Prometrix Corporation

Stragent, LLC

Tencor Instruments

Kla-tencop. Corporation

Chester L Mallory

David S Perloff

Leslie A Lane

Lynn V Lybeck

Hung V Pham

Wayne K Borglum

Adam Eales Norton

Barry G Broome

Walter F Johnson

Philip D Wasserman

Walter H Johnson

Timothy R Corle

Paul Rasmussen

Hung Van Pham

Sandor Droblisch

Edric H Tong

Phillip D Wasserman

Kurt Lehman

A machine cabinet system is provided. The system includes a machine cabinet with a top face and a front face. In one embodiment, a removable panel is included that is removably coupled to at least one of the top face and the front face of the machine cabinet. In another embodiment, the removable panel is removably coupled to the machine cabinet without use of a tool.

Replaceable cosmetic panels for machine cabinets

Coin redemption apparatus

Coin counting and sorting apparatus

An improved method and apparatus for measuring the relative reflectance spectra of an observed sample (3) and method and apparatus for autofocussing the sample (3). A broadband visible and ultraviolet beam (42) is split into a sample beam (46) and a reference beam (48). The sample beam (46) is reflected off the surface of the sample (3), and the spectrum of the reflected sample beam (46) is compared to the spectrum of the reference beam (48) to determine the relative reflectance spectrum of the sample (3). A video camera (96) is provided for viewing the sample (3). The autofocus system has a course-focus mode and a fine-focus mode. In the course-focus mode, the sample (3) is focused when the centroid of the sample image is centered on a position sensitive detector (99). In the fine-focus mode, the sample is focused when the intensity of light reaching the detector (99) is minimized.

Broadband microspectro-reflectometer

A method and apparatus for performing conductance measurements on a sample using an eddy current probe, without the need for measurement or knowledge of the separation between probe and sample. The probe comprises sense and drive coils mounted in close proximity to each other (or a single coil which functions as both a sense and drive coil), circuitry for producing AC voltage in the drive coil, and a meter for measuring in-phase and quadrature components of induced voltage in the sense coil. Look-up table data can be generated for use in subsequent measurements on samples of unknown conductance by performing eddy current measurements on samples having different known conductances to generate reference lift-off curves, processing the reference lift-off curves to determine a conductance function relating each known conductance to a location along a selected curve, and storing conductance values determined by the conductance function for different points on the selected curve as the look-up table data. An unknown sample conductance can then be determined by generating a lift-off curve from voltage measurements at different probe separations from the sample, determining a new intersection voltage pair representing the intersection of the lift-off curve with the selected curve, and determining the unknown conductance as a look-up table value indexed by the new intersection voltage pair.

Eddy current test method and apparatus for measuring conductance by

The resistivity of the surface of a semiconductor wafer is measured at different temperatures to determine the resistivity as a function of temperature. The temperature of the semiconductor wafer is varied by a heater in thermal contact with the semiconductor wafer, and the temperature is measured by a temperature sensor in thermal contact with the semiconductor. The heater is controlled by a control unit which adjusts the amount of heat provided by the heater, thereby controlling the temperature at which a measurement from a four-point resistivity probe is taken.

Semiconductor surface resistivity probe with semiconductor temperature

An improved real-time confocal scanning microscope, and an improved perforated disk for use in such microscope. A preferred embodiment of the inventive microscope includes a polarizing beamsplitting cube and a rotatable Nipkow disk perforted with a hexagonal hole pattern. The disk is preferably mounted so that the scan lines produced as the disk rotates will cross both the sample feature to be imaged and the sensor array in the system's video camera at an angle substantially equal to 45 degrees. This disk orientation ensures that brightness variations caused by a non-uniform scan will not affect the measurements. Rotation of the disk is preferably synchronized with the camera frame rate to prevent any scan errors from causing random (frame to frame) variations in the camera output. The polarizing beamsplitting cube consists of two triangular prisms connected (i.e., cemented) together by a dielectric film. Undesirable light reflections from the cube's faces are eliminated by orienting the cube about the dielectric film's normal axis so that light is incident at the cube at acute angles with respect to the cube's faces. An absorbing filter (such as a piece of black glass) is preferably optically cemented (or painted or otherwise coated) on the back face of the cube to absorb stray light.

Confocal scanning optical microscope

A method of selecting items from a hierarchy of items and then performing a selected task on the selected set of items. An engineering set up control program includes a procedure for denoting processes, groups of processes, and subgroups of processes which are available for use by operators of the system. The processes, groups and subgroups are visually presented in a three level menu. Subgroups and groups of processes can be selected using the three level menu, and then operated on as a group.

