Abstract: The disclosure provides features for improved processing of optical data by identifying and characterizing stationary and transient signals in the electrical data representing the data collected from an optical sensor of an optical measurement system. In one example, an optical measurement system is disclosed that includes: (1) a pixel area of an optical sensor having multiple pixels that store an electrical charge corresponding to a received optical signal, (2) one or more reduced illumination regions that provide signal levels intrinsic to the optical sensor, and (3) one or more processors configured to adjust, during active operation of the system, digital representations of the electrical charges from the pixels of the pixel area using characterizations of the signal levels from the one or more reduced illumination regions.

Abstract: The disclosure provides improved processing of optical data by identifying anomalous signals in the electrical data representing the optical data. The improved processing can also include modifying the identified anomalous signal data to provide a truer representation of the optical data. The disclosed processing can be used by various systems and apparatuses for processing spectral data corresponding to the optical data. The improved processing can be used to improve the monitoring of semiconductor processes and, therefore, improve the overall semiconductor processes. In one example, a method of processing spectral data includes: (1) receiving temporally separated spectral data samples, and (2) identifying one or more anomalous signals in an intermediate one of the temporally separated spectral data samples based on at least one preceding and at least one subsequent ones of the spectral data samples.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an optical instrument, a method of converting an optical input to a digital signal output, and a spectrometer. In one embodiment, the optical instrument includes: (1) an optical sensor configured to receive an optical input and convert the optical input to electrical signals, and (2) a conversion system having conversion circuitry having multiple parallel signal channels that are configured to receive and modify the electrical signals to analog outputs, an analog switch configured to select one of the parallel signal channels according to an operating mode of the optical instrument, and an analog to digital converter configured to receive and convert the analog output from the selected parallel signal channel to a digital signal output.

Abstract: The disclosure provides multimode configurable spectrometers, a method of operating a multimode configurable spectrometer, and an optical monitoring system. In one embodiment the multimode configurable spectrometer includes: (1) an optical sensor configured to receive an optical input and convert the optical input to electrical signals, wherein the optical sensor includes multiple active pixel regions for converting the optical input to the electrical signals, and (2) conversion circuitry, having multiple selectable converting circuits, that is configured to receive and convert the electrical signals to a digital output according to a selected one of the selectable converting circuits.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a plasma source and an excitation system for excitation of a plasma, and an optical monitoring system. In one embodiment the plasma source includes: (1) a coaxial resonant cavity body having an inner length, and including a first end, a second end, an inner electrode and an outer electrode, (2) a radio frequency signal interface electrically coupled to the inner and outer electrodes at a fixed position along the inner length and configured to provide a radio frequency signal to the coaxial resonant cavity body, (3) a window positioned at the first end of the coaxial resonant cavity body, and (4) a mounting flange positioned proximate the window at the first end of the coaxial resonant cavity body and defining a plasma cavity, wherein the window forms one side of the plasma cavity and isolates the coaxial resonant cavity body from plasma in the plasma cavity.

Abstract: A system and method of use for simplifying the measurement of various properties of complex semiconductor structures is provided. The system and method supports reduction of structure complexity and modeling for optical monitoring and permits determination of film thicknesses and feature depths during semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Abstract: An optical system having an OAP mirror collimator is disclosed with a housing, an OAP mirror located within the housing and has an optical axis, a fold plane and a focal point. A fiber optical cable is coupled to the housing and has first and second optical fibers, each having an exit end that form a common end face of the fiber optic cable, wherein the fiber optical cable is rotationally and translationally aligned to the OAP mirror such that the common face is perpendicular to and centered upon the optical axis of the OAP mirror and positioned a fixed distance from the focal point, and wherein the optical axes of the first and second optical fibers are jointly angularly aligned to the fold plane, and the optical axes of the first and second optical fibers deviate from being parallel to the optical axis by no more than 0.15 degrees.

Abstract: A method of operating a process control system and a process control system are provided by the disclosure. In one embodiment, the process control system includes: (1) an optical sensor configured to monitor a production process within a process chamber and generate optical data therefrom, (2) an operational controller configured to perform critical functions to determine processing conditions of the production process from the optical data, wherein the critical functions are directed by critical function controls, (3) an adaptable management controller configured to provide the critical function controls to the operational controller, wherein the adaptable management controller is hierarchically isolated from the operational controller during the critical functions.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a plasma source, an excitation system for excitation of a plasma, and a method of operating an excitation measurement system. In one embodiment, the plasma source includes: (1) a coaxial radio frequency (RF) resonator including a first end, a second end, an inner electrode and an outer electrode, (2) a radio frequency interface electrically coupled to the inner and outer electrode and configured to provide an RF signal to the coaxial RF resonator, (3) a flange positioned at the first end of the resonator and defining a plasma cavity, and (4) a window positioned between the first end of the resonator and the flange, and forming one side of the plasma cavity, whereby the coaxial RF resonator is isolated from the plasma.

Abstract: The disclosure provides an optical calibration device for in-chamber calibration of optical signals associated with a processing chamber, a characterization system for plasma processing chambers, methods of characterizing plasma processing chambers, and a chamber characterizer. In one example, the optical calibration device includes: (1) an enclosure, (2) an optical source located within the enclosure and configured to provide a source light having a continuous spectrum, and (3) optical shaping elements located within the enclosure and configured to form the source light into a calibrating light that approximates a plasma emission during an operation within the processing chamber.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a gas line electron beam exciter, gas line electron beam excitation system and method for exciting a gas using an electron beam exciter. The electron beam exciter generally comprises a variable density electron source for generating a cloud of electrons in an electron chamber and a variable energy electron extractor for accelerating electrons from the electron chamber as an electron beam and into an effluent stream for fluorescing species in the effluent. The electron density of the electron beam is variably controlled by adjusting the excitation power applied to the variable density electron source. The electrons in the electron chamber reside at a reference electrical potential of the chamber, typically near ground electrical potential.

