Lam Research Corporation

Strasbaugh, a California Corporation

Allan Paterson

John Boyd

David G Halley

A method for preparing a semiconductor wafer for whole wafer backside inspection is disclosed. The frontside of the wafer is covered with a protective frontside substrate and the backside portion of the wafer is thinned using conventional techniques. The whole wafer backside is then polished and a backside substrate, preferably of transparent material is juxtaposed to the backside of the wafer, such as with an adhesive or with a frame. The frontside substrate is then removed, exposing electronic devices for device inspection. The backside of the wafer is maintained open or available to backside inspection such as emission microscopy techniques used to detect defects which emit light.

Method of preparing whole semiconductor wafer for analysis

A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system having a polishing pad, a carrier plate and a wafer plate is provided with an active gimbal. The active gimbal is defined by a circular hollow ring having a wall thickness and a diameter. The circular hollow ring is configured by an elastomeric material for placement in a space between the carrier plate and the wafer plate, and the space preferably is defined in part by a cavity tightly receiving the ring. The circular hollow ring is filled with a gel-like material that flows from one portion of the ring that is squeezed and deformed when the wafer plate tilts relative to the carrier plate. The flow is to another portion of the ring that returns to an original configuration during such tilting. Methods of making the gimbal include operations for selecting materials for the hollow ring and the gel-like material.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Allan Paterson