Thickness Patents (Class 356/630)
  • Patent number: 12209853
    Abstract: A non-contact apparatus for measuring wafer thickness includes a monolithic wavelength sweeping semiconductor laser light source having a laser source, a laser control unit that controls the laser source, and a processor to control the laser source to oscillate laser light having a wavelength that changes with a setting profile relative to time; an optical system that guides and emits the laser light onto a wafer; a detection unit that detects an interference light signal of reflected light; an A/D converter that converts the interference light signal detected by the detection unit into a digital signal; and a calculation unit that calculates a thickness of the wafer by analyzing the digital signal from the A/D converter. The processor causes the laser control unit to operate with a clock signal, and to oscillate laser light that performs wavelength-sweeping with the setting profile relative to the time, from the laser source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Fujikoshi Machinery Corp.
    Inventors: Chihiro Miyagawa, Kazutaka Shibuya, Kiyohito Aoki
  • Patent number: 12181487
    Abstract: A high-pressure container inspection method includes a photographing step, an acquiring step, and a determining step. In the photographing step, a carbon fiber is photographed while an outer surface of the carbon fiber wound on a converging portion in an outer peripheral surface of a liner is irradiated with light. In the acquiring step, density information obtained by the reflection of the light with respect to the outer surface of the carbon fiber by the photographing is acquired. In the determining step, the density information obtained by the acquiring step is compared with preset density information to determine whether a shape of a reinforcing layer of the converging portion is good or bad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaru Nakanishi, Kosuke Tatsushima, Fumihiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 12142459
    Abstract: Exemplary processing methods may include forming a plasma of a silicon-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a flowable film on a semiconductor substrate with plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor. The semiconductor substrate may be housed in a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The processing region may be defined between a faceplate and a substrate support on which the semiconductor substrate is seated. The methods may include forming a treatment plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The treatment plasma may be formed at a first power level from a first power source. A second power may be applied to the substrate support from a second power source at a second power level. The methods may include densifying the flowable film within the feature defined within the semiconductor substrate with plasma effluents of the treatment plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Khokan Chandra Paul, Adam J. Fischbach, Tsutomu Tanaka, Canfeng Lai
  • Patent number: 12131965
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an endpoint of a grinding process includes a connecting device, a timer and a controller. The connecting device is connected to a sensor that periodically senses an interface of a reconstructed wafer comprising a plurality of dies of at least two types to generate a thickness signal comprising thicknesses from a surface of an insulating layer of the reconstructed wafer to the interface of the reconstructed wafer. The timer is configured to generate a clock signal having a plurality of pulses with a time interval. The controller is coupled to the sensor and the timer, and configured to filter the thickness signal according to the clock signal to output a thickness extremum among the thicknesses in the thickness signal within each time interval, wherein the thickness signal after the filtering is used to determine the endpoint of the grinding process being performed on the reconstructed wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yi-Chao Mao, Chin-Chuan Chang, Szu-Wei Lu
  • Patent number: 12078476
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including: providing a light guiding arrangement (LGA) configured to redirect light, incident thereon in a direction perpendicular to an external surface of the sample, into or onto the sample, such that light impinges on an internal facet of the sample nominally normally thereto; generating a first incident light beam (LB), directed at the external surface normally thereto, and a second incident LB, parallel to the first incident LB and directed at the LGA; obtaining a first returned LB by reflection of the first incident LB off the external surface, and a second returned LB by redirection by the LGA of the second incident LB into or onto the sample, reflection thereof off the internal facet, and inverse redirection by the LGA; measuring an angular deviation between the returned LBs and deducing therefrom an actual inclination angle of the internal facet relative to the external surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: LUMUS LTD.
