U.S. patent number RE41,924 [Application Number 11/948,425] was granted by the patent office on 2010-11-16 for method and system for machine vision-based feature detection and mark verification in a workpiece or wafer marking system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to GSI Group Corporation. Invention is credited to Amit V. Engineer, Christian Nemets, Michael Woelki.
United States Patent |
RE41,924 |
Nemets , et al. |
November 16, 2010 |
Method and system for machine vision-based feature detection and
mark verification in a workpiece or wafer marking system
Abstract
A system and method for inspecting machine readable marks on one
side of a wafer without requiring transmission of radiant energy
from another side of the wafer and through the wafer. The wafer has
articles which may include die, chip scale packages, circuit
patterns and the like. The marking occurs in a wafer marking system
and within a designated region relative to an article position. The
articles have a pattern on a first side. The method includes the
steps of imaging a first side of the wafer, imaging a second side
of the wafer, establishing correspondence between a portion of
first side image and a portion of a second side image, and
superimposing image data from the first and second sides to
determine at least the position of a mark relative to an
article.
Inventors: |
Nemets; Christian (Camarillo,
CA), Woelki; Michael (Stow, MA), Engineer; Amit V.
(Chelmsford, MA) |
Assignee: |
GSI Group Corporation
(Billerica, MA)
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Family
ID: |
29550148 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/948,425 |
Filed: |
November 30, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60381602 |
May 17, 2002 |
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Reissue of: |
10439069 |
May 15, 2003 |
07119351 |
Oct 10, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
250/559.4;
250/208.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
21/681 (20130101); B23K 26/04 (20130101); B23K
26/361 (20151001); H01L 23/544 (20130101); G06K
1/126 (20130101); B23K 26/705 (20151001); B23K
26/0853 (20130101); B23K 26/40 (20130101); B23K
26/043 (20130101); B23K 26/042 (20151001); H01L
21/67282 (20130101); H01L 2924/0002 (20130101); B23K
2103/50 (20180801); H01L 2223/54453 (20130101); H01L
2223/54473 (20130101); H01L 2223/5448 (20130101); B23K
2101/40 (20180801); H01C 17/242 (20130101); H01L
2223/5442 (20130101); B23K 2101/007 (20180801); H01L
2924/0002 (20130101); H01L 2924/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G01N
21/86 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;250/559.4,559.3,559.44,548,208.1 ;356/399-402 ;355/53,55 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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359011618 |
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Jan 1984 |
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JP |
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362047142 |
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Feb 1987 |
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JP |
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404346186 |
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Dec 1992 |
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JP |
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404364401 |
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Dec 1992 |
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JP |
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11135390 |
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May 1999 |
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JP |
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02001308154 |
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Nov 2001 |
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JP |
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WO 96/16767 |
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Oct 1997 |
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WO |
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WO 98/53949 |
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Dec 1998 |
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WO |
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WO 00/64622 |
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Nov 2000 |
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WO |
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WO 01/54854 |
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Aug 2001 |
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WO |
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WO 01/61275 |
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Aug 2001 |
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WO |
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WO 03/092069 |
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Nov 2003 |
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WO |
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Other References
Montagu, Galvanometric and Resonant Low Inertia Scanners, Laser
Beam Scanning, Marcel-Dekker, 1985, pp.
214-216..quadrature..quadrature. cited by examiner .
Hayes, Orlan, Marking Application Now Encompass Many Materials,
Laser Focus World, Feb. 1997, pp. 153-160. cited by examiner .
Rossi, Brian, Commersial Fiber Lasers Take ON Industrial Markers,
Laser Focus world, May 1997, pp. 143-150. cited by examiner .
Keirstead, Mark and Somerville, Paul, UV Lasers are workhorses,
Optoelectronics World magazine, Jun. 2001, pp. 197-198, 200-201,
www.optoelectronics-world.com. cited by examiner .
Zayhowski, John, Q-Switched Microchip lasers Find Real World
Application, Laser Focus World magazine, Aug. 1999, pp. 129-132,
134, 136, www.optoelectronics-world.com. cited by examiner .
Scanning Lens Theory, Special Optics, Wharton, New Jersy, May 1997,
pp. 36-37. cited by examiner .
Special Optics Manufacture and Design catalog, Scanning Lenses,
www.specialoptics.com/scanlens.html. cited by examiner .
Rodenstock Laser Optics--F-Theta Flat Field Laser Scan Lenses,
Laser Optics, www.rodenstockoptics.de/pp5.html. cited by examiner
.
Nikoonahad, Mehrdad, et al., In Situ Height Correction for Laser
Scanning of Semiconductor Wafers, Optical Engineering, Oct. 1995,
vol. 34, No. 10, pp. 3036-3039. cited by examiner .
Motagu, Galvanometric and Resonant Low Inertia Scanners, Laser beam
scanning, Marcel-Dekker, 1985, pp. 214-216. cited by examiner .
Kuttner, Paul, Optics for data storage, Optische Werke G.
Rodenstock, Munich, Genrmany, pp. 303-305, 331-332 and 383-390.
cited by examiner .
Invention Disclosure entitled "Calibration System for Fine Die
Alignment", shipping date Sep. 1998 to Helett Packard. cited by
examiner .
PCT International Preliminary Examiknation Report, dated Mar. 15,
2004, pp. 1-4. cited by examiner .
PCT International Preliminary Examination Report, dated Aug. 28,
2003, pp. 1-4. cited by examiner.
|
Primary Examiner: Le; Que T
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brooks Kushman P.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application
Ser. No. 60/381,602, filed May 17, 2002.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for inspecting machine readable marks on one side of a
wafer without requiring transmission of radiant energy from another
side of the wafer and through the wafer, the wafer having articles
which may include die, chip scale packages, circuit patterns and
the like, the marking occuring in a wafer marking system and within
a designated region relative to an article position, the articles
having a pattern on a first side, the method comprising: imaging a
first side of the wafer; imaging a second side of the wafer;
establishing correspondence between a portion of first side image
and a portion of a second side image; and superimposing image data
from the first and second sides to determine at least the position
of a mark relative to an article.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising substantially matching
images obtained from the first and second sides so that the
superimposed image portions correspond, wherein the step of
substantially matching is carried out using a calibration target
and a matching algorithm.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the superimposed data is used to
determine the position of a mark relative to the article.
4. A system for inspecting machine readable marks on one side of a
wafer without requiring transmission of radiant energy from another
side of the wafer and through the wafer, the wafer having articles
which may include die, chip scale packages, circuit patterns and
the like, the marking occurring in a wafer marking system and
within a designated region relative to an article position, the
articles having a pattern on a first side, the system comprising:
means for imaging the first side of the wafer to obtain an image;
means for imaging a mark on the second side of the wafer to obtain
an image; means for establishing correspondence between a portion
of a first side image and a portion of a second side image; and
means for superimposing image data from the first and second sides
to determine at least the position of the mark relative to an
article.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the means for
establishing correspondence includes a calibration target and an
algorithm.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to laser marking of workpieces, including
semiconductor substrates, wafers, packages and the like. The
invention is particularly adapted for, but not limited to, marking
machine readable codes on a second side of semiconductor wafers
which have a high density circuit patterns on a first side, for
instance chip scale packages having a high density of interconnects
which could be damaged by a marking beam, or where space for codes
is limited.
2. Background Art
The following representative patent references relate to various
aspects of laser marking of wafers and electronic assemblies,
illumination, and inspection/reading marks: U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,522,656; 4,945,204; 5,329,090; 6,309,943; 6,262,388; 5,929,997;
5,690,846; 5,894,530; 5,737,122; and Japanese Patent Abstract
11135390.
The following representative references provide general information
on various laser marking methods and system configurations and
components: "Galvanometric and Resonant Low Inertia Scanners",
Montagu, in Laser Beam Scanning, Marcel-Dekker, 1985, pp. 214-216;
"Marking Applications now Encompass Many Materials", Hayes, in
Laser Focus World, February 1997, pp. 153-160; "Commercial Fiber
Lasers Take on Industrial Markets", Laser Focus World, May 1997,
pp. 143-150. Patent Publications: WO 96/16767, WO 98/53949, U.S.
Pat. Nos. 5,965,042; 5,942,137; 5,932,119; 5,719,372; 5,635,976;
5,600,478; 5,521,628; 5,357,077; 4,985,780; 4,945,204; 4,922,077;
4,758,848; 4,734,558; 4,856,053; 4,323,755; 4,220,842;
4,156,124.
Published Patent Applications WO0154854, publication date 2 Aug.
2001, entitled "Laser Scanning Method and System for Marking
Articles such as Printed Circuit Boards, Integrated Circuits, and
the Like" and WO0161275, published on 23 Aug. 2001, entitled
"Method and System for Automatically Generating Reference Height
Data for use in a Three-Dimensional Inspection System" are both
assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Both
applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,943 relates to identifying and determining a
position of a scribe grid on a front-side surface of a wafer with a
camera. Based on this information, a laser is fired to form an
alignment mark on the back-side surface of the wafer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,270, assigned to the assignee of the present
invention, describes a method and system for automatically
generating reference height data for use in a 3D inspection system
wherein local reference areas on an object are initially determined
and then the height of these local reference areas are determined
to generate the reference height data.
The WH-4100 Laser Marking System is a commercially available
backside laser marking system produced by the assignee of the
present invention. A fine alignment vision subsystem corrects
rotational or offset errors (X, Y, Angle) which are introduced when
a wafer is placed in the marking station. A manual "teach tool"
allows the user to train the system to recognize three
non-collinear points on the wafer that is to be used for the
correction. An iterative trial and error process with various
adjustments, and manual evaluation of the results is required with
the system. The information is then used to determine mark
locations on the bottom side of the wafer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,894,530 and 5,929,997 relate to viewing systems
used for inspection and/or alignment operations in
microelectronics. In the '530 patent, optical elements are
selectively positioned such that images of indicia fields disposed
on either side of a substrate can be viewed (at the same
magnification) whenever the substrate is in a given orientation, or
such that images of indicia fields disposed on both sides of the
substrate may be viewed at the same magnification,
simultaneously.
With increasing density and complexity of circuitry on
semiconductor devices, (e.g., exceeding ten-thousand die on a 300
mm wafer), multiple designs and layout of circuitry, there is an
on-going need to provide advanced interactive tools for improving
throughput and yield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method
and system for machine vision-based feature detection and mark
verification in a workpiece or wafer marking system.
In carrying out the above object and other objects of the present
invention, a precision laser based method of marking a
semiconductor wafer having articles which may include die, chip
scale packages, circuit patterns and the like. The marking occurs
in a wafer marking system and within a designated region relative
to an article position. The method includes determining at least
one location from which reference data is to be obtained using (a)
information from which a location of an article is defined, and (b)
a vision model of at least a portion of at least one article.
Reference data is obtained to locate a feature on a first side of
the wafer using at least one signal from a first sensor. The method
further includes positioning a marking field relative to the wafer
so as to position a laser beam at a marking location on a second
side of the wafer. The positioning is based on the feature
location. A predetermined pattern is marked on the second side of
the wafer using a laser marking output beam. The step of
determining includes: measuring at least one feature in an image
obtained from a first wafer portion; relating the measured feature
to a wafer map; and storing the data for use when marking wafers
substantially identical to the first wafer. The steps of measuring,
relating, and storing are performed automatically.
The step of measuring may include measuring the average pitch of a
plurality of articles and relating the average pitch to a wafer
map.
The articles may comprise a row-column pattern of die, and the step
of determining may further include: locating a pair of orthogonal
edges of the row-column pattern; forming bounding boxes from the
edges and; defining a die pattern coordinate system from the
bounding boxes.
The relative positioning of the wafer may be carried out in a
primary coordinate system substantially aligned with the movement
of at least one positioner. The method may further include
transforming coordinates to relate the primary coordinate system
with the die pattern coordinate system.
