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US 8,357,548 B2Granted
Semiconductor wafer metrology apparatus and method
AssigneeMetryx Limited
InventorRobert John Wilby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A semiconductor wafer metrology technique comprising performing atmospheric buoyancy compensated weighing of a wafer, in which the wafer is weighed in a substantially upright condition. A vertical or near vertical wafer orientation causes the surface area in the direction of a force (weight) sensor to be reduced compared with a horizontal wafer orientation. Hence, the electrostatic force components acting in the same direction as the wafer weight force component is reduced.
Claims5
A method of measuring the mass of a semiconductor wafer, the method including:
- placing the wafer on a weighing instrument inside a chamber, and
- determining the mass of the wafer by the steps of measuring the weight of the wafer and compensating for buoyancy exerted on the wafer by the atmosphere in the chamber,
- wherein said determining step includes the step of orienting the plane of the wafer substantially upright when the weight of the wafer is measured.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.