# US 11,908,718 B2 · In-situ metrology and process control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,908,718 B2 - Document ID: US11908718B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/677,402 - Filed: 2022-02-22 - Published: 2022-06-09 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-19 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Ramesh Krishnamurthy; Lakshmanan Karuppiah - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908718B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0612: {Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput} - G01B 11/0691: {of objects while moving (G01B11/0616 takes precedence)} - G01J 5/0022: {for sensing the radiation of moving bodies} - G01N 21/3563: for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor - G01N 21/84: Systems specially adapted for particular applications - G05B 19/41875: {characterised by quality surveillance of production} - H10P 72/06: {Apparatus for monitoring, sorting, marking, testing or measuring} - H10P 72/0604: {Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring} - H10P 72/7618: {characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel} - H10P 72/7621: {characterised by supporting two or more semiconductor substrates} - H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects} - H10P 74/238: {comprising acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection or in-situ thickness measurement} - G01N 2021/3568: {applied to semiconductors, e.g. Silicon} - G05B 2219/40066: Stack and align identical layers, laminates, electronic substrate layers - H10P 72/70: for supporting or gripping - H10P 74/235: {comprising optical enhancement of defects or not-directly-visible states} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - 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) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract Methods and apparatus for the in-situ measurement of metrology parameters are disclosed herein. Some embodiments of the disclosure further provide for the real-time adjustment of process parameters based on the measure metrology parameters. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide for a multi-stage processing chamber top plate with one or more sensors between process stations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for measuring a substrate, the method comprising: processing the substrate within a first process station of a multi-station processing chamber; moving the substrate to a second process station of the multi-station processing chamber; and measuring the substrate during movement between the first process station and the second process station, wherein the multi-station processing chamber comprises at least the first process station and the second process station, and wherein the substrate is processed within the first process station, moved to the second process station, and measured in-situ while maintaining vacuum within the multi-station processing chamber. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the substrate comprises measuring at least one of thickness, material composition, temperature or morphology of the substrate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising modifying one or more processing conditions of one or more of the first process station and the second process station in response to one or more of a measured thickness, material composition, temperature or morphology of the substrate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a process occurring within the first process station and/or the second process station utilizes plasma. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is processed within the first process station, moved to the second process station, and measured in-situ while maintaining process conditions within the first process station and the second process station. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is processed within the first process station, moved to the second process station, and measured in-situ while maintaining a temperature of the substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the substrate during movement between the first process station and the second process station comprises measuring one or more metrology parameters of the substrate while the substrate is in motion without slowing the substrate motion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-station processing chamber comprises one or more sensors positioned between the first process station and the second process station, the one or more sensors configured to measure one or more parameters of a process occurring within the multi-station processing chamber while maintaining vacuum within the multi-station processing chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are positioned outside of the first process station and the second process station, and wherein measuring the substrate comprises measuring the substrate during movement after processing the substrate in the first process station. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the multi-station processing chamber further comprises a support assembly disposed within the interior volume and configured to support and rotate the substrate around a central axis, and wherein moving the substrate to the second process station and measuring the substrate during movement between the first process station and the second process station comprises rotating the support assembly with the substrate around the central axis without slowing the substrate motion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-station processing chamber comprises a housing and a top plate defining an interior volume maintained under vacuum, the top plate having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness and a plurality of openings extending through the thickness, the first process station and the second process station positioned within the plurality of openings in the top plate, and one or more sensors positioned on the top plate between the plurality of openings, the one or more sensors configured to measure one or more parameters of a process occurring within the interior volume while maintaining vacuum within the interior volume.