The step of determining may still further include: obtaining a
coordinate using a wafer map to provide the information from which
a location of the article is defined; and imaging at least a
portion of an article on a first wafer to generate the vision
model.
Still further in carrying out the above object and other objects of
the present invention, a method is provided for inspecting machine
readable marks on one side of a wafer without requiring
transmission of radiant energy from another side of the wafer and
through the wafer. The wafer has articles which may include die,
chip scale packages, circuit patterns and the like. The marking
occurs in a wafer marking system and within a designated region
relative to an article position. The articles have a pattern on a
first side. The method includes imaging a first side of the wafer,
imaging a second side of the wafer, establishing correspondence
between a portion of first side image and a portion of a second
side image, and superimposing image data from the first and second
sides to determine at least the position of a mark relative to an
article.
The system may further include substantially matching images
obtained from the first and second sides so that the superimposed
image portions correspond. The step of substantially matching may
be carried out using a calibration target and a matching
algorithm.
The method may further include providing an input using the user
interface so as to cause a region of interest to be defined within
at least a portion of an image of an article.
The region of interest may be operator adjustable.
The superimposed data may be used to determine the position of a
mark relative to the article.
The method may further include providing an inspection station
having a wafer positioning subsystem separated from a positioning
subsystem used for marking.
Yet still further in carrying out the above object and other
objects of the present invention, a precision laser based system of
marking semiconductor wafers, the wafer having articles which may
include die, chip scale packages, circuit patterns and the like.
The marking occurs in a wafer marking system and within a
designated region relative to an article position. The system
includes means for determining at least one location from which
reference data is to be obtained using (a) information from which a
location of an article is defined and (b) a vision model of at
least a portion of at least one article. The system further
includes means for obtaining reference data to locate a feature on
a first side of a wafer using at least one signal from a first
sensor. The system further includes means for positioning a marking
field relative to the wafer so as to position a laser beam at a
marking location on a second side of the wafer. The positioning is
based on the feature location. The system still further includes
means for marking a predetermined pattern on the second side of the
wafer using a laser marking output beam. The means for determining
measures at least one feature in an image obtained from a first
wafer portion, relates the measured feature to a wafer map, and
stores the data for use when marking wafers substantially identical
to the first wafer. The measuring, relating, and storing are
performed automatically by the means for determining.
Still further in carrying out the above object and other objects of
the present invention, a system is provided for inspecting machine
readable marks on one side of a wafer without requiring
transmission of radiant energy from another side of the wafer and
through the wafer. The wafer has articles which may include die,
chip scale packages, circuit patterns and the like. The marking
occurs in a wafer marking system and within a designated region
relative to an article position. The articles have a pattern on a
first side. The system includes means for imaging the first side of
the wafer to obtain an image, means for imaging the mark on the
second side of the wafer to obtain an image, means for establishing
correspondence between a portion of a first side image and a
portion of a second side image, and means for superimposing image
data from the first and second sides to determine at least the
position of a mark relative to an article.
At least one of the means for imaging may include a zoom lens.
The means for establishing correspondence may include a calibration
target and an algorithm.
Yet still further in carrying out the above object and other
objects of the present invention, a laser based system is provided
for laser marking of substrates such as semiconductor wafers or
similar substrates with a laser marking beam. The substrates have a
repetitive pattern of articles arranged in rows and columns. Each
of the articles have a feature detectable with an imaging
subsystem. The system has a laser marking head, the imaging
subsystem for imaging and measurement, a motion subsystem having a
stage for positioning at least the substrate relative to the
imaging subsystem, and a user interface connected at least to the
imaging subsystem and motion subsystem. Laser marks are to be
placed at predetermined locations relative to the articles. A
method of laser marking with beam position control using
predetermined pattern features is further provided. The method
includes providing, through the user interface, an input so as to
cause a portion of the pattern to be identified for automatic
feature detection and measurement with a machine vision algorithm.
The method further includes positioning a first substrate relative
to the imaging subsystem automatically to traverse the pattern
along at least one of a row or column of the pattern so as to
acquire image data at a first set of feature locations. A dimension
is measured using at least one detectable feature of a plurality of
articles, the algorithm, and the image data. Dimensional data is
stored based on the measurement. At least three feature locations
of a second set of feature locations are determined relative to the
pattern using the dimensional data. The feature locations of the
second set suitably define a relationship between a pattern
coordinate system and a stage coordinate system. The first
substrate is removed and a second substrate is positioned to be
marked relative to the imaging subsystem. At least three
corresponding feature locations of the second set of feature
locations are located in image data obtained from the corresponding
pattern on the second substrate. Coordinates of the pattern on the
first substrate are related to the corresponding pattern on the
second substrate. The substrate is positioned relative to the
marking beam based on at least the three feature locations of the
second set to mark the substrate.
A first estimate of the dimension may be obtained by semiautomatic
relative positioning of the substrate and the imaging subsystem
over a substantially small area of the pattern, and further
includes identifying a feature in a displayed image, and
communicating the image location of the feature using the user
interface.
The substrate may be a semiconductor wafer, the articles are die,
and a feature is a corner of the die.
The dimensional measurement may be the average die pitch measured
over a substantial number of die along at least one of a row and
column.
The average die pitch may be related with a wafer map.
The pattern coordinate system may have an origin defined relative
to a boundary of the pattern.
The step of determining may include searching for pattern
locations, and searching may be carried out by controlling the
stage based on pattern system coordinates.
The step of providing may further include generating a vision model
using an image of a portion of the pattern.
The above object and other objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed
description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A illustrates a view of the first side of semiconductor wafer
having articles, and a field of view covering several articles;
laser marking of each article is to occur in a corresponding field
on the backside of the wafer;
FIG. 1B shows an article of FIG. 1A in an expanded view;
FIG. 1C is a broken away expanded view of four articles within the
field shown in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 1D illustrates exemplary two examples of circuitry which may
be present on various articles, for instance a ball grid array and
circuit trace patterns;
FIGS. 2A2B shows several components of a marking system of the
present invention with FIG. 2A showing the workpiece and exemplary
optical and mechanical components, and FIG. 2B depicting a system
controller;
FIG. 2C illustrates, by way of example (not to scale), ray diagrams
associated with non-telecentric alignment and marking systems,
particularly as applied to backside wafer marking based on topside
features;
FIGS. 3A-3C are a number of views wherein FIG. 3A shows a view of
the second (bottom) side of the wafer with a marking field,
corresponding to the field of view of FIG. 1A, containing the
articles of FIG. 1C; FIG. 3B is an illustration, in a broken away
view, of marks formed within a designated region on the second
side; and FIG. 3C shows an expanded view of a marked article;
FIG. 4 shows an example of a galvanometer beam positioning system,
which may be used in an embodiment of the invention for backside
marking;
FIG, 5A is a schematic diagram showing certain sub-systems of a
laser marking system for semiconductor wafers for use in a
production system;
FIG. 5B is a schematic illustrating exemplary time efficient
sequencing of operations for a wafer marking process;
FIGS. 6A-6B show two alternative beam positioners, which may be
used alone or in combination for laser marking;
FIGS. 7A-7D illustrates top, end, side, and perspective views,
respectively, of a workpiece positioning mechanism for use in an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 8A-8D are top, end, side, and perspective views,
respectively, showing the use of two positioners of FIG. 7 for
supporting and positioning a rectangular workpiece (up to and
including 2 degrees of freedom);
FIGS. 9A-9C are top, side, and perspective views, respectively,
showing the use of three positioners for supporting and positioning
a round workpiece, for instance a 300 nm wafer (up to and including
3 degrees of freedom);
FIG. 10A is a schematic representation of an exemplary laser and
optical system for general wafer marking (e.g., topside marker
shown);
FIG. 10B illustrates schematically degradation in mark quality
(e.g.; due to cracking) with increasing laser penetration depth
when compared to a mark produced using a method and system of the
present invention;
FIGS. 11A-11D relate to two and three-dimensional calibration of
the workpiece processing system of FIGS. 2A and 2B with various
calibration targets;
FIGS. 11E-11J further illustration various calibration target
configurations for calibrating various subsystems within a laser
marking system;
FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate several features that may be located
within a field of view on a first side of a wafer, the feature
locations being used to determine a position of a marking beam on
the opposite side, for example;
FIG. 12D illustrates coordinate systems and exemplary circuit
features used for relating coordinates of a wafer to be marked with
a stored representation of the wafer;
FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate the design of a telecentric lens for use
in a precision wafer marking system with a deviation less than
about 1 spot diameter over (1) an 80 mm wide field, and (2) a depth
range corresponding to nominal wafer sag and warpage
specifications;
FIG. 14 illustrates schematically features of a laser mark on a
semiconductor wafer;
FIG. 15 schematically illustrates a wafer positioning system
wherein the wafer is initially loaded in a horizontal position, and
moved to a vertical position for alignment, marking, and inspection
operations;
FIG. 16 shows a wafer holder capable of supporting wafers in
horizontal, vertical, and upside down configurations; and
FIGS. 17A-17C show a calibration target and representative
superimposed image obtained with separate imaging systems so as to
allow for mark inspection and position verification.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Overview
Several components of a system 100 for laser marking and inspection
of wafers, for instance 300 mm wafers, is schematically illustrated
in FIG. 5A. A robot 101 transfers a wafer from a FOUP (Front
Opening Unified Portal) delivery device to a pre-aligner 102 which
is used to find the notch or flat of the wafer so as to orient the
wafer for further processing. Reader 103 may be used to extract
certain coded information which in turn may be used in subsequent
processing steps. A precision stage 104 is used, and a fine
alignment procedure included to correct the residual error of the
pre-aligner (e.g., X, Y, rotation). The wafer is marked. All marks,
or a designated subset, are then inspected. In the arrangement of
FIG. 5A the inspection system is used with a separate inspection
stage 105.
A marking sequence, following opening of a FOUP, includes: 1. Robot
moves the wafer to the pre-aligner and establishes a notch-die
positional relation. 2. The wafer ID is read by an OCR reader. 3.
Mark information is obtained from a network. 4. The robot moves the
pre-aligned wafer to a precision X-Y stage. 5. Fine X-Y-Theta
alignment of the wafer to a least correct residual pre-aligner
errors. 6. The wafer is marked using a "mark-index field-mark-index
field" repeating sequence. 7. The wafer is inspected. 8. The wafer
is returned to the FOUP.
FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary sequence of operations for time
efficient wafer processing in a system. Various processing steps
may occur in parallel. For example, a second wafer may be
transferred for pre-alignment while fine alignment is occurring on
a first wafer.
An exemplary 300 mm wafer may have several thousand articles (e.g.:
chip scale packages, integrated circuits). The density of the
circuitry on each article can lead to difficulty in placing machine
readable marks, such as 1-dimensional or 2-dimensional codes, in
restricted areas. For instance, the die size on a 300 mm wafer may
vary from about 25 mm to 0.5 mm or smaller, with dense, complex
circuit patterns. Further, damage to circuitry which might be
caused by a high energy marking beam is to be avoided. WO0154854,
assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a method of
high resolution marking of electronic devices. Laser mark
registration is obtained from circuit features measured with a
sensor, and in one embodiment the sensor is located disjoint from a
marking head. Examples are included in '854 for marking of PCB
multi-ups and packages such as chip scale packages and die in a
tray. Sections of the '854 disclosure, including: page 4, lines
9-16, page 6, lines 1-5 and 22-29, Page 8, lines 10-17, page 9,
line 15-page 10, line 30, page 11, lines 14-20 and the sections in
the detailed description entitled "scan head", "marking operation",
and "registration" and the associated drawings of the sections are
related to the present disclosure and provide additional support
for various aspects of precision marking methods and systems
disclosed herein.
