The present disclosure is a method for in situ monitoring of backside contamination on a semiconductor wafer (120) between processing steps which are performed in a multi-chamber tool (500). In a first form, a laser source (220) and a detector (210) are mounted on a robotic arm (110, 111), or within a semiconductor processing tool (500). The laser (220) and detector (210) move along with the robotic arm (110) as the robotic arm (110) shuffles the wafer (120) between processing carriers (610-650)...

A liquid drop detector which may be fixed or attached by a simple operation, without machining, to a window glass, includes a light emitting element, a light receiving element and light guiding bodies wherein the light emitted by the light emitting element is introduced through a diffraction grating into a first light guiding body and after undergoing total internal reflection within the first light guiding body it is introduced through a silicon member, through an elongated light guiding body, ...

An inspecting method for inspecting foreign substances, comprising projecting beams from an illumination system arranged above a light-permeable body to be inspected with an angle of incidence of a first elevation angle onto an upper face of the body, and receiving a reflecting light and a scattering light generated by the beams with a photodetecting angle of a second elevation angle by a photodetecting system. The method further comprising, before the beams are projected, setting a width of the...

A foreign matter processing apparatus is disclosed for detecting a foreign matter sticking to the surface of a sample such as a circuit board. In the sample processing apparatus of the present invention, a fine foreign matter sticking to a surface of a sample is detected, and the composition of the detected foreign matter is analyzed. Then, it is determined based on a result of the analysis and various data registered in advance whether or not it is required to remove the foreign matter, and the...

A semiconductor wafer optical scanning system and method for determining defects on a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The method for determining wafer defects is based on maximum allowable defects on a swath basis, rather than maximum allowable defects on a wafer basis. The method step include determining the scanned area of an individual swath that is based on a recipe set-up, consistent with the capability of the optical scanning equipment being used and the particular semiconductor wafer be...

A portable Laser Plasma Spectroscopy (LPS) system and process is provided for performing in situ, near-real time, remote elemental analysis and identification of deposits or other foreign material found on surfaces of machine parts, such as turbine compressor blades or the like, wherein identification of the elemental constituents of a particular deposit is obtained without incurring significant ablative damage to the machine part substrate material underlying the deposit.

Apparatus for inspecting a surface of an object to be measured. The light source applies light to the surface. An objective lens opposite the surface receives reflected light. A light detector detects a component of the light incident on the lens from a direction parallel to its optical axis and obtains its light quantity. A slit is provided in the optical path between the objective lens and the detector in order to narrow the light detection extent in the surface to be measured. The surface con...

A dynamic reflective spatial attenuator for use in an optical inspection apparatus. The attenuator takes the form of a two-dimensional micro-mechanical reflective array that, in the first operative position of a mirror element, reflects the desired scattered light toward a detector and, in the second operative position of a mirror element, reflects undesired scattered light into a light dump. The mirror array's fast response and flexibility allows for changes during mid-scan to increase the defe...

A method for detecting an anomaly on a first surface of a transparent substrate starts with providing a transparent substrate that has a reflective second surface. The method then comprises directing a radiation beam at the first surface of the substrate so that at least a portion of the radiation penetrates the substrate and strikes the reflective second surface. This radiation is reflected back as a reflected radiation beam through the first surface of the substrate. The method then comprises ...

A method and an apparatus for performing periodic correction of metrology data. At least one semiconductor wafer is processed. Metrology data from the processed semiconductor wafer is acquired. At least one test wafer is processed. Test wafer metrology data from the processed test wafer is acquired. A test wafer metrology calibration process is performed upon the acquired metrology data using the acquired test wafer metrology data to produce a calibrated metrology data. At least one control inpu...