公开(公告)号：US10978278B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-13

申请号：US16051082

申请日：2018-07-31

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Ching Ling Meng ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Hanyou Chu ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: An apparatus, a system, and a method for in-situ etching monitoring in a plasma processing chamber are provided. The apparatus includes a continuous wave broadband light source to generate incident light beam, an illumination system configured to illuminate an area on a substrate with an incident light beam being directed at normal incidence to the substrate, a collection system configured to collect a reflected light beam being reflected from the illuminated area on the substrate, and direct the reflected light beam to a detector, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to process the reflected light beam to suppress background light, determine a property of the substrate or structures formed thereupon based on reference light beam and the reflected light beam that are processed to suppress the background light, and control an etch process based on the determined property.

公开(公告)号：US09059038B2

公开(公告)日：2015-06-16

申请号：US13945759

申请日：2013-07-18

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Shifang Li ,  Junwei Bao ,  Hanyou Chu ,  Wen Jin ,  Ching-Ling Meng ,  Weiwen Xu ,  Ping Wang ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Mihail Mihaylov ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01L22/12 ,  H01J37/32972 ,  H01L22/26

Abstract: Disclosed is an in-situ optical monitor (ISOM) system and associated method for controlling plasma etching processes during the forming of stepped structures in semiconductor manufacturing. The in-situ optical monitor (ISOM) can be optionally configured for coupling to a surface-wave plasma source (SWP), for example a radial line slotted antenna (RLSA) plasma source. A method is described to correlate the lateral recess of the steps and the etched thickness of a photoresist layer for use with the in-situ optical monitor (ISOM) during control of plasma etching processes in the forming of stepped structures.

Abstract translation: 公开了一种在半导体制造中形成阶梯式结构期间控制等离子体蚀刻工艺的原位光学监视器（ISOM）系统及其相关方法。 可以可选地，原位光学监视器（ISOM）被配置为耦合到表面波等离子体源（SWP），例如径向线槽天线（RLSA）等离子体源。 描述了一种方法，以便在形成阶梯式结构的等离子体蚀刻过程的控制期间，使步骤的侧向凹陷和光致抗蚀剂层的蚀刻厚度与原位光学监视器（ISOM）一起使用。

公开(公告)号：US09970818B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-15

申请号：US14530164

申请日：2014-10-31

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Junwei Bao ,  Ching-Ling Meng ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Mihail Mihaylov ,  Yan Chen ,  Zheng Yan ,  Haixing Zou ,  Hanyou Chu

IPC: G01J3/30 ,  G01J3/443 ,  G01N21/31 ,  G01N21/68

CPC classification number: G01J3/443 ,  G01N21/31 ,  G01N21/68 ,  G01N2201/10

Abstract: Disclosed is a method, computer method, system, and apparatus for measuring two-dimensional distributions of optical emissions from a plasma in a semiconductor plasma processing chamber. The acquired two-dimensional distributions of plasma optical emissions can be used to infer the two-dimensional distributions of concentrations of certain chemical species of interest that are present in the plasma, and thus provide a useful tool for process development and also for new and improved processing tool development. The disclosed technique is computationally simple and inexpensive, and involves the use of an expansion of the assumed optical intensity distribution into a sum of basis functions that allow for circumferential variation of optical intensity. An example of suitable basis functions are Zernike polynomials.

公开(公告)号：US12261030B2

公开(公告)日：2025-03-25

申请号：US18605526

申请日：2024-03-14

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Ching Ling Meng ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Hanyou Chu ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G01N21/00

Abstract: An apparatus for in-situ etching monitoring in a plasma processing chamber includes a continuous wave broadband light source, an illumination system configured to illuminate an area on a substrate with an incident light beam being directed from the continuous wave broadband light source at normal incidence to the substrate, a collection system configured to collect a reflected light beam being reflected from the illuminated area on the substrate, and to direct the reflected light beam to a first light detector, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a property of the substrate or structures formed thereupon based on a reference light beam and the reflected light beam, and control an etch process based on the determined property. The reference light beam is generated by the illumination system by splitting a portion of the incident light beam and directed to a second light detector.

公开(公告)号：US20250164410A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-22

申请号：US18517486

申请日：2023-11-22

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Holger Tuitje ,  Xinkang Tian ,  Ching Ling Meng

IPC: G01N21/95 ,  G01N21/93 ,  G01N21/956 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A method for monitoring a plurality of process chambers, the method includes generating an optical beam at a light source. The method further includes dividing the optical beam into a plurality of light beams. The method further includes providing the plurality of light beams to the plurality of process chambers. And the method further includes measuring the plurality of light beams after being reflected within the plurality of process chambers.

