Dual scanning stage

• US 8,924,014 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Inventors: Balan, Aviv
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/618,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 700/248, 310/12.06, 355/53, 355/77, 414/744.5, 269/55, 483/16, 744/900.4, 744/900.9, 140/92.1
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0096 co-operating with a working support, e.g. work-table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67288 Monitoring of warpage, curvature, damage, defects or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68 for positioning, orientation or alignment
• 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

A system having a beam for providing movement of a first stage and a second stage in a Y axis. The first stage receives a first substrate. A first motor provides movement for the first stage in an X axis. The second stage receives a second substrate. A second motor provides movement for the second stage in the X axis. The first stage and the second stage move together in the Y axis and independently in the X axis. A robot loads substrates onto the first stage and the second stage. A controller directs the robot to load a second substrate onto the second stage while simultaneously directing the first stage and the guide beam to scan a first substrate.

Claims

1. A stage system, comprising:

a guide beam for providing translational movement of a first stage and a second stage in a Y axis,

the first stage for receiving a first substrate, the first stage slidably mounted to a first side of the guide beam, the first stage associated with a first motor for providing independent translational movement for the first stage in an X axis,

the second stage for receiving a second substrate, the second stage slidably mounted to an opposing second side of the guide beam, the second stage associated with a second motor for providing independent translational movement for the second stage in the X axis,

where the first stage and the second stage can only move together in the Y axis, as the guide beam moves in the Y axis, and move independently of and past one another in the X axis along opposing sides of the guide beam,

a robot for loading and unloading substrates onto and off of the first stage and the second stage, and

a controller for directing the robot to load a second substrate onto the second stage while simultaneously directing the first stage and the guide beam to scan a first substrate on the first stage in the X and Y axes.

2. The stage system of claim 1, further comprising a first Z motor for moving the first stage in a Z axis, and a second Z motor for moving the second stage in the Z axis, where the movement of the first stage in the Z axis is independent of the movement of the second stage in the Z axis.

3. The stage system of claim 1, further comprising a first rotational motor for rotating the first stage, and a second rotational motor for rotating the second stage, where the rotation of the first stage is independent of the rotation of the second stage.

4. The stage system of claim 1, wherein the robot comprises a first robot and a second robot, the first robot for loading and unloading the first substrate on to and off of the first stage, and the second robot for loading and unloading the second substrate on to and off of the second stage.

5. A method of staging a first substrate and a second substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

loading the first substrate onto a first stage,

scanning the first stage in an X axis and a Y axis,

loading the second substrate onto a second stage while continuing to scan the first stage,

scanning the second stage in the X axis and the Y axis, where movement in the X axis is independent between the first stage and the second stage, and movement in the Y axis is not independent between the first stage and the second stage, and

scanning the second stage while the first substrate is unloaded from the first stage.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising moving the first stage in a Z axis, and moving the second stage in the Z axis, where the movement of the first stage in the Z axis is independent of the movement of the second stage in the Z axis.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising rotating the first stage and the second stage, where the rotation of the first stage is independent of the rotation of the second stage.