Apparatus for measuring surface topography
US5917191A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 26, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 29, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/306
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for measuring surface topography characterized by making multiple scans of the surface with a laser scanning unit and utilizing the multiple scans to create representations of the surface's topography. The surface topography data can also be used to calculate the compressive or tensile stress caused by a thin film applied to the surface of a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus of the present invention scans a laser beam across a surface in an x direction, and detects displacements of a reflected portion of the laser beam in a z direction. A pair of photodetectors are used to translate z direction displacements of the reflected beam into analog signals which are digitized and input into a microcomputer for analysis. The multiple scans of the surface are preferably accomplished by placing the workpiece on a pedestal which can be rotated to various angular positions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.