    Inventor: Ido Eisenberg
  • Patent number: 12066385
    Abstract: A method for use in measuring one or more characteristics of patterned structures, the method including providing measured data comprising data indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions corresponding to the one or more characteristics to be measured, processing the measured data, and determining, for each of the at least one Raman spectrum, a distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency (RCE) within at least a part of the structure under measurements, being dependent on characteristics of the structure and the predetermined configuration of the at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions in the respective optical measurement scheme, and analyzing the distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency and determining the one or more characteristics of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: NOVA LTD
    Inventors: Gilad Barak, Yanir Hainick, Yonatan Oren, Vladimir Machavariani
  • Patent number: 12050181
    Abstract: A method for controlling the flow of gas through a spectrometer, comprising: flowing a gas through a volume of the spectrometer, the volume being a volume through which light from a sample passes along a first path to reach a first detector and the gas being transparent to the light in a spectral region analysed by the spectrometer; transmitting light from a light source along a second path through the gas to a second detector; detecting an intensity of the light from the light source at the second detector at one or more wavelengths of the light; comparing the detected intensity of the light to a respective setpoint corresponding to a desired transmittance of the gas in the volume of the spectrometer and generating at least one error signal based on the comparison; and adjusting a flow rate of the gas through the volume of the spectrometer based on the error signal, in particular to minimise the difference between the detected intensity and setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: Thermo Fisher Scientific (Eucblens) SARL
    Inventor: Patrick Lancuba
  • Patent number: 12046522
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for determining the endpoint of an etch operation used for forming high aspect ratio features and/or over low open area (<1%) on a substrate in a processing chamber. The method begins by obtaining a reference emission curve. An etch operation is performed on a patterned substrate. A plasma optical emission intensity is measured for each of the etch cycles. A differential curve between the reference emission and the plasma optical emissions is calculated. And endpoint is determined for the etch operation on the first substrate based on an inflection point detection or other unique features through pattern recognition in the differential curve for stopping the etch of the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Lei Lian, Quentin Walker, Zefang Wang, Shinichi Koseki
  • Patent number: 12023152
    Abstract: A system SY for determining a tissue type TY of a tissue region TR is provided in which the distal ends OFDE1..n of at least three optical fibers define a plurality of intersecting optical paths IOP1..k within the tissue region TR. A tissue signal Q1..k indicative of a tissue type TY for the respective optical path IOP1..k is generated from said spectral measurement data SMD corresponding to each of the plurality of intersecting optical paths IOP1..k. Each tissue signal Q1..k is compared with a reference threshold QRT for the tissue type, and with an average of the tissue signals QMA. At least a portion of the tissue region is identified as the tissue type TY if i) every tissue signal Q1..k in the tissue region TR indicates that its corresponding tissue is not the tissue type TY in the comparison with the reference threshold QRT and ii) at least one of the tissue signals Q1..k in the tissue region TR lies between the average QMA of the tissue signals Q1..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus Hendriks, Gerhardus Wilhelmus Lucassen, Klaas Cornelis Jan Wijbrans, Jarich Willem Spliethoff, Nijs Cornelis Van Der Vaart
  • Patent number: 11975401
    Abstract: A detection mechanism of a detection device includes a pulsed laser oscillator that emits a pulsed laser beam; an f? lens facing a workpiece held by a chuck table; a thermal excitation section that applies the pulsed laser beam emitted from the pulsed laser oscillator to an upper surface of a wafer through the f? lens and generates an ultrasonic wave propagated in a spherical form by thermal excitation; and an image forming section that forms an image by capturing a reflected laser beam influenced by vibration of the ultrasonic wave generated by the thermal excitation section, propagated through the inside of the workpiece, reflected by a lower surface of the workpiece, and returned to the upper surface of the workpiece, by an aperture synthesis method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiji Nomaru
  • Patent number: 11965984
    Abstract: A night vision device with distance measurement function is configured to obtain a distance between a target object and the night vision device with distance measurement function by inputting a size of the target object and by using a focal length of an objective lens unit, a pixel information of an image sensing module, and a resolution of a display unit. In this way, a simple, fast and inexpensive distance measurement can be achieved without the conventional laser rangefinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: NEW POCKET DEVICE CORP.