Multilevel menu and hierarchy for selecting items and performing tasks

An autofocusing system for a microscope is disclosed. An autofocus target is placed between a colliminating lens and a relay lens of the microscope. The autofocus target contains a pattern of dark areas which are projected onto a specimen and reflected into a CCD camera array. The focus of the microscope is adjusted such that the variation in intensity of light through the pattern is maximized.

Autofocusing system for microscope having contrast detection means

A semiconductor wafer handling apparatus for automated movement of semiconductor wafers between wafer cassette trays and wafer test systems is provided. The apparatus includes a platform for carrying at least one semiconductor wafer cassette tray, a wafer alignment device carried by the platform for aligning a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined test position and a wafer transfer device associated with the platform and the wafer alignment device for transferring the wafer between the cassette tray, the alignment device and the test system. The wafer transfer device is operational in the same plane relative to the platform and capable of extending, retracting and rotating in the plane. In includes a shuttle arm assembly mounted for translational and rotational movement so that it may be selectively aligned with the cassette tray, the alignment device and the test system and further includes a device for controlling the translational and rotational movement of the shuttle arm assembly for selectively extending, retracting the rotating the shuttle arm assembly relative to each of the cassette tray, the alignment device and the test system so that in response to signals from the control device, the shuttle arm assembly can be selectively actuated to translate to a cassette tray position and secure and remove a semiconductor wafer from the cassette tray, translate to a wafer alignment position and insert, release, secure and remove the wafer from the alignment device, and translate and rotate to a wafer test position and place the wafer on, release, secure, and lift the wafer off the test system.

Apparatus for handling semiconductor wafers

A process control interface includes a multi-level dynamic menu for selecting processes from a set of processes that are organized into groups and subgroups. An engineering set up control program enables an engineer to denote which of these groups, subgroups and processes are available for selection by an operator using the process control interface. Only those groups, subgroups and processes which are available for selection are displayed in the dynamic menu. The set of processes defined by the engineering set up control program can be stored on individual operator-related disks so that each operator has access to a distinct set of available processes. Process subgroups and groups can be duplicated by the engineering setup control program to facilitate the setting up of new control processes. In addition, the engineering set up control program can denote parameters used by a process as required entry parameters, fixed value parameters, operator alterable parameters, and single forced entry parameters--the latter being parameters which must be assigned a value only the first time that a process is run.

Multi-level dynamic menu which suppresses display of items previously

A method of controlling a process using a programmed digital computer with a set of process control programs. An operator control program allows the user to select and run a specified process and to collect measurement data while the selected process is run. A data analysis program enables interactive computer controlled data analysis, including displaying a trand chart depicting a sequence of data points, each data point representing at least a portion of the measurement data collected and stored while running a selected process. A selectably positionable pointer is displayed on the trend chart for pointing at an individual data point so that the user can select and perform a predefined task on the measurement data stored in the data structure corresponding to the data point being pointed at by said selectably positionable pointer.

Process control interface system for managing measurement data

A system for ascertaining the thickness of thin films, especially on semiconductor substrates, comprising a light source, a randomized bifurcated fiber optic bundle, a pentamirror, a rapid scanning monochromator with a rotating grating, a photodetector, and A/D converter, an interface and a data reduction computer. The randomized bifurcated fiber optic bundle via the pentamirror directs light to and receives reflected light from a surface of the thin film, the reflected light passes through the bifurcated bundle to the monochromator and to the photodetector whose output is read by the A/D converter. A timing control circuit is provided which has an input from an encoder coupled to the motor rotating the grating and clock and trigger outputs coupled to the A/D converter so that the A/D converter consistently samples the analog signal representative of the same portions of the reflected visible spectra returned from the thin film under test.

High accuracy film thickness measurement system

An automatic system for performing sheet resistivity testing on surface layers of semiconductor wafers, including a wafer handling stage having a platform for carrying a semiconductor wafer, and an arrangement for mounting the platform for rotation about a central axis and for translation of the platform orthogonal to a major surface thereof. A platform drive translates the platform between a wafer test position and a wafer load position, and a stage drive rotates the platform to accurately located angular test positions. A probe handling arrangement includes a carriage for carrying a test probe parallel to the major surface of a wafer on the platform and a carriage drive translates the carriage between a parked position in which a test prove thereon is positioned adjacent and clear of the platform and accurately located test positions along a radius of the platform. The carriage carries a resistivity test probe which includes test probe element for contacting the surface of a semiconductor wafer. A light tight housing surrounds the platform and includes an access door therein facing the platform and positioned intermediate the wafer load position and the wafer test position of the platform. The access door translates under controlled motor drive between a closed position and an open position which permits the platform to translate between the wafer load and wafer test positions. Sensor arrangements cooperate with a safety inhibit circuit to preclude destructive movement of components when position conflict is sensed. All movements and measurements are under microcomputer control.

Growing community of inventors

Campbell, CA, United States of America

Chester L Mallory