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:
Aug. 19, 2008
Filed:
Dec. 23, 2002
Agajan Suvkhanov, Portland, OR (US);
Ynhi Thi Le, Gresham, OR (US);
Agajan Suvkhanov, Portland, OR (US);
Ynhi Thi Le, Gresham, OR (US);
LSI Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
An in-line, in-process or in-situ and non-destructive metrology system, apparatus and method provides composition, quality and/or thickness measurement of a thin film or multi-layer thin film formed on a substrate in a thin film processing system. Particularly, the subject invention provides a spectroscopic ellipsometer performing spectroscopic ellipsometry while the wafer is in a thin film processing system. In one form, the spectroscopic ellipsometer is associated with a wet bench system portion of the thin film processing system. The spectroscopic ellipsometer obtains characteristic data regarding the formed thin film to calculate penetration depth (D) for a thin film formed on the substrate. Particularly, the ellipsometer obtains an extinction coefficient (k) which is used to calculate penetration depth (D). Penetration depth (D), being a unique function of the extinction coefficient (k) provides the information for the composition, quality and/or thickness monitoring of the thin film.