    Inventor: Pei Hsiang Chang
  • Patent number: 11965730
    Abstract: A method includes: determining height Z1 of a focus by an optical microscope having autofocus function which uses irradiation light of wavelength ?0 to adjust the focus; determining a wavelength ?1 of irradiation light used for obtaining observation image of second thin film; obtaining observation image of second thin film by using irradiation light of the wavelength ?1, while altering heights of the focus with the Z1 as reference point; calculating standard deviation of reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image, obtaining height Z2 of the focus corresponding to a peak position where standard deviation is greatest, and calculating a difference ?Z between Z1 and Z2; correcting the autofocus function with ?Z as a correction value; and using the corrected autofocus function to adjust the focus, obtaining the observation image of the second thin film, and calculating the film thickness distribution from the reflected-light intensity distribution within the observation image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD., UNITY SEMICONDUCTOR
    Inventors: Susumu Kuwabara, Kevin Quinquinet, Philippe Gastaldo
  • Patent number: 11959737
    Abstract: A method and system implementing the method for characterising structures etched in a substrate, such as a wafer, includes at least one structure etched in the substrate, an imaging step including the following steps: capturing, with an imaging device positioned on the top surface of the substrate, at least one image of a top surface of the substrate, and measuring a first data relating to the structure from at least one captured image, at least one interferometric measurement step, carried out with a low-coherence interferometer positioned on the top surface, for measuring with a measurement beam positioned on the structure, at least one depth data relating to a depth of the structure; and a first adjusting step for adjusting the measurement beam according to the first data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: UNITY SEMICONDUCTOR
    Inventor: Wolfgang Alexander Iff
  • Patent number: 11852458
    Abstract: An oxide layer thickness measurement device according to the present invention stores, for each of layer thickness measurement sub-ranges constituting a layer thickness measurement range, layer thickness conversion information representing a correlation between a layer thickness and an emissivity where a ratio of a change in the emissivity to a change in the layer thickness in the layer thickness measurement sub-range falls within a set extent. Emitting light luminances of a surface of a steel sheet are measured at respective measurement wavelengths different from each other, and a temperature of the surface of the steel sheet is measured to thereby calculate the emissivity at each of the measurement wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Inui, Hiroyuki Takamatsu, Ryota Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 11835447
    Abstract: A method for measuring a characteristic of a thin film is disclosed. The method includes a) obtaining a measured spectrum from a target region on the substrate by using a spectroscopic ellipsometer, b) obtaining a physical model capable of obtaining an estimated parameter value related to the characteristic of the thin film through regression analysis of the measured spectrum, c) obtaining a machine learning model capable of obtaining a reference parameter value related to the characteristic of the thin film by using the measured spectrum, and d) obtaining an integrated model which uses an integrated error function capable of considering both of a first error function and a second error function, and obtaining an optimum parameter value through regression analysis of the integrated model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: AUROS TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Tae Dong Kang
  • Patent number: 11815447
    Abstract: Disclosed are a femtosecond laser-based ultrasonic measuring apparatus for a 3D printing process, and a 3D printing system including the apparatus. The apparatus includes a femtosecond laser source for generating a femtosecond laser beam irradiated to inspect a state of a printing object formed by melting a base material by a printing laser beam irradiated from the laser source for 3D printing, a beam splitter for separating the femtosecond laser beam generated by the femtosecond laser source into a pump laser beam and a probe laser beam, an electric/acoustic optical modulator for modulating the pump laser beam, a time delay unit for delaying the probe laser beam, a photo detector for detecting the probe laser beam reflected by the printing object, and a lock-in amplifier for detect an amplitude and a phase of the output signal from the photo detector. The femtosecond laser source is disposed coaxially with a laser source for 3D printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Hoon Sohn, Peipei Liu
  • Patent number: 11790328
    Abstract: A recycling kiosk for recycling and financial remuneration for submission of a mobile telephone is disclosed herein. The recycling kiosk includes an inspection area with at least one camera and a plurality of electrical connectors in order to perform a visual analysis and an electrical analysis of the mobile telephone for determination of a value of the mobile telephone. The recycling kiosk also includes a processor, a display and a user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: ecoATM, LLC
    Inventor: Mark Vincent Bowles
  • Patent number: 11763161
    Abstract: A data set is stored in memory circuitry that is indicative of a state of a semiconductor fabrication process or of semiconductor structure fabricated thereby. Features in the data set are discernable to an extent limited by a data resolution. A machine-learning model comprising parameters having respective values assigned thereto as constrained by a model training process is also stored in the memory circuitry. Processor circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory circuitry generates an output data set from the data set in accordance with the machine-learning model such that features in the output data set are discernable to an extent limited by an output data resolution that is finer than the data resolution of the data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yan Chen, Xinkang Tian, Zheng Yan
  • Patent number: 11747137
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including: providing a light guiding arrangement (LGA) configured to redirect light, incident thereon in a direction perpendicular to an external surface of the sample, into or onto the sample, such that light impinges on an internal facet of the sample nominally normally thereto; generating a first incident light beam (LB), directed at the external surface normally thereto, and a second incident LB, parallel to the first incident LB and directed at the LGA; obtaining a first returned LB by reflection of the first incident LB off the external surface, and a second returned LB by redirection by the LGA of the second incident LB into or onto the sample, reflection thereof off the internal facet, and inverse redirection by the LGA; measuring an angular deviation between the returned LBs and deducing therefrom an actual inclination angle of the internal facet relative to the external surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: LUMUS LTD.