Referring to FIG. 1A, one embodiment of the present invention
provides a precision laser based method of marking a semiconductor
wafer 3, and the method may be adapted to marking of packages,
substrates or similar workpieces. The wafer 3 may have articles 2
(one shown in an expanded view in FIG. 1B) which may include die,
chip scale packages, circuit patterns and the like. The articles
may be substantially identical, but such a restriction is not
necessary. In a typical semiconductor manufacturing operation,
subsequent to marking, the articles will be the separated by
precisely cutting ("dicing") the wafer. Further information may be
found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,943 wherein alignment marks 35 (see
FIGS. 3A-3C) placed on the back of a wafer are used to define a
path for precision cutting. Referring to FIG. 3, the marks 36 on an
article are to be formed within a designated region 30 relative to
an article position. In this example the backside 33 of the wafer 3
is marked near a corner of the article. Circuits 34 correspond to a
backside view of circuits 4.
In a preferred embodiment for marking large (e.g.: 300 mm) wafers a
calibration process will be used to relate an alignment vision
system coordinate (e.g., a "first side" position, for instance at
the sensor center position, and at best focus) and beam positioning
sub-system coordinate (e.g.: laser beam waist position at the
center of a marking field). Preferably, the calibration will
provide three-dimensional correction. The increasing demand for
precision placement of marks in localized areas over a large field
lead to increasing beam positioning accuracy and decreasing spot
size requirements for obtaining finer line widths or character
sizes. Over a large workpiece "sag" and warpage may be significant
relative to the depth of focus, which introduces conflicting design
parameters. Preferably, a laser spot size can be adjusted during
system operation while maintaining spot placement accuracy. With
reference to the arrangement of FIG. 2A, one embodiment includes
calibrating a first sensor sub-system 14 (e.g., a "alignment vision
system") and a beam positioner sub-system 19 (e.g., "marking
head"). The calibration is used to relate a first side position and
a marking beam position, the sub-systems each having a field of
view which is a portion of a workpiece 11 to be marked. The
workpiece may be a semiconductor wafer 3. Further details regarding
various steps of a calibration process providing both 2-dimensional
and 3-dimensional capability are provided in SECTION 1 which
follows entitled "2D/3D Calibration." Further details on various
calibration procedures for workpiece processing can be found in
exemplary references (1) U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,132 entitled,
"Rectification of a Laser Pointing Device," (2) U.S. Pat. No.
4,918,284 entitled "Calibrating Laser Trimming Apparatus," and (3)
WO0064622, "Laser Calibration Apparatus and Method."
FIG. 2C illustrates, by way of example, the multiplication of beam
position error with depth in a non-telecentric system when marking
a warped wafer 143 on the backside using frontside data (though not
so restricted). The wafer has a thickness 146, which is typically
at least a few hundred microns. Topside alignment camera 142 is
shown, for the purpose of illustration, to be aligned with marker
head 147 along optical centerline 149. Planes 148,144 represent
reference planes corresponding to working distances from the marker
and camera respectively. In absence of depth variations, these
planes intersect camera viewing rays and marking beams at wafer
surface positions. Reference data along ray 140 is obtained from a
reflection at the wafer surface at the point of intersection of the
wafer. The data will be, without correction, represented as a
coordinate corresponding to the intersection with plane 144, which
is to be related to a marking coordinate. A lateral position error
1400 results. Assume for the purpose of illustration a mark is to
be placed on the back of the wafer at a position corresponding to
reference data taken along ray 140 at the wafer intersection. A
marking beam, without correction, will be directed to a point in
the plane 148 corresponding to the reference data (and position
error). However, this may result in a mark outside of a designated
region, as shown by the direction of central ray of marking beam
141 at the actual intersection point with the wafer.
The three-dimensional calibration process of SECTION 1 of the
Appendix, with suitable height measurements of the wafer, may be
used to determine a correction to be applied to the beam
positioner.
In a preferred telecentric system, the error is reduced to about 1
spot or finer with a lens (see SECTION 5 which follows entitled
"Precision Telecentric Lens") of low to moderate cost. Preferably,
the telecentric design compensates for the worst case wafer warpage
and additional system "stackup" errors. With the preferred
arrangement a field size supporting relatively high marking speeds
is maintained. In the telecentric case the calibration process may
be streamlined, but multiple calibration files used to at least
control and maintain the laser spot size over the working volume
are preferred. This provides for consistent marks and for mark
contrast control.
Three-dimensional tolerances are to be considered for the alignment
and marking sub-systems in view of the workpiece variations
relative to the depth of focus of the optical systems. Increasing
the alignment system magnification to improve feature location
accuracy decreases the depth of focus. Various focusing methods are
useful to position the entire sub-system 14 and/or lens system 15
(shown as a telecentric lens but not so restricted) relative to the
workpiece along the Z-axis. For example, the Z-axis position
corresponding to the maximum edge contrast at a die location is a
possible measure. A measurement of the maximum intensity of a
"point" or small target (one the order of a pixel) may provide more
sensitivity to depth changes.
Wafer "sag" is somewhat predictable from a specification of wafer
thickness. Predictions based on models (fixed edge and simple
support) with wafer thickness ranges of about 300 .mu.m to 775
.mu.m indicated about 60 .mu.m of deviation for the latter case.
For thinner wafers the deviation increases, and the overall
deviations may be further increased by warpage and other stackups.
Surface deviations may be estimated and used for certain
correction. A telecentric system, for instance as described in
SECTION 5, is predicted to yield less than 1 .mu.m of spot
placement error over a 4'' marking field. Various sub-systems,
including the scan head, alignment vision system, and perhaps
inspection system may include at least an option for height
sensing. Similarly, a separate sub-system could be added
specifically for height measurements at a plurality of locations on
the wafer surface. Preferably, any degradation in the cycle time of
the machine will be negligible.
In one arrangement the alignment vision system 14 will be
relatively positioned at sample points which may include but are
not limited to the regions used for feature detection. As mentioned
earlier, the focus sensing may be achieved by sampling the image
contrast at locations along the z-axis using the alignment vision
system. The z-axis locations are recorded. Alternatively, a
triangulation or focus sensor, which may be a commercially
available module, may be used for measuring surface points which
are used with the alignment and calibration algorithms (and the
known wafer thickness) to map the surface. Similarly, a direct
measurement of the second side may be obtained with a sensor
included with the vision inspection module 20. In an alternative
arrangement a "full field" system, for instance a commercially
available Moire Camera, may be used. In any case, the data will
preferably be used to position the marking beam waist at the
surface. In accordance with the preferred calibration method of
SECTION 1, the desired spot size will be maintained at the marking
locations. In one arrangement the marking beam waist may be
positioned in discrete steps, for instance at 9 locations within an
80 mm field for center-edge compensation. Non-contact optical
sensing is preferred, but capacitance or touch probes may be
acceptable.
If the deviations correspond to a simple second order curve and are
symmetric, then the wafer surface may be sampled along a diagonal
direction using at least three locations (edge region, center, edge
region). If warpage is represented with a higher order curve (e.g.:
"potato chip") additional data will be acquired, for instance at
least nine locations. If the data is acquired with the first side
alignment system, the second side location may be approximated
using the thickness of the wafer, which may be measured or
specified by the operator.
Similarly, both for calibration and marking, a marking beam focus
function may be sampled at a number of locations in the marking
field (at reduced power). The system may include a detection system
suitable for measuring "featureless" surfaces, for example a bicell
or quad-cell arrangement. Alternatively, a projected grid may be
used similar to the options provided in commercially available
Metrology equipment manufactured by Optical Gaging Products
(Rochester, N.Y.). The focusing tool will preferably be used for
both alignment and system setup operations in addition to
measuring-the working distance during wafer marking.
In the system of FIGS. 2A and 2B, both the beam positioning
subsystem and the alignment system preferably include telecentric
optical systems 351 and 15, respectively, which reduce or eliminate
variation in the position of an angular scanned marking beam
position with depth. SECTION 5 shows a telecentric lens system
which provides spot placement accuracy better than one spot
diameter over a field size of about 80 mm, and over a depth range
corresponding to worst case expected sag/warpage. The 80 mm field
allows for significantly higher marking speeds compared to smaller
non-telecentric fields. Furthermore, the 30 .mu.m spot size is
finer than most wafer mark systems, a desirable feature for
controlling mark contrast and resolution.
However, other alternatives may be used with appropriate
compensation for positioning with depth. For instance, in one
embodiment a telecentric lens 15 may be used, but an arrangement
similar to 47 of FIG. 6 may be used for marking (as discussed
below).
With reference to FIG. 2A, the preferred alignment sub-system will
have a high resolution camera 13, for example a 1280.times.1000 CCD
imaging array with image processing hardware and software for
extracting and processing smaller regions using a "software zoom"
feature. Alternatively, a calibrated "zoom" optical system may be
used. Illumination system 21 may include special illumination
design, for instance a combination of dark and bright field
illuminators, to enhance the contrast of features used for
alignment. In one embodiment an LED array provides low angle
illumination, with a manually adjustable angle. In the
configuration using the high resolution camera the exposure is
fixed which simplifies the design, eliminating the dependence of
the image "brightness" with magnification.
In one embodiment, the marking sub-system 19 includes the system
shown in FIG. 4 with X-Y galvanometers providing deflection system
40, 41, 42, 43 and possibly a beam expander assembly 49. FIG. 6,
incorporated from the earlier cited reference to Montagu, pp.
227-228 shows alternative pre-objective 46 (e.g.: telecentric) and
a post-objective 47 scanning arrangements, the latter incorporating
an additional dynamic focus translator 48. In a preferred
telecentric system of the present invention components may be
included for dynamic focus 48 and/or spot size adjustment with a
computer controlled version of expander 49 of FIG. 4.
The fine alignment system provides correction for residual
X-Y-angle errors associated with the transfer and pre-aligner. In
one embodiment wherein only small variations occur or are
specified, the alignment system may correct X, Y, and theta (e.g.:
angle) variations with measurements taken at three locations (e.g.
fiducials). However, with emerging tight tolerances an increasing
density of circuit/wafer, increased accuracy is preferred. The fine
alignment system of 14 provides added capability of recognizing
and/or measuring features associated with an article 2 of the wafer
(e.g.: machine vision/pattern recognition capabilities). A feature
location will be determined. An algorithm is used to obtain
reference data and to locate a feature associated with at least one
article 2 on a first side of the workpiece 3 using at least one
signal from the first sensor 13. For example, article 2 of FIG. 1A,
shown in an expanded view of FIG. 1B, may have a circuit pattern
with detectable conductor traces 7 or pads 5 which may be
replicated 4 in at least a portion of the wafer (but not
necessarily over the entire wafer). In a preferred system, a
pattern recognition algorithm will, based on "training" on a
reference wafer, for instance, automatically learn at least a
portion of the workpiece structure and determine the relative
location of the pads, traces, or similar features. For instance,
the rectangular outline of a die (article) 6 or corner locations
may be used as one feature to locate the die edge and/or estimate
the center. The location may be related to a location of at least
one other die in 4 located within the marking field 1 of FIG. 3A,
or possibly outside the field if tolerances permit. For example, a
minimum of 3 non-collinear locations are determined over the
workpiece and used to calculate an offset and rotation correction
for the entire workpiece. Another pattern may be defined by the
location of an array of solder balls or pads 8 as an
alternative/equivalent. Yet another pattern may include sections of
internal circuitry of the article having even greater density than
illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D. The algorithm may include matching
features of the workpiece using a machine vision sub-system, for
instance a grey scale or binary correlation algorithm. Various
"modules" and algorithms for pattern recognition and matching are
commercially available (e.g.: Cognex Inc.) which may be adapted for
use with the present invention. The workpiece may have identical
and repetitive patterns.
In a preferred arrangement the matching is automatically performed
over all the articles, and without human intervention. It should be
noted that many combinations of patterns may be present on a wafer
with special marking requirements (e.g.: "binning") and the
preferred algorithm will have substantial flexibility. The
"training" may further include a semi-automatic, operator guided
teaching phase so as to efficiently program the machine for
recognition and matching of complex patterns.
