KR20060123646A - Wireless substrate-like sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a wireless substrate-like sensor (112, 118) is configured to be low-profile. One exemplary low profile design includes using an image acquisition system (154) on a leadless ceramic carrier chip. Then a circuit board (250), or rigid interconnect, is provided with a recess (252) to accommodate the image acquisition system (154). The image acquisition system (154) is disposed within the recess (252) and coupled to the board (250) through the periphery of the leadless ceramic carrier chip.

Description

Wireless board type sensor {WIRELESS SUBSTRATE-LIKE SENSOR}

Semiconductor processing devices feature a very clean environment and very precise semiconductor wafer movement. Industry relies heavily on high-precision robotic devices to move substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, around various processing stations with the precision required by semiconductor processing devices.

The reliability and efficient operation of such a robotic device depends on the precise positioning, alignment and / or parallelism of the components. Correct wafer placement minimizes the chance that a wafer will accidentally rub against the wall of the wafer processing apparatus. In order to maximize the yield of such a wafer processing process, it is required to accurately place the wafer in the pedestal of the process chamber.

Precise parallelism between the surfaces within the semiconductor processing unit transfers from the robot end unit to the wafer carrier shelf, pre-aligner vacuum chuck, load lock elevator shelf, process chamber feed pins and / or pedestals. In order to minimize the sliding and movement of the substrate during the process is important. When the wafer slides with respect to the support, scratches can cause particles to occur which lead to yield degradation.

Misplacement or misalignment of components, even when they are several millimeters in size, can affect the interaction of various components within a semiconductor processing device, resulting in a decrease in production yield or quality.

Such precise placement must be achieved during initial manufacturing and must be maintained during use of the device. Component placement can be altered by normal wear or maintenance, replacement, replacement, and the like. Therefore, it is very important to automatically measure and correct the position in order to change the relative minimum position of the various components of the semiconductor processing apparatus.

In the past, there has been an attempt to provide a substrate type substrate type sensor such as a wafer that can be moved through the semiconductor processing apparatus in order to wirelessly transmit information such as tilt and acceleration of the substrate in the semiconductor processing apparatus. As used herein, the term "substrate" refers to a sensor in the form of a semiconductor wafer, liquid crystal display glass panel, or reticle.

Attempts have been made to provide a wireless substrate-type sensor that includes an additional sensing function that allows the substrate-type sensor to measure many internal conditions within the processing environment of the semiconductor processing device. Wireless substrate-type sensors reduce disturbances in substrate processing equipment and manufacturing processes (eg, baking, etching, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, coating, cleaning, drying, etc.) at various points within the processing apparatus. It enables the measurement to reduce the destruction of the internal environment.

For example, wireless substrate-type sensors do not need to evacuate or shut down the pumping operation, nor do they pose a risk of high contamination to the ultra-clean environment encountered during actual semiconductor processing. Wireless substrate-type sensor-like elements enable process conditions to be measured with minimal observational uncertainty.

Since the wireless substrate sensor moves through the actual semiconductor processing environment, it is important that the wireless substrate sensor itself does not adversely affect the environment. Such a sensor is not allowed to break any particles or release gases therefrom.

Moreover, in order for such a sensor to be moved to each position within a semiconductor environment where the substrate can typically move, the dimensions of the sensor should be at least as small as the maximum size of the substrate, and preferably smaller than the substrate.

Finally, for accurate measurement of the sensor, it is important that the weight of the sensor does not result in any potential deformation or any significant degree of deformation in the processing device. As such, these sensors should be relatively light.

Thus, there is a need in the field of wireless substrate-type sensors for devices to be clean, light and low-profile.

According to the present invention, the wireless substrate sensor has a flat shape. A flat structure in one embodiment of the present invention involves the use of an image acquisition device for a ceramic carrier chip without lead wires. A circuit board or rigid connection means is provided with recesses for receiving the image acquisition device. The image acquisition device is disposed in the recess and connected to the circuit board through the periphery of the leadless ceramic carrier chip.

