Abstract: Ion sources and methods for generating an ion beam with a controllable ion current density distribution. The ion source includes a discharge chamber and an electromagnet adapted to generate a magnetic field for changing a density distribution of the plasma inside the discharge chamber and, thereby, to change the ion current density distribution.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 26, 2007
Date of Patent:
July 7, 2009
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
Rustam Yevtukhov, Alan V. Hayes, Viktor Kanarov, Boris L. Druz
Abstract: A system and method for measuring sample material properties by coherently averaging cantilever free-decay signals in a scanning probe microscope is described.
Abstract: A wafer carrier for a rotating disc CVD reactor includes a unitary plate of a ceramic such as silicon carbide defining wafer-holding features such as pockets on its upstream surface and also includes a hub removably mounted to the plate in a central region of the plate. The hub provides a secure connection to the spindle of the reactor without imposing concentrated stresses on the ceramic plate. The hub can be removed during cleaning of the plate.
Type:
Application
Filed:
December 12, 2007
Publication date:
June 18, 2009
Applicant:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
Vadim Boguslavskiy, Alexander I. Gurary
Abstract: Method and apparatus for processing a substrate with an energetic particle beam. Features on the substrate are oriented relative to the energetic particle beam and the substrate is scanned through the energetic particle beam. The substrate is periodically indexed about its azimuthal axis of symmetry, while shielded from exposure to the energetic particle beam, to reorient the features relative to the major dimension of the beam.
Type:
Application
Filed:
September 18, 2008
Publication date:
April 16, 2009
Applicant:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
Boris Druz, Roger P. Fremgen, JR., Alan V. Hayes, Viktor Kanarov, Robert Krause, Ira Reiss, Piero Sferlazzo
Abstract: A scanning probe microscope and method of operation for monitoring and assessing proper tracking between the tip and sample, as well as automating at least some aspects of AFM setup previously done manually. Preferably, local slopes corresponding to the acquired data are compared to determine a tracking metric that is self-normalizing.
Abstract: An interferometric intensity equation includes parameters that depend on bandwidth and numerical aperture. An error function based on the difference between actual intensities produced by interferometry and the intensities predicted by the equation is minimized iteratively with respect to the parameters. The scan positions (i.e., the step sizes between frames) that minimized the error function are then used to calculate the phase for each pixel, from which the height can also be calculated in conventional manner. As a result, the phase map generated by the procedure is corrected to a degree of precision significantly better than previously possible.
Abstract: A flexure carriage assembly (24) has a carriage (25) formed of a substantially rigid material. The carriage has four elongate columns (32A, 32B, 32C, 32D) arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another. Each of the elongate columns has first and second ends. The flexure carriage (25) has four first cross members disposed between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the first ends. The flexure carriage also includes four second cross members (38A-D) arranged between adjacent pairs of elongate columns and arranged to interconnect the bottom ends. The elongate columns and first and second cross members define a three-dimensional rectangular structure. The flexure carriage also has disposed centrally between the four elongate columns a translating section (29) spaced equidistant between the first and second ends of the columns.
Abstract: A method of operating a probe based instrument includes a light source that generates and directs a beam of light towards a probe of the instrument to detect a property of probe deflection. The method automatically adjusts the position of the light beam on the probe based on movement of the probe by a Z actuator so as to eliminate apparent parasitic deflection of the probe. A light source assembly for detecting deflection of a probe preferably includes a base, a tip/tilt stage mounted on the base and a light source supported by the tip/tilt stage. The tip/tilt stage includes at least one electrically actuated fine adjustment actuator that controls the tip/tilt stage, preferably independently of movement of the AFM scanner used to move the probe.
Abstract: A system and method for uniform deposition of material layers on wafers in a rotating disk chemical vapor deposition reaction system is provided, wherein one or more substrates are rotated on a carrier about an axis while maintaining surfaces of the one or more substrates substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation and facing in an upstream direction along the axis of rotation. During rotating a first gas is discharged in the downstream direction towards the one or more substrates from a first set of gas inlets. A second gas is discharged in the downstream direction towards the one or more substrates from at least one movable gas injector, and the at least one movable gas inlet is moved with a component of motion in a radial direction towards or away from the axis of rotation.
Type:
Application
Filed:
July 10, 2007
Publication date:
January 15, 2009
Applicant:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
Piero Sferlazzo, Alexander I. Gurary, Eric A. Armour, William E. Quinn, Steve Ting
Abstract: A gas distributor is easily removable and replaceable in an ion source. The ion source has a removable anode assembly, including the gas distributor, that is separable and from a base assembly to allow for ease of servicing consumable components of the anode assembly. The gas distributor may be mounted to a thermal control plate in the anode assembly with several set screws. The gas distributor may be disk-shaped with counterbores in a surface to recess the heads of the set screws. Alternately, the gas distributor may be clamped or held in place by other structures or components of the ion source.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 12, 2007
Date of Patent:
January 13, 2009
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
David M. Burtner, Scott A. Townsend, Daniel E. Siegfried
Abstract: A system and method for calibrating a pyrometer used in temperature detection in a chemical vapor deposition system is provided. A calibration wafer with a reference region including a metal such as Al or Ag for forming a eutectic, and an exposed non-reference region without such a metal, are provided. Reflectivity measurements are taken from the reference region, and temperature measurements are taken from the non-reference region, over a range of temperatures including a known melting point for the metal eutectic. The pyrometer is calibrated based on the correlation of the known eutectic melting point with the change in reflectivity data obtained in the reference region, in light of the temperature data obtained from the non-reference region.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 21, 2007
Date of Patent:
November 18, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
Boris Volf, Mikhail Belousov, Alexander I. Gurary
Abstract: An apparatus and method of measuring a parameter associated with a sample is provided. The method includes providing a probe adapted to heat the sample and applying a measuring current having a frequency ?1 to the probe. In operation, the method measures the amplitude of the voltage across the probe at a frequency ?1. This amplitude is indicative of a temperature of the probe. The preferred embodiment also provides a method of separating contamination of the thermal data caused by the probe from thermal data associated with the sample under test.
