Microchip fabrication chamber wafer detection
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsWen-Ming Chen, Wen-Chi Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microchip fabrication chamber has a pedestal adapted to retain a wafer during processing steps conducted within the chamber. A lift mechanism including a plurality of lift mechanism pins engages and disengages a wafer to the pedestal. A sensor associated with the tip of at least one of the lift mechanism pins detects the presence of the wafer.
Claims14
Microchip fabrication apparatus for processing a wafer comprising:
- a chamber for processing the wafer;
- a plurality of lift mechanism pins within the chamber for supporting the wafer;
- and
- a plurality of sensors associated with said lift mechanism pins for detecting the wafer position.
A method of detecting an out of position wafer in a microchip fabrication chamber including a pedestal adapted for retention of a wafer thereto and a plurality of lift mechanism pins adapted to effect wafer to pedestal disengagement and engagement, the method comprising the steps:
- providing wafer sensing means associated with at least one of said plurality of lift mechanism pins;
- and
- during a period when the lift mechanism pins are in a wafer disengaged position relative to the pedestal, sensing the presence of the wafer with respect to said at least one of the plurality of lift mechanism pins having the wafer sensing means.
Microchip fabrication apparatus having a chamber including a pedestal with a surface adapted to retain a wafer in a processing position and a plurality of lift mechanism pins adapted to breach the surface of the pedestal, the pins further having respective tips adapted for contact with the wafer from a back side thereof to effect wafer to pedestal disengagement and engagement, the improvement comprising:
- the tip of at least one of said plurality of lift mechanism pins having sensing means for detecting the proximity of the wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.