    Inventor: Ido Eisenberg
  • Patent number: 11668558
    Abstract: A thickness estimation method may include: obtaining a test spectrum image; obtaining test spectrum data; measuring a thickness of a test layer formed on the test substrate at the plurality of positions; generating a regression analysis model using a correlation between the thickness of the test layer and the test spectrum data; obtaining a spectrum image; and estimating a thickness of a target layer over the entire area of the semiconductor substrate by applying the spectrum image to the regression analysis model. The thickness corresponding to the entire area of the semiconductor substrate that is being transferred is estimated using the thickness estimation method according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure, such that whether or not processing is normally performed may be examined without requiring a separate time. In addition, an examination result may be feedbacked to processing equipment to improve production yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jongsu Kim, Wansung Park, Doohyun Cho, Sungha Kim, Jaeyoun Wi, Kijoo Hong, Taejoong Kim, Youngsu Ryu, Kwangsung Lee, Min Hong
  • Patent number: 11592286
    Abstract: System and methods are provided for characterizing an internal surface of a lens using interferometry measurements. Sphere-fitting a distorted radius determines distorted pathlengths. Ray-tracing simulates refraction at all upstream surfaces to determine a cumulative path length. A residual pathlength is scaled by the group-index and rays are propagated based on the phase-index. After aspheric surface fitting, a corrected radius is determined. To estimate a glass type for the lens, a thickness between focal planes of the lens surfaces is determined using RCM measurements. Then, for both surfaces, the surface is positioned into focus, interferometer path length matching is performed, a reference arm is translated to stationary phase point positions for three wavelengths to determine three per-color optical thicknesses, and ray-tracing is performed. A glass type is identified by minimizing an error function based on optical parameters of the lens and parameters determined from known glass types from a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Vanderbilt University
    Inventors: Yuankai Tao, Mohamed T. El-Haddad
  • Patent number: 11580631
    Abstract: Dynamic thin film interferometry is a technique used to non-invasively characterize the thickness of thin liquid films that are evolving in both space and time. Recovering the underlying thickness from the captured interferograms, unconditionally and automatically is still an open problem. A compact setup is provided employing a snapshot hyperspectral camera and the related algorithms for the automated determination of thickness profiles of dynamic thin liquid films. The technique is shown to recover film thickness profiles to within 100 nm of accuracy as compared to those profiles reconstructed through the manual color matching process. Characteristics and advantages of hyperspectral interferometry are discussed including the increased robustness against imaging noise as well as the ability to perform thickness reconstruction without considering the absolute light intensity information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Gerald G. Fuller, Vineeth Chandran Suja
  • Patent number: 11570998
    Abstract: A processing system (10) and a corresponding method are provided for processing work products (WP), including food items, to locate and quantify voids, undercuts and similar anomalies in the work products. The work products are conveyed past an X-ray scanner (14) by a conveyance device (12). Data from the X-ray scanning is transmitted to control system (18). Simultaneously with the X-ray scanning of the work product, the work product is optically scanned at the same location on the work product where X-ray scanning is occurring. The data from the optical scanner is also transmitted to the control system. Such data is analyzed to develop or generate the thickness profile of the work product. From the differences in the thickness profiles generated from the X-ray scanning data versus the optical scanning data, the location of voids, undercuts and similar anomalies can be determined by the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: John Bean Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: David Pfanstiel, Daniel Holmes, Richard D. Stockard, Arthur W. Vogeley, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11552636
    Abstract: An ultra-high resolution capacitive sensor affixed above an imaging member surface measures the thickness of fountain solution on the imaging member surface in real-time during a printing operation. The sensor is considered ultra-high resolution with a resolution high enough to detect nanometer scale thicknesses. The capacitive sensor would initially be zeroed to the imaging member surface. As fluid is added, the capacitive sensor detects the increase and can measure and communicate with the image forming device to adjust fountain solution flow rate to the imaging member surface and correct for any anomalies in thickness. This fountain solution monitoring system may be fully automated. The capacitive sensor may have a resolution (e.g., as low as about 1 nm resolution) of about 0.001% of the distance/gap that the capacitive sensor is mounted away from the imaging member surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ferrara, Jr., Carlos M. Terrero, Jacob Mccarthy, Roberto A. Irizarry
