Patents by Inventor Sagie Tsadka
Sagie Tsadka 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).
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Patent number: 6810139Abstract: A method is provided for the detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer by checking individual pixels on the wafer, collecting the signature of each pixel, defined by the way in which it responds to the light of a scanning beam, and determining whether the signature is that of a faultless pixel or of a pixel that is defective or suspect to be defective. An apparatus is also provided for the determination of such defects, which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, a laser source generating a beam that is directed onto the wafer, collecting optics and photoelectric sensors for collecting the laser light scattered by the wafer in a number of directions and generating corresponding analog signals, an A/D converter deriving from said signals digital components defining pixel signatures, and selection systems for identifying the signatures of suspect pixels and verifying whether the suspect pixels are indeed defective.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2002Date of Patent: October 26, 2004Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Zeev Smilansky, Sagie Tsadka, Zvi Lapidot, Rivi Sherman
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Patent number: 6707544Abstract: The present invention generally provides an apparatus and a method for scanning a substrate in a processing system. A transmitter unit and a receiver unit are disposed on a processing system and cooperate to transmit and detect energy, respectively. The transmitter unit is positioned to transmit a signal onto the substrate surface moving between vacuum chambers, one of which is preferably a transfer chamber of a cluster tool. Features disposed on the substrate surface, which may include particles, devices, alphanumeric characters, the substrate edges, notches, etc., cause a scattering or reflection of a portion of the signal. The receiver unit is disposed to collect the scattered/reflected portion of the signal and direct the same to a processing unit. Preferably, the transmitter unit comprises a laser source and the receiver unit comprises a charged-coupled device (CCD).Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 1999Date of Patent: March 16, 2004Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Reginald Hunter, Sagie Tsadka
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Patent number: 6661508Abstract: A two dimensional sensor array is used to collect light diffracted from the inspected substrate. The signal generated by each individual sensor is passed through a threshold. Those signals which are below the threshold are amplified and are summed up. The summed signal is then passed through a second threshold. Summed signals which pass the second threshold are flagged as indicating suspect locations on the substrate. In the preferred embodiment, the entire circuitry is provided in the form of a CMOS camera which is placed in the Fourier plane of the diffracted light.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2002Date of Patent: December 9, 2003Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Giora Eytan, Sagie Tsadka
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Publication number: 20030063790Abstract: A method is provided for the detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer by checking individual pixels on the wafer, collecting the signature of each pixel, defined by the way in which it responds to the light of a scanning beam, and determining whether the signature is that of a faultless pixel or of a pixel that is defective or suspect to be defective. An apparatus is also provided for the determination of such defects, which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, a laser source generating a beam that is directed onto the wafer, collecting optics and photoelectric sensors for collecting the laser light scattered by the wafer in a number of directions and generating corresponding analog signals, an A/D converter deriving from said signals digital components defining pixel signatures, and selection systems for identifying the signatures of suspect pixels and verifying whether the suspect pixels are indeed defective.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2002Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INCInventors: Zeev Smilansky, Sagie Tsadka, Zvi Lapidot, Rivi Sherman
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Publication number: 20030063791Abstract: A method is provided for the detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer by checking individual pixels on the wafer, collecting the signature of each pixel, defined by the way in which it responds to the light of a scanning beam, and determining whether the signature is that of a faultless pixel or of a pixel that is defective or suspect to be defective. An apparatus is also provided for the determination of such defects, which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, a laser source generating a beam that is directed onto the wafer, collecting optics and photoelectric sensors for collecting the laser light scattered by the wafer in a number of directions and generating corresponding analog signals, an A/D converter deriving from said signals digital components defining pixel signatures, and selection systems for identifying the signatures of suspect pixels and verifying whether the suspect pixels are indeed defective.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2002Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Zeev Smilansky, Sagie Tsadka, Zvi Lapidot, Rivi Sherman
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Patent number: 6496256Abstract: A two dimensional sensor array is used to collect light diffracted from the inspected substrate. The signal generated by each individual sensor is passed through a threshold. Those signals which are below the threshold are amplified and are summed up. The summed signal is then passed through a second threshold. Summed signals which pass the second threshold are flagged as indicating suspect locations on the substrate. In the preferred embodiment, the entire circuitry is provided in the form of a CMOS camera which is placed in the Fourier plane of the diffracted light.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 1999Date of Patent: December 17, 2002Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Giora Eytan, Sagie Tsadka
