin
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Patent number: 7239390Abstract: An apparatus for scatterometry measurements is disclosed. The apparatus includes a modulated pump source for exciting the sample. A separate probe beam is directed to interact with the sample and the modulated optical response is measured. The measured data is subjected to a scatterometry analysis in order to evaluate geometrical sample features that induce light scattering.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2005Date of Patent: July 3, 2007Assignee: Therma-Wave, Inc.Inventor: Walter Lee Smith
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Patent number: 7233607Abstract: A source of pulses of coherent radiation at a wavelength of approximately 1 ?m, comprises a pump source for producing pump light; a laser cavity comprising an Yb3+-doped gain medium arranged to receive the pump light, the laser cavity being modelocked to generate laser pulses at a defined repetition rate; a pulse detector arranged to generate a pulse selection signal indicative of the repetition rate; a pulse selector arranged to reduce the repetition rate of the laser pulses responsive to the pulse selection signal from the pulse detector by passing only selected ones of the laser pulses; and at least one optical amplifier for amplifying the laser pulses of reduced repetition rate. The at least one optical amplifier can be configured for chirped or parabolic pulse amplification.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2005Date of Patent: June 19, 2007Assignee: University of SouthamptonInventors: David J Richardson, Lars Johan Albinsson Nilsson, Laurent Lefort, Jonathan Hugh Vaughan Price, Andrew Malinowski, Morten Ibsen
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Patent number: 7233390Abstract: A method for simulating the optical properties of samples having non-uniform line edges includes creating a model for the sample being analyzed. To simulate roughness, lines within the model are represented as combinations of three dimensional objects, such as circular or elliptical mesas. The three-dimensional objects are arranged in a partially overlapping linear fashion. The objects, when spaced closely together resemble a line with edge roughness that corresponds to the object size and pitch. A second method allows lines within the model to vary in width over their lengths. The model is evaluated using a suitable three-dimensional technique to simulate the optical properties of the sample being analyzed.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2004Date of Patent: June 19, 2007Assignee: Therma-Wave, Inc.Inventors: Yia-Chung Chang, Hanyou Chu, Jon Opsal
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Patent number: 7230703Abstract: A method for measuring overlay in a sample includes obtaining an image of an overlay target that includes a series of grating stacks each having an upper and lower grating, each grating stack having a unique offset between its upper and lower grating. The image is obtained with a set of illumination and collection optics where the numerical aperture of the collection optics is larger than the numerical aperture of the illumination optics and with the numerical apertures of the illumination and collection optics are selected so that the unit cells of gratings are not resolved, the grating stacks are resolved and they appear to have a uniform color within the image of the overlay target.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2004Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Robert Shinagawa, Hsu-Ting Huang
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Patent number: 7230704Abstract: A method for measuring overlay in semiconductor wafers includes a calibration phase in which a series of calibration samples are analyzed. Each calibration sample has an overlay that is known to be less than a predetermined limit. A difference spectrum for a pair of reflectively symmetric overlay targets is obtained for each calibration sample. The difference spectra are then combined to define a gross overlay indicator. In subsequent measurements of actual wafers, difference spectra are compared to the overlay indicator to detect cases of gross overlay.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2004Date of Patent: June 12, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Hsu-Ting Huang, Kenneth Johnson
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Patent number: 7227637Abstract: The subject invention relates to a broadband optical metrology system that segregates the broadband radiation into multiple sub-bands to improve overall performance. Each sub-band includes only a fraction of the original bandwidth. The optical path—the light path that connects the illuminator, the sample and the detector—of each sub-band includes a unique sub-band optical system designed to optimize the performance over the spectral range spanned by the sub-band radiation. All of the sub-band optical systems are arranged to provide small-spot illumination at the same measurement position. Optional purging of the individual sub-band optical paths further improves performance.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2006Date of Patent: June 5, 2007Assignee: Therma-Wave, Inc.Inventors: David Y. Wang, Lawrence Rotter, Jeffrey T. Fanton, Jeffrey E. McAninch
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Patent number: 7224450Abstract: A calibration method suitable for highly precise and highly accurate surface metrology measurements is described. In preferred embodiments, an optical inspection tool including a movable optics system is characterized in terms of position and wavelength dependent quantities over a range of motion. Once the position-dependant quantities are determined at various wavelengths and positions, they are stored and used to interpret data from test wafers having an unknown metrology. Free of position-dependent variations and other information pertaining to the measurement system, the accuracy of the resulting wafer measurement more closely matches the precision of the tool than existing techniques. In particular embodiments, a portion of the characterization of the optical system is accomplished by using tilted black glass to provide a non-reflective reference.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2006Date of Patent: May 29, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Kenneth Johnson, Adam E. Norton, Holger A. Tuitje
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Patent number: 7224461Abstract: A method for modeling the complex refractive index of doped, strained or ultra-thin semiconductors starts with a model for a standard bulk material which may be in any form such as a pre-existing lookup table, a dispersion model derived from an effective medium approximation (EMA) or a critical point (CP) model. The modeling method perturbs the ?2 curve of the bulk material by enhancing, suppressing or shifting the strong features of the curve. A Kramers-Kronig transformation is then applied to the ?2 perturbation to obtain the corresponding perturbation to the ?1 curve. The combination of the perturbed ?2 curve and the correspondingly perturbed ?1 curve are then used to obtain the complex dielectric function or complex refractive index of the modified material.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2004Date of Patent: May 29, 2007Assignee: Therma-Wave, Inc.Inventor: Stephen J. Morris
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Patent number: 7215025Abstract: A chip scale package structure formed by adhering a glass sheet having a pattern of holes matching a pattern of bond pads on a semiconductor wafer so that the pattern of holes on the glass sheet are over the pattern of bond pads on the semiconductor wafer. Metallized pads are formed on the glass sheet adjacent to each hole and in one embodiment a conductive trace is formed from each metallized pad on the glass sheet to the bond pad on the semiconductor wafer under the adjacent hole. In a second embodiment, a pad is formed on the glass sheet adjacent to each hole and the pad extends down the sides of the adjacent hole. The hole is filled with a metal plug that electrically connects the pad on the glass sheet to the bond pad on the semiconductor wafer. In each embodiment a solder ball is formed on each pad on the glass sheet.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 1998Date of Patent: May 8, 2007Assignee: MCSP, LLCInventor: Donald Malcolm MacIntyre
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Patent number: 7215419Abstract: A calibration method suitable for highly precise and highly accurate surface metrology measurements is described. In preferred embodiments, an optical inspection tool including a movable optics system is characterized in terms of position and wavelength dependent quantities over a range of motion. Once the position-dependant quantities are determined at various wavelengths and positions, they are stored and used to interpret data from test wafers having an unknown metrology. Free of position-dependent variations and other information pertaining to the measurement system, the accuracy of the resulting wafer measurement more closely matches the precision of the tool than existing techniques. In particular embodiments, a portion of the characterization of the optical system is accomplished by using tilted black glass to provide a non-reflective reference.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2006Date of Patent: May 8, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Abdurrahman Sezginer, Kenneth Johnson, Adam E. Norton, Holger A. Tuitje
