Abstract: The present invention relates to an integrated apparatus for monitoring wafers and for process control in the semiconductor manufacturing process, by means of at least two different measurements that can be installed inside any part of the semiconductor production line, i.e., inside the photocluster equipment, the CVD equipment or the CMP equipment. The apparatus comprises a measuring unit for performing at least one optical measurement in predetermined sites on said wafer, illumination sources for illuminating said wafer via measuring unit, supporting means for holding, rotating and translating the wafer and a control unit. The measuring unit comprises: at least two measuring sub-units, one of them being normal-incidence optical measuring system.

Abstract: A lens arrangement is presented. The lens arrangement comprises a first element having a concave reflective surface and defining an optical axis of the lens arrangement, and a second substantially flat and at least partially reflective element spaced-apart from the first element along the optical axis. The second element is configured to allow light passage therethrough and is oriented with respect to the optical axis and the first element such that at a predetermined angle of incidence of an input light beam onto the second element, the input light beam is reflected onto the reflective surface of the first element and reflected therefrom to pass through the second element.

Abstract: An optical system is presented for use in a measurement system (100) for use in measurements of thin films of a workpiece (W), the system comprising an optical assembly (14), comprising illuminator assembly, a detector assembly, and a light directing assembly (FA-OF) for directing illuminating light to a plurality of measurement sites in the workpiece (W) arranged in an array of substantially concentric ring-like regions, such that an area defined by the measurement sites within one of the substantially concentric ring-like regions is substantially equal to that of the other substantially concentric ring-like region.

Abstract: A system and method are presented for measurement on an article. The system comprises an illuminator for producing light of at least one predetermined wavelength range; an optical system; a displacement arrangement; and a control system. The optical system is configured to define at least a measurement channel, and comprises a light directing assembly for directing an input light beam, propagating along an input light path from the illuminator, onto the article and directing a light beam returned from the illuminated region of the article to at least one light detector. The displacement arrangement is associated with at least the light directing assembly of the optical system, and is configured and operable by the control system to rotate said at least light directing assembly of the optical system with respect to a stage supporting the article about a rotational axis substantially normal to the stage.

Abstract: A method and system are presented for monitoring a process sequentially applied to a stream of substantially identical articles by a processing tool, so as to terminate the operation of the processing tool upon detecting an end-point signal corresponding to a predetermined value of a desired parameter of the article being processed. The article is processed with the processing tool. Upon completing the processing in response to the end-point signal generated by an end-point detector continuously operating during the processing of the article, integrated monitoring is applied to the processed article to measure the value of the desired parameter. The measured value of the desired parameter is analyzed to determine a correction value thereof to be used for adjusting the end-point signal corresponding to the predetermined value of the desired parameter for terminating the processing of the next article in the stream.

Abstract: A method for measuring at least one desired parameter of a patterned structure having a plurality of features defined by a certain process of its manufacturing. The structure represents a grid having at least one cycle formed of at least two metal-containing regions spaced by substantially transparent regions with respect to incident light defining a waveguide. An optical model is provided, which is based on at least some of the features of the structure defined by a certain process of its manufacturing, and on the relation between a range of the wavelengths of incident radiation to be used for measurements and a space size between the two metal-containing regions in the grid cycle, and a skin depth of said metal. The model is capable of determining theoretical data representative of photometric intensities of light components of different wavelengths specularly reflected from the structure and of calculating said at least one desired parameter of the structure.

Abstract: Alignment of layers during manufacture of a multi-layer sample is controlled by applying optical measurements to a measurement site in the sample. The measurement site includes two diffractive structures located one above the other in two different layers, respectively. The optical measurements comprise at least two measurements with different polarization states of incident light, each measurement including illuminating eh measurement site so as to illuminate one of the diffractive structures through the other. The diffraction properties of the measurement site are indicative of a lateral shift between eth diffractive structures. The diffraction properties detected are analyzed for the different polarization states of the incident light to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.

Abstract: The present invention is aimed to provide a measurement system installable within a processing equipment and more specifically within the exit station of a polishing machine. The optical scheme of this system includes a spectrophotometric channel, an imaging channel and also means for holding the wafer under measurement.

Abstract: Alignment of layers during manufacture of a multi-layer sample is controlled by applying optical measurements to a measurement site in the sample. The measurement site includes two diffractive structures located one above the other in two different layers, respectively. The optical measurements comprise at least two measurements with different polarization states of incident light, each measurement including illuminating eh measurement site so as to illuminate one of the diffractive structures through the other. The diffraction properties of the measurement site are indicative of a lateral shift between eth diffractive structures. The diffraction properties detected are analyzed for the different polarization states of the incident light to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are disclosed for measuring at least one desired parameter of a patterned structure having a plurality of features defined by a certain process of its manufacturing, wherein the structure represents a grid having at least one cycle formed of at least two metal-containing regions spaced by substantially transparent regions with respect to incident light defining a waveguide. The method utilizes an optical model based on at least some of the features of the structure defined by a certain process of its manufacturing, and is capable of determining theoretical data representative of photometric intensities of light components of different wavelengths specularly reflected from the structure and of calculating said at least one desired parameter of the structure.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing substrates according to a predetermined photolithography process includes a loading station in which the substrates are loaded, a coating station in which the substrates are coated with a photoresist material, an exposing station in which the photoresist coating is exposed to light through a mask having a predetermined pattern to produce a latent image of the mask on the photoresist coating, a developing station in which the latent image is developed, an unloading station in which the substrates are unloaded and a monitoring station for monitoring the substrates with respect to predetermined parameters of said photolithography process before reaching the unloading station.

