IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,529,655
Granted Patent B2
US 12,529,655 · App. 18/647,370 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Broom camera and rotational stage for metrology measurements

Inventors: Ivan Maleev (Fremont, CA); Andrej Mitrovic (Chandler, AZ)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
G01N21/55G01B11/06G01N21/31
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,529,655
App. No.
18/647,370
Granted
Jan 20, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of measuring thin-film thickness, overlay, and wafer-to-wafer bonding overlay, including providing a substrate on a handling stage configured for rotation; illuminating the substrate with a broadband illumination beam; obtaining a first set of reflectivity spectra of a first linear region of the substrate via a hyperspectral broom camera; incrementally rotating the substrate by an angle of rotation via the handling stage; obtaining a set of reflectivity spectra of a linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation; and determining a thickness distribution of the substrate based on sets of reflectivity spectra obtained by the hyperspectral broom camera, wherein each set of reflectivity spectra includes individual intensities of a plurality of wavelengths of light.

Claims (48)

1 . A method of measuring thin-film thickness, overlay, and wafer-to-wafer bonding overlay, comprising:

providing a substrate on a handling stage configured for rotation;

illuminating the substrate with a broadband illumination beam;

obtaining a first set of reflectivity spectra of a first linear region of the substrate via a hyperspectral broom camera;

incrementally rotating the substrate by an angle of rotation via the handling stage;

obtaining a set of reflectivity spectra of a linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation; and

determining a thickness distribution of the substrate based on sets of reflectivity spectra obtained by the hyperspectral broom camera, wherein

each set of reflectivity spectra includes individual intensities of a plurality of wavelengths of light.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising incrementally translating the substrate in a first direction and a second direction relative to the hyperspectral broom camera in addition to each incremental rotation of the substrate and prior to obtaining each set of reflectivity spectra, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular and in a plane of the substrate.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate is translated in at least one direction by the handling stage.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the hyperspectral broom camera is translated in at least one direction by a linear stage.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising linearly translating the substrate in at least one direction relative to the hyperspectral broom camera after the substrate is rotated in a full circle;

incrementally rotating the substrate by the angle of rotation via the handling stage in a second full circle; and

obtaining an additional set of reflectivity spectra of a linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation in the second full circle.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is linearly translated in the at least one direction by the handling stage.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the hyperspectral broom camera is linearly translated in the at least one direction by a linear stage.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each linear region of the substrate spans a radius of the substrate.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each linear region of the substrate spans a diameter of the substrate.

10 . A method of measuring thin-film thickness, overlay, and wafer-to-wafer bonding overlay, comprising:

providing a substrate on a handling stage configured for rotation;

illuminating the substrate with a broadband illumination beam;

obtaining a first set of reflectivity spectra of a first linear region of the substrate via a hyperspectral broom camera;

incrementally rotating the substrate by an angle of rotation via the handling stage;

incrementally translating the substrate in a first direction and a second direction relative to the hyperspectral broom camera, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular and in a plane of the substrate;

obtaining a set of reflectivity spectra of a linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation and translation; and

determining a thickness distribution of the substrate based on sets of reflectivity spectra obtained by the hyperspectral broom camera, wherein

each set of reflectivity spectra includes individual intensities of a plurality of wavelengths of light.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the substrate is translated in at least one direction by the handling stage.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the hyperspectral broom camera is translated in at least one direction by a linear stage.

13 . An apparatus, comprising:

a handling stage configured to receive a substrate and to rotate;

a light source configured to emit a broadband illumination beam;

optics configured to guide the broadband illumination beam to the substrate and guide a reflected beam from the substrate to an hyperspectral broom camera, the optical detector being configured to obtain a set of reflectivity spectra from the substrate based on the reflected beam; and

a controller configured to:

obtain a first set of reflectivity spectra of a first linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera,

incrementally rotate the substrate by an angle of rotation via the handling stage,

obtain a set of reflectivity spectra of a linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation, and

determine a thickness distribution of the substrate based on sets of reflectivity spectra obtained by the hyperspectral broom camera, wherein

each set of reflectivity spectra includes individual intensities of a plurality of wavelengths of light.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to incrementally translate the substrate in a first direction and a second direction relative to the hyperspectral broom camera in addition to each incremental rotation of the substrate and prior to obtaining each set of reflectivity spectra, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular and in a plane of the substrate.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to translate the substrate in at least one direction via the handling stage.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the hyperspectral broom camera is coupled to a linear stage and the controller is configured to translate the hyperspectral broom camera in at least one direction via the linear stage.

17 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to modify a distance between the handling stage and the hyperspectral broom camera.

18 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein each linear region of the substrate spans a radius of the substrate.

19 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein each linear region of the substrate spans a diameter of the substrate.

20 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to linearly translate the substrate in at least one direction relative to the hyperspectral broom camera after the substrate is rotated in a full circle,

incrementally rotate the substrate by the angle of rotation via the handling stage until the substrate is rotated in a second full circle; and

obtain an additional set of reflectivity spectra of a new linear region of the substrate via the hyperspectral broom camera after each incremental rotation in the second full circle.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 31, 2024
From: MITROVIC, ANDREJ
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 067577/0461 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2024
From: MALEEV, IVAN
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 067247/0898 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250334516A1 · Oct 30, 2025
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