Integrated process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system
First Claim
1. A sensing apparatus for sensing conditions in target environments in a processing facility where a standard substrate is transported in a standard substrate carrier that establishes a position of the standard substrate relative to a surface of the standard substrate carrier and where the robot of at least one processing tool is calibrated to the position of the standard substrate relative to the surface of the standard substrate carrier, comprising:
- a first portion that includes;
a substrate;
a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;
a second portion that includes;
a substrate carrier that establishes the position of the first portion relative to a surface of the substrate carrier to be the same as the position of the standard substrate relative to the surface of the standard substrate carrier;
an electronics module that communicates with the first portion, the electronics module attached to the substrate carrier; and
wherein the first portion may be moved independently of the second portion.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process condition measuring device and a handling system may be highly integrated with a production environment where the dimensions of the process condition measuring device are close to those of a production substrate and the handling system is similar to a substrate carrier used for production substrates. Process conditions may be measured with little disturbance to the production environment. Data may be transferred from a process condition-measuring device to a user with little or no human intervention.
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Citations
76 Claims
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1. A sensing apparatus for sensing conditions in target environments in a processing facility where a standard substrate is transported in a standard substrate carrier that establishes a position of the standard substrate relative to a surface of the standard substrate carrier and where the robot of at least one processing tool is calibrated to the position of the standard substrate relative to the surface of the standard substrate carrier, comprising:
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a first portion that includes;
a substrate;
a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;
a second portion that includes;
a substrate carrier that establishes the position of the first portion relative to a surface of the substrate carrier to be the same as the position of the standard substrate relative to the surface of the standard substrate carrier;
an electronics module that communicates with the first portion, the electronics module attached to the substrate carrier; and
wherein the first portion may be moved independently of the second portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13)
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11. A sensing apparatus for sensing process conditions in a processing tool that has a robot that transfers a standard substrate between a standard substrate carrier and a process chamber, comprising:
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a process condition measuring device, comprising;
a substrate;
a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;
a handling system, comprising;
a substrate carrier that holds the process condition measuring device, the robot transferring the process condition measuring device between the substrate carrier and the process chamber; and
an electronics module attached to the substrate carrier that communicates with the process condition measuring device while the substrate carrier holds the process condition measuring device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A process condition measuring device for measuring conditions in a target environment, comprising:
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a substrate;
a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate; and
a plurality of components located on the surface of the substrate or within cavities formed in the surface of the substrate such that the balance of the substrate with the plurality of sensors and the plurality of components is the same as the balance of the substrate alone when the substrate spins about a central axis. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of surveying conditions in a target environment comprising:
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robotically moving a process condition measuring device from a substrate carrier to a target environment;
acquiring data in the target environment and recording the data in the process condition measuring device;
robotically returning the process condition measuring device to the substrate carrier; and
transferring the data from the process condition measuring device to an electronics module attached to the substrate carrier while the process condition measuring device is in the substrate carrier. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of making a process condition measuring device that may collect data and may record or transmit the data for subsequent use, comprising:
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depositing a conductive layer on a substrate;
patterning the conductive layer to form a plurality of traces;
forming a plurality of cavities in the substrate;
placing a plurality of electrical components in the plurality of cavities, the plurality of components including at least one sensor and at least one battery;
connecting individual ones of the plurality of electrical components to one or more of the plurality of traces; and
depositing a passivation layer over the traces and components. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44)
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45. An instrument for measuring a parameter, comprising:
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a substrate, a plurality of sensors carried by and distributed at positions across a surface of the substrate that individually measure the parameter at those positions, at least one electronic processing component carried by the substrate surface, electrical conductors extending across the substrate surface and connected to the plurality of sensors and said at least one electronic processing component, wherein the sensors and said at least one electronic component are positioned in cavities formed into the substrate surface, and a material filling the cavities around the sensors and said at least one electronic component. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A measuring instrument, comprising:
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first and second substrate portions held together at a common interface, a plurality of cavities positioned between the first and second substrate portions, a plurality of grooves positioned between the first and second substrate portions and extending between the plurality of cavities, strips of electrically insulative film with electrical conductors therein positioned within the grooves, a plurality of sensors of a parameter and electronic components positioned within the cavities and electrically connected with the electrical conductors in the film strips, and wherein the first and second substrate portions are directly attached together in regions of their common interface between the grooves and cavities. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. An instrument for measuring a parameter, comprising:
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a silicon wafer substrate having opposing planar surfaces, a plurality of recesses formed in said one substrate surface at positions distributed thereacross and having bottom surfaces, a plurality of sensors in the form of silicon integrated circuit die attached to the bottom surfaces of at least some of the recesses, thereby providing measurements of the parameter at positions distributed across said one substrate surface, at least one silicon electronic processing integrated circuit die attached to the bottom surface of at least one of the recesses, electrical conductors extending across said one substrate surface between at least the recesses containing the integrated circuit die, lead wires extending between and bonded to pads of the integrated circuit die and electrical conductors adjacent the recesses in which the die are attached, and a protective material filling the recesses around the integrated circuit die and extending around the lead wires. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. A parameter measuring system, comprising:
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a portable measuring instrument comprising a substrate with a plurality of sensors of the parameter spatially distributed thereacross, a first electronics system including a processor connected with the sensors and data storage, a power storage system connected to operate the sensors and electronics system, and a coil connected to at least receive electromagnetic energy for recharging the power storage system, a docking station comprising a surface that supports the measuring instrument when inserted therein from a side, a module positioned above the supporting surface that contains a second electronics system including a processor, a flexible film carried by an underside of the module, a coil physically attached to the film and electrically driven by the second electronics system to provide electromagnetic energy to recharge the power storage system of the measuring instrument, and a mechanism carried by the underside of the module that lowers the film to rest its coil on the coil of the measuring instrument when carried by the surface in order to recharge the power storage system under control of the first and second electronics systems. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75)
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76. In a battery powered portable measuring instrument including a substrate with a plurality of sensors of a parameter distributed across a surface thereof, a method of compressing the amount of data obtained from the sensors of the parameter by processing on the measuring instrument, comprising:
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calculating a first set of differences between values of the parameter read at different times by individual sensors, calculating a second set of differences between values of the parameter read at a given time by the plurality of sensors, and selecting one of the first set or second set of differences that represents the values of the parameter read by the sensors with the lesser amount of data.
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Specification