# US 10,371,503 B2 · Shape measurement method and shape measurement device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,503 B2 - Document ID: US10371503B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/775,073 - Filed: 2016-10-05 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-11 - Assignees: Kobelco Research Institute, Inc. - Applicants: Kobelco Research Institute, Inc. - Inventors: Hidehisa Hashizume; Shunsuke Takami; Norihisa Harano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371503B2 ## CPC - G01B 11/0683: {measurement during deposition or removal of the layer} - G01B 21/08: for measuring thickness - G01B 11/06: for measuring thickness {; e.g. of sheet material (thickness measurement by thermal means G01B21/085)} - G01B 11/24: for measuring contours or curvatures - G01N 21/9503: {Wafer edge inspection} - G06T 7/60: Analysis of geometric attributes - H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects} - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A measurement unit measures a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of a semiconductor wafer. The measurement unit measures a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of a support member. The measurement unit measures a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of a laminated wafer. An analysis unit calculates a thickness of an adhesive agent by subtracting a thickness of the semiconductor wafer and a thickness of the support member from a thickness of the laminated wafer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A shape measurement method for measuring a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of a laminated wafer that includes: a semiconductor wafer; a support member for reinforcing the semiconductor wafer; and an adhesive agent for laminating the semiconductor wafer and the support member to each other, the method comprising: a first measurement step of individually measuring a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of the semiconductor wafer before lamination and a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of the support member before lamination; a second measurement step of measuring the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the laminated wafer; and a calculation step of calculating a thickness of the adhesive agent in the laminated wafer by comparing a measurement result of the first measurement step with a measurement result of the second measurement step. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The shape measurement method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor wafer includes silicon, glass, silicon carbide, sapphire or a compound semiconductor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The shape measurement method according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes silicon, glass, silicon carbide, sapphire or a compound semiconductor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The shape measurement method according to claim 1, wherein in the first and second measurement steps, the cross-sectional shape of each of the edge parts is measured using any one of a shadow imaging method, a line scanning imaging method, and a microscope imaging method. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The shape measurement method according to claim 1, wherein in the first measurement step, the measurement is performed by using a thickness of the semiconductor wafer and a thickness of the support member as parameters indicating the cross-sectional shapes of the edge parts of the semiconductor wafer and the support member, in the second measurement step, the measurement is performed by using a thickness of the laminated wafer as a parameter indicating the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the laminated wafer, in the calculation step, the thickness of the adhesive agent is calculated by subtracting the thickness of the semiconductor wafer and the thickness of the support member which are measured in the first measurement step from the thickness of the laminated wafer measured in the second measurement step. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The shape measurement method according to claim 5, wherein the edge part of the semiconductor wafer includes a first flat part continuously formed with one main surface of the semiconductor wafer, and a second flat part continuously formed with another main surface of the semiconductor wafer, the edge part of the support member includes a first flat part continuously formed with one main surface of the support member and a second flat part continuously formed with another main surface of the support member, the adhesive agent is interposed at least between the second flat part of the semiconductor wafer and the first flat part of the support member, the thickness of the semiconductor wafer is a distance between the first flat part of the semiconductor wafer and the second flat part of the semiconductor wafer, the thickness of the support member is a distance between the first flat part of the support member and the second flat part of the support member, the thickness of the laminated wafer is a distance between the first flat part of the semiconductor wafer and the second flat part of the support member in the laminated wafer, and the thickness of the adhesive agent is, in the laminated wafer, a distance between the second flat part of the semiconductor wafer and the first flat part of the support member. ### Claim 7 A shape measurement device for measuring a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of a laminated wafer including: a semiconductor wafer; a support member for reinforcing the semiconductor wafer; and an adhesive agent for laminating the semiconductor wafer and the support member to each other, the shape measurement device comprising: a measurement unit that individually measures a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of the semiconductor wafer before lamination, a cross-sectional shape of an edge part of the support member before lamination, and the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the laminated wafer; and a calculation unit that calculates a thickness of the adhesive agent which forms the laminated wafer, by performing a comparison among a measurement result of the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the semiconductor wafer before lamination, a measurement result of the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the support member before lamination, and a measurement result of the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the laminated wafer.