The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 25, 2018
Filed:
Jul. 18, 2017
Applicant:
Kla-tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Inventors:
Aviv Balan, Mountain View, CA (US);
Vaibhaw Vishal, Fremont, CA (US);
Assignee:
KLA-Tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/68 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/68721 (2013.01); H01L 21/67017 (2013.01); H01L 21/68735 (2013.01); H01L 21/68757 (2013.01);
Abstract
Edge grippers are disposed around an outer edge of a chuck. Each of the edge grippers includes a finger configured to pivot around a point; a contact pad configured to contact the wafer; and a flexure disposed between the contact pad and the finger. The flexure is configured to flex toward and away from the chuck. The chuck can use a matrix of vacuum and pressure nozzles designed to keep a wafer floating above the chuck. The edge grippers can hold the wafer at the edge while minimizing deformation of the wafer or without affecting z-jitter of the wafer.