1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor wafer processing environment.

2 is a plan view of a wireless substrate-type sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a bottom view of a wireless substrate sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic diagram of a central portion 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device disposed on a printed circuit board.

6 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device mounted on a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a perspective view showing the installation of the CLCC package in the recess of the printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device mounted on a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a perspective view of a wireless substrate-type sensor having a vent in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a cross-sectional view of a wireless substrate-type sensor having a deformable pressure equalization member in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The semiconductor wafer processing environment shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1 includes a wafer container 100, a robot 102, and an apparatus construction station 104, schematically illustrated in a box form. The illustrated wafer container 100 accommodates three wafers 106, 108, 110 and a wireless substrate type sensor 112 according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 112 is preferably implemented with a form factor to move within the semiconductor wafer processing environment in the same manner as the wafer itself.

Embodiments of the present invention thus provide a substrate type wireless sensor having a height that is low enough for the substrate type sensor to move through a processing device, such as a substrate, such as a wafer. For example, heights of less than 9.0 mm are acceptable. Preferably, the sensor has a weight between one and two wafers, for example between 125 g and 250 g. A stand-off distance of 25 mm meets the requirements for most devices. However, in some cases other distances may be required.

As used herein, "separation distance" means the nominal distance from the bottom of the sensor to the target point. The diameter of the sensor preferably matches one of the standard semiconductor wafer diameters, such as 300 mm, 200 mm, or 150 mm.

Sensor 112 is preferably composed of a light, dimensionally stable material. The sensor 112 is composed of a high strength base material such as aluminum alloy, aluminum, magnesium and / or ceramic. The sensor housing itself may be coated with a suitable coating material, including aluminum oxide, nickel or ceramic to enhance physical or chemical properties.

In order to accurately measure the three-dimensional offset of the substrate-type sensor, it is important that the substrate-type sensor is deformed in the same manner as the actual substrate. Typical wafer dimensions and features can be found in the following specifications: SEMI M1-0302, "Specification for Polished Monocrystalline Silicon Wafers", Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, www.semi.org.

The center of the 300 mm silicon wafer supported at the edges has a deflection of 0.5 mm by weight. The difference between the deformation of the sensor and the deformation of the actual wafer is much smaller than the accuracy of the sensor measurements. In a preferred embodiment, the deformation of the substrate-like sensor causes almost the same deformation as that of the actual silicon wafer. Therefore, no compensation for any deformation difference is needed. Instead, a compensation factor can be added to the measurement. Similarly, the weight of the substrate sensor deforms its support.

Substrate supports include, but are not limited to, end devices, pedestals, transfer pins, shelves, and the like. The difference in support deformation is a function of the weight difference between the sensor and the substrate, along with the mechanical strength of the substrate support. The difference between the deflection of the support by the sensor and the deflection by the substrate is much smaller than the accuracy of the sensor measurement or the difference of such deflection must be corrected by appropriate calculations.

In the prior art, the technician repeatedly adjusted the alignment with the vacuum transfer robot end device having the pedestal of the process chamber after removing the lid of the process chamber or visually looking through the transparent window in the lid. In some cases, fixtures or jigs that fit snugly are first placed on the treatment pedestal to provide a suitable reference mark. Board-type sensors help technicians improve their alignment. The substrate sensor provides an image of the object more clearly aligned than looking through the window, without removing the lid. Wireless substrate-type sensors improve the repeatability of alignment and save significant time.

The wireless substrate sensor may wirelessly transmit an analog camera image.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a machine vision sub-device of a substrate type wireless sensor to transfer all or part of the digital image stored in the memory to an external device for display or analysis. A display may be located near the receiver and the image data may be relayed over a data network for remote display.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, camera images are encoded and transmitted in a digital data stream to minimize degradation of image quality caused by communication channel noise. Digital images can be compressed using known data reduction methods to minimize the required data rate. The data rate is also significantly reduced by transmitting only the data portion of the image that has been changed from the previous image. Substrate-type sensors or displays superimpose electron cross hairs or other suitable markings to help the technician assess the alignment quality.