  • Patent number: 11538713
    Abstract: A controller for adjusting a height of an edge ring in a substrate processing system includes an edge ring wear calculation module configured to receive at least one input indicative of one or more erosion rates of the edge ring, calculate at least one erosion rate of the edge ring based on the at least one input, and calculate an amount of erosion of the edge ring based on the at least one erosion rate. An actuator control module is configured to adjust the height of the edge ring based on the amount of erosion as calculated by the edge ring wear calculation module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Tom A. Kamp, Carlos Leal-Verdugo
  • Patent number: 11478978
    Abstract: Methods of making a composite article are provided herein. The method can include an unwinding step including unwinding a fiber substrate material from a creel at an unwinding velocity and an impregnation step including applying an uncured resin composition to the fiber substrate material to form a resin-fiber material. The method further includes a winding step comprising applying the resin-fiber material onto a shaped surface at a winding velocity and a solidifying step comprising applying heat to the resin-fiber material to initiate an exothermic reaction comprising polymerization, cross-linking, or both of the uncured resin composition. Temperature of the resin-fiber material can be monitored during operation of the method and a polymerization front velocity set point (vpfs) and an operating polymerization front velocity (vpfo) can be determined. Parameters can be adjusted to maintain a vpfo that is substantially the same as the vpfs. Systems for performing said methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Bradley A. Newcomb
  • Patent number: 11474028
    Abstract: A substrate inspection system is provided to monitor characteristics of a substrate, while the substrate is disposed within (or being transferred into/out of) a processing unit of a liquid dispense substrate processing system. The inspection system is integrated within a liquid dispense substrate processing system and includes one or more optical sensors of a reflectometer (such as a spectrometer or laser-based transceiver) configured to obtain spectral data from a substrate. A controller is coupled to receive the spectral data from the optical sensors(s). The one or more optical sensors (or one or more optical fibers coupled to the rest of the optical sensor hardware) are coupled at locations within the substrate processing system. The controller analyzes the spectral data received from the optical sensors(s) to detect characteristic(s) of the substrate including, but not limited to, film thickness (FT), refractive index changes, and associated critical dimension (CD) changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Carcasi, Mark Somervell, Joshua Hooge, Masahide Tadokoro
  • Patent number: 11346646
    Abstract: A thickness detector device and method, a detector system and a slot device are provided, and the thickness detector device includes: a base, which has a side wall provided with a through slot that penetrates through the base; a slot component at the base and has n slots, n being an integer greater than 1, and a width of each slot being less than a width of the through slot; a driver component which is provided on the base, is in a fixed connection with the slot component, and is configured to change the slot that is in the slot component and is in communication with the through slot by driving the slot component to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignees: CHONGQING BOE DISPLAY LIGHTING CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Rongdong Liang, Guoxin Liu, Yong Yang, Shijun Zhao, Ping Zhao
  • Patent number: 11320259
    Abstract: A spectroscopic measuring apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a first light source, object, microlens, and imaging lenses, an optical fiber, a spectrometer and a position controller. The object lens to allows light from the first light source to be incident on a stage configured to support a measurement object. The microlens is disposed between the object lens and the stage. The imaging lens images light reflected from the measurement object. The optical fiber has an input terminal disposed on a first image plane of the imaging lens. The spectrometer is disposed at an output terminal of the optical fiber. The position controller controls positions of the object lens, the microlens, and the optical fiber, and adjusts the position of the object lens so that a focus of the object lens is positioned at a virtual image position of a virtual image generated by the microlens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kwangrak Kim, Soonyang Kwon, Jangryul Park, Yunje Cho
  • Patent number: 11287400
