US 7015418 B2
A method of calibrating a laser marking system includes calibrating a laser marking system in three dimensions. The step of calibrating includes storing data corresponding to a plurality of heights. A position measurement of a workpiece is obtained to be marked. Stored calibration data is associated with the position measurement. A method and system for calibrating a laser processing or marking system is provided. The method includes: calibrating a laser marker over a marking field; obtaining a position measurement of a workpiece to be marked; associating stored calibration data with the position measurement; relatively positioning a marking beam and the workpiece based on at least the associated calibration data; and calibrating a laser marking system in at least three degrees of freedom. The step of calibrating includes storing data corresponding to a plurality of positions and controllably and relatively positioning a marking beam based on the stored data corresponding to the plurality of positions.
1. A system for laser marking of semiconductor wafers having a pattern on a first side of the wafers, and a second side of the wafers to be marked at predetermined locations relative to the pattern and within a marking field substantially smaller than the wafers, the system comprising: means for calibrating a marker means of the system; and means for controllably positioning a marking beam relative to the wafers based on the calibration.
2. The system as in
3. In a laser based marking system for marking semiconductor substrates and the like, the system having a laser marker with a marking field which is substantially smaller than the substrate, a positioning subsystem having an X-Y stage for relatively positioning the marking field and the substrate, and an alignment vision subsystem separate from the marker for locating a feature on a substrate used to relatively position the substrate and marking field based on a location of the feature, a method for calibrating the system comprising: measuring a plurality of fiducials disposed on an alignment target with the alignment vision subsystem; calibrating the alignment vision subsystem based on the measured fiducials, the fiducials having predetermined locations; positioning the stage relative to the alignment target to calibrate the stage using data recording the movement of the stage and data obtained with the alignment vision subsystem, the calibration of the stage being performed subsequent to the step of calibrating the alignment vision system; positioning a test substrate to be marked; marking the substrate at a plurality of locations within the field to obtain marks; and measuring mark locations with a calibrated optical measurement system to obtain measurements and using the measurements to calibrate the laser marker wherein the system is calibrated.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/381,602, filed May 17, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to calibration of laser-based workpiece micromachining and similar material processing systems, wherein the work-piece has considerable warpage or sag. The workpiece may be a semiconductor wafer, for instance a 300 mm wafer, with a thickness of a few hundred microns.
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 WO 0154854, publication date 2Aug. 2001, entitled “Laser Scanning Method and System for Marking Articles such as Printed Circuit Boards, Integrated Circuits, and the Like” and WO0161275, published on 23Aug. 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. 6,501,061 discloses a method of determining scanner coordinates to accurately position a focused laser beam. The focused laser beam is scanned over a region of interest (e.g. an aperture) on a work-surface by a laser scanner. The position of the focused laser beam is detected by a photodetector either at predetermined intervals of time or space or as the focused laser beam appears through an aperture in the work surface. The detected position of the focused laser beam is used to generate scanner position versus beam position data based on the position of the laser scanner at the time the focused laser beam is detected. The scanner position versus beam position data can be used to determine the center of the aperture or the scanner position coordinates that correspond with a desired position of the focused laser beam.
There is a need in certain workpiece processing systems for calibration of multiple subsystems in three dimensions while facilitating on-line or off-line adjustment of laser processing parameters. Tolerance stackups within the system and workpiece may lead to poor mark quality or mark positioning errors. For instance, certain types of semiconductor wafers are being produced with an increasing number of die and finer feature dimensions, while decreasing thickness of wafers or similar workpieces have increasing surface variations due to sag and warpage.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and system for calibrating a laser processing system and laser marking system utilizing same.
In carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a method of calibrating a laser marking system is provided. The method includes calibrating a laser marking system in three dimensions. The step of calibrating includes storing data corresponding to a plurality of heights. The method further includes obtaining a position measurement of a workpiece to be marked, and associating stored calibration data with the position measurement.
The data may be stored in multiple calibration files. The calibration files may correspond to a plurality of predetermined marking system parameter settings.
The multiple calibration files may correspond to a height level and one of marker system parameter settings may be a marking field dimension.
One of the marking system parameter settings may be a spot size, or may be a working distance.
The marking system may have a backside wafer marking system having a fine alignment camera for obtaining reference data from a topside of the wafer.
Further in carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a system is provided for laser marking of semiconductor wafers having a pattern on a first side of the wafers, and a second side of the wafers to be marked at predetermined locations relative to the pattern and within a marking field substantially smaller than the wafers. The system includes means for calibrating a marker means of the system, and means for controllably positioning a marking beam relative to the wafers based on the calibration.
The system may further include an X-Y translator for relatively positioning the wafers and the marker means for calibrating, and means for calibrating the translator to the marker means.
