TACTILE SURFACE INSPECTION DURING DEVICE FABRICATION OR ASSEMBLY

• US 20090068770A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Covell, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,989,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/12 for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions electrical measurement of diffusions H01L22/14

Abstract

Processes for inspecting a surface during device fabrication include contacting the surface with a tactile sensor. The tactile sensor is an electroluminescent tactile sensor array or a current electrode sensor array or a capacitive sensor array. The sensor is configured to convert local stress resulting from contact with the surface into light intensity and/or modulation in local current density. Both the light intensity and current density are linearly proportional to the local stress. The image stress provided by the sensor can then be captured by focusing the light intensity onto a suitable detector to provide a topographical image of the surface. Current density can alternatively be directly sensed via high resolution electrode array.

Claims

1. A process for inspecting planarity and/or periodicity of an interconnect array surface, comprising:

contacting the interconnect array surface with a tactile sensor;

forming a topographical image of the array surface, wherein forming the topographical image comprises capturing light intensity variations generated by the tactile sensor across the interconnect array surface, wherein the variations are a function of compressive localized stress, and wherein the light intensity variations are linearly proportional to the local stress; and

inspecting planarity and/or periodicity of the interconnect array surface.

2-31. -31. (canceled)