Qcept Technologies, Inc.

Qcept Investments, LLC

M Brandon Steele

Jeffrey Alan Hawthorne

Mark A Schulze

David C Sowell

Yeyuan Yang

Chunho Kim

Steven R Soss

A method and a system for calibrating the work function or surface potential of a non-contact voltage sensor probe tip. The method includes preparing one or more reference sample surfaces and a reference non-contact voltage sensor probe tip to have stable surface potentials, measuring the voltage between the reference samples and the reference sensor probe tip, measuring the voltage between a point on a non-reference sample surface and the reference sensor probe tip, measuring the voltage between the same point on the non-reference sample surface and a non-reference non-contact voltage sensor probe tip, and determining a surface potential correction factor for the non-reference, non-contact voltage sensor.

Work function calibration of a non-contact voltage sensor

A method and system for identifying and classifying non-uniformities on the surface of a semiconductor or in a semiconductor. The method and system involves scanning the wafer surface with a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to detect the locations of non-uniformities, extracting features characteristic of the non-uniformities, and applying a set of rules to these features to classify the type of each non-uniformity.

Defect classification utilizing data from a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on the surface of a semiconductor or in a semiconductor. The method and system involves providing a semiconductor with a surface, such as a semiconductor wafer, providing a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor, providing a source of illumination with controllable intensity or distribution of wavelengths, using the illumination source to provide controlled illumination of the surface of the wafer under or near the non-vibrating contact potential sensor probe tip, using the non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to scan the wafer surface during controlled illumination, generating data representative of changes in contact potential difference across the wafer surface, and processing that data to identify a pattern characteristic of a defect or contamination.

Semiconductor inspection system and apparatus utilizing a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor and controlled illumination

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on a surface of a sample. The system operates by detecting changes in work function across a surface via both vCPD and nvCPD. It utilizes a non-vibrating contact potential difference (nvCPD) sensor for imaging work function variations over an entire sample. The data is differential in that it represents changes in the work function (or geometry or surface voltage) across the surface of a sample. A vCPD probe is used to determine absolute CPD data for specific points on the surface of the sample. The combination of vibrating and non-vibrating CPD measurement modes allows the rapid imaging of whole-sample uniformity, and the ability to detect the absolute work function at one or more points.

Inspection system and apparatus

A method and system for identifying a defect or contamination on a surface of a material. The method and system involves providing a material, such as a semiconductor wafer, using a non-vibrating contact potential difference sensor to scan the wafer, generate contact potential difference data and processing that data to identify a pattern characteristic of the defect or contamination.

Semiconductor wafer inspection system

Wafer inspection system

An apparatus having a non-vibrating contact potential probe. The non-vibrating contact potential probe is capable of measuring the chemical and geometrical irregularities on a rotating shaft. The chemical and geometrical information can be used to determine various properties of the rotating shaft.

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Decatur, GA, United States of America

M Brandon Steele