US 11,699,595 B2
Imaging for monitoring thickness in a substrate cleaning system
Dominic J. Benvegnu, La Honda, CA (US); Jun Qian, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Boguslaw A. Swedek, Morgan Hill, CA (US); and Thomas H. Osterheld, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/185,876.
Prior Publication US 2022/0270889 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. B24B 37/005 (2012.01); H01L 21/321 (2006.01); B08B 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/3212 (2013.01) [B08B 7/0035 (2013.01); B24B 37/005 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A substrate cleaning system, comprising:
a cleaner module to clean a substrate after polishing of the substrate;
a drier module to dry the substrate after the substrate is cleaned by the cleaner module, wherein the drier module comprises a tank to hold a rinse bath;
a substrate support movable along a first axis that is substantially parallel to a face of the substrate as held by the substrate support; and
an in-line metrology station including a line-scan camera positioned and configured to scan a portion of the substrate that is out of the rinse bath to obtain a part of an image of the substrate whilst the substrate is partially immersed in the rinse bath.