In WO 0161275, incorporated by reference and assigned to the
assignee of the present invention, various detection and
recognition algorithms are disclosed for automatic learning of
circuit features using grey-scale and/or height information, and
subsequent use of the stored information for inspection. For
instance, the following sections of the '275 disclosure: page 7,
lines 4-26; page 8, lines 1-5 and lines 17-25; page 9, lines 5-10;
page 10, lines 24-25; page 11, lines 1-18; page 15, lines 29-30;
page 16, lines 1-10; page 17, lines 19-28 and the associated
drawings teach the application of various pattern recognition and
learning algorithms. Further details of various steps for detection
and matching features for obtaining reference locations for
precision marking of wafers and similar articles are disclosed in
SECTION 2 which follows entitled "Feature Detection and Fine
Alignment."
In one embodiment of a 300 mm marking system, an 80 mm marking
field is used for high speed, and an alignment vision field of
approximately 16 mm is used to for feature detection. With a
1024.times.1024 array a 16 .mu.m pixel size will be provided, which
is somewhat finer than the spot size of the marking beam. For
example, in an embodiment of a backside wafer marking system a spot
size of less than 40 .mu.m is preferred, with a most preferred
range of about 25-35 .mu.m. The marking field 1 dimension (depicted
in FIG. 3 and corresponding to the region 4 of FIG. 1-A but on the
backside 33 of wafer 3) may be a relatively small fraction of the
workpiece 3 dimension (e.g.: a 300 mm maximum wafer size in a
system configured so as mark wafers of varying specified
dimensions). For example, in one embodiment for marking 300 mm
wafers nine or more marking fields having dimensions in the range
of about 75-100 mm are used to provide marking precision and high
speed operation. In a case where a workpiece is severely warped,
the marking field may be reduced by controlling the amplitude of
the scan angle, based on surface measurements or a specification.
Precision marking includes relatively positioning the beam
positioner sub-system 19 (or a component of the sub-system) and the
workpiece 11 so as to position a laser beam at a marking location
30 on a second side of the workpiece 33 as shown in FIG. 3, the
positioning based on the feature location on the first side. The
feature location may define the location of the article (e.g.: edge
or center) or otherwise be related to designated region(s) 30 for
marking located on the second side. Various methods and sub-systems
may be used for the positioning as described in more detail
below.
As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, a predetermined code or other
machine-readable indicia 36 is marked on the workpiece, typically
with a scanned laser marking output beam (vector or dot matrix, for
instance) within the field defined by 24 of FIG. 2A, preferably
using telecentric lens 351. A machine readable mark is formed in
the designated region. Also, laser induced damage to an article 2
is avoided by marking the second side
The steps of obtaining reference data, relatively positioning, and
marking are repeated so as to locate a feature associated with at
least one article on the first side, and to position a marking beam
within all the designated regions on the second side based on the
feature Iocation(s).
The beam positioning sub-system preferably includes a 2D
galvanometer scanner 40, 41, 42, 43 as shown in FIG. 4 (but
preferably adapted for irradiating the workpiece with a telecentric
beam as shown in FIG. 2A and approximately as in arrangement 46 in
FIG. 6). Alternatively, the sub-system may include a translation
stage or rotary stage with beam delivery optics. The laser and
optical system may be integral or remotely coupled, for instance
with a fiber delivery system. The field of view of the beam
positioner may range from a few laser spot diameters to a
relatively wide angular field, but for precision marking in
accordance with the present invention the field will be a portion
of the largest workpiece to be marked in the system. For example,
wafers of 100, 200, and 300 mm may be marked and the marking field
1 dimension (e.g.: first side view in FIG. 1A, second side view in
FIG. 3A) may be about 100 mm. In certain cases a pattern may be
marked on workpiece (say with a lower laser power requirement) with
parallel beams as illustrated in publication WO961676, and/or U.S.
Pat. No. 5,521,628. Various combinations of serial and parallel
operation may be used, for instance with multiple marking heads as
taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,388. The 2D/3D calibration process of
the present invention may be adapted to these marking
configurations to maintain accuracy.
Relatively positioning may further include: (i) providing a beam
positioner which may include a 2D galvanometer deflector; (ii)
adjusting a mirror 42, 43 position (See FIG. 4) if the marking
location is within the field; (iii) relatively translating the
workpiece 11 and beam positioning sub-system 19 so as to position
the location within the marking field 1 whenever the location is
outside the marking field. The features related to article 2 (also
depicted by the dashed lines of FIG. 2A) are used as discussed
above to determine a position of the marking beam, and the position
will preferably be a three dimensional coordinate. Further, the
specified or measured thickness of the wafer may be a parameter
used to determine the focal position of the beam relative to a
front side position.
In a preferred system for wafer marking at least one workpiece
positioner is used in addition to stage 18 (also depicted as 104 in
FIG. 5A) for fine positioning. The positioning sub-system is
configured so as to support and position workpieces 11 of varying
specified dimensions, while allowing radiation beams (marking
beam(s) over field 24 and illumination/viewing beams in fine
alignment camera field 25 from light source 21) shown in FIG. 2A to
directly irradiate the first and second sides of the workpiece. In
one embodiment, a wafer chuck 17 (see SECTION 3 which follows
entitleH "Workpiece Chuck/Positioner") provided with a Z-axis
(direction 26) drive with an option of smaller wafer inserts to
support the wafer of other workpiece. The system is preferably
automated with an arrangement of end effector(s) transferring the
workpiece to the chuck 17 which automatically clamps, grips, or
otherwise supports (shown in a single schematic view in FIG. 2A)
the workpiece. Surface damage and significant distortion are to be
avoided.
In view of the aforementioned emerging three-dimensional variations
and tolerance requirements, it is preferred that the marking beam
focus position shown as 422 in FIG. 4 (e.g.: beam waist) and
attitude (roll, pitch relative to the focal plane) depicted by the
arrow 22 (see FIG. 2A) be adjustable. For example, variations in
"sag" or warpage of the wafer in addition to stackup tolerances may
be compensated by providing a total adjustment range of at least
about + or -2 millimeters. Referring to FIG. 2A, the adjustment may
include relative Z-axis (depth) positioning of the laser beam
positioning sub-system 19 and workpiece along a direction
substantially perpendicular to the workpiece so that the beam waist
of the laser substantially coincides with the workpiece. The
adjustment may be dynamic and done for each wafer. The adjustment
may include tilting 22 (pitch, roll) of the laser beam positioner
and/or workpiece to so that a focal plane of the laser beam is
substantially parallel to a local planar region of workpiece (e.g.:
over a marking field). Alternatively, a planar region may
correspond to a best fit plane over the workpiece. Some adjustments
may be done with a combination of manual or semi-automatic
positioning of the beam positioner, for instance during calibration
or setup. Similarly, the end effector(s) and the chuck 17 coupled
to precision stage 18 may be controlled by a program so position
the workpiece 11 in angle (roll, pitch) and depth. SECTION 3 of the
Appendix illustrates specific details of an embodiment for
automatic precision positioning of a circular (for instance a 300
mm wafer) or rectangular workpiece with actuators for adjustment of
the height and preferably attitude. The arrangement is particularly
adapted for height adjustment. Various modifications, for instance
spherical or point contact at the support base 53 in FIGS. 7C and
7D, will facilitate the fine angular positioning (roll, pitch) of
the workpiece, for instance, tilting wafers having thickness of 300
.mu.m or less.
In an alternative arrangement the wafer may be held in a vertical
position. For instance, a suitably modified and automated version
of the "Wafer Edge Fixture" produced by Chapman instruments, and
configured for a maximum wafer size 300 mm (Chapman Instruments,
Rochester, N.Y., and referenced to U.S. Pat. No. 5,986,753) may be
used. Six degrees of freedom are included for profiling of wafers.
Further description of the tilt stage, wafer chuck, X-Y-Z stage,
and controller are found in the article "Wafer Edge
Measurements--New Manual Fixture Provides More Features."
In one embodiment for wafer marking a "split gantry" stage is an
alternative with automatic positioning of the horizontal mounted
marking head along one direction (e.g.: "X", horizontal, into the
page) and wafer positioning in at least a second direction (e.g.:
"Y" vertical and along the page, and "Z" along the optical axis,
and preferably including capability for roll and pitch
adjustment).
FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of yet another positioning
arrangement with several components marking system also
illustrated. The wafer is translated in two dimensions (e.g.:
translation in a plane perpendicular to the page of FIG. 2A). The
wafer is oriented with an end effector to notch 702 and loaded into
holder 701. A hinge 703 is used for loading in the horizontal
position followed by transferring to a vertical position for
marking with a beam incident through scan lens 351. At least two
axes of motion 704 and 705 are provided. The construction allows
for marking the backside and for fine ahgnnient using camera 13
wherein the location of front side features are used to position
the marking beam.
FIG. 16 shows details of one arrangement for holding wafers at
various orientations. In this arrangement wedge 800 is engaged by a
spring 801 held open by vacuum so as to allow for mounting in a
horizontal, vertical, or upside down orientation.
Various combinations of the motion (manual or automatic) of the (1)
workpiece positioner 18 and (2) beam positioning sub-system (e.g.:
"marking head") 19 and/or (3) internal components of 19 (e.g.: a
dynamic focus sub-system 48 and/or beam expander 49 may be used and
coordinated with controller 27. For instance, five axes of motion
(e.g.: X, Y, Z and Roll, Pitch) may be implemented for precision
positioning in a wafer processing station 100. Further, coarse
(possibly manual or semi-automatic) positioning may be implemented
in one or more axes, for instance.
The selection of laser pulse characteristics can have a significant
effect on the speed, contrast, and overall quality of the marks.
For backside marking of Silicon wafers a pulsewidth of about 15 ns,
repetition rate of about 25 KHz, and output energy of about
0.23-0.25 millijoules at a wavelength of 532 nm provided favorable
results. A short cavity green Vanadate laser was used. Further,
marking depth penetration of about 3 .mu.m-4.5 .mu.m provided
machine readable marks without internal damage (e.g.: cracking) of
the wafer. Marking speeds of about 150 mm/sec were achieved, and it
is expected that about 350 mm will be achievable with preferred
laser parameters. The marking speed represents a relative
improvement for marking in view of the large number of articles to
be marked at high resolution. An exemplary range of operation
includes pulse width of about 10-15 ns, repetition rate of about
15-30 KHz, with focused spot size of about 30-35 .mu.m for marks on
Silicon wafers. Another range may include a pulsewidth of up to
about 50 ns, and a minimum repetition rate of about 10 KHz.
Micro-cracking is also prevented by limiting penetration of the
beam to a depth of less than about 10 .mu.m. It is expected that a
wavelength of 1.064 .mu.m will be suitable for marking metal
workpieces, with frequency doubled operation for Silicon wafer
marking. Further details on a preferred laser and associated
characteristics are disclosed in SECTION 4 which follows entitled
"Laser Parameters and Mark Quality."
Referring to FIG. 2A, a vision inspection system 20, viewing the
second side, will generally include an illuminator, camera or other
imaging device, and inspection software. In a preferred system the
inspection field is calibrated to the fine alignment vision field.
For instance, the centerlines may be aligned 29 as shown in FIG.
2A, with a large overlap between the fields. This provides for
overlaying the marks on the die for mark manual or automatic visual
verification. SECTION 6 which follows and is entitled "Backside
Mark Inspection With Frontside Die Registration" describes details
of an embodiment for inspecting marked wafers. All the marks (100%
inspection) may be inspected, or a user-specified subset. For
example, a few locations on the wafer may be marked and the results
analyzed. If the results meet specifications all the remaining
designated regions of the wafer may be marked. The vision system
may be mounted on a separate stage wherein a first wafer is
inspected while a second is marked (See FIG. 5A). FIG. 2A
illustrates an alternative arrangement wherein a single stage 18 is
used to position the workpiece for both inspection and marking.
The inspection system will preferably provide feedback regarding
mark quality as rapidly as possible to maximize yield. For
instance, a wafer may have 30,000 chip scale packages as articles.
