IP Library Granted Patent US 12,237,234
Granted Patent B2
US 12,237,234 · App. 17/613,259 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Alignment process for the transfer setup

Inventor: Gholamreza Chaji (Waterloo, CA)
Assignee: VueReal
H01L22/20H01L25/0753H01L2223/54426
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,237,234
App. No.
17/613,259
Granted
Feb 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of aligning a first substrate and a second substrate comprises positioning the first substrate having at least a first alignment mark in close proximity to the second substrate having at least a second alignment mark, measuring an alignment value between the first and second alignment marks of both the first and second substrate; and adjusting the position of the first substrate and the second substrate based on the measured alignment value.

Claims (32)

1. A method of aligning a first substrate and a second substrate comprising:

positioning the first substrate in close proximity to the second substrate, wherein the first substrate has at least a first alignment mark comprising four plates and wherein the second substrate has at least a second alignment mark comprising a single plate, and wherein the close proximity is a proximity at which the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark form a capacitance;

measuring an alignment value between the first and second alignment marks of both the first and second substrate; and

adjusting the position of the first substrate and the second substrate based on the measured alignment value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a detector and signal source are on the first substrate and a transfer medium is formed on the second substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein as the signal source and detector are aligned with the transfer medium, a signal detected by the detector is maximized.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transfer medium can be a conductive trace.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein a combination of signal, detector and transfer medium can be in different orientations to assist in different misalignment signals.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein two detectors and signal source are on the first substrate and a transfer medium is formed on the second substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein as the signal source and detector are aligned with the transfer medium, a signal passed to the transfer medium is detected by the two detectors.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the signal received by both detectors is equalized and maximized such that each detector, signal and medium set assists in offset and rotation misalignment.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein more sets can assist in fine tuning misalignment information.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein a misalignment information is used to align substrates.

11. The method of claim 8 , where in a size of the transfer medium, the detector and the signal is used to define an alignment accuracy.

12. The method of claim 8 , where in a size of the detector and the signal is used to define an alignment accuracy.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein if the size of the transfer medium is larger than the detector or the signal then coarse alignment is addressed.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein if the size of the transfer medium is the same as the detector or the signal then fine alignment is addressed.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the alignment value between the alignment marks of both the first and second substrate comprising:

extracting the alignment value at a current position of the substrates; and

moving the substrates with respect to each other in different directions to measure a change in the alignment value.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

comparing the alignment value to the change in the alignment value; and

adjusting the position of the first substrate and the second substrate based on comparing.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the position of the first substrate and the second substrate based on comparing comprises one of: maximizing, minimizing or equalizing the alignment value for each alignment mark.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the four plates and the single plate are metal plates or capacitive plates.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the alignment value is maximized between the capacitive plates.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alignment mark comprises charge trapped on a surface of the first substrate and the second alignment mark on the second substrate comprises a metal plate on a surface of the second substrate.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first alignment mark comprises a shield plate on a surface of the first substrate and the alignment mark on the second substrate comprises a receiver plate on the second substrate.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the alignment value is minimized between the shield plate and the receiver plate.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single plate is a metal plate.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the alignment value for the four plates and the single plate is equalized by moving one of the first substrate or the second substrate.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alignment value comprises one of: a capacitance value, inductance value, a charge value, or another electrical signal value between the substrates.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2022
From: CHAJI, GHOLAMREZA
To: VUEREAL INC.
Reel/Frame 060320/0485 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62930982 · Nov 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62851189 · May 22, 2019
Related Publication 20220223483A1 · Jul 14, 2022
References Cited (67)
US 5496777A · Moriyama · 1996 [cited by applicant]
US 6133641A · Hamada et al. · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 9871001B2 · Liou · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 11540399B1 · Brewer · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11842905B2 · Sugaya · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11997303B2 · Liu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20080013679A1 · Nakagawa · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20100163404A1 · De · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20110001962A1 · Sasazawa · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20120135600A1 · Lin · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20120287357A1 · Masaki · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130037838A1 · Speier · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20130249063A1 · Shibata et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150085169A1 · Igarashi · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150087088A1 · Fujimori · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150276369A1 · Kneezel · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150276638A1 · Spath · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150276640A1 · Spath · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150279748A1 · Spath · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150303119A1 · Tamaso · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20150333234A1 · Speier · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20170194397A1 · Kim · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170323854A1 · Liou · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20190146363A1 · Mase · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190378799A1 · Wagenleitner · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200020553A1 · Otsuka · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200055729A1 · Wagenleitner · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200075360A1 · Kim · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200174383A1 · Povazay · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210050243A1 · Otsuka · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210229393A1 · Saito · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210320024A1 · Yamauchi · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220277979A1 · Yamasaki · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220285196A1 · Yamasaki · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220368301A1 · Fukumitsu · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230378121A1 · Matsuo · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240047414A1 · Burggraf · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240168229A1 · McKee · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240168301A1 · Slupeiks · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240170475A1 · Fukuzumi · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240171710A1 · Pertierra · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240173355A1 · Pavel-Dinu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240173667A1 · Seifert · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240175172A1 · Fujisawa · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240175877A1 · Patil · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240176072A1 · Komljenovic · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240176084A1 · Ecton · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240176231A1 · Yamashita · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240176971A1 · Inoue · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240177323A1 · Tanaka · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240178235A1 · Tang · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240178357A1 · Lin · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240178704A1 · Bharadwaj · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240178749A1 · Cheng · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240179314A1 · Jhu · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240179402A1 · Nick · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240179794A1 · Ji · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240179946A1 · Yamazaki · 2024 [cited by examiner]
CN 1190790A · 1998 [cited by applicant]
CN 102214594A · 2011 [cited by applicant]
CN 103325669A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
CN 10428208A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
EP 2375442A1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion relating to application No. PCT/IB2020/054911 dated Aug. 5, 2020. [cited by applicant]
CN: Chinese Office Action relating to Chinese patent application No. 202080036397.3, dated Nov. 18, 2022. [cited by applicant]
SIPO: Chinese Office Action relating to Chinese patent application No. 202080036397.3, dated Nov. 18, 2022. [cited by applicant]
SIPO: Chinese Office Action relating to Chinese patent application No. 202080036397.3, dated Jun. 1, 2023. [cited by applicant]