Instrumented Substrate for Wavelength-Resolved EUV Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring extreme ultraviolet light irradiance in semiconductor processing environments are inadequate due to their inability to provide wavelength-resolved measurements, as silicon-based detectors are indiscriminate to photon energies exceeding the bandgap, leading to non-specific EUV measurement information.
Innovation Solution
An instrumented substrate apparatus equipped with photoelectric sensors, including a photoemissive material and a photoelectron collector, which absorbs photons and generates electrical signals to determine wavelength-resolved information through the photoelectric effect, allowing for precise measurement of EUV irradiance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If silicon-based detectors are used to detect photons, then detection capability is provided, but wavelength-resolved measurement information is lost due to indiscriminate response to photon energies exceeding the bandgap
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the detection process by dividing the detector into multiple independent photodetector elements, each equipped with a different bandgap energy. This segmentation allows each element to respond selectively to specific photon energy ranges, thereby recovering wavelength-resolved measurement information that would otherwise be lost in a single indiscriminate detector.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by assigning different bandgap characteristics to different regions (photodetector elements) of the detection system. Each element is locally optimized with a specific bandgap material tailored to detect particular photon energy ranges, enabling spatially-resolved spectral information to be captured across the detector array.
2Measurement precision
If filtering is employed to suppress sensitivity in broad wavelength response space, then specific wavelength detection is improved, but overall detection efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using filtering on a single detector, the invention segments the detection function across multiple photodetector elements, each inherently selective to specific wavelength ranges through their bandgap properties. This eliminates the need for additional filtering components that would reduce overall detection efficiency, as each element naturally responds only to photons with sufficient energy to overcome its specific bandgap.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate, wavelength-resolved EUV measurement information, providing spatially and time-resolved data without the need for adjusting the apparatus, enhancing process monitoring and control in semiconductor manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
each photoelectric sensor includes a photoemissive material, a photoelectron collector... The photoemissive material is configured to absorb a plurality of photons and emit a plurality of photoelectrons in response absorbing the plurality of photons
Data Source
AI summary
An instrumented substrate apparatus is configured to measure wavelength-resolved radiation, such as extreme ultraviolet radiation. The instrumented substrate apparatus includes a substrate and photoelectric sensors on the substrate. The photoelectric sensors include a photoemissive material, a photoelectron collector, and a measurement circuit. The measurement circuit is electrically coupled to the photoemissive material and the photoelectron collector. The measurement circuit is configured to measure a current generated by the photoelectron collectors by a current meter. Such current is used to determine the wavelength-resolved EUV measurement information by a controller on the instrumented substrate apparatus, or by communicating the current to a factory automation system.