Anil J Desai, 795106 Olive Hill Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77479

6791095, Sep 14, 2004

Mar 21, 2002

10/104887

Chung-Shih Pan - Palo Alto CA
Yi Xiang Wang - Fremont CA
Anil Desai - San Jose CA

Hermes-Microvision (Taiwan) Inc. - Hsinchu

H01J 3720

25044211

A method for inspecting a semiconductor wafer using an SEM having a nominal focal plane and operable for guiding a beam. The SEM having a stage movable in each of an X-, Y-, and Z-direction, including moving the SEM stage in the XY-direction to a first location for inspection, optically sensing the location of the top surface of an area in relation to the focal plane of the stage, adjusting the position of the stage in the Z-direction so that the top surface of the area is substantially at the focal plane, inspecting the areas, and moving the stage in the XY-direction to the next location such that the next area is under the SEM beam for inspection. The Z-stage using a non-contact optical sensor to provide feedback to drive a plurality of piezoelectric actuator to move the wafer to the focal plane.

4578773, Mar 25, 1986

Sep 27, 1983

6/536914

Anil I. Desai - Saratoga CA
Eric C. Westerfeld - Milpitas CA

Four-Phase Systems, Inc. - Cupertino CA

G06F 1126
G06F 1132

364900

In an electronic system, such as a digital data processing system, comprising a number of circuit boards, each circuit board being of a particular functional type and also uniquely identifiable by a manufacturing revision number, there is provided a status detection circuit for polling various programmable status information from the board, including a unique board identity number and the manufacturing revision number. The status detection circuit includes a microcomputer (60, FIG. 2) on each board 50. The data inputs of the microcomputer are responsive to a unique combination of switches (e. g. , 42) representative of the manufacturing revision number. Other microcomputer inputs are responsive to a unique combination of edge connectors (e. g. , 47) for uniquely identifying the particular board in the system. Another microcomputer input is responsive to an on-board status indicator, such as an LED.

5578821, Nov 26, 1996

Jan 11, 1995

8/371458

Dan Meisberger - San Jose CA
Alan D. Brodie - Palo Alto CA
Anil A. Desai - San Jose CA
Dennis G. Emge - San Jose CA
Zhong-Wei Chen - Palo Alto CA
Richard Simmons - Los Altos CA
Dave E. A. Smith - San Mateo CA
April Dutta - Milpitas CA
J. Kirkwood H. Rough - San Jose CA
Leslie A. Honfi - Sunnyvale CA
Henry Pearce-Percy - Los Gatos CA
John McMurtry - Menlo Park CA
Eric Munro - London, GB2

KLA Instruments Corporation - San Jose CA

H01J 3700

250310

A method and apparatus for a charged particle scanning system and an automatic inspection system, including wafers and masks used in microcircuit fabrication. A charged particle beam is directed at the surface of a substrate for scanning that substrate and a selection of detectors are included to detect at least one of the secondary charged particles, back-scattered charged particles and transmitted charged particles from the substrate. The substrate is mounted on an x-y stage to provide at least one degree of freedom while the substrate is being scanned by the charged particle beam. The substrate is also subjected to an electric field on it's surface to accelerate the secondary charged particles. The system facilitates inspection at low beam energies on charge sensitive insulating substrates and has the capability to accurately measure the position of the substrate with respect to the charged particle beam. Additionally, there is an optical alignment system for initially aligning the substrate beneath the charged particle beam.

4604910, Aug 12, 1986

Feb 22, 1984

6/582585

Curt H. Chadwick - Los Altos CA
Anil A. Desai - San Jose CA

KLA Instruments Corporation - Santa Clara CA

F16H 2144
F16H 2154
F16H 2518

74 96

An object mounting member is slideably interconnected with a guide member which provides a path between two separated fixed locations. The guide member is attached to a support member having fixed stops located between the two fixed locations. A pinion gear is fixedly attached to the shaft of a stepper motor, and a spur gear is held in an engaging relationship with said pinion gear. An eccentric arm is pivotally attached at one end to the spur gear and is driven to provide rapid motion between the two fixed locations with a rate of motion approaching zero hit nears each fixed location. The other end of the eccentric arm is pivotally attached to one end of a drive arm that is pivotally attached to the object mounting member. The drive arm includes a spring loaded member that is used to allow the object mounting member to be preloaded against a stop at each end of its travel.

5502306, Mar 26, 1996

Mar 17, 1994

8/214377

Dan Meisburger - San Jose CA
Alan D. Brodie - Palo Alto CA
Curt Chadwick - Los Gatos CA
Anil Desai - San Jose CA
Hans Dohse - Pleasanton CA
Dennis Emge - San Jose CA
John Greene - Los Altos CA
Ralph Johnson - Los Gatos CA
John McMurtry - Menlo Park CA
Barry Becker - San Jose CA
Ray Paul - Palo Alto CA
Mike Robinson - San Jose CA
Richard Simmons - Los Altos CA
David E. A. Smith - San Mateo CA
John Taylor - San Jose CA
Lee Veneklasen - Castro Valley CA
Dean Walters - Napierville IL
Paul Wieczorek - San Jose CA
Sam Wong - San Jose CA
April Dutta - Milpitas CA
Surendra Lele - Santa Clara CA
Kirkwood Rough - San Jose CA
Henry Pearce-Percy - Los Gatos CA
Jack Y. Jau - Fremont CA
Chun C. Lin - Cupertino CA
Hoi T. Nguyen - Milpitas CA
Yen-Jen Oyang - Cupertino CA
Timothy L. Hutcheson - Los Gatos CA
David J. Clark - Atherton CA
Chung-Shih Pan - Palo Alto CA
Chetana Bhaskar - San Jose CA
Chris Kirk - Beconsfield Bucks, GB2
Eric Munro - London, GB2

KLA Instruments Corporation - San Jose CA

H01J 3726

250310

There is disclosed numerous embodiments of a method and apparatus for a particle scanning system and an automatic inspection system. In each of these a particle beam is directed at the surface of a substrate for scanning that substrate. Also included are a selection of detectors to detect at least one of the secondary particles, back-scattered particles and transmitted particles from the substrate. The substrate is mounted on an x-y stage to provide it with at least one degree of freedom while the substrate is being scanned by the/particle beam. The substrate is also subjected to an electric field on it's surface to accelerate the secondary particles. The system also has the capability to accurately measure the position of the substrate with respect to the charged particle beam. Additionally, there is an optical alignment means for initially aligning the substrate beneath the,particle beam means. To function most efficiently there is also a vacuum means for evacuating and repressurizing a chamber containing the substrate.

4647764, Mar 3, 1987

Feb 22, 1984

6/582586

Curt H. Chadwick - Los Altos CA
Anil A. Desai - San Jose CA

KLA Instruments Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H01J 314

250216

In an automatic wafer inspection system, the objective lenses used in micro inspection are mounted on a turret which is attached to an adjustable turret support member. Several lenses may be brought sequentially into position for inspection of the patterned wafer and it is necessary that the handoff be precise so as to maintain the same pattern in the viewing position. V-slots are mounted on the turret in such a location as to be correctly associated with the precise position for each lens. A detent ball spring is biased to drive into a V-slot so as to hold the associated lens in the precise viewing position. When hand-off to the next lens is to be accomplished, a counter force is applied which overcomes the spring bias and pulls the detent ball out of the V-slot. A drive motor is then enabled, which turns the turret a predetermined distance to bring the wide opening of the next adjacent V-slot into approximate alignment with the detent ball and the drive motor is disabled. The counter force is released which allows the spring bias to force the detent ball into the now partially aligned V-slot to precisely align the lens and hold the lens in alignment.