US 11,951,569 B2
Damage prevention during wafer edge trimming
Kuo-Ming Wu, Zhubei (TW); Yung-Lung Lin, Taichung (TW); Hau-Yi Hsiao, Chiayi (TW); Sheng-Chau Chen, Tainan (TW); and Cheng-Yuan Tsai, Chu-Pei (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on May 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/317,977.
Prior Publication US 2022/0362887 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/02 (2006.01); B23K 26/035 (2014.01); B23K 26/062 (2014.01); B23K 26/361 (2014.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01)
CPC B23K 26/361 (2015.10) [B23K 26/035 (2015.10); B23K 26/062 (2015.10); H01L 21/02021 (2013.01); H01L 22/10 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
aligning a wafer structure over a wafer chuck within a processing chamber;
rotating the wafer chuck to spin the wafer structure within the processing chamber;
trimming and removing an edge portion of the wafer structure using a blade to define a new sidewall of the wafer structure;
applying a confocal laser beam to a top surface of the wafer structure at an analysis area of the wafer structure arranged directly between the blade and a center of the wafer structure, wherein the analysis area is arranged closer to the blade than the center of the wafer structure;
measuring a parameter of the analysis area at the same time as the trimming by using a laser sensor apparatus that applies the confocal laser beam; and
performing a damage prevention process using control circuitry coupled to the laser sensor apparatus, the wafer chuck, and/or the blade if the parameter of the analysis area deviates from a predetermined threshold value by at least a predetermined shift value.