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.

Date of Patent:
Nov. 30, 2021

Filed:

Mar. 03, 2020
Applicant:

Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);

Inventors:

Greg Freeman, Austin, TX (US);

Patricia A. Schulze, Giddings, TX (US);

Ozkan Celik, Ced, CA (US);

Alexander N. Lerner, San Jose, CA (US);

Assignee:

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/68 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/682 (2013.01);
Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for aligning masks with substrates are provided. A method can include receiving a carrier having a substrate disposed thereon at an alignment stage of an alignment module, transferring a mask from a mask cassette of a mask stocker of the alignment module to a position over the alignment stage, and positioning the mask on the carrier. The method can also include acquiring one or more images of the mask and the substrate, where the mask contains one or more alignment holes passing through the mask and the substrate contains one or more alignment dots disposed on an upper surface of the substrate, analyzing the one or more images to determine one or more differences between one or more alignment holes of the mask and one or more alignment dots on the substrate, and aligning the mask with the substrate based on the differences.


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