Kla Corporation

Lim Chow Tian

Rajeev Patil

Harit Maganlal Gadhia

Jinson Jayan

A lifter assembly for an optical system includes a chuck having a chuck base and a detachable top plate, wherein the detachable top plate is one of a plurality of interchangeable detachable top plates configured to support a substrate. The lifter assembly also includes a moveable plate supporting the chuck on an upper surface of the moveable plate, the moveable plate vertically adjustable between a lower, retracted position and an upper, extended position. The lifter assembly further includes a bellows structure operatively coupled to the moveable plate. The lifter assembly yet further includes a pneumatic system fluidly coupled to the bellows structure to selectively expand and contract, wherein expansion of the bellows structure vertically adjusts the moveable plate to the upper, extended position and contraction of the bellows structure vertically adjusts the moveable plate to the lower, retracted position.

Lifter assembly with bellows for optical inspection system

An apparatus for securing a substrate includes a detachable plate configured to reversibly attach to a base of a chuck. The base of the chuck includes one or more base-substrate vacuum inlet channels and one or more base-plate inlet channels. The detachable plate includes one or more first vacuum reservoirs and second vacuum reservoirs. The detachable plate is further configured to establish a fluidic connection between the one or more first vacuum reservoirs and the base-plate inlet channels for forming a first vacuum seal between the detachable plate and the base. The detachable plate further includes one or more pass-through channels for fluidic connection with the one or more second vacuum reservoirs for forming a second vacuum seal between the detachable plate and the substrate.

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Singapore, Singapore

Lim Chow Tian