    Abstract: A large-panel ultrasonic on-machine scanning thickness measurement equipment and method is disclosed. A GNCMT is adopted as the measuring machine main body on which a measured large panel is clamped and conducts scanning measurement motion; a non-contact ultrasonic measurement device is installed on the spindle of the machine tool for realizing transmission and acquisition of ultrasonic signals; a coupling liquid circulation system with the functions of multi-layer filtering, flow monitoring and regulation is set up; a jet flow immersion coupling mode is adopted on the surface of the measured large panel, and micro-emulsion cutting fluid is used as compatible coupling liquid of ultrasonic on-machine thickness measurement; and the coupling liquid is recycled, purified and stably supplied circularly. The thickness measurement equipment has high multi-function integration and reliable performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Yongqing Wang, Haibo Liu, Te Li, Meng Lian, Kuo Liu, Zhenyuan Jia
  • Patent number: 11287323
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber disposed between process chambers performing processing of a semiconductor substrate, a transfer robot disposed inside the transfer chamber to load the semiconductor substrate into the process chamber and unload the semiconductor substrate whose processing has been performed in the process chamber, an optical assembly irradiates irradiation light having multiple wavelengths onto the semiconductor substrate, the optical assembly splitting measurement light reflected from a surface of the semiconductor substrate into first and second measurement light and collecting interference light caused by first reflected light and second reflected light, a light detector detecting the interference light and converting the interference light into an electric signal to produce an interference signal, and a controller extracting spectrum information for each wavelength of the measurement light from the interference signal and calculating distribution
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hoonseop Kim, Vladmir Protopopov, Minju Kim
  • Patent number: 11279001
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus including an arm configured to swing a polishing component includes performing a CMP process; learning at least two positions of the polishing component during a normal swing motion of the polish component by an optical acceptor and a processing unit to determine a plurality of expected positions of the polish component; analyzing at least one real position of the polishing component at predetermined time points during the CMP process by the optical acceptor and the processing unit; inspecting whether an abnormal event occurs based on the analyzed real position of the polishing component and the expected positions by the processing unit during the CMP process; and determining whether to send an alarm and stop the CMP process based on the inspecting result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chung-Wei Huang, Ren-Hao Jheng
  • Patent number: 11275027
    Abstract: A method for use in measuring one or more characteristics of patterned structures, the method including providing measured data comprising data indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions corresponding to the one or more characteristics to be measured, processing the measured data, and determining, for each of the at least one Raman spectrum, a distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency (RCE) within at least a part of the structure under measurements, being dependent on characteristics of the structure and the predetermined configuration of the at least one of illuminating and collected light conditions in the respective optical measurement scheme, and analyzing the distribution of Raman-contribution efficiency and determining the one or more characteristics of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: NOVA LTD
    Inventors: Gilad Barak, Yanir Hainick, Yonatan Oren, Vladimir Machavariani
  • Patent number: 11260497
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes a holder holding a target. A polisher polishes the target. An irradiator irradiates the target with an irradiation light from below the polisher. A photoreceiver receives a reflection light reflected from the polishing target to detect a relation between a wavelength and a light quantity of the reflection light. A first reflector bends the irradiation light from the irradiator in a direction tilted to the polishing target. A second reflector bends the reflection light from the polishing target to the photoreceiver. The first reflector irradiates the polishing target with the irradiation light in a direction tilted to the polishing target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11262300
    Abstract: Dust accumulation monitors are provided to autonomously monitor dust accumulations. The dust accumulation monitors include a casing having a translucent portion, a light sensor configured to output a sensing signal based on sensed light penetrating through the translucent portion, a controller coupled to the light sensor to receive the sensing signal and configured to output a dust alert signal based on the received sensing signal, and a communication interface coupled to the controller and configured to output an alert based on the dust alert signal output by the controller. A dust accumulation monitoring system includes a plurality of dust accumulation monitors, and a central monitor communicatively connected to each of the plurality of dust accumulation monitors and configured to receive dust sensing signals from each of the plurality of dust accumulation monitors. The dust accumulation monitors may communicate through wired or wireless links with the central monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: BAKER ENGINEERING & RISK CONSULTANTS, INC.