A marking field may have at least a thousand die. A separate
inspection system with "standard" lighting for viewing marks may be
an advantage to establish correlation between various stages of the
wafer and device assembly steps wherein the marks may also be
viewed. In an embodiment where the inspection system optical axis
is separated the inspection may occur in a sequence where a first
field is marked and then inspected. The inspection of the first
field will occur while a second adjacent field is being marked when
a large number of articles are to be inspected.
In an embodiment using a pair of galvanometer mirrors, data
representing at least a sample of die (or other article) over the
field may be acquired with a "through the lens" vision system
(e.g.; a second simpler vision system for the case of wafer mark
inspection). The data processing operation may overlap with
positioning (indexing) to an adjacent field. It should be noted
that the coaxial vision system might not require a vision system
with complete inspection capability. For instance, the intensity or
radiation pattern of the reflected scanned beam may be analyzed for
early detection of gross mark defects or other process problems.
For instance, a single photodetector may be used to analyze the
reflected marking beam. Telecentric viewing (e.g.: received through
lens 351) reduces variations with angle, which can provide for
improved classification of signals.
Some Further Discussion of Various Alternatives:
In a preferred embodiment the workpiece 11 is translated when
indexing to marking fields. However, the relative motion of the
workpiece 11 and beam positioning sub-system 19 may include
translation of at least a portion of the beam positioner (or a
component). When marking wafers, a single X-Y stage moving the
wafer allows for positioning of the alignment system 14, marking
lens 351, inspection system 20, and possibly an optional mark
verification reader. In an embodiment wherein the wafer is
translated, alignment and beam scanning may be simplified. In an
embodiment where the positioning sub-system or portion of the
sub-system is translated fiber beam delivery from a remote laser
source to marking head 19 may be used to an advantage.
In one embodiment for wafer marking a Z-axis stage 28 may be used.
A range of at least + or -2 mm is preferred. The beam positioner 19
and lens 351 may move, but movement of the wafer is preferred. The
Z motion may be determined by the focus of the alignment camera
system components 13, 15. The sag and warp of the wafer is
preferably compensated by movement (translation, roll, pitch) of
the wafer with the positioning system 18, 17 or by movement of the
beam positioner 19 as described above.
A total Z range of travel of about 12 mm, implemented with one or
more translators, may be used to allow a robotic end effector to
load a wafer while allowing for compensation of wafer sag by
relative movement of the wafer and marking beam focus location.
A method for controlling contamination may be an advantage. For
example, a tilted window, placed between lens 351 and the
workpiece, with a slight amount of vibration may remove particles
from the marking lens. Air pressure may be used to clean the lens
during idle periods. A tilted window will displace the beam and
aberrations may be introduced. Certain errors (e.g.: beam
displacement) may be corrected during calibration. Alternatively,
an "air knife" may be used to produce fast moving air across the
lens.
An exemplary exclusion zone of about 2-3 mm is typically used.
The wafer nest may have vacuum applied on the 2 mm exclusion zone.
The nest may be held with a kinematic mount.
The focal position of the alignment system lens 15 and camera 13
may be used for determining a Z-axis location and for fine
positioning of the beam. In one embodiment the wafer is translated.
Alternatively, the camera system may be focused and the position
recorded. The position may then be related to the beam positioner
coordinates (e.g.: the lens position) and the lens and positioner
translated accordingly.
In one embodiment slight relative movement of the Z-axis position
may be used to compensate for sag and warp. For instance, a change
in the z-axis position may be effected at a plurality of marking
locations over a 100 mm marking field. For instance, Z-translation
may occur at nine locations (e.g.: to compensate from center to
edge).
The X-Y table may have a range of travel of about 12-18 inches,
with linear encoders for position feedback.
An inspection module may have optical resolution of about 4
microns.
A telecentric lens may be used with the fine alignment system.
The inspection module 20 may also be used for certain alignment
operations (e.g. locating a fiducial on backside) and may be
calibrated using a transparent alignment target to establish
correspondence with the coordinate system of the fine alignment
camera 13.
The recommended marking depth for optimum reading, while avoiding
substrate damage, may be about 3.5 microns. The laser system may be
configured for a maximum mark depth of about 10 microns.
Embodiments of the present invention may be used to mark wafers
with programmable field sizes and number of fields (e.g.: 9-16
fields of view on a wafer having a diameter in a range of 150-300
mm), focusing options (e.g.: 3 focus positions for wafers 775
microns thick with increasing density for thinner wafers) and
various marking speeds (e.g.: 150-250 mm/sec).
Various exemplary and non-limiting system parameters and associated
tolerances may include:
TABLE-US-00001 PARAMETER TOLERANCE Encoder Resolution .1 microns
Z-stage Travel 10 mm Z-stage Perpendicularity .1 mRad Z-stage
Accuracy +/-5 microns Fine Alignment Repeatability 1-2 microns Spot
Size .ltoreq.60 microns nominal, 25-40 .mu.m preferred Galvo
(calibrated field) +/-30-50 micron accuracy Marking Lens Option
(due to sag) telecentric, +/-3 micron, 300 micron wafer thickness,
300 mm wafer Marking Lens Option flat field, +/-10 micron, 775
micron wafer thickness, 300 mm wafer
Numerous alternatives may be used to practice the invention.
Variations of the positioner type, number of positioners, vision
systems, focusing hardware, laser types including q-switched and
fiber lasers, may be used. Furthermore, the choice of
serial/parallel operation of multiple markers and inspectors for
efficient production time management and yield improvement,
including cluster tools and statistical process control may be
incorporated for use with a precision marking system of the
invention. Further, it is contemplated that the pattern recognition
and marking techniques of present invention may be used alone or in
combination with other production processes, for instance the
"dicing" operation described in the aforementioned '943 patent.
SECTION 1--2D/3D Calibration
Various commercially available marking and workpiece processing
systems calibrate the laser marking field by marking a grid on test
mirror and measuring the grid on a separate coordinate measuring or
metrology machine. It is an iterative process and very time
consuming. Other laser systems use the on-line through-scan-lens
vision system to calibrate the laser-marking field on the same
side. Alternatively, a substrate or disposable workpiece may be
marked.
In accordance with the present invention, "two-dimensional
calibration" utilizes an x-y stage a pair of stages translating the
workpiece and/or marking head, or other arrangement winch allows
the on-line machine vision sub-system 14 of FIG. 11A to calibrate
the laser marking field 24 on the OPPOSITE side. The calibration is
used to mark the second side based on vision data and features from
the first side.
Calibration may be system dependent and manual, automatic, or
semi-automatic. By way of example, four steps for calibration are
shown below to illustrate aspects of overall system calibration: 1.
Calibrating camera pixels for each camera in system. 2. Calibrating
coordinates of a first camera to a second camera. 3. Calibrating
stage coordinates to camera coordinates 4. Calibrating the scan
head to the wafer nest.
FIG. 11E schematically illustrates a typical arrangement for
respective top and bottom cameras 501 and 502. In at least one
embodiment of the present invention each camera is calibrated
separately to match the camera pixels to actual "real world"
coordinates. FIGS. 11F and 11G schematically illustrate a "tool
arca" 505, which is relatively positioned within camera 501,502
fields of view. Preferably, the cameras may be mechanically
positioned within the system so the fields of view substantially
overlap, but the fields may be separated. In one exemplary
arrangement the crosshairs 506 may be about 5 mm apart. The
calibration may include measuring the coordinates of the crosshairs
and estimating a center position, scale factors, and rotation of a
coordinate system relative to the tool. Preferably, at least the
"pixel size" of the camera will be measured. Alternative
embodiments may include additional crosshairs of other suitable
targets and calibration of sub-fields within the camera field of
view.
FIG. 11H illustrates a calibration step wherein the top and bottom
cameras preferably view (simultaneously) target 511 as seen by a
first camera and the same target depicted by dashed lines 510 as
seen by a second camera. The calibration target may be within the
"tool area" as shown. A correction for offset, scale, and rotation
is applied. In one embodiment an additional crosshair may be used
to specify the center of the object. This arrangement, with
precision calibration, is particularly useful for providing a
display showing a mark on the backside of a wafer relative to a die
position as seen on the front side for the purpose of mark
inspection (see SECTION 6).
Yet another calibration step may be applied to compensate for X-Y
stage tolerances. FIG. 11I illustrates three crosshairs 520 used
for calibration wherein the entire nest is moved and camera
coordinates are related to stage coordinates. As such, the
tolerance stackup of the stage is compensated.
Yet another calibration may be applied to calibrate the scan lens
351 of marking head 19 in FIG. 11A to stage coordinates. FIG. 11J
shows a consumable part, for instance a black anodized disk 521
which may be marked with five crosshairs, one shown as 522.
Software is used to inspect the marked plate. The marking field may
be a fraction of the disk 521 size, and an X-Y stage provides for
relative positioning of the disk and marking beam.
These basic steps above may be sufficient and preferred in a system
wherein marking performance is substantially invariant with depth
(e.g.: large depth of focus, relatively large laser spots,
relatively small wafers having exemplary thickness of about 775
microns and minimal sag).
In one embodiment the alignment vision subsystem 14 of FIG. 11A may
be calibrated first with a previously marked wafer or alternatively
with a precision grid (e.g.: each preferably conforming to a
calibration standard). For instance a 200 mm wafer or other maximum
wafer size to be marked with the system may be used. The wafer
marks may include with a grid of fiducials similar to a crosshair
522 of FIG. 11J. In one embodiment the wafer has a 77.times.77
array of crosshairs with 2.5 mm spacing with a special pattern at
the center of the grid. The camera focus is preferably checked
(e.g.: contrast measurement) over the grid and mechanical
adjustments made to the nest. Alternatively, a positioner (e.g.:
see FIGS. 9A-9C) may be adjusted in depth or attitude if used in a
system. The marked calibration wafer is also used for a next
calibration step wherein the X-Y stage 18 is calibrated. The
initial X-Y stage calibration may take several hours to complete
with calibration over the range of travel, the calibration
information being recorded by imaging a crosshair or other suitable
target on the calibration wafer. The data is then evaluated. A
third calibration step of the embodiment is a marking field
calibration wherein a 200 mm wafer (or maximum size wafer to be
marked) is marked with a pattern similar that of FIG. 11J, or other
pattern with suitable density. Preferably, the X-Y stage is
calibrated as above prior to calibration of the marker. The mark
positions are then measured with using the fine alignment camera,
or with a separate vision subsystem. For example, the marks may be
measured with a commercially available, "off-line" precision
Metrology system produced by Optical Gaging Products (OGP), for
instance a Voyager measuring machines. If marker field calibration
is to be periodically repeated as part operation of the marker in a
production environment, the alignment vision system may be used.
Preferably, the resolution and accuracy of the alignment system
will substantially exceed the minimum mark spacing.
Compensation for workpiece sag and warpage may require maintaining
the same spot size with different working distances. Besides, there
is an increasing need to change laser beam spot sizes during
operation to meet different application parameters, such as line
width, character size, mark contrast, hard-mark, soft-mark,
throughput, etc. Three-dimensional calibration provides calibration
at a plurality of marking positions along the Z-axis. As a result,
the laser marking field capability is provided for changing the
laser beam working distance and/or spot size automatically while
maintaining the laser beam position accuracy.
There is also an increasing need to change the size of the field of
view (FOV) of the machine vision system during operation to meet
different application requirements. Three-dimensional calibration
on machine vision allows the system to change the size of FOV
automatically and maintain the vision dimension accuracy at the
same time.
Referring to FIGS. 11A-11D, in one arrangement, a two-dimensional
calibration procedure relating a position of the first side to the
laser marking field 24 on the second side includes a calibrated
machine vision sub-system 14 and calibrated x-y stage 18 that will
mark a mirror 92 (one mark shown as 95 in FIG. 11B). A description
of the calibration of stage 18 and camera sub-system 14 is shown
below (steps 1 and 2). The test mirror is positioned at a
predetermined working distance with coated surface facing the laser
source. The marking laser beam 93 is directed to several locations
on the surface so as to mark 95 an N.times.N grid on the mirror 92.
