Abstract: A damper for a semiconductor metrology or inspection system includes a pair of parallel plates with a fluid with a variable viscosity retained between plates. At least one wire is disposed between the plates, which may include one or more sets of lands and grooves. In some implementations, both plates include intermeshed lands and grooves. A controller is configured to provide a current to the at least one wire in order to adjust an electromagnetic field or a current through the fluid. The fluid may be a magnetorheological fluid or an electrorheological fluid in which the viscosity of the fluid is variable based on the electromagnetic field or current through the fluid. The controller varies the current applied to the wire to adjust the viscosity of the fluid to alter the damping of the semiconductor metrology or inspection system based on movement of the stage.

Abstract: A damper for a semiconductor metrology or inspection system includes a pair of parallel plates with a fluid with a variable viscosity retained between plates. At least one wire is disposed between the plates, which may include one or more sets of lands and grooves. In some implementations, both plates include intermeshed lands and grooves. A controller is configured to provide a current to the at least one wire in order to adjust an electromagnetic field or a current through the fluid. The fluid may be a magnetorheological fluid or an electrorheological fluid in which the viscosity of the fluid is variable based on the electromagnetic field or current through the fluid. The controller varies the current applied to the wire to adjust the viscosity of the fluid to alter the damping of the semiconductor metrology or inspection system based on movement of the stage.

Abstract: A load port for loading wafers to and unloading wafers from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) includes a shield member that covers and provides a seal over an opening of the FOUP. The shield member includes a narrow wafer slot that is sized to allow a single wafer to be loaded to or unloaded from the FOUP but otherwise minimize loss of the purge environment within the FOUP. The shield member is movable so that the wafer slot may be moved vertically to provide a wafer transfer robot access to any desired wafer position within the FOUP. The shield member, for example, may be a flexible sheet that is held taut and is rolled onto and off of at least one roller to vertically position the wafer slot. The shield member may alternatively be one or more rigid members that slide on rails to vertically position the wafer slot.

Abstract: A load port for loading wafers to and unloading wafers from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) includes a shield member that covers and provides a seal over an opening of the FOUP. The shield member includes a narrow wafer slot that is sized to allow a single wafer to be loaded to or unloaded from the FOUP but otherwise minimize loss of the purge environment within the FOUP. The shield member is movable so that the wafer slot may be moved vertically to provide a wafer transfer robot access to any desired wafer position within the FOUP. The shield member, for example, may be a flexible sheet that is held taut and is rolled onto and off of at least one roller to vertically position the wafer slot. The shield member may alternatively be one or more rigid members that slide on rails to vertically position the wafer slot.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.

Abstract: A purge system includes a purge gas distribution manifold that includes at least one port through which light beam from an optical metrology or inspection head is transmitted. The purge gas distribution manifold includes a bottom surface having one or more apertures through which purge gas is expelled. The bottom surface is held in close proximity to the top surface of the substrate and the apertures may be distributed over the bottom surface of the purge gas distribution manifold so that purge gas is uniformly distributed over the entirety of the top surface of the substrate at all measurement positions of the substrate with respect to the optical metrology or inspection head.