Abstract: A method for monitoring at least one process parameter of a plasma process being performed on a semiconductor wafer, surface or surface and determine arc events occurring within the plasma tool chamber. The method comprises the steps of detecting the modulated light being generated from the plasma sheath during the plasma process; sampling RF voltage and current signals from the RF transmission line; processing the detected modulated light and the RF signals to produce at least one monitor statistic for the plasma process, and process the monitor signal to determine the occurrence of arcing events during the wafer processing.

Abstract: A digital flashlamp controller, a flashlamp control system and a method of controlling a flashlamp bulb employing digital control electronics are provided herein. In one embodiment, the digital flashlamp controller includes: (1) a trigger interface configured to provide firing signals to control a trigger element for a flashlamp bulb and (2) digital electronics configured to generate the firing signals and control multiple pulsing of the flashlamp bulb.

Abstract: A referenced and stabilized optical measurement system includes a light source, a plurality of optical elements and optical fiber assemblies and a detector arranged to compensate for the effects of system variation which may affect measurement performance. A non-continuous light source provides a common source light on a common source path. A reference light and a measurement light are derived from the common source light and propagated across separate paths of optically matching optical components in order to produce a common signal variation on both the reference light signal and the measurement light signal. Light paths exposed to air are contained indiscrete volumes for purging gasses from the volumes. Ratios of the reference signal and measurement signal are acquired under various conditions for compensating the measurement signal for system variations.

Abstract: A workpiece characterization system for obtaining simultaneous measurement of layer and photoluminescence properties of a workpiece. The workpiece characterization system includes an excitation light and an illumination light each impinging upon a surface of a workpiece whereby the workpiece emits photoluminescent light and encodes light from said illumination source with layer information. The excitation light and the illumination light are generated from a single light source. The light from the single light source is filtered to remove wavelengths of light that correlate to light wavelengths emitted from the workpiece as a result of excitation. Wavelengths that correlate to light reflected from the workpiece that may contain encoded information are not filtered.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an apparatus, method and software product for enhancing the dynamic range of a CCD sensor without substantially increasing the noise. Initially, the area of a N×M pixel CCD sensor array is subdivided into two regions, a large region having (M?a) pixels in each column for outputting large-amplitude signals with low noise and a smaller region having a pixels in each column for outputting small-amplitude signals with improved dynamic range. At integration time, the CCD is read out one region's rows at a time into the horizontal shift registers by shifting the pixel charges in either a or M?a vertical shifts. The charges in the horizontal shift registers are then shifted out of the horizontal shift registers in N horizontal shifts. Next, the remaining pixels in the region of the CCD are read out into the horizontal shift registers by shifting the pixel charges in the other of a or M?a vertical shifts.

Abstract: A flashlamp control system is provided with a capacitor that is statically electrically connected to the high voltage power supply, and a current sensing component is then electrically connected to the static capacitor and digital control electronics to monitor the charge current and/or the discharge current to static capacitor. A dynamically switchable capacitor electrically may also be connected to the high voltage power supply and digital control electronics for isolating the dynamically switchable capacitor from the high voltage power supply based on the monitored charge current and/or discharge current. One or more homogenizing element, comprise of an air gap, diffusing homogenizing element, imaging element, non-imaging element or light pipe homogenizing element, may be disposed in the light path proximate to the flashlamp, such as a multichannel distributor if present, to decrease the coefficient of variation of the optical signal, either temporally and spectrally, or both.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for radiometric calibration of spectroscopy equipment utilized in fault detection and process monitoring. Initially, a reference spectrograph is calibrated to a local primary standard (a calibrated light source with known spectral intensities and traceable to a reference standard). Other spectrographs are then calibrated from the reference spectrograph rather than the local primary calibration standard. This is accomplished by viewing a light source with both the reference spectrograph and the spectrograph to be calibrated. The output from the spectrograph to be calibrated is compared to the output of the reference spectrograph and then adjusted to match that output. The present calibration process can be performed in two stages, the first with the spectrographs calibrated to the reference spectrograph and then are fine tuned to a narrow band light source at the plasma chamber.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for reducing the effects of window clouding on a viewport window in a reactive environment. One or more clouded viewport windows are obtained for testing, in which the clouding results from exposure to the reactive environment. The clouding typically appears as a coating film on the test windows. The clouded viewport windows are analyzed for one or more spectral regions having good transmission. The threshold level of light transmission is determined by the particular application in which the window is used. The spectral regions of good transmission are evaluated for their usefulness with a particular algorithm that will use the spectral data in a production environment. Spectral regions that cannot be evaluated using the subject algorithm are eliminated from consideration. Spectral regions that can be evaluated using the subject algorithm and exhibit low absorption are selected for monitoring in the production environment.

Abstract: A self referencing heterodyne reflectometer is disclosed which rapidly alternates between a heterodyne reflectometry (HR) mode, in which an HR beam comprised of s- and p-polarized beam components at split angular frequencies of ? and ?+?? is employed, and a self referencing (SR) mode, in which an SR beam comprised of p-polarized beam components at split angular frequencies of ? and ?+?? is employed. Alternatively, in SR operating mode the SR beam is replaced by a p-polarized amplitude modulated (AM) beam, operating at two modulated amplitudes of ? and ?+?? at a single frequency, ??. When the two measurements are made in rapid succession, using an optical chopper switcher, temperature induced noise in the detector is be assumed to be equivalent. Film phase shift information is derived from the measured phase shift ?Ref/film, generated from the HR beam, and the reference phase shift ?Ref/Sub, generated from the SR/AM beam, which are used for calculating film thickness.