Method and apparatus for monitoring surface layer growth
US4945254A · kind A · utility
106Cited by
11References
23Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 21, 1988 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 21, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/8422
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of monitoring surface layer growth using light scattered off a surface illuminated e.g. by a laser. A small area of a surface of a substrate is illuminated and the light scattered in a non-specular direction is detected during cleaning and subsequent layer growth. The amount of light scattered varies strongly with surface characteristics and gives clear indication of the end of oxide removal, initiation of nucleation and quality of growing layers. The monitoring is used during e.g. chemical vapor deposition, or e.g. molecular beam epitaxy growth processes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.