Shimadzu Corporation

Ebara Corporation

Junki Ishimoto

Yoichi Kobayashi

Shunsuke Nakai

Yasuo Tsukuda

Hitoshi Tsuji

Kazunari Shinya

Hitoshi; c/o Ebara Corporation Tsuji

Shunsuke; c/o Ebara Corporation Nakai

Yoichi; c/o Ebara Corporation Kobayashi

A polishing state monitoring apparatus measures characteristic values of a surface, being polished, of a workpiece to determine the timing of a polishing end point. The polishing state monitoring apparatus includes a light-emitting unit for applying light from a light source to a surface of a workpiece being polished, a light-receiving unit for receiving reflected light from the surface of the workpiece, a spectroscope unit for dividing the reflected light received by the light-receiving unit into a plurality of light rays having respective wavelengths, and light-receiving elements for accumulating the detected light rays as electrical information. The polishing state monitoring apparatus further includes a spectral data generator for reading the electrical information accumulated by the light-receiving elements and generating spectral data of the reflected light, and a processor for calculating a predetermined characteristic value on the surface of the workpiece based on the spectral data generated by the spectral data generator.

Polishing state monitoring method

Polishing state monitoring apparatus and polishing apparatus

Polishing state monitoring apparatus and polishing apparatus and method

An external signal detection circuit is installed in a new measuring section, and generation and end timing of a readout signal of a spectrometric detector is directly controlled, and a readout signal in synchronization with an external start signal is generated. After input of measurement standby instructions, the external start signal is monitored anytime. Before detection of the external start signal, the new measuring section is shifted to a pause state and after the detection of the external start signal, transition to a measurement state is made. By this configuration, delay time between input time of the external start signal and readout start time of data is defined and valid measurable time at the time of setting short storage time is increased.

Spectrophotometer

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Junki Ishimoto