Still further in carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a laser-based wafer marking system is provided for marking a wafer having a topside containing a circuit. The circuit has circuit features and the wafer has a backside to be marked. The system includes a calibrated galvanometer marking head having a scan lens and a marking field substantially smaller than the wafer. The system further includes a calibrated positioning stage for carrying the wafer with a range of motion large enough to position any wafer location to be marked to within the marking field. The system still further includes a calibrated alignment camera with a field of view substantially smaller than the wafer. A frame mounts the stage rigidly with respect to the camera and the marking head. A controller has a map for coordinating locations of the marking head, the stage and the alignment camera for causing the stage and the marking head to be positioned relative to each other such that the wafer is accurately marked on its backside relative to the circuit features on the front side.
The alignment camera and the marking field may be located on opposite sides of the wafer.
The alignment camera may be offset from the marking head.
A mark inspection camera may be offset from the marking field.
The controller may compare a location of a mark obtained from the inspection camera with a location of a circuit obtained with the alignment camera.
A second alignment camera may be offset from the marking field and a mark inspection camera may be offset from the marking field on the backside of the wafer.
The scan lens may be a telecentric lens.
The controller may coordinates positioning of first and second wafer portions to be marked based on the map, and the portions may overlap the marking field.
Yet still further in carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a laser based marking system is provided for marking semiconductor substrates and the like. The system has a laser marker with a marking field which is substantially smaller than the substrate, a positioning subsystem having an X-Y stage for relatively positioning the marking field, and an alignment vision subsystem separate from the marker for locating a feature on a substrate used to relatively position the substrate and marking field based on a location of the feature. The method for calibrating the system includes measuring a plurality of fiducials disposed on an alignment target with the alignment vision subsystem, and calibrating the alignment vision subsystem based on the measured fiducials. The stage is positioned relative to the alignment target to calibrate the stage using data recording the movement of the stage and data obtained with the alignment vision subsystem. The calibration of the stage is performed subsequent to the step of calibrating the alignment vision system. The calibration method further includes positioning a test substrate to be marked, marking the substrate at a plurality of locations within the field to obtain marks, and measuring mark locations with a calibrated optical measurement system to obtain measurements, and using the measurements to calibrate the laser marker, the system thereby being calibrated.
The predetermined locations of the fiducials disposed on the alignment target may conform to an industry standard for measurement.
The method may further include holding the alignment target stationary, and the X-Y stage positions at least one of marker and the alignment vision system.
The spacing of the fiducials may be about 2.5 mm and the alignment target may include a pattern for vision system alignment.
The method may further include removing the calibration target from the system and replacing the calibration target with a test substrate to be marked. The calibration target and the test substrate may have a substantially identical dimension and may be positioned within a common nest in the system.
The method may further include moving the alignment target with the X-Y stage and holding the marker and alignment vision subsystem stationary during the step of moving.
The calibrated optical measurement system may be the alignment vision subsystem.
The calibrated optical measurement system may further be a metrology system having resolution substantially greater than spacing between the marks and greater than resolution of the alignment vision subsystem.
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.
Several components of a system 100 for laser marking and inspection of wafers, for instance 300 mm wafers, is schematically illustrated in
A marking sequence, following opening of a FOUP, includes:
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.
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
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 μm to 775 μm indicated about 60 μm 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 μm 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
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
With reference to
In one embodiment, the marking sub-system 19 includes the system shown in
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
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 1024×1024 array a 16 μm 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 μm is preferred, with a most preferred range of about 25–35 μm. The marking field 1 dimension (depicted in
As shown in
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 location(s).
The beam positioning sub-system preferably includes a 2D galvanometer scanner 40, 41, 42, 43 as shown in
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
In a preferred system for wafer marking at least one workpiece positioner is used in addition to stage 18 (also depicted as 104 in
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
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).
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 μm–4.5 μm 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 μm 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 μm. It is expected that a wavelength of 1.064 μm 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.”
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 my 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:
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.
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 which allows the on-line machine vision sub-system 14 of
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:
Yet another calibration step may be applied to compensate for X-Y stage tolerances.
Yet another calibration may be applied to calibrate the scan lens 351 of marking head 19 in
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
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.
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
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
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 μm 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:
Use a precisely made grid template 91 (shown in
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.
Marker Field Calibration:
Laser mark a full field size 24 grid on a mirror 92, as shown in
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
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.
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
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.
By way of example,
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
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.
Three pieces of information are sought:
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
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
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
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 average 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.
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.
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
The workpiece positioner (e.g. positioning sub-system) may be constructed as shown in
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.
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.
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).
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
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 μm, 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
Results for backside marking of Silicon wafers have shown the depth range of a mark is to be about 3 to about 4.5 μm 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.
Further analysis of the marks indicated sufficient contrast for machine readability over a range of about 3–4.5 μm. Increasing the mark depth to the larger numbers, for instance 9.91 μm, 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 μm or more. Scans also showed good results with maximum depth of about 4 μm.
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 μm) 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.
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 μm 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
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 galvanometer 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
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
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 about 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.
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.
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.
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
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.