Tokyo Electron Limited

3i Systems Corporation

Alliance Fiber Optic Products, Inc.

Calmar Optcom, Inc.

Zheng Yan

Yan Chen

Xinkang Tian

Ching-Ling Meng

Mihail Mihaylov

Wayne Chen

Bo Li

Junwei Bao

Guoheng Zhao

Jian S Liu

Vi Vuong

Hanyou Chu

Holger Tuitje

Hong Lin

Jason Ferns

Joel Ng

Tongxin Lu

Jianbo Gao

Tony Young

Ning Li

Yue Chen

Badru D Hyatt

Wynhdam Robertson, Iii

Haixing Zou

A data set is stored in memory circuitry that is indicative of a state of a semiconductor fabrication process or of semiconductor structure fabricated thereby. Features in the data set are discernable to an extent limited by a data resolution. A machine-learning model comprising parameters having respective values assigned thereto as constrained by a model training process is also stored in the memory circuitry. Processor circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory circuitry generates an output data set from the data set in accordance with the machine-learning model such that features in the output data set are discernable to an extent limited by an output data resolution that is finer than the data resolution of the data set.

Enhanced resolution in semiconductor fabrication data acquisition instruments using machine learning

An advanced optical sensor and method for detection of optical events in a plasma processing system. The method includes detecting at least one light emission signal in a plasma processing chamber. The at least one detected light emission signal including light emissions from an optical event. The method further includes processing the at least one light emission signal and detecting a signature of the optical event from the processed light emission signal.

Advanced optical sensor and method for detecting an optical event in a light emission signal in a plasma chamber

Disclosed is a method, computer method, system, and apparatus for measuring two-dimensional distributions of optical emissions from a plasma in a semiconductor plasma processing chamber. The acquired two-dimensional distributions of plasma optical emissions can be used to infer the two-dimensional distributions of concentrations of certain chemical species of interest that are present in the plasma, and thus provide a useful tool for process development and also for new and improved processing tool development. The disclosed technique is computationally simple and inexpensive, and involves the use of an expansion of the assumed optical intensity distribution into a sum of basis functions that allow for circumferential variation of optical intensity. An example of suitable basis functions are Zernike polynomials.

Spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in plasma processing

Automatic optical inspection (AOI) systems are described comprising optical modules that include an illumination component and a lens array configured to direct illumination of the illumination component at a portion of a substrate. The lens array includes a Fresnel lens. The optical module includes a camera that receives reflected light resulting from an interaction of the illumination and the substrate. The camera includes a time delay integration (TDI) sensor. A telecentric imaging lens directs reflected light from the substrate to the camera. The illumination component comprises a controller coupled to multiple LED light sources, each emitting light at a different wavelength. The controller independently controls each LED light source. The illumination component includes a bright field and/or a dark field light source. The illumination component can include a front side and/or a back side light source. An optical fiber is coupled to the camera and an image processor.

Automatic inspection system for flat panel substrate

The radiation beam of discrete light source such as LEDs is shaped by a cylindrical lens and a spherical lens to form two perpendicular narrow lines to illuminate a surface. The first line is projected onto a sample surface to improve illumination efficiency, and the second line is projected onto a pupil plane of an imaging lens to improve illumination uniformity. The layout of the LED chip is optimized to match the aspect ratio of the imaging detector. Multiple LEDs at different wavelengths are combined to improve sensitivity. The full surface of the sample is inspected through the relative motion between the sample and the optics.

Method and system for inspecting surfaces with improved light efficiency

Techniques and designs for tunable and dynamically stabilized a laser wavelength in various lasers, including fiber lasers and actively mode-locked lasers. In an actively mode-locked laser, a dynamic wavelength tuning control and a dynamic cavity length control are implemented to maintain mode locking during tuning of the laser wavelength.

Tuning of laser wavelength in actively mode-locked lasers

Method and apparatus for wavelength control and measurement are disclosed. An optical signal to be measured is tapped off a portion thereof referring to as a source signal. Together with a reference signal, the source signal is coupled to a tunable filter. The frequency response or passing band of the tunable filter is so controlled that one wavelength &lgr; from the source signal and one wavelength &lgr; from the reference signal transmit through. Relying on a band separation filter, the wavelength &lgr; is separated from the reference signal and coupled to a gas cell of a known spectrum, a filtered signal of the wavelength &lgr; is then coupled to a photo-detector for subsequent electrical measurement. In accordance with the known spectrum, the wavelength &lgr; can be precisely derived.

Optical performance monitors

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Zheng Yan