In the illustrated embodiment the x-y stage 18 moves the mirror in
both x and y directions so that the alignment vision camera 13 can
"see" each node on the grid from non-coated surface of the mirror
(opposite side from laser source). Illumination from light source
21, or other suitable illumination, is used and depicted by
illumination beam 94. The coordinates of each node are recorded. A
calibrated algorithm or look up table is then generated relating
the coordinates.
The calibration techniques described herein are not restricted to
"topside" imaging and "bottomside" marking. For example, the
process may be applied to wafer marking in a system where a chuck
holds the wafer in a vertical position, and the marking and
illumination beams are substantially horizontal. Likewise, the
workpiece may be marked from the topside based on calibration and
reference data from the bottom-side. Similarly, the process may be
adapted for calibrating separated alignment and marking fields,
both covering regions of a single side of a workpiece.
In order to optimize the system for different application
parameters, sometimes one or more machine settings might require
adjustment during the operation. When the change in setting affects
the system accuracy, a new calibration will be required. The
three-dimensional calibration process is used to create multiple
layers of calibration files with respect to different system
settings. A three-dimensional calibrated system can switch between
different settings automatically and achieve the required
performance and accuracy by using the corresponding calibration
files. Exemplary methods to achieve three-dimensional calibration
for different settings on the system include:
1. Laser beam spot size versus laser working distance: Use z-stage
28, and/or a combination of relative motion of chuck 17, and/or
motion of an optical sub-system within marking head 19 to
relatively position the test mirror to different working distances
with respect to the laser source. Varying the working distance
de-focuses the laser beam and provides different spot size at the
work surface. It has been determined that a defocused spot provides
acceptable mark quality for certain workpieces, and hence is
considered. The two-dimensional calibration described above is
repeated for each working distance. As the result, a group of
calibrated algorithms or look up tables for different spot sizes
with corresponding working distances is generated.
2. Laser beam spot size versus laser beam expander setting: Use an
expander for focus control, zoom expansion control, or the
combination. For instance, a computer controlled embodiment of the
expander 49 shown in FIG. 4 may be used to achieve different laser
beam spot sizes on a work surface at fixed working distance.
Different combinations of laser beam expansion and focus can be
used to achieve a desired spot size. Then the two-dimensional
calibration described above is repeated for each beam expander
setting. As the result, a group of calibrated algorithms or look up
tables for different spot sizes with corresponding beam expander
settings is generated.
3. Laser beam working distance versus laser beam expander setting:
Use an expander for focus control, zoom expansion control, or the
combination. For instance, a computer controlled embodiment of the
expander 49 shown in FIG. 4, may be used to achieve same laser beam
spot sizes on a work surface at different working distances. The
laser beam focus relative to the work surface could be held
constant or could vary by using different expansion settings while
keeping the same spot size. Then the two-dimensional calibration
described above is repeated for each beam expander setting. As the
result, a group of calibrated algorithms or look up tables for
different working distances with corresponding beam expander
settings is generated.
4. Machine vision field of view versus vision lens/camera setting:
Adjust the zoom and focus on vision lens/camera 13, 15 of
sub-system 14 to achieve different sizes of field of view on a work
surface. Repeat and generate a calibration algorithm or look up
table for each vision lens/camera setting. As the result, a group
of calibrated algorithms or look up tables for different fields of
view with corresponding lens/camera settings is generated. On an
alternative arrangement, "software zoom" capability provides for a
useable range of operation without requiring moving parts. In yet
another arrangement the digital and optical techniques may be
combined.
In a preferred arrangement capability will be provided for
adjustment of system parameters (e.g. laser beam working distance
and spot size) while maintaining calibration in the presence of
"sag" or workpiece warpage. The warpage may be significant relative
to the depth of focus for smaller spot sizes, particularly for
thinner wafers or workpieces (e.g. 300 .mu.m thick, 300 mm
diameter). In one embodiment the alignment vision system 14 (e.g.
positioned relative to the first side) and marker coordinates may
be calibrated with at least the following steps:
Step 1.
Camera Calibration:
Use a precisely made grid template 91 (shown in FIG. 11-D) to
calibrate the fine alignment camera's pixel size over the field of
view 25 to the real world unit. This will compensate for geometric
distortion of the lens system and other static errors. In an
alternative arrangement a single "point" target may be translated
through the camera field providing stage limited accuracy
performance over the field 25, at the expense of additional
calibration time, but may eliminate a requirement for the grid.
Step 2.
X-Y Table Calibration:
Use the fine alignment camera sub-system and x-y stage 18 to
measure a precisely made full field size grid, which approximates
or matches the workpiece dimension (e.g. largest workpiece to be
processed with the system). This step will compensate for static
errors (e.g. tolerance stackup), including non-linearity and
non-orthogonality of the stages.
Step 3.
Marker Field Calibration:
Laser mark a full field size 24 grid on a mirror 92, as shown in
FIG. 11C. Use the calibrated fine alignment camera (from step 1)
and the calibrated x-y table (from step 2) to measure each mark 95
of the grid on the mirror over a marking field 24. This step will
compensate for geometric distortion of the laser scanning lens and
Galvanometer system and other static errors.
Step 4.
Three Dimensional Marker Field Calibration:
In order to compensate for wafer sagging and warpage, the wafer is
marked a plurality of levels along the Z-axis 26. Multiple marker
field calibrations may be required. In this case, relative motion
of one or more of the (1) stage 18, (2) marking head 19 or internal
optical components, for instance expander components 49 of FIG. 4,
(3) stage 28, or (4) chuck 17 provides for relative positioning of
the marking beam and grid. The marking occurs at several
pre-determined levels along the Z-axis 26. Step 3 is repeated for
each level.
Step 5.
Three Dimensional Fine Alignment Camera Calibration:
In order to compensate for different wafer thickness, focusing of
the fine alignment camera is set at some slightly different surface
levels. The focusing operation may include translation of the fine
alignment sub-system 14 along the Z-axis, or by adjustment of lens
system 15, or in combination. Similarly, a Z-axis stage may be used
to translate the workpiece. Multiple vision field calibrations may
be required. In this case, fine alignment camera will focus at
several pre-determined surface levels along the Z-axis. Step 1 is
then repeated for each surface level.
The technique in Step 4 will also allow setting different spot
sizes (by de-focusing) on the fly for different applications.
Various curve fitting methods known in the art may be applied at
each of the calibration steps to improve precision. The technique
in Step 5 can also be applied to register the mark inspection
camera 20 and fine alignment sub-system. For instance, the optical
centerline 29 may be approximately aligned at setup and the
calibration procedure used to precisely register the sub-systems.
This is desirable so that the inspected marks may be displayed with
a mark overlaying the corresponding die (for visual inspection),
for instance. Software will be programmed to select correct
calibration files for proper application.
SECTION 2--Feature Detection and Fine Alignment
In the GSI Lumonics WH4100 wafer marker, offered by the assignee of
the present invention, a fine alignment vision sub-system corrects
rotational or offset errors (X, Y, Angle) which are introduced when
a wafer is placed in the marking station. A manual "teach tool"
allows the user to train the system to recognize three
non-collinear points on the wafer that is to be used for the
correction. The operator selects three regions of the wafer (e.g.
three corners of the overall pattern 115 of FIG. 12. During 4100
operation a positioner then positions the camera over the wafer and
a die corner is visually selected. A "vision model" of the region
is generated using an iterative trial and error process with
various adjustments. For instance, lighting adjustments are used to
enhance contrast so that an acceptable match ("model score") is
obtained at each of the measurement locations. Manual evaluation of
the results is required with the system. The model information is
then used to determine mark locations on the bottom side of the
wafer.
The model 4100 is used to process wafers up to 200 mm in diameter
using a "full-field" backside laser marker (e.g.: marker field
covers the entire wafer). However, future generation marking
systems will require marking of wafers up to 300 mm, for example,
with miniature die or packages of finer dimensions (e.g. 0.5 mm).
Also, smaller wafers may also be produced in the future with die
sizes a fraction of a millimeter.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 12A, in a preferred embodiment of a
system of the present invention the die pattern layout 115 and
locations for mark registration (e.g. reference data from the first
side) are automatically determined by pattern matching of circuit
features across the wafer 3 using a vision sub-system. Preferably,
no operator intervention is required, or at least the intervention
is substantially reduced. In certain applications the number of
regions to be analyzed may be increased (beyond three) to improve
estimates.
By way of example, FIG. 12A illustrates several features, which may
be used in the matching process. Within a die 112 circuit features
may include pad 5 which may be an interconnect, but as illustrated
may be a local fiducial. Other features to consider include trace
edge locations 7, die outline 6, or corner 110 locations. As shown
in FIG. 1D similar information may be obtained from a grid array of
interconnects, for instance the die edge 6 or location of the Grid
Array ball centers 8. The former approach is preferable, if the
contrast is high. However, if the contrast is low at the location 6
between the die edge and the surrounding "street," the grid array
locations or other features may be selected for training (e.g. if
higher in contrast). Similarly, the system may be trained to
include the spacing 114 between the die. It is contemplated that
the average measured spacing between several die (e.g. average
pitch) will be a reliable measure and easy to relate to an
available "wafer map." For instance, the average spacing may be
measured between every die and the results averaged. The available
wafer map provides coordinates of the die within the pattern and
associated information for marking. Such information may be
obtained by estimating the locations of die edges (e.g. least
squares fit) near the corners, or with the use of correlation
techniques to match a grey scale or binary image of region 116,
which may be defined from the corner locations. Other features
which may be present include local fiducial(s) 113 (if present), or
identification marks (letters, codes, etc). Such features may be
used alone or in combination with the above.
Those skilled in the art of machine vision measurement and pattern
recognition will recognize that a number of tools may be used to
obtain the information be used for the automatic teaching method.
For example, the AcuWin vision software provided by Cognex is
suitable for performing various internal "matching" operations.
WO0161275, earlier cited herein, also teaches various automatic
learning algorithms for use in a 3D system for inspection.
In one embodiment, during the training operation, a wafer is loaded
into the system after the pre-alignment step. The algorithm then
determines at least one of three regions for training based on
wafer map information. The region information will often be
replicated over the wafer, so a single pattern may apply to the
entire wafer. Preferably, the system is calibrated with the 2D/3D
calibration process prior to teaching, but a complete calibration
may not always be required. Referring to FIG. 2A, the wafer 11
(corresponding to 3 of FIG. 1A) and alignment vision system 14 are
relatively positioned to view the region. Feature detection
algorithms are executed, ultimately producing coordinate locations
for the die (and the backside marks). Preferably, the contrast
between the image features is also automatically controlled by
lighting or focus adjustments to improve performance. Methods for
focus and illumination control are well known in machine vision and
non-contact optical metrology. Preferably, the process is repeated
in each region to obtain performance statistics for various
features that may be ranked and selected accordingly for marking
subsequent wafers.
FIG. 12A shows a view of the of the front side, with a notch 604
(or alternatively a flat as shown in FIG. 12A) at the bottom of a
typical wafer. In order to generate this transformation for each
wafer at run-time, a minimum of three points that are easy to
locate and span a reasonably large portion of the wafer surface
area are to be selected. In at least one embodiment of the present
invention, a position that can be calculated based on qualitative
information is associated with the point (such as die corner--upper
left, upper-right, lower-left, or lower-right--and die row and
column number). FIG. 12A shows three exemplary dies 602,601,603
which may be used. The expected location of each point is
calculated based on the information, and may be used to construct a
"theoretical polygon" that is substantially aligned to the movement
of an XYZ Stage. At run-time, prior to processing each wafer,
pattern-recognition software is used to determine the actual
coordinates of these three points on the wafer as it sits in the
nest. These points are used to construct an actual polygon that is
aligned to the die pattern on the wafer. The polygons are then
compared to obtain a transformation (e.g.; translation, rotation
and/or scale) between the two coordinate systems. The table below
contains basic the information that is to be generated for each
point of any given part type before any wafers of that type are
processed by the system.
