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:
Feb. 13, 2018
Filed:
Oct. 03, 2014
Kla-tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Jijen Vazhaeparambil, Saratoga, CA (US);
Guoheng Zhao, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Daniel Kavaldjiev, San Jose, CA (US);
Anatoly Romanovsky, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Ivan Maleev, Pleasanton, CA (US);
Christian Wolters, San Jose, CA (US);
Stephen Biellak, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Bret Whiteside, Gilroy, CA (US);
Donald Pettibone, San Jose, CA (US);
Yung-Ho Alex Chuang, Cupertino, CA (US);
David W. Shortt, Los Gatos, CA (US);
KLA-Tencor Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
A wafer scanning system includes imaging collection optics to reduce the effective spot size. Smaller spot size decreases the number of photons scattered by the surface proportionally to the area of the spot. Air scatter is also reduced. TDI is used to produce a wafer image based on a plurality of image signals integrated over the direction of linear motion of the wafer. An illumination system floods the wafer with light, and the task of creating the spot is allocated to the imaging collection optics.