Method and system for marking a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer and laser marker for use therein

• Main Authors: LI YOU C, WOELKI MICHAEL, PELSUE KURT, GILLESPIE JOHN R, LESLIE WALTER J, CAHILL STEVEN P, SCHRAMM RAINER, NEMETS CHRIS, EHRMANN JONATHAN S, SULLIVAN KEVIN E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.07.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CALCULATING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COLOUR PRINTING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; LINING MACHINES; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PRESENTATION OF DATA; PRINTING; PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; RESISTORS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A system for semiconductor wafer marking is provided. The system includes: (a) a first positioning subsystem for positioning a laser marking field relative to a wafer, the positioning along a first direction; (b) an alignment vision subsystem; (c) a laser marker including a laser for marking a location within the marking field with a laser marking beam; (d) a calibration program for calibrating at least one subsystem of the system; and (e) a controller. The marking field is substantially smaller than the wafer, and the laser marker includes a scan lens for optically maintaining a spot formed by the beam on the wafer within an acceptable range about the location within the marking field so as to avoid undesirable mark variations associated with wafer sag or other variations in depth within the field.