Patent ID: 11935728
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method, comprising:
disposing a workpiece on a support stage in a chamber;
disposing a shield over the workpiece;
disposing a cover ring over the shield such that an opening in the shield is aligned with an opening in the cover ring in order to expose the support stage;
determining a first radial offset of the shield with respect to the support stage and a second radial offset of the cover ring with respect to the support stage;
adjusting a relative position of the shield and the cover ring when an absolute value of a difference between the first radial offset of the shield and the second radial offset of the cover ring is determined greater than an offset threshold value of 0.3 millimeters (mm); and
wherein the chamber further comprises a position sensor and a position adjustment mechanism for:
determining the first radial offset of the shield with respect to the support stage and the second radial offset of the cover ring with respect to the support stage using the position sensor;
comparing the absolute value of the difference to the offset threshold value, wherein the offset threshold value is stored in an electronic memory;
instructing the position adjustment mechanism to adjust the relative position of the shield and the cover ring when the absolute value of the difference is determined greater than the offset threshold value; and
commencing a semiconductor manufacturing process on the workpiece when the absolute value of the difference is determined less than the offset threshold value.