TABLE-US-00002 # Generated Output Data for Each Point 1 Row and
column number of the associated die at that point. 2 The die corner
used; upper-left, upper-right, lower-left, or lower- right. 3 A
vision model of the area around the taught point. 4 Coordinates of
the point in the "primary" coordinate system.
The purpose of the FineAlignment training procedure is to generate
this information for a particular part type. The table below
contains preferred information about a part type that is to be
entered into the system before training can begin.
TABLE-US-00003 # Input Data for Each Part Type 1 The number of rows
and columns of actual dies on the wafer. 2 The X and Y pitch of the
dies on the wafer. 3 The X and Y die size. 4 The size of the
wafer.
Referring to FIGS. 12A-12D, preferably, in order to generate the
information shown in the output data table for each point, any
portion of any die may be positioned at the center of the fine
alignment camera's field of view. The location of the die pattern
115 on the wafer and the orientation of the die pattern coordinate
system 605 relative to the "primary" coordinate system having
origin 607, which is aligned with the movement of the XYZ
Stage.
Three pieces of information are sought: a. The coordinates 610 of a
point (x1,y1) in the primary system on the left edge of the die
pattern bounding box 606; b. The coordinates 611 of a point (x2,y2)
in the primary system on the top edge of the die pattern bounding
box; and c. The rotation of the die pattern coordinate system 605
relative to the primary coordinate system 607.
With this information the location of the upper-left corner 606 of
the die pattern bounding box in the primary coordinate system may
be determined. The origin of the die pattern coordinate system is
then a die_pitch_y up and a die_pitch_x to the left of that as
shown. With the position and orientation of the die pattern
coordinate system known, the stage may be moved relative to any die
location on the wafer.
Upon determining the locations of two actual die corners along the
left and top edges of the die pattern, and with capability for
positioning any die location in the field of view, a search is
performed (e.g.: search up/down and left/right) from these two
corners looking for the last die in each direction. The target dies
for this algorithm are 602, 601,603 in FIGS. 12A, 12B and FIG. 1A.
Each point is then chosen as one of the four corners of each die.
In order to ensure the uniqueness of the area surrounding each
corner, the lower-left corner of die 602, the upper-left corner of
die 601, and the upper-right corner of die 603 would be
selected.
A vision model is to be generated in the area around each corner
(including at least a portion of all four neighboring die
locations). The model may include various features corresponding to
the model of FIG. 12A (e.g.: corners, edges, etc.) The data for all
three points is stored for later retrieval by part type, to be used
at run-time for processing all wafers of that part type.
Various alternatives may be used to practice a semi-automatic or
automatic training algorithm. For instance, additional die may be
selected throughout the wafer and least squares fitting done to
improve estimates.
An overall fine alignment process may be semi-automatic, but with
an algorithm for automatic measurement of the die pitch with
enhanced accuracy. By way of example, the process may begin with a
wafer transport tool moving a wafer to the nest. A user interface
and display allows an operator to move a wafer stage 18 of FIG. 11A
(or alternatively a marking head with the wafer held stationary) to
locate a die near the center of the wafer. A pattern, for instance
similar to that shown in FIG. 12C, is selected which will be used
for the alignment process. An image of a wafer portion is displayed
and features identified, for instance the lower corner of a die. A
selected region for "teaching" may be evaluated for automatic
recognition and the lighting adjusted as indicated for the WH 4100
system previously offered by the assignee of the present invetnion.
Commercially available pattern recognition software may be used,
for instance the Cognex AcuWin vision software.
In at least one embodiment the die pitch is measured prior to
setting up the at least second and third alignment locations or the
at least three locations 601,602,603 used to transform coordinates.
The operator may position the stage and view the wafer to identify
a suitable row of die and further identify die corners, for
instance the lower left and upper left corner of a die. The stage
may then be moved (e.g.: interactively) to the next die and a
corner location identified from which the die pitch in a first
direction is estimated. The process is then repeated in the
orthogonal direction.
Preferably the estimate is improved using a program to obtain
additional data by traversing the wafer along rows and columns,
identifying useable die, and locating features (e.g.: corners) of
the die with a pattern recognition algorithm. The data may be
obtained at each row or column where useful data is available, or
in larger increments. The averaging spacing may be estimated and
related to a wafer map.
In a present system of the invention "ease of use" and minimal
operator intervention are considered beneficial improvements.
Operator inputs may be valuable to verify a column of die are
useable, for instance. In one embodiment the operator may verify
that a selected die corner is useable and in a "topmost"
column.
The additional locations for pattern matching are the selected, the
stage positioned, and a test to verify the correct pattern
recognition software operation.
SECTION 3-Workpiece Chuck/Positioner
It is desirable to grip and hold workpieces of varying shapes for
the application of second side marking based on first-side data.
Similarly, a preferred arrangement can also be adapted for general
"double sided" laser processing and/or inspection operations.
Generally, at least one workpiece positioner is provided to
relatively position the workpieces, and configured so as to support
and position workpieces of varying specified dimensions. The
arrangement allows radiation beams to directly irradiate the first
and second sides of the workpiece over a large working area.
Further, damage to the workpiece is avoided which might result from
mounting on a fixture. Still further, a desirable arrangement
allows for a robot driven end effector to load a workpiece without
movement of chuck.
In at least one embodiment a method and system for edge chucking
and focusing populated and blank silicon wafers of variable
diameters and thickness is used. The method and system may also be
used for other applications, for example in a micromachining
process where a radiation beam is to irradiate both sides of the
workpiece.
FIGS. 7A-7D illustrates four views of a positioner (top, end, and
side views 7A C, respectively, and perspective view 7D).
The "chuck" system includes one or more positioners for supporting
workpieces of varying sizes, and for fine positioning of the
workpiece with one or more degrees of freedom. The chuck system is
mechanically coupled to the X-Y translation stage 18 of FIG. 2A or
other system components. Referring to the side view of FIG. 7C, a
positioner includes a first axis drive 55 (linear stepper motor
illustrated), a horizontal linear drive. It is to be understood
that the drive may be achieved by various methods: e.g. 1. two
position, open loop system such as pneumatic cylinder; 2.
multi-positional, closed loop system such as a linear stepper or
servo and guide. The pneumatically driven method may be the lowest
cost alternative, but provides less positional flexibility. The
first axis drive is used to position a second vertical (or normal)
linear axis (again achievable through various methods) in the
correct location to hold the workpiece. A link 52 between axes
provides the coupling. The second, normal or vertical drive 54 is
used to position the workpiece at the correct height and
orientation (e.g. a plane relative to an X-Y-Z coordinate system)
to be in focus to and irradiated by a marking, inspection, or other
radiation beams. Attached to this second axis drive 54 (rotary
stepper 57 with lead screw and linear guide rail 58 shown) is a
holding or "chucking" mechanism 51. By way of example, the
workpiece clamping mechanism of FIG. 7C is a pneumatic rotary
actuator 51 with clamp arm 59. Alternatively, the arrangement may
be any combination of vacuum and positive mechanical clamping (such
as a pneumatic rotary actuator and a support base). The support
base 53 may optionally have vacuum ports, or a base with vacuum and
no clamping device, for holding the workpiece while it is
positioned and subsequently irradiated or inspected. In FIG. 7C a
workpiece support base 53 is shown without vacuum ports. The
perspective view in FIG. 7D illustrates the shape of the support
base.
The workpiece positioner (e.g. positioning sub-system) may be
constructed as shown in FIGS. 8A-8D to hold and adjust rectangular
workpiece 61 using two positioners 62, 63 each having the
construction described above.
A chuck configuration utilizing, but not limited to, nor requiring,
three positioners, driven by closed loop linear steppers or servos,
is the preferred method for holding most workpieces. FIGS. 9A-9C
illustrate an arrangement with three positioners 66, 67, 68 each
which may have the construction above, and an exemplary round
workpiece 64, which may be a Silicon wafer (e.g. 100, 200, or 300
mm diameter). The wafer is transferred with end effector 69 which
is a component of a robot loading tool used in a semiconductor
manufacturing process, for example.
In operation, under control of a computer program, the workpiece is
loaded by adjusting the distance between support 53 with the first
axis drive(s) to match the width of the workpiece. At least the
height, and preferably the attitude is controlled with the
additional axis. This generally provides, when used in combination
with other system components, at least five axes of adjustment
(e.g.: X,Y,Z, roll, pitch). Further, the adjustment may be dynamic
and occur during the laser processing operation or during idle
periods.
SECTION 4 Laser Parameters and Mark Quality
It is desirable to produce high contrast, machine-readable marks,
at high speed in a designated region (e.g. specified by length,
width, and depth). Further, conformance to industry specifications
prohibits damaging or otherwise adversely affecting the function or
operation of the articles (e.g. a semiconductor device).
FIG. 10A illustrates an embodiment which can be applied for various
high speed workpiece 77 marking applications. Pulses generated from
a Q-switched Vanadate Laser 71, having a typical output wavelength
of 1.064 .mu.m, are shifted by wavelength shifter 72 to a shorter
wavelength for efficiently coupling the energy into the workpiece.
For wafer marking a frequency doubling crystal will produce a
wavelength output at about 532 nm. The optical switch 73, typically
an acousto-optic modulator, is computer controlled to allow pulses
to reach the workpiece 77 on demand. The motion of the workpiece
mounted on stage 79 and X-Y galvanometer deflectors 75 is
coordinated by the computer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,998,759 and
6,300,590, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, teach
various aspects related to "pulse on demand" control techniques
using a high speed optical switch as applied to semiconductor
memory repair. Beam positioning accuracy of about 0.3 .mu.m is
typically achieved for cleanly removing semiconductor links.
Preferably the laser output will be generated from an Neodymium
Vanadate laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm for processing metal
based substrates. The output will be frequency doubled using the
second harmonic generator 72 to be 532 nm for non-metal substrates
(e.g. silicon or gallium arsenide).
When practicing the present invention various alternatives may be
used for pulse energy control, for instance, controlling (pulsing)
the pump diode power for "marking on demand" with a series of
pulses. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,854,805, 5,812,569 describe such methods
as applied to workpiece processing. A method of pulse control in
laser systems is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,604. Various
combinations of pump, q-switch, and optical switch controls may
also be of benefit for controlling the energy output, improving
reliability, etc.
In a preferred embodiment for marking, a telecentric lens 76 and
optical sub-system 74 are used to control the spot size and
distribution, which preferably will include optics for varying the
spot-size and focus position under computer control.
In an application to laser marking output pulses are produced
having a set of pre-determined pulse characteristics including a
repetition rate (and corresponding temporal pulse spacing), pulse
width, and output energy.
Selected pulses gated by the switch 73 or otherwise controlled
(which may be a "burst" or "string" of pulses) irradiate the wafer
77 surface at a first predetermined marking location within the
marking field of the mirrors 75. The stage 79 may be a step and
repeat stage used when the workpiece is larger than the marking
field (e.g. as also illustrated for the "second side" case of FIG.
2A). Referring to FIG. 10B, a laser pulse penetrates the wafer
surface (e.g. silicon) within a depth range sufficient to produce a
machine readable mark 781 at the marking location. Damage to the
wafer is avoided by limiting the depth of penetration 782 (as might
be measured by the 1/e energy level) with control of the pulse
characteristics, for instance the peak energy and pulse width.
Deeper penetration 784 results in a crack. In a preferred system
the laser energy at 532 nm will be absorbed at a maximum depth of
10 .mu.m in a typical silicon substrate. This control prevents
micro cracking 783 and other hazardous effects inside the substrate
(e.g. bubbles). The step of irradiating is repeated at a plurality
of marking locations.
Preferably, the pulse width will be within a range of about 10 to
15 nsec to produce a mark with sufficient contrast.
The energy per pulse incident on the surface is preferably in the
range of 0.00023 to 0.00025 Joules (eg: 230-250 microjoules)
produces high quality marks on Silicon wafers.
