US 12,255,110 B2
Methods and systems for real-time quality control of a film in a spin coating process
Gaurav Kumar, Bengaluru (IN); Lakshmi Narayana Pedapudi, Bengaluru (IN); Sameera Bharadwaja Hayavadana, Bengaluru (IN); Sathyanarayanan Kulasekaran, Bengaluru (IN); Shashank Shrikant Agashe, Bengaluru (IN); Wan Sung Park, Seoul (KR); and Sung Ha Kim, Suwon-si (KR)
Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Filed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Jun. 8, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/341,619.
Claims priority of application No. 202141017408 (IN), filed on Apr. 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0344220 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/66 (2006.01); G01B 11/06 (2006.01); G01N 21/84 (2006.01); G03F 7/16 (2006.01); G03F 7/30 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 22/26 (2013.01) [G01B 11/0616 (2013.01); G01N 21/8422 (2013.01); G03F 7/162 (2013.01); G03F 7/3028 (2013.01); G06T 7/0006 (2013.01); H01L 21/6715 (2013.01); H01L 21/67253 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30148 (2013.01); H01L 21/02282 (2013.01); H01L 21/02623 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for determining a quality of a film in a spin coating process, the system comprising:
a film quality controller configured to:
capture, using a first imaging device, images of a plurality of portions of the film while coating the film on a substrate using a spinner, wherein the images of the plurality of portions of the film correspond to a sample of the film that is less than an entirety of the film; and
generate an image of the film based on the images of the plurality of portions of the film and a plurality of training images of the entirety of film captured by a second imaging device, wherein the image of the film corresponds to the entirety of the film;
estimate a characteristic of the film using the image of the film;
determine whether or not the film has a target characteristic based on the image of the film; and
selectively modify at least one parameter of the spin coating process based on a determination of whether or not the film has the target characteristic.