Abstract: An ion source has a removable anode assembly that is separable and from a base assembly to allow for ease of servicing the consumable components of the anode assembly. Such consumables may include a gas distributor, a thermal control plate, an anode, and one or more thermal transfer sheets interposed between other components. A pole piece and a cathode may also be part of the anode assembly. The anode assembly may be attached to the base assembly via the pole piece.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 12, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 21, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
David M. Burtner, Scott A. Townsend, Daniel E. Siegfried
Abstract: The preferred embodiments are directed to a method and apparatus of operating a scanning probe microscope (SPM) to perform sample measurements using a survey scan that is less than five lines, and more preferably two lines, to accurately locate a field of features of a sample. This is accomplished by selecting a step distance between adjacent lines of the survey scan that does not equal the pitch of the features in a direction orthogonal to the direction the survey scan traverses, i.e., does not equal the pitch of the features in the scan direction, XPO. The aspect ratio of the scans can also be modified to further improve sample throughput.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 2005
Date of Patent:
September 30, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Inventors:
David A. Kneeburg, Rohit Jain, Jason R. Osborne, Wei Yao, Matthew T. Klonowski, Ingo Schmitz
Abstract: A modular ion source design relies on relatively short modular core ALS components, which can be coupled together to form a longer ALS while maintaining an acceptable tolerance of the anode-cathode gap. Many of the modular components may be designed to have common characteristics so as to allow use of these components in ion sources of varying sizes. A flexible anode can adapt to inconsistencies in the ion source body and module joints to hold a uniform anode-cathode gap along the length of the ALS. A clamp configuration fixes the cooling tube to the ion source body, thereby avoiding heat-introduced warping to the source body during manufacturing.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 21, 2004
Date of Patent:
September 16, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
Daniel E. Siegfried, David Matthew Burtner, Scott A. Townsend, Valery Alexeyev
Abstract: A thermal control plate is easily removable and replaceable in an ion source. The ion source has a removable anode assembly, including the thermal control plate, that is separable and from a base assembly to allow for ease of servicing consumable components of the anode assembly. The thermal control plate may support a gas distributor and an anode in the anode assembly. The thermal control plate may have a port for passing working gas from one side of the thermal control plate to the other. An interface surface on the thermal control plate may have a pattern of recesses to allow the working gas to disperse underneath the gas distributor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 12, 2007
Date of Patent:
September 16, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
David M. Burtner, Scott A. Townsend, Daniel E. Siegfried
Abstract: A scanning probe microscope (SPM) based measuring technique for measuring surface features of a sample fits a curve to a family of feature edge points acquired as a result of an SPM scan of the surface feature. If two curves are fit on opposed edges of the feature of interest, the maximum or minimum distance between those curves can be determined to ascertain a dimension of interest such as a maximum via width, a minimum line width, etc. The scan is preferably a relatively low-resolution scan in the Y direction, typically having 8-12 scan profiles passing through the feature of interest low-resolution, which is about half that typically used by prior techniques. The low-resolution scan can be performed relatively rapidly and with high repeatability. Repeatability is also higher than with prior techniques, and the level of repeatability is relatively insensitive to the resolution in the Y direction.
Abstract: A charged particle apparatus, with multiple electrically conducting semispheric grid electrodes, the grid electrodes mounted in a dielectric mounting ring, with hidden areas or regions to maintain electrical isolation between the grid electrodes as sputter deposits form on the grid electrodes and mounting ring. The grid electrodes are mounted to the mounting ring with slots and fastening pins that allow sliding thermal expansion and contraction between the grid electrodes and mounting ring while substantially maintaining alignment of grid openings and spacing between the grid electrodes. Asymmetric fastening pins facilitate the sliding thermal expansion while restraining the grid electrodes. Electrical contactors supply and maintain electrical potentials of the grid electrodes with spring loaded sliding contacts, without substantially affecting the thermal characteristics of the grid electrodes.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 18, 2005
Date of Patent:
August 19, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
Viktor Kanarov, Alan V. Hayes, Rustam Yevtukhov, Daniel Yakovlevitch
Abstract: The preferred embodiments are directed to a probe cassette for a scanning probe microscope that includes a base having at least one probe storage receptacle, a lid mountable on the base with the probe storage receptacle at least substantially covering the at least one receptacle, and a probe retainer that retains a probe device of the scanning probe microscope in the receptacle under a compressive force. The probe cassette can be pre-loaded and shipped to a user site where the cassette can be loaded in an AFM without manual manipulation of the individual probe devices.
Abstract: An amorphous soft magnetic thin film material for forming shielding and keeper applications in MRAM devices. The amorphous soft magnetic material may be deposited using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) in the presence of a magnetic field, in order to form shielding layers and keepers in a multi-layer metallization process. The soft magnetic material may be an amorphous metallic alloy, such as CoZrX, where X may be Ta, Nb, Pd and/or Rh.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 15, 2004
Date of Patent:
July 29, 2008
Assignee:
Veeco Instruments, Inc.
Inventors:
Jacques Constant Stefan Kools, Ming Mao, Thomas Schneider, Jinsong Wang, Michael Gutkin