Wafer inspection apparatus and method

    公开(公告)号:US11579096B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-02-14

    申请号:US17116708

    申请日:2020-12-09

    Abstract: A thickness estimating apparatus includes a transfer robot, a light source, a camera, a memory and a controller. The memory stores a thickness predicting model generated based on a data set including a thickness of at least one of a test wafer corresponding to the wafer or a test element layer formed on the test wafer, and the thickness predicting model being trained to minimize a loss function of the data set. The controller applies pixel data, which is acquired from at least one pixel selected from a plurality of pixels included in a captured image, to the thickness predicting model, to predict a thickness of at least one of the wafer or an element layer formed on the wafer in a position corresponding to a position of the selected pixel.

    SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPTICAL MEASUREMENT OF NUMERICAL APERTURE OF OBJECTIVE LENS

    公开(公告)号:US20250060276A1

    公开(公告)日:2025-02-20

    申请号:US18651417

    申请日:2024-04-30

    Abstract: An optical measurement system includes a hemispherical mirror including a planar portion and a spherical portion having a hemispherical recessed shape in the planar portion. In the spherical portion are latitude markers formed with a different reflectance from the rest of the spherical portion. The system includes an optical unit with an objective lens and at least one beam splitter. The optical unit transmits light reflected from the hemispherical mirror through the objective lens to a first sensor. A controller measures a numerical aperture of the objective lens by aligning the hemispherical mirror to be at the focus of the objective lens, detecting a back focal image of the objective lens in which the latitude markers appear as darker circular lines, and performing calculations on the image.

    EUV PHOTOMASK INSPECTION APPARATUS
    5.
    发明公开

    公开(公告)号:US20230194845A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-06-22

    申请号:US18056984

    申请日:2022-11-18

    Abstract: An EUV photomask inspection apparatus includes a plurality of optical systems respectively forming different confocal points in a mask structure including an EUV photomask and a pellicle on the EUV photomask. A first optical system among the plurality of optical systems includes a first light source emitting first light having a wavelength in a visible light range, a beam splitter transmitting or reflecting the first light, an objective lens configured to allow the first light to pass through at least a portion of the mask structure to form a first focus in the mask structure, a first light detector configured to detect first reflected light reflected from the mask structure by the incident first light, and a pinhole plate in front of the first light source. The first light detector includes a detection module including a PMT and an APD, and a thermoelectric cooling.

    THICKNESS ESTIMATION METHOD AND PROCESSING CONTROL METHOD

    公开(公告)号:US20220065618A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-03

    申请号:US17214830

    申请日:2021-03-27

    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.

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