Apparatus and method for aligning a rotatable substrate to a support mechanism to write a feature to the substrate, and a substrate so configured. In some embodiments, the substrate has a circumferentially extending timing pattern with spaced apart first and second timing marks disposed on opposing sides of a center point of the timing pattern and an identification (ID) field that stores a unique identifier value associated with the substrate. Upon mounting of the substrate to a support mechanism that rotates the substrate about a central axis that is offset from the center point, a control circuit generates a compensation value to compensate for the offset using the first and second timing marks and outputs a process instruction to authorize processing of the substrate using the unique identifier value. In some cases, the unique identifier value is used as a lookup to a computerized database.

Disclosed are a laser processing method for cutting a semiconductor wafer having a metal layer formed thereon and a laser processing device. The disclosed laser processing method transmits a plurality of laser beams, which propagate coaxially, to the semiconductor wafer, thereby forming focusing points in positions adjacent to a surface of the metal layer, which constitutes a boundary with the semiconductor wafer, and to one surface of the semiconductor wafer, respectively.

Disclosed herein are implementations of a particles-transferring system, particle transferring unit, and method of transferring particles in a pattern. In one implementation, a particles-transferring system includes a first substrate including a first surface to support particles in a pattern, particle transferring unit including an outer surface to be offset from the first surface by a first gap, and second substrate including a second surface to be offset from the outer surface by a second gap. The particle transferring unit removes the particles from the first surface in response to the particles being within the first gap, secures the particles in the pattern to the outer surface, and transports the particles in the pattern. The second substrate removes the particles in the pattern from the particle transferring unit in response to the particles being within the second gap. The particles are to be secured in the pattern to the second surface.

Methods and systems for positioning a specimen and characterizing an x-ray beam incident onto the specimen in a Transmission, Small-Angle X-ray Scatterometry (T-SAXS) metrology system are described herein. A specimen positioning system locates a wafer vertically and actively positions the wafer in six degrees of freedom with respect to the x-ray illumination beam without attenuating the transmitted radiation. In some embodiments, a cylindrically shaped occlusion element is scanned across the illumination beam while the detected intensity of the transmitted flux is measured to precisely locate the beam center. In some other embodiments, a periodic calibration target is employed to precisely locate the beam center. The periodic calibration target includes one or more spatially defined zones having different periodic structures that diffract X-ray illumination light into distinct, measurable diffraction patterns.

There is provided a condensing point position detecting method of detecting a position in an optical axis direction of a condensing point of a laser beam condensed by a condenser of a laser processing apparatus. The condensing point position detecting method includes: an irradiation mark forming step of forming a plurality of irradiation marks in a substrate by irradiating the substrate held by a chuck table with the laser beam while moving the condenser in the optical axis direction with respect to the substrate; and a condensing point position detecting step of detecting an irradiation mark having a proper shape from the plurality of irradiation marks formed in the substrate, and detecting the position of the condensing point forming the proper irradiation mark as a position of an accurate condensing point.

A technique for marking semiconductor devices with an identifiable mark or alphanumeric text yields a high-contrast, easily distinguishable mark on an electrical terminal of the device without impacting the device's breakdown voltage capability and without compromising the solderability and wire bondability of the terminal. This approach deposits the mark on the terminal as a patterned layer of palladium, which offers good contrast with the base metal of the terminal and maintains the solderability and bondability of the terminal.

A laser dicing system is disclosed. The laser dicing system includes a host device and a laser source. The host device reads and identifies a mark formed on a surface of a semiconductor structure. The laser source is coupled to the host device and is configured to generate a dicing laser energy to form a trench on the semiconductor structure. The dicing laser energy irradiated on the semiconductor structure is adjustable based on information embedded in the mark.

A component carrier includes a stack having at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure, a solder mask arranged at least on part of an exterior surface of the stack, said solder mask being patterned for defining curved sidewalls, and a legend marking on and/or above the stack, in direct physical contact with the solder mask and at least partially interacting with the curved sidewalls. A method for manufacturing the component carrier is also disclosed.

A template includes a first mark surrounding a recessed portion disposed in an inside region of the first mark. The first mark is provided with, in a planar view, an inner portion having a pair of first sides opposed to each other and a pair of second sides opposed to each other. The first sides extend in a first direction along the first substrate. The second sides extend in a second direction intersecting with the first direction along the first substrate. The inner portion surrounds the recessed portion of the first mark. An outer portion has a pair of third sides opposed to each other and a pair of fourth sides opposed to each other. The third sides extend in the first direction. The fourth sides extend in the second direction. The outer portion is an outer edge portion of the first mark.

A method of arranging a plurality of semiconductor structural elements on a carrier includes arranging at least some of the semiconductor structural elements in multiple groups G and at least one semiconductor structural element of a group G has a property E that determines the position of the respective group G of semiconductor structural elements on the carrier.