Wafers that begin as flat surfaces during a semiconductor manufacturing process may become warped or bowed as layers and features are added to an underlying substrate. This warpage may be detected between manufacturing processes by rotating the wafer adjacent to a displacement sensor. The displacement sensor may generate displacement data relative to a baseline measurement to identify areas of the wafer that bow up or down. The displacement data may then be mapped to locations on the wafer relative to an alignment feature. This mapping may then be used to adjust parameters in subsequent semiconductor processes, including adjusting how a carrier head on a polishing process holds or applies pressure to the wafer as it is polished.

An exemplary apparatus includes a chamber that includes a first window and a second window; a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate in the processing chamber; an infrared light (IR) source configured to generate a collimated IR beam; a first optical assembly configured to transmit the collimated IR beam into the chamber through the first window and direct the collimated IR beam at an incident angle of Brewster's angle with a front side of the substrate; and a second optical assembly configured to receive the collimated IR beam reflected at a back side of the substrate through the second window and direct the collimated IR beam to an optical sensor system.

A method and apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates is described herein. The apparatus includes one or more growth monitors disposed within an exhaust system of a deposition chamber. The growth monitors are quartz crystal film thickness monitors and are configured to measure the film thickness grown on the growth monitors while a substrate is being processed within the deposition chamber. The growth monitors are connected to a controller, which adjusts the heating apparatus and gas flow apparatus settings during the processing operations. Measurements from the growth monitors as well as other sensors within the deposition chamber are used to adjust processing chamber models of the deposition chamber as substrates are processed therein.

Disclosed is a container that receives a substrate type sensor. The container includes a body having a reception space, one side of which is opened, a door that selectively opens and closes the reception space, a shelf part that supports the substrate type sensor in the reception space, and a charging module that charges the substrate type sensor supported by the shelf part, and the charging module includes a charging part that moves between a standby location and a charging location that charges the substrate type sensor supported by the shelf part.

A photolithography method includes dispensing a first liquid onto a first target layer formed over a first wafer through a nozzle at a first distance from the first target layer; capturing an image of the first liquid on the first target layer; patterning the first target layer after capturing the image of the first liquid; comparing the captured image of the first liquid to a first reference image to generate a first comparison result; responsive to the first comparison result, positioning the nozzle and a second wafer such that the nozzle is at a second distance from a second target layer on the second wafer; dispensing a second liquid onto the second target layer formed over the second wafer through the nozzle at the second distance from the second target layer; and patterning the second target layer after dispensing the second liquid.

In an embodiment, a system includes: a chuck; multiple groove conduits arranged around a circumference of a wafer position on the chuck; a gas source in fluid communication with the multiple groove conduits; and a flow monitor configured to determine an amount of gas flow from the gas source to an individual one of the multiple groove conduits.

There is provided a drying apparatus for covering an upper surface of the substrate with an uneven pattern formed thereon with a liquid film and subsequently drying the substrate, including: a first heat transfer part whose temperature is adjusted to a first temperature, wherein a first heat is transferred between the first heat transfer part and the substrate by a first temperature difference; a second heat transfer part whose temperature is adjusted to a second temperature different from the first temperature, wherein a second heat is transferred between the second heat transfer part and the substrate by a second temperature difference; and a controller configured to control the first temperature and the second temperature and to control a surface tension distribution of the liquid film so as to control an agglomeration of the liquid film.

A system and method provides a more precise mole delivery amount of a process gas, for each pulse of a pulse gas delivery, by measuring a concentration of the process gas and controlling the amount of gas mixture delivered in a pulse of gas flow based on the received concentration of the process gas. The control of mole delivery amount for each pulse can be achieved by adjusting flow setpoint, pulse duration, or both.

A wafer processing method includes a liquid layer forming step of forming a layer of a liquid on a supporting face of a wafer table included in a supporting unit, a fixing step of placing a side of an adhesive sheet of the wafer on the wafer table on which the layer of the liquid has been formed, and fixing the wafer to the wafer table through the adhesive sheet, a detecting step of imaging the wafer with an imaging unit which is positioned opposite to the supporting face of the wafer table to thereby detect the division lines formed on the front side of the wafer, and a processing step of processing a portion on a back side of the wafer corresponding to each of the division lines.

In this sample stage that adsorbs and holds a sample, the configuration includes: an outer circumference stage that has a first adsorption surface and a pressure receiving chamber that is a recess formed in the center thereof; an inner circumference stage that has a second adsorption surface, and that is housed in the pressure receiving chamber and can project upward from the outer circumference stage; a first flow channel for a sample desorption operation that is formed on the outer circumference stage and is opened on the first adsorption surface; a second flow channel for the sample desorption operation that is formed on the outer circumference stage and the inner circumference stage and is opened on the second adsorption surface; and a third flow channel for inner circumference stage elevating driving that is formed on the outer circumference stage and is opened in the pressure receiving chamber.