    Inventors: Philip James Parsons, Benjamin Stover, Yujie Hou
  • Patent number: 11243070
    Abstract: In the embodiment in association with the present disclosure, an apparatus and method for multilayer thin film thickness measurement using single-shot angle-resolved spectral reflectometry are provided which allow simultaneously obtaining the absolute reflectance and phase data of a measurement object over a broad wavelength range and wide incident angle according to various polarization states by a single-shot measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: KOREA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND SCIENCE
    Inventors: Young-Sik Ghim, Hyug-gyo Rhee
  • Patent number: 11150190
    Abstract: A method and system are presented for use in measuring characteristic(s) of patterned structures. The method utilizes processing of first and second measured data, wherein the first measured data is indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of illuminating and/or collected light conditions corresponding to the characteristic(s) to be measured, and the second measured data comprises at least one spectrum obtained from the patterned structure in Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) measurement session. The processing comprises applying model-based analysis to the at least one Raman spectrum and the at least one OCD spectrum, and determining the characteristic(s) of the patterned structure under measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: NOVA LTD
    Inventors: Gilad Barak, Yanir Hainick, Yonatan Oren
  • Patent number: 11137358
    Abstract: A testing system for testing a workpiece for a characteristic by irradiating microwaves to the workpiece and also irradiating a laser beam at an irradiation position of the microwaves, receiving microwaves reflected at the irradiation position where the workpiece has a reflectivity increased by carriers generated through photoexcitation, and measuring a lifetime of the carriers. The testing system includes a chuck table that holds the workpiece, a microwave irradiation unit that irradiates the microwaves to the workpiece held on the chuck table, a microwave reception unit that receives microwaves reflected by the workpiece, and a laser beam irradiation unit that irradiates the laser beam onto the irradiation position to which the microwaves have been irradiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiji Nomaru, Taiki Sawabe
  • Patent number: 11139170
    Abstract: A device and method is described for producing an electrically conductive direct bond between a bonding side of a first substrate and a bonding side of a second substrate. A workspace is included that can be closed, gas-tight, against the environment and can be supplied with a vacuum. The workspace includes a) at least one plasma chamber for modifying at least one of the bonding sides and at least one bonding chamber for bonding the bonding sides, and/or b) at least one combined bonding/plasma chamber for modifying at least one of the bonding sides and for bonding the bonding sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: EV GROUP E. THALLNER GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Wimplinger, Viorel Dragoi, Christoph Flotgen
  • Patent number: 11032456
    Abstract: An imaging unit for an ultrafast imaging apparatus includes an objective lens opposing a workpiece supported on a chuck table, a beam splitter disposed in a first optical path extending from the objective lens, an image processing unit disposed in a second optical path extending from the beam splitter, and an illumination unit disposed in a third optical path extending from the beam splitter. The illumination unit includes a broadband pulsed light source, and a spectrometer configured to divide a single pulse of light, which has been emitted from the broadband pulsed light source, into a plurality of wavelengths and to produce a time lag between each two adjacent ones of the plurality of wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiji Nomaru, Yusaku Ito
  • Patent number: 10957564
    Abstract: A self-calibration apparatus and method for a real-time temperature measurement system of a MOCVD device belong to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing. The apparatus comprises a MOCVD reactor chamber (1) and an optical detector (6). The MOCVD reactor chamber (1) comprises an epitaxial wafer (4). A detection window (5) is provided on the top of the MOCVD reactor chamber (1). The optical detector (6) emits detection light beams whose wavelengths are respectively ?1 and ?2 toward the epitaxial wafer (4) through the detection window (5). The detection light beams are reflected by the epitaxial wafer (4) to form reflected light beams which are detected by the optical detector (6). In the method, points corresponding to the actual thermal radiation ratios are depicted on the theoretical thermal radiation ratio-temperature curve according to actual thermal radiation ratios, and values of the temperatures T corresponding to the points are substituted into formulas to obtain m1 and m2 respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: AK OPTICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chengmin Li, Dong Yan, Linzi Wang, Jianpeng Liu, Hongda Jiao, Tang Zhang, Xiaochao Ma
  • Patent number: 10928329
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are optical near-field systems and methods that provide a noninvasive and fast approach to detect and characterize dislocation defects in semiconductors films caused by a mismatched film-substrate, such as found in GaAs—Si. The embodiments disclosed utilize optical cavities formed by the dislocation defects. The optical cavities act to localize a beam excitation light, which elicits second harmonic generated (SHG) light from the same region. The SHG light can be probed and mapped to provide information regarding the defects. The information derived from the map includes defect location, defect density, and defect orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Farbod Shafiei, Michael W. Downer
  • Patent number: 10903241
    Abstract: A system of forming a debonding layer includes a debonding layer forming device configured to form a coating layer by coating a graphene oxide layer on a support substrate. The debonding layer forming device is configured to form a debonding layer by heat-treating the coating layer. An optical measuring device is configured to classify the support substrate into a plurality of cell areas. The optical measuring device is configured to measure a thickness of at least one of the coating layer in at least one cell area of the plurality of cell areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Minwoo Lee, Byunghoon Kang, Heekyun Shin, Seungjun Moon, Woojin Cho
