Patent · US Expired

Multi-probe grouping system with nonlinear error correction

US4910453A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
10References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 15, 1987
Grant dateMar 20, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 15, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B7/08
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An error compensated thickness measuring system utilizing first and second probes placed on opposite sides of a semiconductor wafer whose thickness is to be measured. The output of the probes is linearized and electronically processed to provide a signal representative of the thickness of the semiconductor wafer. The electronic processing includes an error compensating circuit which removes higher order error in the thickness signal attributable to the wafer being other than precisely centered between the two probes. The error compensating circuitry operates to produce a scaled higher order representation of the displacement of the wafer from the centered condition to combine this with the thickness signal to produce an error compensated signal. The present invention finds particular application in the thickness gauging of semiconductor wafers which represent a substantial impedance to circuit common and in which compensating circuitry is utilized to adjust for or control the potential of the ungrounded object.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.