ENDPOINT DETECTOR FOR A SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING STATION AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

摘要

A semiconductor processing apparatus includes a semiconductor processing station for a semiconductor wafer, and an endpoint detector associated with the semiconductor processing station. The endpoint detector includes a non-contact probe configured to probe the semiconductor wafer, an optical transmitter configured to transmit an optical signal to the non-contact probe, and an optical receiver configured to receive a reflected optical signal from the non-contact probe. The controller controls the semiconductor processing station based on the reflected optical signal.