Patents by Inventor Ward Dixon

Ward Dixon 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).

  • Atmospheric molecular contamination control with local purging
    Patent number: 9110020
    Abstract: A local purging tool for purging a portion of a surface of a wafer with purging gas is disclosed. The purging tool includes a purging chamber configured to contain purging gas within a cavity of the purging chamber, a permeable portion of a surface of the purging chamber configured to diffuse purging gas from the cavity of the chamber to a portion of a surface of a wafer, and an aperture configured to transmit illumination received from an illumination source to a measurement location of the portion of the surface of the wafer and further configured to transmit illumination reflected from the measurement location to a detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Torsten R. Kaack, Ning-Yi Neil Wang, Jagjit Sandhu
  • Multi-analyzer angle spectroscopic ellipsometry
    Patent number: 9046474
    Abstract: Ellipsometry systems and ellipsometry data collection methods with improved stabilities are disclosed. In accordance with the present disclosure, multiple predetermined, discrete analyzer angles are utilized to collect ellipsometry data for a single measurement, and data regression is performed based on the ellipsometry data collected at these predetermined, discrete analyzer angles. Utilizing multiple discrete analyzer angles for a single measurement improves the stability of the ellipsometry system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Leonid Poslavsky, Torsten R. Kaack
  • Multi-analyzer angle spectroscopic ellipsometry
    Patent number: 9007583
    Abstract: Ellipsometry systems and ellipsometry data collection methods with improved stabilities are disclosed. In accordance with the present disclosure, multiple predetermined, discrete analyzer angles are utilized to collect ellipsometry data for a single measurement, and data regression is performed based on the ellipsometry data collected at these predetermined, discrete analyzer angles. Utilizing multiple discrete analyzer angles for a single measurement improves the stability of the ellipsometry system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Leonid Poslavsky, Torsten R. Kaack
  • Atmospheric Molecular Contamination Control with Local Purging
    Publication number: 20150029494
    Abstract: A local purging tool for purging a portion of a surface of a wafer with purging gas is disclosed. The purging tool includes a purging chamber configured to contain purging gas within a cavity of the purging chamber, a permeable portion of a surface of the purging chamber configured to diffuse purging gas from the cavity of the chamber to a portion of a surface of a wafer, and an aperture configured to transmit illumination received from an illumination source to a measurement location of the portion of the surface of the wafer and further configured to transmit illumination reflected from the measurement location to a detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Torsten R. Kaack, Ning-Yi Neil Wang, Jagjit Sandhu
  • Atmospheric molecular contamination control with local purging
    Patent number: 8830486
    Abstract: A local purging tool for purging a portion of a surface of a wafer with purging gas is disclosed. The purging tool includes a purging chamber configured to contain purging gas within a cavity of the purging chamber, a permeable portion of a surface of the purging chamber configured to diffuse purging gas from the cavity of the chamber to a portion of a surface of a wafer, and an aperture configured to transmit illumination received from an illumination source to a measurement location of the portion of the surface of the wafer and further configured to transmit illumination reflected from the measurement location to a detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Torsten Kaack, Ning-Yi Neil Wang, Jagjit Sandhu
  • MULTI-ANALYZER ANGLE SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY
    Publication number: 20130010296
    Abstract: Ellipsometry systems and ellipsometry data collection methods with improved stabilities are disclosed. In accordance with the present disclosure, multiple predetermined, discrete analyzer angles are utilized to collect ellipsometry data for a single measurement, and data regression is performed based on the ellipsometry data collected at these predetermined, discrete analyzer angles. Utilizing multiple discrete analyzer angles for a single measurement improves the stability of the ellipsometry system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Leonid Poslavsky, Torsten R. Kaack
  • ATMOSPHERIC MOLECULAR CONTAMINATION CONTROL WITH LOCAL PURGING
    Publication number: 20130010311
    Abstract: A local purging tool for purging a portion of a surface of a wafer with purging gas is disclosed. The purging tool includes a purging chamber configured to contain purging gas within a cavity of the purging chamber, a permeable portion of a surface of the purging chamber configured to diffuse purging gas from the cavity of the chamber to a portion of a surface of a wafer, and an aperture configured to transmit illumination received from an illumination source to a measurement location of the portion of the surface of the wafer and further configured to transmit illumination reflected from the measurement location to a detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidong Kwak, Ward Dixon, Torsten Kaack, Ning-Yi Neil Wang, Jagjit Sandhu