Apparatus and method for batch non-contact material characterization
AssigneeVeeco Instruments Inc.
InventorsDong Seung Lee, Mikhail Belousov, Eric A. Armour, William E. Quinn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for performing non-contact material characterization includes a wafer carrier adapted to hold a plurality of substrates and a material characterization device, such as a device for performing photoluminescence spectroscopy. The apparatus is adapted to perform non-contact material characterization on at least a portion of the wafer carrier, including the substrates disposed thereon.
Claims20
An apparatus for performing non-contact material characterization on substrates, comprising:
- (a) an epitaxial growth apparatus having one or more processing chambers, a first one of the processing chambers being adapted to deposit a material on at least one substrate held on a wafer carrier, said epitaxial growth apparatus having an ancillary chamber in communication with said one or more processing chambers and configured to receive said wafer carrier;
- (b) a non-contact material characterization device, said non-contact material characterization device being constructed and arranged to perform a non-contact material characterization technique on the material deposited on the at least one substrate held on said wafer carrier while said wafer carrier is disposed in said ancillary chamber;
- and
- (c) a controller connected to said non-contact material characterization device and connected to at least one of said processing chambers, said controller being constructed and arranged to gather data from said non-contact material characterization device and adjust processing conditions in said at least one of said processing chambers based on the data gathered.
A method for performing non-contact material characterization on substrates, comprising the steps of:
- (a) depositing a material on at least one substrate held on a wafer carrier while the wafer carrier is disposed in a processing chamber of an epitaxial growth apparatus;
- (b) moving the wafer carrier from the processing chamber into an ancillary chamber of the epitaxial growth apparatus;
- (c) performing a non-contact material characterization technique on the material deposited on the at least one substrate held on the wafer carrier while the wafer carrier is disposed in the ancillary chamber;
- and
- (d) adjusting processing conditions in the epitaxial growth apparatus based on information obtained during said step of performing a non-contact material characterization technique.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.