Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Wan-ning Wu

Gustav Edward Derkits, Jr

David Gerald Coult

Franklin Roy Dietz

Bryan Phillip Segner

Duane Donald Wendling

Charles William Lentz

A system for measuring the thickness of a wafer while it is being thinned this disclosed. The system and method provide integrating an optical reflectometer into a common wafer thinning apparatus. Using reflected optical signals from the top and bottom of the wafer, the thickness of the wafer is determined with time based calculations in real-time while thinning is occurring. Once the desired thickness has been reached, the thinning operation is halted. By performing the measurement in-situ, this system and a method prevent scrapping of wafers which are overthinned and the reloading of wafers which are too thick. Since an optical reflectometer is used, the measurement is contactless, and thus prevents possible damage to wafers during measurement.

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Springfield, VA, United States of America

Wan-ning Wu