Apparatus and method for processing wafers
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorsFranz Kemper, Jens Möckel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers includes: a wafer support with a first positioning system that can rotate the wafer support coaxially with a wafer; at least one processing apparatus, which can be moved with a second positioning system such that a processing tool proceeding from the processing apparatus can be guided radially over the wafer; and at least one position determining apparatus for determining a wafer position on the basis of features of the wafer. Alignment marks of the wafer are found and points to be processed, such as laser fuses, are moved by rotation of the wafer and movement of at least one processing apparatus in the radial direction above the wafer.
Claims15
An apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
- a wafer support with a first positioning system operable to rotate the wafer support coaxially with respect to a wafer;
- a second positioning system;
- at least one processing apparatus including a processing tool, wherein the second positioning system is operable to move the at least one processing apparatus such that the processing tool is guided radially over the wafer;
- at least one position determining apparatus operable to determine a current wafer position based on features of the wafer, wherein the position determining apparatus is configured to determine the wafer position during a rotary movement of the wafer, continuously detect features distributed on the wafer, and calculate the wafer position from the features;
- and
- a control apparatus configured to evaluate the current wafer position determined by the at least one position determining apparatus, wherein the control apparatus controls the first positioning system such that a predetermined point on the wafer is brought under the processing apparatus by a rotation of the wafer, and the control apparatus calculates the required rotary movement of the wafer by the first positioning system in a manner dependent on the current wafer position and a position of the predetermined point on the wafer.
A method for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
- rotating a wafer to find at least one feature of the wafer;
- determining a wafer position based on the at least one feature found;
- rotating the wafer and continuously detecting further features distributed on the wafer;
- continuously evaluating features detected during rotary movement of the wafer and calculating the wafer position therefrom;
- calculating, in a manner dependent on a current wafer position and a position of a predetermined point on the wafer, how the wafer has to be rotated and how the processing apparatus has to be moved to bring the predetermined point on the wafer under at least one processing tool;
- rotating the wafer and moving the at least one processing apparatus in a radial direction above the wafer to position a processing tool of the at least one processing apparatus above the predetermined point on the wafer;
- and
- processing the wafer by the processing tool at the predetermined point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.