METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR POSITIONING ELECTRONIC DEVICES INTO COMPARTMENTS OF AN INPUT MEDIUM AND OUPT MEDIUM
Granted: August 2, 2012
Application Number:
20120197432
A method for positioning electronic devices into compartments of an input medium is disclosed. At least one electronic device is packable in a single compartment of the input medium. Known positions on an upper side of the input medium are imaged by an inspection device. Actual position data of the compartments of the input medium are calculated on the basis of images of the known positions, given target position data of the known positions, and given target position data of the…
RING LIGHT ILLUMINATOR, BEAM SHAPER AND METHOD FOR ILLUMINATION
Granted: July 26, 2012
Application Number:
20120188786
A ring light illuminator with annularly arranged light sources is disclosed. To each light source there corresponds a light collector, a homogenizing means for light from the light source, and an anamorphic system for imaging an output of the homogenizing means into an area to be illuminated. The anamorphic system compensates deformations of a cross-sectional area of a light beam in a surface to be illuminated due to an oblique angle of incidence of the light beam onto the surface. The…
Method for Inspection and Detection of Defects on Surfaces of Disc-Shaped Objects and Computer System with a Software Product for Carrying out the Method
Granted: June 28, 2012
Application Number:
20120163698
An image (30) of a disc-shaped object (100) is recorded, wherein the entire surface (100O) is captured with a plurality of fields (60). A difference image (31) is formed, by subtracting a reference from each field (60) of the surface (100O) of the disc-shaped object (100), and subject to a color transformation, wherein by a suitable choice of transformation signals in one channel are maximized, while at the same time undesired variations, caused by production, of the fields (60) are…
APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING OVERLAY OF STRUCTURES HAVING ROTATIONAL OR MIRROR SYMMETRY
Granted: June 21, 2012
Application Number:
20120153281
A semiconductor target for determining a relative shift between two or more successive layers of a substrate is provided. The target comprises a plurality of first structures formed in a first layer, and the first structures have a first center of symmetry (COS). The target further comprises a plurality of second structures formed in a second layer, and the second structures have second COS. The difference between the first COS and the second COS corresponds to an overlay error between…
REGION BASED VIRTUAL FOURIER FILTER
Granted: June 7, 2012
Application Number:
20120141013
The present invention includes searching imagery data in order to identify one or more patterned regions on a semiconductor wafer, generating one or more virtual Fourier filter (VFF) working areas, acquiring an initial set of imagery data from the VFF working areas, defining VFF training blocks within the identified patterned regions of the VFF working areas utilizing the initial set of imagery data, wherein each VFF training block is defined to encompass a portion of the identified…
ANGLE-RESOLVED ANTISYMMETRIC SCATTEROMETRY
Granted: May 17, 2012
Application Number:
20120120396
A method for determining an overlay offset may include, but is not limited to: obtaining a first anti-symmetric differential signal (?S1) associated with a first scatterometry cell; obtaining a second anti-symmetric differential signal (?S2) associated with a second scatterometry cell and computing an overlay offset from the first anti-symmetric differential (?S1) signal associated with the first scatterometry cell and the second anti-symmetric differential signal (?S2) associated with…
HIGH DAMAGE THRESHOLD FREQUENCY CONVERSION SYSTEM
Granted: May 17, 2012
Application Number:
20120120481
The present invention includes a fundamental laser light source configured to generate fundamental wavelength laser light, a first nonlinear optical crystal configured to generate first alternate wavelength light; a second nonlinear optical crystal configured to generate second alternate wavelength light; a dual wavelength Brewster angle waveplate configured to rotate a polarization of the first alternate wavelength light relative to the second alternate wavelength light such that the…
OPTICAL DEFECT AMPLIFICATION FOR IMPROVED SENSITIVITY ON PATTERNED LAYERS
Granted: May 10, 2012
Application Number:
20120113416
A method for wafer defect inspection may include, but is not limited to: providing an inspection target; applying at least one defect inspection enhancement to the inspection target; illuminating the inspection target including the at least one inspection enhancement to generate one or more inspection signals associated with one or more features of the inspection target; detecting the inspection signals; and generating one or more inspection parameters from the inspection signals. An…
MEASURING CRYSTAL SITE LIFETIME IN A NON-LINEAR OPTICAL CRYSTAL
Granted: May 10, 2012
Application Number:
20120113995
The present invention includes a fundamental laser light source configured to generate fundamental wavelength laser light, an optical crystal configured to receive fundamental laser light from the fundamental laser light source, the optical crystal configured to generate alternate wavelength light by frequency converting a portion of the received fundamental laser light to alternate wavelength light, an auxiliary light source configured to generate auxiliary wavelength light, the…
Data Perturbation for Wafer Inspection or Metrology Setup
Granted: May 10, 2012
Application Number:
20120116733
Various embodiments for determining parameters for wafer inspection and/or metrology are provided.
