Apparatus for optical inspection of wafers during polishing
First Claim
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1. A semiconductor article processing apparatus comprising:
- a processing unit having a working area for processing a top layer of an article;
an optical measurement station adjacent to said processing unit; and
a transporter for transporting said article between said processing unit and said optical measurement station;
said optical measurement station located outside said working area and comprising;
an optical measuring unit for measuring a desired parameter of said top layer and;
a holding unit for receiving and holding said article in a stationary measurement position;
said holding unit having a window, through which at least a portion of the top layer of said article is viewable by said optical measuring unit.
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Abstract
An optical system is disclosed for the inspection of wafers during polishing which also includes a measurement system for measuring the thickness of the wafer'"'"'s top layer. The optical system views the wafer through a window and includes a gripping system, which places the wafer in a predetermined viewing location while maintaining the patterned surface completely under water. The optical system also includes a pull-down unit for pulling the measurement system slightly below the horizontal prior to the measurement and returns the measuring system to the horizontal afterwards.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A semiconductor article processing apparatus comprising:
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a processing unit having a working area for processing a top layer of an article;
an optical measurement station adjacent to said processing unit; and
a transporter for transporting said article between said processing unit and said optical measurement station;
said optical measurement station located outside said working area and comprising;
an optical measuring unit for measuring a desired parameter of said top layer and;
a holding unit for receiving and holding said article in a stationary measurement position;
said holding unit having a window, through which at least a portion of the top layer of said article is viewable by said optical measuring unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for processing the surface of a semiconductor article, having at least one layer thereon comprising the steps of:
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applying processing to said surface of said semiconductor article in a working area of a processing unit, wherein said step of processing is performed in a working medium;
conveying said article from said working zone into a measuring area of an optical measurement station located outside said working zone and adjacent to said processing unit, wherein said measuring area is separated from said optical assembly of said optical measurement station by a substantially transparent window;
holding said article in a fixed position; and
measuring a desired parameter of at least one layer of said article surface through said transparent window. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification