18125853. APPARATUS AND METHOD MONITORING SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT simplified abstract (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)

APPARATUS AND METHOD MONITORING SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT

Organization Name

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Inventor(s)

SUNGHO Jang of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

HYUNGJIN Kim of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

MINHWAN Seo of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

AKINORI Okubo of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

SANGMIN Lee of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

SINYONG Lee of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

WONDON Joo of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

SANGJOON Hong of SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO (KR)

APPARATUS AND METHOD MONITORING SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18125853 titled 'APPARATUS AND METHOD MONITORING SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT

Simplified Explanation

The apparatus described in the patent application is a monitoring system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment that uses optical detectors, light generators, and grating reticles to determine the positional attributes of a semiconductor substrate in relation to specific patterns.

• The apparatus includes an optical detector, a light generator, and two grating reticles with different pitches.
• The light generator emits light towards the semiconductor substrate, which then reflects the light towards the optical detector.
• The first grating reticle has slits with a first and second pitch, while the second grating reticle has slits with a third pitch.
• The optical detector analyzes the light passing through the slits to determine the position of the semiconductor substrate in relation to specific patterns.

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in:

• Semiconductor manufacturing processes
• Quality control in semiconductor production

Problems Solved

This technology helps in:

• Precise positioning of semiconductor substrates
• Monitoring and optimizing manufacturing processes

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

• Improved accuracy in semiconductor manufacturing
• Enhanced quality control measures
• Increased efficiency in production processes

Potential Commercial Applications

This technology can be used in:

• Semiconductor fabrication facilities
• Research and development labs in the semiconductor industry

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be:

• Optical monitoring systems used in semiconductor manufacturing processes

How does this technology improve the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing processes?

This technology improves efficiency by providing accurate positional data of semiconductor substrates, allowing for precise adjustments and optimizations in the manufacturing process.

What are the specific patterns used in the analysis by the optical detector?

The specific patterns used in the analysis are the first and second patterns, which correspond to different portions of light passing through the slits in the grating reticles.

Original Abstract Submitted

An apparatus monitoring semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes; an optical detector, a light generator generating light along a first optical path towards a semiconductor substrate, wherein upon irradiating the semiconductor substrate, the light becomes reflected light along a second optical path away from the semiconductor substrate and towards the optical detector, a first grating reticle between the light generator and the semiconductor substrate and including first slits having a first pitch and second slits having a second pitch different from the first pitch, a second grating reticle between the semiconductor substrate and the optical detector and including third slits having a third pitch different from the first pitch and the second pitch, wherein the optical detector determines a positional attribute of the semiconductor substrate in relation to a first pattern and a second pattern, the first pattern corresponds to a first portion of light/reflected light sequentially passing through the first slits and the third slits, and the second pattern corresponds to a second portion of light/reflected light sequentially passing through the second slits and the third slits.