Applied Materials, Inc.

Ami Sade

Yair Eran

Gad Greenberg

Shirley Hemar

Alexander N Lerner

Todd J Egan

Roey Shaviv

Steven Victor Sansoni

Jacob Newman

Jeffrey Allen Brodine

Kevin Vincent Moraes

Kim Ramkumar Vellore

Andrew J Constant

Michael P Karazim

Shay Assaf

Niranjan Kumar

Full wafer in-situ metrology chambers and methods of use are described. The metrology chambers include a substrate support and a sensor bar that are rotatable relative to each other. The sensor bar includes a plurality of sensors at different radii from a central axis.

In-situ full wafer metrology system

Substrate carrier apparatus having a hard mask are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a substrate carrier apparatus includes a carrier body having a support surface to support a substrate; and a mask assembly disposed above the support surface. The mask assembly includes an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; and a hard mask coupled to and disposed within the annular frame above the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask.

Substrate carrier having hard mask

A method and apparatus for inspecting a reticle measures line widths using an inspection tool that images the reticle and compares the image with a design database to detect errors in real time. The differences between the line widths of patterns on the reticle and the design database are stored during the inspection procedure. The difference (or 'bias') information is then processed off-line to create a map of all the local line-width deviation values (i.e., bias) of every feature on the reticle. The resultant local bias map can be used as a feedback mechanism to improve the reticle manufacturing process, as a 'go/no go' criteria for the validity of the reticle, and as a standard report shipped together with the mask to the wafer fabrication facility, where it can be used as a yield-enhancing tool.

Local bias map using line width measurements

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Ami Sade