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AssigneeJ.A. Woollam Co., Inc.
InventorsJohn A. Woollam, Blaine D. Johs, Peter P. Chow
Estimating the term…
A method of, and system for, applying light beam producing systems such as ellipsometers, polarimeters, polarized light reflectance and functionally similar systems, such that a beam of light produced thereby is caused to be incident upon a process element at an angle in excess of an associated Brewster angle while enabling the production of a signal sufficiently sensitive to changes in process element parameters, for use in "real-time" process element process monitoring and control, is disclosed. In addition a process element processing system and electron beam producing system and light beam producing system combination system is taught, wherein the electron beam producing and light beam producing systems are mounted to the process element processing system, (typically a (MBE) system), by input and output interface systems present at a location appropriate for conventional Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) systems.
A process element processing system in combination with a particle beam producing system and a light beam producing system, said particle beam producing and light beam producing systems being mountable simultaneously to said process element processing system via input and output interface systems such that a beam of light produced by said light beam producing system is during use, caused to be incident upon a process element present in said process element processing system at an angle of incidence between a Brewster angle of said present process element and an eighty-eight degree nominal angle of incidence of said particle beam inclusive of said particle beam nominal angle of incidence but exclusive of said Brewster angle, with said light beam angle of incidence further being within ten degrees of said particle beam nominal angle of incidence.
A process element processing system to which is attached a particle beam producing system and a light beam producing system in such proximity and orientation to one another that respective electron and light beams produced thereby and directed toward a process element in said process element processing system impinge thereupon at incident angles between a Brewster angle of said present process element and an eighty-eight degree nominal angle of incidence of said particle beam inclusive of said particle beam nominal angle of incidence but exclusive of said Brewster angle, with said light beam angle of incidence further being within ten degrees of said particle beam nominal angle of incidence.
A process element processing system to which is attached a light beam producing system such that light beams produced thereby and directed toward a process element in said process element processing system impinge thereupon at an incident angle between a Brewster angle of said present process element and an eighty-eight degree nominal angle of incidence of a typical particle beam inclusive of said typical particle beam nominal angle of incidence but exclusive of said Brewster angle, with said light beam angle of incidence further being within ten degrees of said typical particle beam nominal angle of incidence.
A process element processing system in which input and output interface systems comprise light beam producing source system tubes, such that said light beam producing source system tubes, at a first end thereof, attach to said process element processing system at an end thereof not attached to a light beam producing system, which light beam producing system attachs to said light beam producing source system tubes, at ends thereof not attached to said process element processing system, said input and output interface systems being oriented at angles with respect to said process element processing system so as to cause a light beam produced by an attached light beam producing system to impinge upon a process element therein at an angle of incidence between a Brewster angle of said present process element and an eighty-eight degree nominal angle of incidence of a typical particle beam inclusive of said typical particle beam nominal angle of incidence but exclusive of said Brewster angle, with said light beam angle of incidence further being within ten degrees of said typical particle beam nominal angle of incidence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.