Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for measuring the thickness of a thin film having eddy current coil sensor

US6700370B2 · kind B2 · utility

17Cited by
6References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 5, 2001
Grant dateMar 2, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 5, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B21/08
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The thickness of a conductive film formed on a substrate can be measured efficiently at low cost with a film thickness measuring apparatus of the invention, which includes an eddy current coil sensor, disposable at a predetermined position near a conductive film, for generating a predetermined eddy current in the conductive film and for detecting a magnetic field caused by the eddy current. The apparatus also includes a displacement sensor for measuring a displacement between the eddy current coil sensor and the conductive film. The thickness of the conductive film is measured in accordance with a variation in inductance of the eddy current coil sensor and the amount of displacement measured by the displacement sensor.

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