Kla-tencor Technologies Corporation

Kla Tencor Corporation

Alexander Belyaev

Paul Doyle

Christian Wolters

Mehdi Vaez-Iravani

Guoheng Zhao

David W Shortt

Daniel Ivanov Kavaldjiev

Aleksey Petrenko

Stephen Biellak

David L Chen

Brian L Haas

Juergen Reich

Kurt Lindsay Haller

Amith Kumar Murali

Howard Dando

Andrew Steinbach

J Rex Runyon

Mike D Kirk

Howard W Dando

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for providing passive correction for thermal effects on a mounted mechanical component. Further disclosed is a wafer inspection system employing the passive thermal effect correction apparatus.

Passive position compensation of a spindle, stage, or component exposed to a heat load

A tool for investigating a substrate, where the tool has a tool head for investigating the substrate, a chuck for disposing an upper surface of the substrate in proximity to the tool head, and an air bearing disposed on the tool head adjacent the substrate. The air bearing has a pressure source and a vacuum source, where the vacuum source draws the substrate toward the air bearing and the pressure source prevents the substrate from physically contacting the air bearing. The pressure source and the vacuum source work in cooperation to dispose the upper surface of the substrate at a known distance from the tool head. By using the air bearing as part of the tool in this manner, registration of the substrate to the tool head is accomplished relative to the upper surface of the substrate, not the back side of the substrate.

Air bearing for substrate inspection device

An edge-handling chuck, a system for holding and rotating a test substrate at a high speed and a method for chucking a rotating substrate are disclosed. The Chuck includes a plate having a central axis, a fluid opening and a top surface with a varied topography characterized by symmetry about the central axis. The topography is such that a volume flow rate of fluid between the fluid opening and a periphery of the top surface sufficient to counteract substrate sagging is significantly less than a volume flow rate needed for a similar but flat-surfaced chuck to similarly counteract such sagging. The system may further include a spindle motor and a gas system that supplies gas through the fluid opening to a gap between the top surface and a back surface of the substrate. A radial velocity of the fluid through the gap is approximately constant.

Method for improving edge handling chuck aerodynamics

Substrate processing method and apparatus are disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes a non-contact air bearing chuck with a vacuum preload.

Stabilizing a substrate using a vacuum preload air bearing chuck

Methods and systems for inspection of a wafer are provided. One method includes illuminating the wafer with light at a first wavelength that penetrates into the wafer and light at a second wafer that does not substantially penetrate into the wafer. The method also includes generating output signals responsive to light from the wafer resulting from the illuminating step. In addition, the method includes detecting defects on the wafer using the output signals. The method further includes determining if the defects are subsurface defects or surface defects using the output signals.

Methods and systems for inspection of a wafer

Methods and systems for detecting pinholes in a film formed on a wafer or for monitoring a thermal process tool are provided. One method for detecting pinholes in a film formed on a wafer includes generating output responsive to light from the wafer using an inspection system. The output includes first output corresponding to defects on the wafer and second output that does not correspond to the defects. This method also includes detecting the pinholes in the film formed on the wafer using the second output. One method for monitoring a thermal process tool includes generating output responsive to light from a wafer using an inspection system. The output includes the first and second output described above. The wafer was processed by the thermal process tool prior to generating the output. The method also includes monitoring the thermal process tool using the second output.

Methods and systems for detecting pinholes in a film formed on a wafer or for monitoring a thermal process tool

Computer-implemented methods and systems for determining a configuration for a light scattering inspection system are provided. One computer-implemented method includes determining a three-dimensional map of signal-to-noise ratio values for data that would be acquired for a specimen and a potential defect on the specimen by the light scattering inspection system across a scattering hemisphere of the inspection system. The method also includes determining one or more portions of the scattering hemisphere in which the signal-to-noise ratio values are higher than in other portions of the scattering hemisphere based on the three-dimensional map. In addition, the method includes determining a configuration for a detection subsystem of the inspection system based on the one or more portions of the scattering hemisphere.

Computer-implemented methods and systems for determining a configuration for a light scattering inspection system

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Alexander Belyaev