Semiconductor manufacturing using optical ablation
AssigneeRaydiance, Inc.
InventorRichard Stoltz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and systems for ablation based material removal configuration for use in semiconductor manufacturing that includes the steps of generating an initial wavelength-swept-with-time optical pulse in an optical pulse generator, amplifying the initial pulse, compressing the amplified pulse to a duration of less than about 10 picoseconds and applying the compressed optical pulse to the wafer surface, to remove material from, e.g., wafer surface.
Claims19
A method of removing material from a surface of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of:
- generating an initial wavelength-swept-with-time optical pulse in an optical pulse generator;
- amplifying the initial pulse;
- compressing the amplified pulse to a duration of less than about 10 picoseconds, to generate a compressed optical pulse;
- and
- applying the compressed optical pulse to the wafer surface, to remove material from the wafer surface;
- wherein the step of amplifying is done with a fiber-amplifier and the step of compressing is done with an air-path between gratings compressor, and the initial wavelength-swept-with-time optical pulses is between about 10 picoseconds and about 3 nanoseconds and the compressed optical pulse has a sub-picosecond duration and an energy density on the surface is between about 2 and about 10 times an optical ablation threshold of the surface.
A method of removing material from a surface of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of:
- generating an initial wavelength-swept-with-time optical pulse in an optical pulse generator;
- amplifying the initial pulse;
- compressing the amplified pulse to a duration of less than about 10 picoseconds, to generate a compressed optical pulse;
- and
- applying the compressed optical pulse to the wafer surface, to remove material from the wafer surface;
- wherein pulse energy density and ablation rate are independently controlled.
A method of removing material from a surface of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of:
- generating an initial wavelength-swept-with-time optical pulse in an optical pulse generator;
- amplifying the initial pulse;
- compressing the amplified pulse to a duration of less than about 10 picoseconds, to generate a compressed optical pulse;
- and
- applying the compressed optical pulse to the wafer surface, to remove material from the wafer surface;
- wherein a pulse energy density, a fiber amplifier operating temperature and an ablation rate are independently controlled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.