Veeco Instruments Inc.

Rudolph Technologies, Inc.

Guray Tas

Alexander I Gurary

William E Quinn

Matthew King

Vadim Boguslavskiy

Eric Armour

Mikhail Belousov

Michael Kotelyanskii

Joshua Mangum

Daewon Kwon

Sean P Leary

Earl Marcelo

Jing Zhou

George Andrew Antonelli

Christopher J Morath

Manjusha Mehendale

Priya Mukundhan

Guenadiy Lazarov

Dario Alliata

Jana Clerico

Zhongning Dai

Yanwen Hou

Jim Onderko

Tong Zheng

Andre D Miller

Jamie I Ludke

Jamie L Ludke

A method of in-situ temperature measurement for a wafer treatment reactor such as a chemical vapor deposition reactor desirably includes the steps of heating the reactor until the reactor reaches a wafer treatment temperature and rotating a wafer support element within the reactor about a rotational axis. The method desirably further includes, while the wafer support element is rotating about the rotational axis, obtaining first operating temperature measurements using a first operating pyrometer that receives radiation from a first portion of the wafer support element, and obtaining first wafer temperature measurements using a wafer temperature measurement device that receives radiation from at least one wafer, the wafer temperature measurement device located at a first position.

Temperature control for GaN based materials

An apparatus includes a carrier rotatable about an axis of rotation where the carrier has a top surface adapted to hold at least one semiconductor wafer and a surface characterization tool which is operative to move over a plurality of positions relative to the top surface of the carrier and/or the wafer transverse to the axis of rotation. The surface characterization tool is operative to move over a plurality of positions relative to the top surface of the carrier and/or the wafer transverse to the axis of rotation and is further adapted to produce characterization signals over the plurality of positions on at least a portion of the carrier and/or on at least a portion of said major surface of the wafer as the carrier rotates.

Heated wafer carrier profiling

A radiation thermometer utilizing an off-focus telecentric lens arrangement in chemical vapor deposition reactors. An object assembly of one or more optical components is positioned at a distance equal to its focal length from an aperture stop. The aperture stop is dimensioned so that the chief rays are substantially parallel with the optical axis of the object assembly, and so that the rays that pass through the aperture stop define a narrow solid angle about the chief rays. The off-focus telecentric arrangement thus configured is focused at infinity, but is utilized to capture radiation from a relatively proximate target (e.g., within a couple meters) that is out of focus. The capture of collimated radiation from the target diminishes the contribution of stray radiation, particularly with targets having a highly specular surface.

Radiation thermometer using off-focus telecentric optics

An apparatus and method for controlling stray radiation within a CVD chamber. A heater array disposed beneath a wafer carrier for radiatively heating of the wafer carrier includes a peripheral or outermost heating element or elements. Scattered radiation originating from a designated segment of the peripheral heating element(s) can be reduced locally by one of several mechanisms, including reducing the emission (e.g., operating temperature) of the designated segment, or capturing or deflecting a portion of the radiation originating from the designated segment. In one embodiment, an electrical connector on a resistance heating element provides the reduced emission from the designated segment. It has been found that radiation thermometers fixed proximate an axis that extends from the center of the wafer carrier and across the designated segment is subject to less stray radiation, thus providing a more reliable temperature reading in the optical wavelengths.

Control of stray radiation in a CVD chamber

A method for characterizing a surface comprises rotating a carrier about an axis of rotation where the carrier has a top surface adapted to hold at least one semiconductor wafer with a major surface of the wafer extending generally transverse to the axis of rotation. A surface characterization tool is moved over a plurality of positions relative to the top surface of the carrier, where a measurement location over the top surface of the carrier is changed while said top surface of the carrier is heated to a predetermined temperature. Characterization signals over the plurality of positions with the surface characterization tool are produced and contain information about the heated top surface of the carrier, or when semiconductor wafers are held on the carrier, information about the semiconductor wafer can also be obtained.

A method for evaluating a manufacturing process is described. The method includes generating an optical pump beam pulse and directing the optical pump beam pulse to a surface of a sample. A probe pulse is generated and directed the probe pulse to the surface of the sample. A probe pulse response signal is detected. A change in the probe pulse varying in response to the acoustic signal forms the probe pulse response signal. An evaluation of one or more manufacturing process steps used to create the sample is made based upon the probe pulse response signal. Additionally the method may be used for process control of a CMP process. Apparatus are also described.

Characterization with picosecond ultrasonics of metal portions of samples potentially subject to erosion

A method includes selecting one of performing ellipsometry or performing optical stress generation and detection. The method also includes, in response to selecting performing ellipsometry, applying at least one first control signal to a controllable retarder that modifies at least polarization of a light beam, and performing ellipsometry using the modified light beam. The method further includes, in response to selecting performing optical stress generation and detection, applying at least one second control signal to the controllable retarder, and performing optical stress generation and detection using the modified light beam. Apparatus and computer readable media are also disclosed.

Combination of ellipsometry and optical stress generation and detection

An optical metrology system is provided with a data analysis method to determine the elastic moduli of optically transparent dielectric films such as silicon dioxide, other carbon doped oxides over metal or semiconductor substrates. An index of refraction is measured by an ellipsometer and a wavelength of a laser beam is measured using a laser spectrometer. The angle of refraction is determined by directing a light pulse focused onto a wafer surface, measuring a first set of x, y, and zcoordinates, moving the wafer in the z direction, directing the light pulse onto the wafer surface and measuring a second set of x, yand zcoordinates, using the coordinates to calculate an angle of incidence, calculating an angle of refraction from the calculated angle of incidence, obtaining a sound velocity v, from the calculated angle of refraction and using the determined sound velocity v, to calculate a bulk modulus. Hardware calibration and adjustments for the optical metrology system are also provided in order to minimize the variation of the results from tool to tool down to about 0.5% or below.

Measuring elastic moduli of dielectric thin films using an optical metrology system

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Flanders, NJ, United States of America

Guray Tas