Apparatus for measuring, thinning and flattening silicon structures
First Claim
1. A system for wafer processing comprising:
- means for retaining at least one wafer to be processed;
a vacuum chamber means containing a plurality of work stations and at least one wafer processing machine;
transport means mechanically connected to said wafer retaining means for transporting said wafer into a selected one of said plurality of work stations in said vacuum chamber proximate to said wafer processing machine;
and a metrology apparatus disposed above said wafer in said work station for directing light down onto said wafer for measuring light wavefronts reflected from said wafer wherein said vacuum chamber includes means for positioning said selected work station below said metrology apparatus and said metrology apparatus includes a light source for directing a light beam onto said wafer in said work station in said vacuum chamber wherein said light beam is reflected from the surface of said wafer in the form of reflected light wavefronts; and
alight responsive measuring means in the path of said reflected light beam wavefront including a lens array having a plurality of separate lens elements disposed for producing a plurality of light spots representative of said reflected light beam wavefronts, and means responsive to said plurality of light spots from said lens array for determining the relative spacing between said light spots.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is provided for processing wafers, such as silicon and silicon-on-insulator wafers. The processing includes thinning and flattening of the wafers at a work station located directly beneath a down looking metrology apparatus for directing light onto the wafer and measuring the light wavefronts reflected from the wafer. The metrology apparatus for flattening includes the feature of a multiple lens array for arranging the reflected wavefronts into a plurality of light spots, and a charge-coupled-device light responsive device for receiving the light spots and determining the shape of the wavefronts. The system also provides a wafer transport system for moving one or more wafers into one or more work stations beneath the metrology apparatus in a vacuum chamber.
61 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A system for wafer processing comprising:
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means for retaining at least one wafer to be processed; a vacuum chamber means containing a plurality of work stations and at least one wafer processing machine; transport means mechanically connected to said wafer retaining means for transporting said wafer into a selected one of said plurality of work stations in said vacuum chamber proximate to said wafer processing machine; and a metrology apparatus disposed above said wafer in said work station for directing light down onto said wafer for measuring light wavefronts reflected from said wafer wherein said vacuum chamber includes means for positioning said selected work station below said metrology apparatus and said metrology apparatus includes a light source for directing a light beam onto said wafer in said work station in said vacuum chamber wherein said light beam is reflected from the surface of said wafer in the form of reflected light wavefronts; and
alight responsive measuring means in the path of said reflected light beam wavefront including a lens array having a plurality of separate lens elements disposed for producing a plurality of light spots representative of said reflected light beam wavefronts, and means responsive to said plurality of light spots from said lens array for determining the relative spacing between said light spots. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification