Lucent Technologies Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Bryan Phillip Segner

Gustav Edward Derkits, Jr

David Gerald Coult

Michael Geva

Joseph Brian Seiler

Franklin Roy Dietz

Duane Donald Wendling

Cheng-Yu Tai

Charles William Lentz

Erin Kathleen Byrne

Wan-ning Wu

A system for measuring the thickness of a wafer while it is being thinned this disclosed. The system and method provide integrating an optical reflectometer into a common wafer thinning apparatus. Using reflected optical signals from the top and bottom of the wafer, the thickness of the wafer is determined with time based calculations in real-time while thinning is occurring. Once the desired thickness has been reached, the thinning operation is halted. By performing the measurement in-situ, this system and a method prevent scrapping of wafers which are overthinned and the reloading of wafers which are too thick. Since an optical reflectometer is used, the measurement is contactless, and thus prevents possible damage to wafers during measurement.

In-situ automated contactless thickness measurement for wafer thinning

Compliant standoffs are disposed on a support surface of a semiconductor or hybrid semiconductor device. The standoffs extend further from the support surface than other active or passive structures associated with the (hybrid) semiconductor device, and are spaced at least a minimum distance from such associated structures. Each compliant standoff provides a surface at which auxiliary devices, such as optical subassemblies, lightwave circuits and the like, can be attached. Since the compliant standoffs extend further from the support surface than other associated structures, such other associated structures are protected from potentially damaging contact with the auxiliary device(s) being attached to the compliant standoffs. Moreover, since the compliant standoffs are spaced from such other asociated structures, potentially damaging thermal and mechanical stresses (imparted to the standoffs as a result of the contact with an auxiliary device such as during bonding) are substantially dissipated by the compliant standoff and directed into the support rather than the other associated structures. The compliant standoffs advantageously comprise conductive materials such that they may be placed in ohmic electrical contact with at least one active region of the (hybrid) semiconductor device.

Article comprising a standoff complaint metallization and a method for making same

A method for altering a dopant front profile of a dopant in a wafer is disclosed. An initial wafer is provided with an upper doped layer and a lower undoped layer. An oxide layer is grown over a portion of the wafer while a second portion of the wafer remains oxide-free. The wafer is then exposed to a substantially non-growth enhancement diffusion environment that contains the dopant at a given flow rate, but lacks additional materials which would cause growth on the exposed portions of wafer. After a predetermined amount of diffusion is allowed to occur, the wafer is removed from the diffusion environment and the oxide layer is removed.

Selective area diffusion control process

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Upper Macungie, PA, United States of America

Bryan Phillip Segner