Preferably, the marking speed is improved to a higher linear speed
on the wafer surface 77, with a relatively high pre-determined
pulse frequency of the laser 71. By way of example, a repetition
rate of about 15-30 KHz, for instance 25 KHz, provides significant
improvement over earlier wafer marking systems used at both near
Infrared and Green wavelengths. With a preferred spot size of about
30-35 .mu.m, linear marking speed greater than 150 mm/sec is a
relative improvement over previous wafer mark systems. A speed of
about of 350 mm/sec is expected for use in a system having the
preferred laser pulse characteristics. Reduced solid state laser
power at high repetition rates constrained earlier performance, and
separation of spots on the surface were observed which limited mark
quality.
A laser pulse is focused into a spot diameter to produce energy
density within a predetermined range. The minimum distance between
a pair of machine readable marks may be further reduced by
controlling the spot diameter with optics 74. Such an arrangement
may include a "zoom" beam expander in 74 or other optical
components which are removable/insertable, preferably under
computer control (e.g.: as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6). The spot size
adjustment is generally desirable to control the mark linewidth and
contrast. A spot diameter in a range of about 30 to 35 .mu.m and a
working distance to the workpiece of about 220 mm to 250 mm
represent exemplary ranges of operation. The smaller spot size
provides improved capability for producing higher mark density
compared to earlier marking systems, and higher speed is provided
with the pulse characteristics.
Results for backside marking of Silicon wafers have shown the depth
range of a mark is to be about 3 to about 4.5 .mu.m so to produce a
machine readable mark 781 with enough contrast to the background.
The result was contrary to an expectation that larger penetration
depth was required. The results also provided additional margin for
avoiding damage.
FIG. 14 shows a top view of a mark 950 to illustrate measured
variation of average marking depth 951 with various laser
parameters. The height in the table below from removal of material
by melting. The average depth variation measured with an
interferometer illustrates exemplary performance with laser power
and repetition rate at various marking speed. The 100% rating
allows for an estimate of maximum performance. The following data
was obtained:
TABLE-US-00004 Rep. Laser Power Rate Mark Speed Average Mark
Average Mark (% max. rating) (KHz) (mm/sec) Height (.mu.m) Depth
(.mu.m) 80 20 120 4.36 -4.75 80 20 200 4.53 -4.43 80 20 300 4.65
-5.61 100 10 120 3.58 -5.40 100 10 200 3.41 -4.33 100 10 300 3.64
-2.90 100 20 120 4.08 -9.91 100 20 200 3.58 -6.45 100 20 300 3.55
-4.53
Further analysis of the marks indicated sufficient contrast for
machine readability over a range of about 3-4.5 .mu.m. Increasing
the mark depth to the larger numbers, for instance 9.91 .mu.m,
produced cracking.
An interferometric scan was obtained of a wafer marked at a
repetition rate of 10 KHz and a marking speed of about 120 mm/sec.
Severe cracking as exemplified by the "spiky" data which results
from structural variations at a depth of about 9 .mu.m or more.
Scans also showed good results with maximum depth of about 4
.mu.m.
The shifted wavelength may be below the absorption edge of the
workpiece material, but need not be restricted to 532 nm. For
instance, the workpiece may be Silicon wafers or metal. The
wavelength will preferably be substantially less than the
absorption edge of Silicon (1.12 .mu.m) for marking in accordance
with the present invention.
Suitable lasers may include commercially available diode pumped
(DPL) Nd:YAG lasers with about 6 Watts IR output, and output 3
Watts in the Green. An alternative though more expensive, is a 10
Watt (W) DPL laser with about 10 W IR and 5 W green output power.
Preferably, the optical system will contain high efficiency optical
components to minimize losses.
The Vanadate laser is preferred for marking Silicon wafers, but is
not essential for practicing the invention. The desired pulse
characteristics may be implemented with other designs, provided all
specifications (e.g. beam quality, stability) are met. For
instance, a fiber optic amplified system (e.g. Master Oscillator
Power Amplifier) may be used to produce short pulses at relatively
high rates. A solid state laser, including a fiber laser, with a
slower repetition rate but sufficient power may be "pulse
stretched" with a delay line and beam combiner(s) to increase the
output repetition rate of the laser system.
SECTION 5--Precision Teletronics Lens
In precision laser marking and other similar material processing
applications, for instance embedded resistor trimming, there is a
need to produce fine spot sizes so as to control the width and
contrast of a mark (or kerf) while maintaining precise spot
placement over a relatively large 3-dimensional field. For
instance, a 300 mm wafer may have die sizes ranging from about one
millimeter or less with a tightly constrained marking region
defined within the die. A spot size of about 30 .mu.m will produce
high contrast marks, but the depth of focus is about four-times
less than that of earlier marking systems. For thin wafers the
warpage may be a significant fraction of the depth of focus, so the
three-dimensional spot size/spot placement considerations are
valuable.
In non-telecentric scanned laser systems, spot placement errors at
a workpiece plane will vary with depth, and may significantly
degrade the system accuracy. Such z-axis error may be the result of
workpiece tilt, defocus, sag, warp or any deviation from an ideal
target plane. For non-normal incident angles of the scanned beam,
the z coupling is approximately the deviation angle from normal
incidence times the local z error. Preferably, a telecentric scan
lens is used for focusing the marking laser onto the field. The
telecentric scan lens, well known in the field of laser scanning,
is used to maintain a near normal incidence angle of the beam to
the workpiece thereby minimizing z coupling and the resulting x and
y position errors. The approximate invariance of angle over the
field may also have other advantages, such as providing for coaxial
detection of reflected radiation. Coaxial detection can be used
with many know methods to determine focus position, for example
astigmatic spot detection.
Considering the first order scan lens properties, placing the scan
origin at the front focal plane of the lens will produce a
telecentric scan. In practice, there are non-linearity errors in
the lens design that deviate from perfect telecentricity. Those
skilled in the art of scan lens design recognize that correction of
these errors is possible by modifying the individual lens elements
and/or adding additional elements to the lens design.
Typically, an x y galvanometer scan system has two scan mirrors, as
shown in FIG. 4. A distance sufficient to prevent physical
interference and beam occlusion separates the mirrors. The mirror
separation creates different scan origins for each axis and
therefore prevents both axes from being located at the lens front
focal plane. Often, the focal plane is placed at an intermediate
position. This creates an additional field dependent telecentricity
error, based on the mirror locations and the lens focal length. In
a typical system the error may be 1 to 2.5 degrees at the worst
field point. Various techniques are useful for correcting
telecentricity error, for instance as described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,685,775 by Goodman, which is hereby incorporated by reference in
its entirety. A beam translator improves the correction.
With field dependent error, a portion of the field may be selected
to reduce errors at the workpiece. For instance, a small central
portion of the field is used and material is processed with
improved telecentricity. With one scan mirror located near the
front focal plane of the lens, a first axis of the field addressed
with this mirror will have better telecentricity than a second axis
addressed by a second mirror more remote from the front focal
plane. In this case, a portion of the field having improved
telecentricity may be selected with a larger dimension along the
first axis and a smaller dimension in the second axis, for example
a rectangular field. It is also recognized that by using a
rectangular field, the first axis may be larger than the edge a
square field. Selecting a portion of the field may reduce other
field dependent errors such as thermal drift of X-Y glavanometer
deflectors. For example, a quadrant of the field where gain drift
is mitigated in part by offset drift in each galvanometer may be
selected to reduce beam-positioning errors.
For embodiments using through the lens viewing, the scan lens is
typically required to image a target at wavelengths other than the
processing wavelength. Color correction elements can be used in a
design to improve viewing performance. Telecentric scan lenses with
color correction for through the lens viewing are know, for
instance the scan lens used in the commercially available GSI
Lumonics Model W672 laser trimmer.
A preferred embodiment for precision laser marking of large wafers
and similar applications includes a three-element telecentric scan
lens 990 as shown in FIG. 13A. This lens has an effective focal
length of 155 mm at 532 nm and is capable of forming 30 micron
spots over a scan field of 80 mm square. The total path length is
about 360 mm. With uncorrected, spaced mirrors the telecentricity
error is approximately 2 degrees. FIGS. 13B and 13C show the
telecentricity error 991 and 992 across two orthogonal scan axes.
In both cases the error has non-linear variation. Over a depth
range corresponding to wafer sag of +-300 .mu.m, the worst case
spot placement error is about +-13 .mu.m, slightly less than one
spot diameter.
In the precision marking system, wherein three dimensional
tolerances determine system performance, the spot placement
accuracy of the lens system is to be maintained by including a
method for three-dimensional calibration. In one embodiment the
wafer is positioned with a workpiece positioner so that a best fit
plane (over the wafer) is aligned normal to the marking head. A
location is then determined relative to best focus position of the
telecentric system of FIG. 13A. The beam positioner is directed
based upon the location of features and stored calibration
data.
At least one embodiment of the present invention may include a
precision scan lens with improved telecentricity when compared with
a conventional non-telecentric scan lens. In one example, the
maximum angle incident at the workpiece may be less than about half
of the maximum angle of the beam incident on the scan lens entrance
pupil. In another example, the maximum deviation angle to the
workpiece may be limited to less than other 10 degrees. This type
of scan lens can be smaller, and may be less complex than a larger
telecentric scan lens. Thus, a precision scan lens with improved
telecentricity may be used to provide a design compromise with both
a level of improved marking accuracy with changes in the workpiece
height and reduced lens size, complexity and cost.
SECTION 6
Backside Mark Visual Inspection with Frontside Die Registration
In early versions of certain backside wafer marking systems an
infrared source was used to "backlight" a wafer so as to view
backside features. With high density circuitry increasing at a
rapid rate, the "backlight" approach will not always be possible in
the future.
In one embodiment of a wafer marking system used to form marks on
the backside of a wafer, an inspection feature includes a
registered display of the mark and die. In a preferred embodiment
inspection feature uses two cameras, one above and one below the
wafer. FIG. 2A illustrates the camera 13 of fine alignment vision
system 14 registered along centerline 29 with the mark inspection
system 20. A satisfactory degree of image matching between
corresponding front and backside wafer portions may be achieved
with manual adjustment at system setup, for instance. System
calibration may then be used to improve the precision.
In at least one embodiment of the system, the equipment calibrates
the bottom camera system 20 to the top camera system. Preferably,
the cameras are in fixed positions. One or more cameras may have a
zoom lens which is manually adjustable. In one arrangement, a
calibration target of a transparent surface is placed between the
two cameras. The image is acquired with both cameras. The images
are superimposed and, using pattern-matching software, for instance
commercially available tools from Cognex Inc, a correction offset,
angle, and scale is calculated to align the bottom camera's image
to the top camera. FIG. 17A illustrates a calibration target, the
image of which is to vary with offset, scale and rotation. Various
other commercially available or custom targets may be used. The
translation, scale, and rotation correction (including inversion of
a coordinate axis) is automatically determined in software.
During the inspection operation the top camera is used to acquire
an image of the die on the topside of the wafer. The bottom camera
is used to acquire an image of the mark on the backside of the
wafer. By superimposing the coordinate systems of the two images,
analysis determines the accuracy of the mark with respect to the
die.
During inspection, this calibration data is applied to the mark
image. Using pattern matching or OCR software the location of the
mark relative to the location of the die is known.
It is to be understood that this feature is not restricted to top
and backside wafer marking, but may be applied to any two sides or
separated fields.
Inspection of marks may be done on-line or off-line. The inspection
may include a random sample of die or up to 100% inspection. In at
least one embodiment an operator may setup a region of interest 900
within a backside image corresponding to at least a portion of a
die as shown in FIG. 17B. Preferably, the operator will be able to
adjust 901 the area of interest, as shown in FIG. 17C, and make any
necessary adjustments from a wafer map or with minor adjustments
between die. A typical mark may occupy 50-60% of the area of a die,
but up to about 80% is possible.
While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been
described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this
invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and
embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the
following claims.
* * * * *
References