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:
Apr. 14, 2015

Filed:

Jan. 26, 2012
Applicants:

Sudeep Kumar Lahiri, Mountain View, CA (US);

Paul Franzen, West Linn, OR (US);

Inventors:

Sudeep Kumar Lahiri, Mountain View, CA (US);

Paul Franzen, West Linn, OR (US);

Assignee:

Novellus Systems, Inc., Fremont, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G01B 7/06 (2006.01); G01N 27/02 (2006.01); B24B 49/10 (2006.01); B24B 37/20 (2012.01); B24B 37/013 (2012.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
B24B 37/205 (2013.01); B24B 37/013 (2013.01); B24B 49/105 (2013.01); H01L 21/67219 (2013.01); H01L 21/6723 (2013.01); H01L 21/67253 (2013.01); H01L 22/12 (2013.01); H01L 22/26 (2013.01); H01L 2924/0002 (2013.01);
Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for calibrating eddy current sensors. A calibration curve is formed relating thickness of a conductive layer in a magnetic field to a value measured by the eddy current sensors or a value derived from such measurement, such as argument of impedance. The calibration curve may be an analytic function having infinite number terms, such as trigonometric, hyperbolic, and logarithmic, or a continuous plurality of functions, such as lines. High accuracy allows the omission of optical sensors, and use of eddy current sensors for endpoint detection, transition call detection, and closed loop control in which a process parameter is changed based on the measured magnetic flux density change in one or more processing zones.


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