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Publication number: 20020186367Abstract: A two dimensional sensor array is used to collect light diffracted from the inspected substrate. The signal generated by each individual sensor is passed through a threshold. Those signals which are below the threshold are amplified and are summed up. The summed signal is then passed through a second threshold. Summed signals which pass the second threshold are flagged as indicating suspect locations on the substrate. In the preferred embodiment, the entire circuitry is provided in the form of a CMOS camera which is placed in the Fourier plane of the diffracted light.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2002Publication date: December 12, 2002Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INCInventors: Giora Eytan, Sagie Tsadka
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Publication number: 20020054704Abstract: A method is provided for the detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer by checking individual pixels on the wafer, collecting the signature of each pixel, defined by the way in which it responds to the light of a scanning beam, and determining whether the signature is that of a faultless pixel or of a pixel that is defective or suspect to be defective. An apparatus is also provided for the determination of such defects, which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, a laser source generating a beam that is directed onto the wafer, collecting optics and photoelectric sensors for collecting the laser light scattered by the wafer in a number of directions and generating corresponding analog signals, an A/D converter deriving from said signals digital components defining pixel signatures, and selection systems for identifying the signatures of suspect pixels and verifying whether the suspect pixels are indeed defective.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2001Publication date: May 9, 2002Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Zeev Smilansky, Sagie Tsadka, Zvi Lapidot, Rivi Sherman
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Patent number: 6366690Abstract: A method is provided for the detection of defects on a semiconductor wafer by checking individual pixels on the wafer, collecting the signature of each pixel, defined by the way in which it responds to the light of a scanning beam, and determining whether the signature is that of a faultless pixel or of a pixel that is defective or suspect to be defective. An apparatus is also provided for the determination of such defects, which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, a laser source generating a beam that is directed onto the wafer, collecting optics and photoelectric sensors for collecting the laser light scattered by the wafer in a number of directions and generating corresponding analog signals, an A/D converter deriving from the signals digital components defining pixel signatures, and selection systems for identifying the signatures of suspect pixels and verifying whether the suspect pixels are indeed defective.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1998Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Zeev Smilansky, Sagie Tsadka, Zvi Lapidot, Rivi Sherman
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Publication number: 20020036773Abstract: A two dimensional sensor array is used to collect light diffracted from the inspected substrate. The signal generated by each individual sensor is passed through a threshold. Those signals which are below the threshold are amplified and are summed up. The summed signal is then passed through a second threshold. Summed signals which pass the second threshold are flagged as indicating suspect locations on the substrate. In the preferred embodiment, the entire circuitry is provided in the form of a CMOS camera which is placed in the Fourier plane of the diffracted light.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2001Publication date: March 28, 2002Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Giora Eytan, Sagie Tsadka
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Patent number: 6247259Abstract: A method for the fire control of flat trajectory weapons, which comprises the steps of measuring the target range and cross wind velocity along the intended projectile trajectory prior to firing the weapon and, using the know ballistic equations of the projectile, determining the expected vertical and horizontal deflection of the projectile and adjusting the weapon sight to compensate for said deflections.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 1998Date of Patent: June 19, 2001Assignee: The State of Israel, Atomic Energy Commission, Soreq Nuclear Research CenterInventors: Sagie Tsadka, Ehud Azoulay, Gideon Bar-Tal
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Patent number: 6208750Abstract: A process is provided for detecting small particles on wafer surfaces by irradiating the wafer surface with two light beams having a small difference in wavelength, collecting the light scattered by the wafer in at least one direction, separating the collected light into two component beams having the wavelengths of the irradiating beams, and comparing the intensities of the two component beams. The intensities of the component beams are transduced to digital signals which are fed to a comparator. An apparatus is also provided which comprises a stage for supporting a wafer, laser source and optics for generating two laser beams having different wavelengths, superimposing them and scanning the wafer with them, a sensor for sensing the light scattered by the wafer and separating it into two components having the said wavelengths, an A/D converter for generating digital signals corresponding to said components and a comparator for analyzing whether said signals indicate the presence of small particles.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1998Date of Patent: March 27, 2001Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Sagie Tsadka