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Apparatus for detecting micro-cracks in wafers and method therefor

A wafer and crack technology, which is applied in the field of devices for inspecting wafer defects, can solve the problems of complicated detection of tiny cracks and insufficient contrast of output images.

Active Publication Date: 2011-06-29
APPLIED MATERIALS INC
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  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

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Problems solved by technology

As a result, the output image of microcracks 20 does not have enough contrast to allow image analysis software to detect microcracks 20
[0011] In addition to image resolution issues, detecting microcracks in solar wafers becomes more complicated when the solar wafer is polymorphic

Method used

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  • Apparatus for detecting micro-cracks in wafers and method therefor
  • Apparatus for detecting micro-cracks in wafers and method therefor
  • Apparatus for detecting micro-cracks in wafers and method therefor

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Embodiment Construction

[0030] Referring to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the invention described below relate to producing high contrast images of solar wafers for inspection purposes to facilitate detection of micro-cracks on solar wafers.

[0031] Conventional methods and systems for producing images of solar wafers do not produce images of high enough contrast to detect microscopic cracks in solar wafers. Furthermore, the increasing use of polycrystalline wafers for the manufacture of solar cells has increased the difficulty of detecting micro-cracks using the aforementioned conventional methods and systems.

[0032] For the sake of brevity and clarity, the following description of the invention will be limited to its application to improved systems and methods for facilitating the detection of microcracks in wafers used to fabricate solar cells. However, this is not intended to limit or exclude embodiments of the invention to other scopes of application that facilitate inspection of ...

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PUM

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for wafer inspection is disclosed. The method and apparatus involve directing light substantially along a first axis towards a first surface of a wafer to thereby obtain light emanating along the first axis from a second surface of the wafer, wherein the first and second surfaces of the wafer are substantially outwardly opposing and substantially extending parallel to a plane. The method and apparatus further involve directing light substantially along a second axis towards the first surface of the wafer to thereby obtain light emanating along the second axis from the second surface of the wafer, the first axis being angled away from the second axis about a reference axis extending along the plane. More specifically, the orthographic projection of the first axis on the plane is substantially parallel to the orthographic projection of the second axis on the plane, and each the orthographic projection of the first and second axes on the plane is substantially orthogonal to the reference axis.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to inspection of objects. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for inspecting wafers for defects. Background technique [0002] Solar cell manufacturers perform routine inspections on their solar wafers. This is to ensure that any defective solar cells are identified to control the quality of the solar cells. [0003] Solar wafers are thin slices of silicon crystals commonly used in the process of making solar cells. Solar wafers serve as substrates for solar cells and undergo a series of manufacturing processes such as deposition, etching, and patterning before becoming usable solar cells. Therefore, in order to increase production yield and reduce production cost, it is very important to maintain the quality of solar cells from the beginning of the manufacturing process. [0004] Microcracks, a common defect in solar wafers, are very difficult to detect because some ar...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): H01L21/66H01L31/042
CPCG01N21/9505Y02E10/52H01L22/12H01L2924/0002Y02E10/50H01L2924/00
Inventor 曾淑玲
Owner APPLIED MATERIALS INC
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