  • Patent number: 10875124
    Abstract: A method for producing or repairing a three-dimensional work piece, the method comprising the following steps: providing at least one substrate (15); depositing a first layer of a raw material powder onto the substrate (15); and irradiating selected areas of the deposited raw material powder layer with an electromagnetic or particle radiation beam (22) in a site selective manner in accordance with an irradiation pattern which corresponds to a geometry of at least part of a layer of the three-dimensional work piece to be produced, wherein the irradiation is controlled so as to produce a metallurgical bond between the substrate (15) and the raw material powder layer deposited thereon. Moreover, a use and apparatus are likewise disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: SLM Solutions Group AG
    Inventors: Dieter Schwarze, Jiachun Chen
  • Patent number: 10816323
    Abstract: A film-thickness measuring apparatus includes: a light source; an illuminating fiber coupled to the light source and having a distal end disposed at a predetermined position in a wafer supporting structure; a spectrometer configured to decompose reflected light from a wafer in accordance with wavelength and measure an intensity of the reflected light at each of wavelengths; a first light-receiving fiber having a distal end disposed at the predetermined position; a second light-receiving fiber having a distal end which is disposed at the predetermined position and is adjacent to the distal end of the first light-receiving fiber; a processor configured to determine a film thickness of the wafer based on a spectral waveform indicating a relationship between the intensity of the reflected light and the wavelength; and an optical-path selecting mechanism configured to optically connect and disconnect the second light-receiving fiber and the spectrometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshifumi Kimba
  • Patent number: 10818482
    Abstract: Methods are disclosed to detect plasma light emissions during plasma processing, to analyze light intensity data associated with the plasma source, and to adjust operating parameters for the plasma source and/or the process chamber based upon light intensity distributions associated with the plasma processing. The light intensity distributions for the plasma sources and related analysis can be conducted across multiple processing tools. For some embodiments, plasma discharge stability and/or chamber-to-chamber matching information is determined based upon light intensity data, and the operation of the processing tools are adjusted or controlled based upon stability and/or matching determinations. The disclosed embodiments thereby provide simple, low-cost solutions to assess and improve plasma sources and discharge stability for plasma processing tools such as plasma etch and deposition tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yusuke Yoshida, Jason Marion, Sergey Voronin, Alok Ranjan
  • Patent number: 10788462
    Abstract: A dual function non-destructive inspection apparatus comprises a frame structure, a thermographic inspection system, a displacement system, and an ultrasonic inspection system. The frame structure has a channel, a first end, and a second end. The channel extends through the frame structure from the first end to the second end. The thermographic inspection system is associated with the first end of the frame structure. The displacement system is connected to the second end of the frame structure. The ultrasonic inspection system is connected to the displacement system such that the displacement system moves the ultrasonic inspection system relative to the channel of the frame structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: James J. Troy, Daniel J. Wright, Scott W. Lea, Gary Ernest Georgeson
  • Patent number: 10732116
    Abstract: A method and system are presented for use in measuring characteristic(s) of patterned structures. The method utilizes processing of first and second measured data, wherein the first measured data is indicative of at least one Raman spectrum obtained from a patterned structure under measurements using at least one selected optical measurement scheme each with a predetermined configuration of illuminating and/or collected light conditions corresponding to the characteristic(s) to be measured, and the second measured data comprises at least one spectrum obtained from the patterned structure in Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) measurement session. The processing comprises applying model-based analysis to the at least one Raman spectrum and the at least one OCD spectrum, and determining the characteristic(s) of the patterned structure under measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
    Inventors: Gilad Barak, Yanir Hainick, Yonatan Oren
  • Patent number: 10714306
    Abstract: A system, computer program product and a method for measuring a hole. The method may include charging a vicinity of the hole having a nanometric width; obtaining, multiple electron images of the hole; wherein each electron image is formed by sensing electrons of an electron energy that exceeds an electron energy threshold that is associated with the electron image; wherein electron energy thresholds associated with different electron images of the multiple electron images differ from each other; receiving or generating a mapping between height values and the electron energy thresholds; processing the multiple electron images to provide hole measurements; and generating three dimensional measurements of the hole based on the mapping and the hole measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.
    Inventors: Konstantin Chirko, Orit Hava Armon Hershkovich
  • Patent number: 10677585
    Abstract: An occurrence of a noise in a light receiver is suppressed, and an accuracy of measuring a film thickness is improved. A film thickness measuring apparatus includes: a stage being in contact with only an end portion of a substrate; a reflection suppressing unit located separately from the stage in a region surrounded by the stage; a light source; and a light receiver which a first light made up of light, which has been emitted from the light source, reflected on an upper surface of the measured film and a second light reflected on an upper surface of the substrate enter. The reflection suppressing unit is located separately from a lower surface of the substrate exposed to atmosphere, and suppresses a reflection of light, which enters the reflection suppressing unit from the light source, to the light receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichi Masumoto, Toru Jokaku, Nobuaki Yamanaka, Yosuke Nakanishi