Dual Tray Carrier Unit
Granted: April 19, 2012
Application Number:
20120090495
A tray carrier system having a tray loading position, a tray off-loading position, and four parallel rails extending from the tray loading position to the tray off-loading position. A tray carrier platform is disposed on each rail, where each tray carrier platform is configured to move along the rail on which it is disposed between the tray loading position and the tray off-loading position. Each tray carrier platform includes a carriage for engaging the rail, swing arms attached to the…
FEEDFORWARD/FEEDBACK LITHO PROCESS CONTROL OF STRESS AND OVERLAY
Granted: April 19, 2012
Application Number:
20120094400
A method and apparatus for process control in a lithographic process are described. Metrology may be performed on a substrate either before or after performing a patterning process on the substrate. One or more correctables to the lithographic patterning process may be generated based on the metrology. The patterning process performed on the substrate (or a subsequent substrate) may be adjusted with the correctables.
COORDINATE FUSION AND THICKNESS CALIBRATION FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER EDGE INSPECTION
Granted: April 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120086796
A system may include a support configured to rotatably support a wafer. The system may also include an imager for generating an image of a wafer, where the image includes a first coordinate reference. The system may also include a profiler for generating a profile of the wafer, where the profile includes a second coordinate reference. The system may further include control programming for locating at least one structural feature of an edge of the wafer recognizable by both the imager and…
FOCUS OFFSET CONTAMINATION INSPECTION
Granted: April 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120086799
A system and method for detecting defects on a reticle is disclosed. The method may comprise determining a best focus setting for imaging the reticle; obtaining a first image of the reticle, the first image obtained at the best focus setting plus a predetermined offset; obtaining a second image of the reticle, the second image obtained at the best focus setting minus the predetermined offset; generating a differential image, the differential image representing a difference between the…
RING LIGHT ILLUMINATOR AND BEAM SHAPER FOR RING LIGHT ILLUMINATOR
Granted: April 12, 2012
Application Number:
20120087143
A ring light illuminator with annularly arranged light sources is disclosed. To each light source there corresponds a beam shaper comprising a light collector, a homogenizing means for light from the light source, and an imaging means for imaging an output of the homogenizing means into an area to be illuminated. The homogenizing means in embodiments is a rod, into which light from the light collector is directed. The end of the rod opposite the light collector is imaged by the imaging…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TOOL INDUCED SHIFT USING A SUB-SAMPLING SCHEME
Granted: April 5, 2012
Application Number:
20120084041
The present invention may include measuring tool induced shift (TIS) on at least one wafer of a lot of wafers via an omniscient sampling process, randomly generating a plurality of sub-sampling schemes, each of the set of randomly generated sub-sampling schemes having the same number of sampled fields, measuring TIS at each location of each of the randomly generated sub-sampling schemes, approximating a set of TIS values for each of the randomly generated sub-sampling schemes utilizing…
ETCH-RESISTANT COATING ON SENSOR WAFERS FOR IN-SITU MEASUREMENT
Granted: March 29, 2012
Application Number:
20120074514
A sensor wafer may be configured for in-situ measurements of parameters during an etch process. The sensor wafer may include a substrate, a cover, and one or more components positioned between the substrate and the cover. An etch-resistant coating is formed on one or more surfaces of the cover and/or substrate. The coating is configured to resist etch processes that etch the cover and/or substrate for a longer period than standard thin film materials of the same or greater thickness than…
Referenced Inspection Device
Granted: March 15, 2012
Application Number:
20120062877
A tool for investigating a substrate, where the tool has a tool head for investigating the substrate, a chuck for disposing an upper surface of the substrate in proximity to the tool head, and an air bearing disposed on the tool head adjacent the substrate. The air bearing has a pressure source and a vacuum source, where the vacuum source draws the substrate toward the air bearing and the pressure source prevents the substrate from physically contacting the air bearing. The pressure…
Solar Cell Transport
Granted: March 8, 2012
Application Number:
20120055761
A transport system for substrates, the transport system having at least one belt for receiving the substrates thereon, retainers disposed at spaced distances on the belt, the spaced distances being at least as wide as a width of the substrates, the retainers rising to an elevation above the belt that is sufficient to stop the substrates from sliding when the substrates bump against the retainers, a motor for moving the belt, and a motion controller for providing asymmetric acceleration…
DEFECT INSPECTION AND PHOTOLUMINESCENCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number:
20120049085
A system for defect detection and photoluminescence measurement of a sample may include a radiation source configured to target radiation to the sample. The system may also include an optics assembly positioned above the sample to receive a sample radiation. The system may also include a filter module configured to receive the sample radiation collected by the optics assembly. The filter module may separate the sample radiation collected by the optics assembly into a first radiation…
