US Patent No: 4,739,177

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Light scattering particle detector for wafer processing equipment

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Abstract

A particle detector includes a laser, a beam shaping lens, and a pair of mirrors which reflect the shaped laser beam back and forth between the mirrors a selected number of times in order to create a sheet of light or light net between the mirrors. The path of the beam is terminated by a beam stop which contains a photodiode to monitor beam intensity and thereby system alignment. Light scattered by a particle falling through the sheet of light is gathered and transmitted to a photodiode. A peak detector provides a measure of the peak intensity of light scattered by such a particle to a microprocessor, which counts the number of particles falling through the light net in a selected time interval. The microprocessor also uses the peak intensity to estimate the size of the particle.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
HIGH YIELD TECHNOLOGY, A CORP. OF CA.SUNNYVALE, CA11
HIGH YIELD TECHNOLOGY, INC.SUNNYVALE, CA6

International Classification(s)

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  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Borden, Peter San Mateo, CA 42 216

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
HONEYWELL INC. (1)
4,221,485 Optical smoke detector 16 1979
 
OTHER [CHECK PATENT PROFILE FOR ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION] (2)
4,299,489 Device for determining the histogram of sizes of particles 7 1980
4,473,296 System and method and apparatus for a continuous aerosol monitor (CAM) using electro-optical weighing for general aerosols 22 1982

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
PARTICLE MEASURING SYSTEMS, INC. (7)
5,121,988 Single particle detector method and apparatus utilizing light extinction within a sheet of light 30 1989
7,456,960 Particle counter with improved image sensor array 6 2005
8,154,724 Two-dimensional optical imaging methods and systems for particle detection 0 2008
7,916,293 Non-orthogonal particle detection systems and methods 4 2008
8,027,035 Non-orthogonal particle detection systems and methods 3 2011
8,174,697 Non-orthogonal particle detection systems and methods 0 2011
8,427,642 Two-dimensional optical imaging methods and systems for particle detection 0 2012
 
TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED (4)
7,883,779 Vacuum apparatus including a particle monitoring unit, particle monitoring method and program, and window member for use in the particle monitoring 0 2007
7,969,572 Particle monitor system and substrate processing apparatus 0 2008
7,797,984 Vacuum apparatus including a particle monitoring unit, particle monitoring method and program, and window member for use in the particle monitoring 0 2008
8,218,145 Particle monitor system and substrate processing apparatus 0 2011
 
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. (2)
5,686,996 Device and method for aligning a laser 3 1995
7,145,653 In situ particle monitoring for defect reduction 3 2000
 
HIGH YIELD TECHNOLOGY, A CORP. OF CA. (2)
4,896,048 Scattering-type particle detection device for use in high temperature process chambers 16 1988
5,132,548 High sensitivity, large detection area particle sensor for vacuum applications 39 1990
 
AMNIS CORPORATION (1)
6,707,551 Multipass cavity for illumination and excitation of moving objects 13 2003
 
ANELVA CORPORATION (1)
5,467,188 Particle detection system 14 1994
 
AXCELIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (1)
7,423,277 Ion beam monitoring in an ion implanter using an imaging device 2 2006
 
FUJITSU LIMITED (1)
5,094,533 Optoelectrical particle detection apparatus 5 1991
 
GENTEX CORPORATION (1)
7,167,099 Compact particle sensor 4 2004
 
HACH ULTRA ANALYTICS, INC. (1)
5,436,465 Modular particle monitor for vacuum process equipment 17 1993
 
HIGH YIELD TECHNOLOGY, INC. (1)
5,055,698 Real-time particle sensor for disk drives 4 1990
 
INFICON, INC. (1)
6,906,799 Signal processing method for in-situ, scanned-beam particle monitoring 1 2002
 
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (1)
5,481,357 Apparatus and method for high-efficiency, in-situ particle detection 22 1994
 
LEICA MICROSYSTEMS CMS GMBH (1)
7,158,295 Apparatus and method for determining directional transport processes 0 2004
 
PACIFIC SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS COMPANY (1)
5,565,984 Re-entrant illumination system for particle measuring device 22 1995
 
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA (1)
4,928,537 System for airborne particle measurement in a vacuum 10 1988
 
SHIMADZU CORPORATION (1)
8,294,894 Particle counter 0 2009
 
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT (1)
6,050,125 Calibrating wafer and method for the production of a calibrating wafer 1 1998
 
TSI INCORPORATED (1)
5,557,040 Method and apparatus for precipitation detection and differentiation 8 1996
 
VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC. (1)
6,909,102 Ion implanter system, method and program product including particle detection 10 2004