Abstract: A method and system are presented for optical measurements in multi-layer structures to determine the properties of at least some of the layers. The structure is patterned by removing layer materials within a measurement site of the structure from the top layer to the lowermost layer of interests Optical measurements are sequentially applied to the layers, by illuminating a measurement area in the layer under measurements, when the layer material above said layer under measurements is removed, thereby obtaining measured data portions for the at least some of the layers, respectively. The properties of each of the at least some layers are calculated, by analyzing the measured data portion of the lowermost layer, and then sequentially interpreting the measured data portions of all the other layers towards the uppermost layer, while utilizing for each layer the calculation results of the one or more underlying layers.

Abstract: Alignment of layers during manufacture of a multi-layer sample is controlled by applying optical measurements to a measurement site in the sample. The measurement site includes two diffractive structures located one above the other in two different layers, respectively. The optical measurements comprise at least two measurements with different polarization states of incident light, each measurement including illuminating eh measurement site so as to illuminate one of the diffractive structures through the other. The diffraction properties of the measurement site are indicative of a lateral shift between eth diffractive structures. The diffraction properties detected are analyzed for the different polarization states of the incident light to determine an existing lateral shift between the layers.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing substrates according to a predetermined photolithography process includes a loading station in which the substrates are loaded, a coating station in which the substrates are coated with a photoresist material, an exposing station in which the photoresist coating is exposed to light through a mask having a predetermined pattern to produce a latent image of the mask on the photoresist coating, a developing station in which the latent image is developed, an unloading station in which the substrates are unloaded and a monitoring station for monitoring the substrates with respect to predetermined parameters of said photolithography process before reaching the unloading station.

Abstract: A method and system are presented for optical measurements in multi-layer structures to determine the properties of at least some of the layers. The structure is patterned by removing layer materials within a measurement site of the structure from the top layer to the lowermost layer of interest. Optical measurements are sequentially applied to the layers, by illuminating a measurement area in the layer under measurements, when the layer material above said layer under measurements is removed, thereby obtaining measured data portions for the at least some of the layers, respectively. The properties of each of the at least some layers are calculated, by analyzing the measured data portion of the lowermost layer, and then sequentially interpreting the measured data portions of all the other layers towards the uppermost layer, while utilizing for each layer the calculation results of the one or more underlying layers.

Abstract: A lens arrangement is presented. The lens arrangement comprises a first element having a concave reflective surface and defining an optical axis of the lens arrangement, and a second substantially flat and at least partially reflective element spaced-apart from the first element along the optical axis. The second element is configured to allow light passage therethrough and is oriented with respect to the optical axis and the first element such that at a predetermined angle of incidence of an input light beam onto the second element, the input light beam is reflected onto the reflective surface of the first element and reflected therefrom to pass through the second element.

Abstract: A system and method are presented for measurement on an article. The system comprises an illuminator for producing light of at least one predetermined wavelength range; an optical system; a displacement arrangement; and a control system. The optical system is configured to define at least a measurement channel, and comprises a light directing assembly for directing an input light beam, propagating along an input light path from the illuminator, onto the article and directing a light beam returned from the illuminated region of the article to at least one light detector. The displacement arrangement is associated with at least the light directing assembly of the optical system, and is configured and operable by the control system to rotate said at least light directing assembly of the optical system with respect to a stage supporting the article about a rotational axis substantially normal to the stage.

Abstract: The method for controlling layers alignment in a multi-layer sample (10), such a semiconductors wafer based on detecting a diffraction efficiency of radiation diffracted from the patterned structures (12, 14) located one above the other in two different layers of the sample.

Abstract: A method and system are presented for use in measuring/inspecting a patterned article. Optical measurements are applied to a measurement site on the article by illuminating the measurement site with a plurality of wavelengths at substantially normal incidence of the illuminating light, detecting light returned from the illuminated site, and generating measured data indicative thereof. The measurements are applied to the measurement site through a polarizer rotatable between its different orientations selected from a number of pre-calibrated orientations.

Abstract: A wafer monitoring system including a gripper operative to fixedly hold a wafer, a bottom buffering unit comprising at least one supporting element adapted to support a wafer, a top buffering unit comprising at least two supporting elements adapted to support a wafer, a first actuator operative to effect relative movement between at least two supporting elements of the top buffering unit, monitoring apparatus operative to perform processing steps on a wafer while the wafer is held fixed to the gripper, and an actuator operative to effect relative movement between the gripper and the top and bottom buffering units, the top and bottom buffering units being operative to buffer processed and unprocessed wafers thereby to enable a robot to arrive at and leave the monitoring apparatus with at least one wafer thereon.