Process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system

• US 7,757,574 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Mei H., Renken, Wayne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Samir M
• Application Number:
  US11/302,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20060174720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 738/661, 738/659, 738/66
• US Class Current: 73/866.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A measuring device incorporating a substrate with sensors that measure the processing conditions that a wafer may undergo during manufacturing. The substrate can be inserted into a processing chamber by a robot head and the measuring device can transmit the conditions in real time or store the conditions for subsequent analysis. Sensitive electronic components of the device can be distanced or isolated from the most deleterious processing conditions in order increase the accuracy, operating range, and reliability of the device. Isolation may be provided by vacuum or suitable material and phase change material may be located adjacent to electronics to maintain a low temperature.

Claims

1. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform having an enclosure that encloses at least one integrated circuit, the enclosure including a thermally insulating volume; and

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more legs that elevate the platform from the substrate, wherein the enclosure is above the one or more legs, so that a bottom surface of the enclosure is above a top surface of the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the thermally insulating volume is in fluid communication with an external volume that is external to the enclosure.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the thermally insulating volume is evacuated as the external volume is evacuated.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the thermally insulating volume is filled with a material having a low coefficient of thermal conductivity.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the enclosure is hermetically sealed.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the enclosure has an outer surface that is reflective to radiant heat.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a phase change material within the enclosure.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is comprised of glass.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more legs have a height of less than one millimeter.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is made of the same material as the one or more legs.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more legs are made of a material having low thermal conductivity.