Visual aiding techniques are more convenient than manual methods, but the technician's judgment still affects the repeatability and reproducibility of alignment. Images obtained by a substrate type wireless sensor camera can be analyzed by many known methods, including two-dimensional standardized correlations, to measure the deviation of the pattern from the expected position. The pattern may be any portion of the image that the imaging device is to recognize. The pattern can be recorded by the device. The pattern may be mathematically described in the device. The mathematically described pattern can be programmed at the point of use or fixed at the time of manufacture. Conventional two-dimensional standardized correlation is sensitive to changing the pattern image size. When a simple lens device is used, the magnification is changed in proportion to the object distance. Improved pattern deviation measurement performance can be obtained by iterative scaling of either image or reference. The scale that results in the best correlation indicates the magnification if the size of the pattern is known or the size of the pattern used when recording the reference pattern is known.

Knowing the correspondence between the pixels in the image plane to the size of the pixels in the object plane, the deviation can be recorded in standard units of measurement that can be interpreted more easily than by any unit, such as a pixel. For example, the deviation is provided in millimeters, allowing the operator to easily adjust the device by the reported size.

The operations required to obtain the deviation in standard units may be performed manually or may be performed preferentially within an external computer or the sensor itself. When the sensor extracts the necessary information from the image, the minimum size of information is transmitted to minimize the computational burden on the technician or external controller. Thus, objective criteria can be used to improve repeatability and reproducibility of alignment. Automated deviation measurements improve alignment reproducibility by eliminating changes at the discretion of the technician.

During alignment and adjustment of the semiconductor processing device, it is important that the two substrate support structures are parallel to each other, as well as the correct placement of the end device relative to the second substrate support structure. In a preferred embodiment, the machine vision sub-device of the wireless substrate type sensor is used to measure the three-dimensional relationship between two substrate support structures. For example, a robotic end device may hold a wireless substrate-like sensor in proximity to a moving position and perform three-dimensional deviation measurements with six degrees of freedom for a pattern located on an opposite substrate support from a sensor camera. Can be. One set of six degrees of freedom includes yaw, pitch, and roll with dislocations along the x, y, and z axes of a Cartesian coordinate system. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that other coordinate systems may be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Simultaneous measurement of orthogonal deviation and parallelism allows the technician or controller to objectively determine whether the alignment is satisfactory. When using a controller, alignment is fully automated without the need for technician intervention. Automated alignment can be included in planned maintenance to optimize the performance and usability of semiconductor processing devices.

In a very general sense, the operation and automatic adjustment of the robotic device 102 can be performed by instructing the robot 102 to select and move the sensor 112 as the reference target 114. Once instructed, the robot 102 operates the various links appropriately to slide the end device 116 under the sensor 112 to remove the sensor 112 from the container 100. Once removed, the robot 102 moves the sensor 112 directly over the reference target 114 such that an optical image acquisition device (not shown in FIG. 1) in the sensor 112 captures an image of the reference target 114. Get it. Based on prior knowledge of the target pattern, the three-dimensional deviation between the sensor and the target 114 is measured. The calculation of the measurement can be performed by a computer inside or outside the sensor. Based on prior knowledge of the precise position and orientation with respect to the reference target 114, the three-dimensional deviations thereof are analyzed to determine the pickup error caused by pickup of the sensor 112 of the robot 102. Internal or external operations may cause the semiconductor processing device to compensate for errors generated during the pickup process of the sensor 112.

This information may be used by the sensor 112 to obtain an image of another additional target, such as the target 114 of the device configuration station 104, to calculate the precise position and orientation of the device configuration station 104. This process may be repeated to allow the controller of robot 102 to accurately map the exact location of all components within the semiconductor processing apparatus. This mapping generates position and orientation information in at least three, preferably six degrees of freedom (x, y, z, yawing, pitch, rolling).

