# US 2018/0323094 A1 · Chuck stage particle detection device

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- Number: US 2018/0323094 A1
- Document ID: US20180323094A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/867,068
- Filed: 2018-01-10
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-02
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: MU YER LEE; Hyo Bum Kang; Jun Sung Lee; Jae Lyang Jung; Young Min Hur
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323094A1

## CPC

- H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like}
- H10P 72/78: using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A particle detection device includes a chuck stage on which a wafer is configured to be seated, first and second adsorption holes shaped as closed concentric curves passing through the chuck stage, a first adsorption module connected to the first adsorption hole under the chuck stage and configured to provide a vacuum pressure, a second adsorption module connected to the second adsorption hole under the chuck stage and configured to provide a vacuum pressure, a pressure gauge configured to measure vacuum pressures of the first and second adsorption holes and a detection module configured to receive the vacuum pressures of the first and second adsorption holes from the pressure gauge and detect whether the wafer is fixed or not and whether particle is present or not, based on the received vacuum pressures. The first and second adsorption modules sequentially provide the vacuum pressure to the first and second adsorption holes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chuck stage particle detection device, comprising:
a chuck stage on which a wafer is configured to be seated;
a first adsorption hole passing through the chuck stage, in which a plane cross-section of the first adsorption hole is a first closed curve;
a second adsorption hole passing through the Chuck stage, in which a plane cross-section of the second adsorption hole is a second closed curve, and the first closed curve is positioned. within the second closed curve;
a first adsorption module connected to the first adsorption hole under the chuck stage and configured to provide a vacuum pressure;
a second adsorption module connected to the second adsorption hole under the chuck stage and configured to provide a vacuum pressure;
a pressure gauge configured to measure vacuum pressures of the first and second adsorption holes; and
a detection module configured to receive the vacuum pressures of the first and second adsorption holes from the pressure gauge and detect whether the wafer is fixed or not and whether a particle is present or not, based on the received vacuum pressures,
wherein the first and second adsorption modules sequentially provide the vacuum. pressure to the first and second adsorption holes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 1, wherein the detection module detects a presence or absence of the particle by comparing a previously determined reference pressure with the vacuum pressures of the first and second adsorption holes,

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 2, wherein the detection module is configured to operate in one of a window segmentation mode and a hysteresis mode, and
wherein each of the window segmentation mode and the hysteresis mode provide a different method for determining whether the wafer is fixed or not and whether the particle is present or not, based on the received vacuum pressures.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 3, wherein, in the window segmentation mode, the reference pressure comprises first and second reference pressures, and
the detection module determines that the wafer is fixed onto the chuck stage and the particle is not present, when the vacuum pressure is between the first and second reference pressures.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 3, wherein, in the hysteresis mode, the reference pressure comprises first and second reference pressures,
the first reference pressure is greater than the second reference pressure,
the detection module is switched to on-mode from off-mode when the vacuum pressure becomes greater than the first reference pressure,
the detection module is switched to the off-mode from the on-mode when the vacuum pressure becomes less than the second reference pressure,
the detection module determines that the wafer is fixed onto the chuck stage and the particle is not present in the on-mode, and
the detection module determines that the wafer is not fixed onto the chuck stage and the particle is present in the off-mode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 5, wherein the first reference pressure and the second reference pressure are adjustable.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 1, wherein the pressure gauge comprises a first pressure gauge configured to measure the vacuum pressure of the first adsorption hole, and
a second pressure gauge configured to measure the vacuum pressure of the second adsorption hole.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 7, wherein the detection module is configured to detect a presence or absence of the particle and a position of the particle, based on the received vacuum pressures.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 8, wherein the reference pressure comprises first and second reference pressures, and wherein the detection module detects the presence or absence of the particle and the position of the particle by:
comparing the first reference pressure with the vacuum pressure of the first adsorption hole, and
comparing the second reference pressure with the vacuum pressure of the second adsorption hole.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 9, wherein the detection module determines that the particle is positioned between the first adsorption hole and the second adsorption hole, when the vacuum pressure of the first adsorption hole is greater than the first reference pressure, and the vacuum pressure of the second adsorption hole is less than the second reference pressure.

### Claim 11

A chuck stage particle detection device, comprising:
a chuck stage on which a wafer is configured to be seated, and comprising a center region;
a plurality of adsorption holes passing through the chuck stage, exposed to an upper surface of the chuck stage and configured to adsorb the wafer onto the upper surface of the chuck stage, wherein the plurality of adsorption holes are positioned at different distances from the center region of the chuck stage;
a pressure gauge configured to measure adsorption pressure of the plurality of adsorption holes to generate a plurality of measured adsorption pressures;
an adsorption module configured to provide a vacuum pressure to the adsorption holes, wherein the adsorption module provides the vacuum pressure sequentially to the plurality of adsorption holes in an order from the adsorption holes positioned closer to the center region to the adsorption holes positioned farther from the center region; and
a detection module configured to receive the measured adsorption pressures from the pressure gauge and detect a presence or absence of a particle, based on the received measured adsorption pressures.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 11, wherein a plane cross-section of each adsorption hole is a closed curve surrounding the center region.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The chuck stage particle detection. device of claim 12, wherein a plane cross-section of each adsorption hole is a circle or an oval surrounding the center region.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 11, wherein a vertical cross-section of each adsorption hole comprises first and second regions,
the first region is in contact with an upper surface of the chuck stage and has a first width, and
the second region is in contact with the first region under the first region and has a second width greater than the first width.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 14, wherein the vertical crass-section of each adsorption hole further comprises a third region, and
the third region is in contact with the second region under the second region, and has a third width less than the second width.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 15, wherein the second region comprises first to third sections which are positioned in an order of proximity to the first region,
the second width comprises first to third section widths which are widths of the first to third sections, respectively, and
the second section width is greater than the first and third section widths.

### Claim 17

A chuck stage particle detection device, comprising:
a chuck stage on which a wafer is configured to be seated, and comprising first and second regions disposed in different positions from each other;
a first adsorption hole passing through the Chuck stage and positioned in the first region;
a second adsorption hole passing through the chuck stage and positioned in the second region;
a pressure gauge configured to measure adsorption pressures of the first and second adsorption holes to generate a plurality of measured adsorption pressures;
an adsorption module configured to provide vacuum pressure sequentially to the first and second adsorption holes; and
a detection module configured to receive the measured adsorption pressures from the pressure gauge and detect a presence or absence of a particle, from the received measured adsorption pressures.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 17, wherein the second region surrounds an outer portion of the first region on a plane cross-section.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 17, wherein the first and second regions are disposed in parallel to a side surface of the second region.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The chuck stage particle detection device of claim 17, wherein a plane shape of the chuck stage is a circle or an oval shape,
the first and second regions have a shape of a sector that is defined with different two lines intersecting with the circle or the oval at two points, and
the adsorption module provides the vacuum pressure in a clockwise or counterclockwise order to the first and second adsorption holes.

### Claim at position 21

21-23. (canceled)