Wafer notch positioning detection
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsKai-An Chuang, Kuang-Wei Hsueh, Shih-Huan Chen, Yung-Shu Kao
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Abstract
An optical system may include a light source to provide a beam of light. The optical system may include a reflector to receive and redirect the beam of light. The optical system may include a light gate having an opening to permit the beam of light, from the reflector, to travel through the opening. The optical system may include a light sensor to receive a portion of the beam of light after the beam of light travels through the opening, and convert the portion of the beam of light to a signal. The optical system may include a processing device to determine whether a notch of a wafer is in an allowable position based on the signal.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- a reflector to direct a beam of light;
- a light gate comprising one or more openings to receive at least a portion of the beam of light;
- and
- a processing device to determine, based on a signal associated with the at least the portion of the beam of light, whether a notch of a wafer is in an allowable position and whether an amount of a shift in a position of the notch of the wafer satisfies a notch shift threshold.
A device, comprising:
- a reflector to direct a beam of light;
- a light gate comprising one or more openings to receive at least a portion of the beam of light;
- a light sensor configured to convert the at least the portion of the beam of light into a signal;
- and
- a processing device to determine, based on the signal, whether a notch of a wafer is in an allowable position and whether an amount of a shift in a position of the notch of the wafer satisfies a notch shift threshold.
A method, comprising:
- directing, by a reflector, a beam of light toward one or more openings of a light gate;
- receiving, by a light sensor, at least a portion of the beam of light;
- converting, by the light sensor, the at least the portion of the beam of light to a signal;
- and
- determining, by a processing device and based on the signal, whether a notch of a wafer is in an allowable position and whether an amount of a shift in a position of the notch of the wafer satisfies a notch shift threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.