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:
Jul. 25, 2023
Filed:
Nov. 23, 2020
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Jun-Hao Deng, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Kuan-Wen Lin, Taichung, TW;
Sheng-Chi Chin, Hsinchu, TW;
Yu-Ching Lee, Kaohsiung, TW;
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu, TW;
Abstract
Methods and systems disclosed herein use acoustic energy to determine a gap between a wafer and an integrated circuit (IC) processing system and/or determine a thickness of a material layer of the wafer during IC processing implemented by the IC processing system. An exemplary method includes emitting acoustic energy through a substrate and a material layer disposed thereover. The substrate is positioned within an IC processing system. The method further includes receiving reflected acoustic energy from a surface of the substrate and a surface of the material layer disposed thereover and converting the reflected acoustic energy into electrical signals. The electrical signals indicate a thickness of the material layer.