Patents by Inventor R. Michael Greig

R. Michael Greig has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6215896
    Abstract: A real-time hotspot detection system is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the real-time hotspot detection system of the present invention comprises a photolithography stepper that has been modified to output z-height focus data for each cell to a fault detection module of the present invention. After the entire wafer has been exposed by the stepper, the fault detection module computes the mean and standard deviation and/or other statistical data for the wafer data and compares the computed standard deviation with a predetermined limits for “normal” standard deviation, representative of a completely flat wafer having no hotspots thereon. If the computed standard deviation is outside the limits for the normal standard deviation, the fault detection module provides control signals to the stepper for halting the operation thereof and for generating an indication to the stepper operator, via a pole light associated with the stepper, that a failure has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices
    Inventors: R. Michael Greig, Robert Stone, Mark K. Shackelford
  • Patent number: 5859964
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting faults in wafer fabrication process tools by acquiring real-time process parameter signal data samples used to model the process performed by the process tool. The system includes a computer system including a DAQ device, which acquires the data samples, and a fault detector program which employs a process model program to analyze the data samples for the purpose of detecting faults. The model uses data samples in a reference database acquired from previous known good runs of the process tool. The fault detector notifies a process tool operator of any faults which occur thus potentially avoiding wafer scrap and potentially improving mean time between failures. The fault detector also receives notification of the occurrence of process events from the process tool, such as the start or end of processing a wafer, which the fault detector uses to start and stop the data acquisition, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Qingsu Wang, Gerald Barnett, R. Michael Greig, Yi Cheng