Verity Instruments, Inc.

Other

University of Texas System

Lam Research Corporation

Mike Whelan

Mark Anthony Meloni

Andrew Weeks Kueny

John D Corless

Larry Arlos Bullock

Randall S Mundt

Kenneth C Harvey

Albert J Lamm

David Buice

Cesar Alfaro

Matthew J Goeckner

Jimmy W Hosch

Sean Lynes

Richard J Daignault, Jr

Pl Stephan Thamban

Paul Whelan

Rick Daignault

David Friedersdorff

William Elliott

The disclosure provides an improved fiber optic cable assembly that can protect spectrometers against one or more of the external noise and discharge sources. The improved fiber optic cable assembly provides electrical isolation and/or insulation (EII) protection for optical instruments, such as a spectrometer, in which the fiber optic cable assembly is terminated. The EII protection can include one or more of a non-conductive sheathing at least partially covering the termination and the sheathing, a dielectric break providing electrical isolation between the termination and the sheathing, an isolation boot, and a grounding tether. In one example a fiber optical cable assembly includes: (1) a termination, (2) sheathing, and (3) a dielectric break providing electrical isolation between the termination and the sheathing. A fiber optically coupled system having an improved fiber optic cable assembly is also disclosed.

Fiberoptical cable assemblies and interfaces for spectrometers

The disclosure provides multimode configurable spectrometers, a method of operating a multimode configurable spectrometer, and an optical monitoring system. In one embodiment the multimode configurable spectrometer includes: (1) an optical sensor configured to receive an optical input and convert the optical input to electrical signals, wherein the optical sensor includes multiple active pixel regions for converting the optical input to the electrical signals, and (2) conversion circuitry, having multiple selectable converting circuits, that is configured to receive and convert the electrical signals to a digital output according to a selected one of the selectable converting circuits.

Multimode configurable spectrometer

The disclosure provides an optical calibration device for in-chamber calibration of optical signals associated with a processing chamber, a characterization system for plasma processing chambers, methods of characterizing plasma processing chambers, and a chamber characterizer. In one example, the optical calibration device includes: (1) an enclosure, (2) an optical source located within the enclosure and configured to provide a source light having a continuous spectrum, and (3) optical shaping elements located within the enclosure and configured to form the source light into a calibrating light that approximates a plasma emission during an operation within the processing chamber.

System and method for calibration of optical signals in semiconductor process systems

The present invention is directed to a gas line electron beam exciter, gas line electron beam excitation system and method for exciting a gas using an electron beam exciter. The electron beam exciter generally comprises a variable density electron source for generating a cloud of electrons in an electron chamber and a variable energy electron extractor for accelerating electrons from the electron chamber as an electron beam and into an effluent stream for fluorescing species in the effluent. The electron density of the electron beam is variably controlled by adjusting the excitation power applied to the variable density electron source. The electrons in the electron chamber reside at a reference electrical potential of the chamber, typically near ground electrical potential. The electron energy of the electron beam is variably controlled by adjusting an electrical potential across the variable energy electron extractor, which energizes the electrons through an extraction hole of the chamber and toward the extractor. The greater the difference in the electrical potential between the electron extractor and the electron source, the higher the energy imparted to the electrons in the electron beam. The excitation power applied to the electron source can be adjusted independently from the electron energy of the electron beam, thereby altering the electron density of the electron beam without changing the energy level of the electrons of the electron beam.

Electron beam exciter for use in chemical analysis in processing systems

A digital flashlamp controller, a flashlamp control system and a method of controlling a flashlamp bulb employing digital control electronics are provided herein. In one embodiment, the digital flashlamp controller includes: (1) a trigger interface configured to provide firing signals to control a trigger element for a flashlamp bulb and (2) digital electronics configured to generate the firing signals and control multiple pulsing of the flashlamp bulb.

High dynamic range measurement system for process monitoring

A workpiece characterization system for obtaining simultaneous measurement of layer and photoluminescence properties of a workpiece. The workpiece characterization system includes an excitation light and an illumination light each impinging upon a surface of a workpiece whereby the workpiece emits photoluminescent light and encodes light from said illumination source with layer information. The excitation light and the illumination light are generated from a single light source. The light from the single light source is filtered to remove wavelengths of light that correlate to light wavelengths emitted from the workpiece as a result of excitation. Wavelengths that correlate to light reflected from the workpiece that may contain encoded information are not filtered.

