Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

Ariel Hildesheim

Amnon Manassen

Vladimir Levinski

Yoram Uziel

Nadav Gutman

Yuri Paskover

Frank Laske

Aviv Balan

Ulrich Pohlmann

Gilad Laredo

Yoni Shalibo

Shlomo Eisenbach

Ofer Angel

A first x-y translation stage, a second x-y translation stage, and a chuck are disposed in a chamber. The chuck is situated above and coupled to the second x-y translation stage, which is situated above and coupled to the first x-y translation stage. The chuck is configured to support a substrate and to be translated by the first and second x-y stages in x- and y-directions, which are substantially parallel to a surface of the chuck on which the substrate is to be mounted. A first barrier and a second barrier are also disposed in the chamber. The first barrier is coupled to the first x-y translation stage to separate a first zone of the chamber from a second zone of the chamber. The second barrier is coupled to the second x-y translation stage to separate the first zone of the chamber from a third zone of the chamber.

Multi-stage, multi-zone substrate positioning systems

A vacuum hold-down apparatus retains a wafer in a desired position and orientation. A vacuum chuck assembly of the vacuum hold-down apparatus has a vacuum chuck surface with a vacuum communication aperture. A venturi vacuum generator is fixed with respect to the vacuum chuck assembly and communicates with the vacuum chuck surface via the vacuum communication aperture. A positive pressure fluid line communicates with the venturi vacuum generator.

Vacuum hold-down apparatus for flattening bowed semiconductor wafers

Metrology methods and tools are provided, which enhance the accuracy of the measurements and enable simplification of the measurement process as well as improving the correspondence between the metrology targets and the semiconductor devices. Methods comprise illuminating the target in a Littrow configuration to yield a first measurement signal comprising a &#x2212;1diffraction order and a 0diffraction order and a second measurement signal comprising a +1distraction order and a 0diffraction order, wherein the &#x2212;1diffraction order of the first measurement signal and the +1diffraction order of the second measurement signal are diffracted at 180&#xb0; to a direction of the illumination, performing a first measurement of the first measurement signal and a second measurement of the second measurement signal, and deriving metrology metric(s) therefrom. Optionally, a reflected 0diffraction order may be split to yield components which interact with the &#x2212;1and +1diffraction orders.

Off-axis illumination overlay measurement using two-diffracted orders imaging

Growing community of inventors

Kiryat Tiveon, Israel

Ariel Hildesheim