公开(公告)号：US20200043764A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-06

申请号：US16356334

申请日：2019-03-18

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Robert Clark ,  Eric Chih-Fang Liu ,  Angelique Raley ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Kevin Siefering

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/687 ,  G05B19/418

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a high volume manufacturing system for processing and measuring workpieces in a semiconductor processing sequence without leaving the system's controlled environment (e.g., sub-atmospheric pressure). The systems process chambers are connected to each other via transfer chambers used to move the workpieces, in the controlled environment, between the process chambers. The transfer chambers include a measurement region with dedicated workpiece support chucks capable of translating and/or rotating the workpiece during the measurement.

公开(公告)号：US20200043710A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-06

申请号：US16051082

申请日：2018-07-31

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Ching Ling Meng ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Qiang Zhao ,  Hanyou Chu ,  Xinkang Tian

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: An apparatus, a system, and a method for in-situ etching monitoring in a plasma processing chamber are provided. The apparatus includes a continuous wave broadband light source to generate incident light beam, an illumination system configured to illuminate an area on a substrate with an incident light beam being directed at normal incidence to the substrate, a collection system configured to collect a reflected light beam being reflected from the illuminated area on the substrate, and direct the reflected light beam to a detector, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to process the reflected light beam to suppress background light, determine a property of the substrate or structures formed thereupon based on reference light beam and the reflected light beam that are processed to suppress the background light, and control an etch process based on the determined property.

公开(公告)号：US20200006100A1

公开(公告)日：2020-01-02

申请号：US16356345

申请日：2019-03-18

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Robert Clark ,  Eric Chih-Fang Liu ,  Angelique Raley ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Kevin Siefering

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a high volume manufacturing system for processing and measuring workpieces in a semiconductor processing sequence without leaving the system's controlled environment (e.g., sub-atmospheric pressure). The systems process chambers are connected to each other via transfer chambers used to move the workpieces, in the controlled environment, between the process chambers. Further, the pass-through chambers may be disposed between the transfer chambers or between the transfer chamber and the process chamber. The pass-through chambers may include a measurement region to measure workpiece attributes when the workpiece is moved through or placed in the pass-through chamber. The transfer chambers may also have separate measurement regions within their internal space to measure other attributes of the workpiece.

公开(公告)号：US09846088B2

公开(公告)日：2017-12-19

申请号：US14490430

申请日：2014-09-18

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Jun Pei ,  Junwei Bao ,  Holger Tuitje ,  Ching-Ling Meng ,  Mihail D. Mihaylov

IPC: G01K11/22 ,  G01K11/24 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: G01K11/24 ,  H01L21/67248

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring semiconductor substrate temperature using a differential acoustic time of flight measurement technique. The measurement is based on measuring the time of flight of acoustic (ultrasonic) waves across the substrate, and calculating a substrate temperature from the measured time of flight and the known temperature dependence of the speed of sound for the substrate material. The differential acoustic time of flight method eliminates most sources of interference and error, for example due to varying coupling between an ultrasonic transducer and the substrate. To further increase the accuracy of the differential acoustic time of flight measurement, a correlation waveform processing algorithm is utilized to obtain a differential acoustic time of flight measurement from two measured ultrasonic waveforms. To facilitate signal recognition and processing, a symmetric Lamb mode may be used as mode of excitation of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20250060324A1

公开(公告)日：2025-02-20

申请号：US18620332

申请日：2024-03-28

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Francisco Machuca ,  Vi Vuong ,  Andrej Mitrovic ,  Xinkang Tian ,  Holger Tuitje

IPC: G01N23/2206 ,  G01N21/95 ,  G01N23/201 ,  G01N23/223

Abstract: A method of characterizing a device under test (DUT) includes illuminating the DUT with a broadband optical beam within an optical field of view (FOV), illuminating the DUT with an X-ray beam within an X-ray FOV overlapping the optical FOV, and concurrently acquiring X-ray metrology information, e.g., one or more X-ray images utilizing various modalities, such as absorption, phase contrast difference, darkfield, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and/or fluorescence, from the X-ray FOV and a plurality of optical images of the optical FOV, each of the optical images corresponding to respective selected wavelengths of the broadband optical beam from each of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths, for example including deep ultraviolet, near infrared, or short-wavelength infrared wavelengths. The DUT may be one or more substrates, e.g., stacked, and include electronic devices such as three-dimensional integrated devices.