Workpiece characterization system

A flashlamp control system is provided with a capacitor that is statically electrically connected to the high voltage power supply, and a current sensing component is then electrically connected to the static capacitor and digital control electronics to monitor the charge current and/or the discharge current to static capacitor. A dynamically switchable capacitor electrically may also be connected to the high voltage power supply and digital control electronics for isolating the dynamically switchable capacitor from the high voltage power supply based on the monitored charge current and/or discharge current. One or more homogenizing element, comprise of an air gap, diffusing homogenizing element, imaging element, non-imaging element or light pipe homogenizing element, may be disposed in the light path proximate to the flashlamp, such as a multichannel distributor if present, to decrease the coefficient of variation of the optical signal, either temporally and spectrally, or both.

The present invention is directed to a system and method for radiometric calibration of spectroscopy equipment utilized in fault detection and process monitoring. Initially, a reference spectrograph is calibrated to a local primary standard (a calibrated light source with known spectral intensities and traceable to a reference standard). Other spectrographs are then calibrated from the reference spectrograph rather than the local primary calibration standard. This is accomplished by viewing a light source with both the reference spectrograph and the spectrograph to be calibrated. The output from the spectrograph to be calibrated is compared to the output of the reference spectrograph and then adjusted to match that output. The present calibration process can be performed in two stages, the first with the spectrographs calibrated to the reference spectrograph and then are fine tuned to a narrow band light source at the plasma chamber. Alternatively, the reference spectrograph can be calibrated to the local primary standard while optically coupled to the plasma chamber. There, the local primary standard calibration light source is temporarily positioned within the plasma chamber, or in a light chamber disposed along the interior of the chamber for calibrating the reference spectrograph. Other spectrographs can be calibrated to the reference spectrograph while coupled to the plasma chamber with the local primary standard calibration light source, thereby calibrating every component in the entire optical path to the reference spectrograph.

Calibration of a radiometric optical monitoring system used for fault detection and process monitoring

Apparatus characterizes the quality of microelectronic features using broadband white light. A highly collimated light source illuminates an area of a first wafer using broadband multi-spectral light. The angular distribution of the light scattered from the first wafer is then measured. Generally, the angle of the light source, detector, or both is altered and an angular distribution measurement taken at each angle, producing a scatter signature for the first wafer. Finally, the scatter signature of the first wafer is compared with a known scatter signature of a second wafer of good quality to determine the quality of the first wafer.

Apparatus for characterization of microelectronic feature quality

Disclosed is a method for characterizing the quality of microelectronic features using broadband white light. A highly collimated light source illuminates an area of a first wafer using broadband multi-spectral light. The angular distribution of the light scattered from the first wafer is then measured. Generally, the angle of the light source, detector, or both is altered and an angular distribution measurement taken at each angle, producing a scatter signature for the first wafer. Finally, the scatter signature of the first wafer is compared with a known scatter signature of a second wafer of good quality to determine the quality of the first wafer.

Method for characterization of microelectronic feature quality

The power supply may be operated during a given cycle sequentially to produce high and low frequency drive signals for operating an ultrasonic transducer for sequentially producing an ultrasonic output at the two frequencies to carry out bonding operations at two different bond sites respectively.

Dual frequency power supply and transducer

The power supply includes a voltage controlled oscillator, two potentiometers and a by-pass circuit coupled to the output of the voltage controlled oscillator. The two potentiometers form two channels, channel 1 and channel 2, one of which will be selected during the bonding cycle to be coupled to a power amplifier. The output of the power amplifier is adapted to be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer for operating the transducer. Selectable channel 1 and channel 2 reference voltage devices are provided. The voltage and current applied to the amplifier are converted to power. During a bonding cycle, a comparator compares the power applied to the transducer with that of a selected reference voltage and varies the output of the potentiometer of the selected channel to maintain the output of the power amplifier constant during bonding. Also provided is a switching arrangement for coupling the by-pass circuit to the power amplifier at the initial part of a bonding cycle and for coupling the potentiometers the selected channel 1 or channel 2 to the power amplifier such that a maximum burst of energy is applied to the transducer initially during the bonding cycle and then the desired voltage level from the selected channel 1 or channel 2 is applied to the transducer.

Power supply

The transducer has a metal body with a welding end, an opposite end for supporting a source for causing the body and the welding end to vibrate at ultrasonic frequency for welding purposes and an intermediate mounting structure for supporting the body for welding purpose. The mounting structure may be a cylinder or flange spaced from and surrounding the body with at least two spaced apart spokes connected between the body and the mounting structure.

Growing community of inventors

Coppell, TX, United States of America

Mike Whelan