The mapping information can be used by the technician to mechanically adjust the position and orientation of the six degrees of freedom of a component relative to other components. Accurate measurements provided by wireless substrate-type sensors can be preferably used to minimize or reduce variations at the discretion of the skilled person. Such position information is preferably reported to a robot or semiconductor controller that automates the adjustment process.

Once all mechanical adjustments have been made, the substrate sensor can be used to measure the remaining alignment error. Deviation measurements of six degrees of freedom can be used to adjust the coordinates of points stored in the memory of the robot and / or device controller. Such points include the position of the atmospheric substrate processing robot when the end device is located at the FOUP slot # 1 substrate moving point; The position of the standby substrate processing robot when the end device is located at the FOUP slot # 25 substrate moving point; The position of the standby substrate processing robot when the end device is positioned at the substrate pre-alignment substrate moving point; The position of the standby substrate processing robot when the end device is positioned at the load locking substrate moving point; The position of the atmospheric substrate processing robot when the end device is located at a reference target attached to the frame of the atmospheric substrate processing apparatus; The position of the vacuum moving robot when the end device of the robot is positioned at the load locking substrate moving point; The position of the vacuum moving robot when the end device is located at the process chamber substrate moving point; It includes, but is not limited to, the position of the vacuum transfer robot when the end device is located on a target attached to the frame of the vacuum transfer device.

Other implementations of the invention store and report measurements. Real time wireless communication is not practical for any semiconductor processing device. The structure of the device may interfere with wireless communication. Wireless communication energy can interfere with the correct operation of the substrate processing apparatus. In this case, the sensor 112 may preferably record the values transferred to the various targets for later movement to the host. Using an image acquisition device or other suitable sensor, the sensor 112 recognizes that no further movement is required, and the sensor 112 preferably records the numerical value and time of the deviation. Later, when sensor 112 returns to the holster (not shown), sensor 112 recalls the stored time and value and transfers the information to the host. Such transfer is performed by electron conduction, optical signal transmission, inductive coupling and other suitable means. The storage and reporting operation of wireless substrate-type sensors potentially increases reliability, lowers costs, and shortens the device's standard certification cycle. It also avoids the possibility of RF energy interacting with sensors and related devices in the neighborhood of the case. Storage and reporting operations can also be used to overcome temporary interference in real time wireless communication channels.

2 is a plan view of a wireless substrate sensor 118 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor 118 differs from the sensor 112 shown in FIG. 1 only in that the weight is reduced. In particular, the sensor 112 employs a number of struts 118 to support the central sensor portion 120 in an outer periphery 122 that can accommodate a wafer of standard size, such as a 300 mm diameter wafer. . In contrast, sensor 118 employs a plurality of through holes 124 that provide weight reduction to sensor 118. Other patterns of holes may be used to perform weight reduction. As also shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcing ribs can be used alone or in conjunction with lightweight holes to design a housing that is optimized for stiffness, strength and weight. In addition, additional weight reduction designs can be made, for example, by filling a portion of the sensor with a lightweight material or forming a hollow. Other weight reduction and reinforcement features that may be used include annular holes, spoke structures, lattice honeycomb structures, and the like. Alternatively, the holes may be formed by etching in a crystalline substrate such as, for example, single crystal silicon. The weight savings due to the elimination of unnecessary materials may allow the use of larger batteries to provide longer periods of wireless operation and / or to add components that provide stronger signal conditions, additional sensing modes and / or real-time wireless communication. do.

Sensor 112 and sensor 118 both have a central portion 120. The bottom portion of the central portion 120 is disposed directly above the access hole 126, as shown in FIG. The access hole 126 allows the illumination means 128 and the image acquisition device 130 to acquire an image of a target disposed under the sensor 118 when the sensor 118 is moved by the robot 102.

4 is a schematic diagram of a central portion 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The central portion 120 preferably includes a circuit board 140 on which a plurality of components are mounted. In particular, the battery 142 may be mounted to the circuit board 140 and connected to the digital signal processor DSP through the power management module 146. The power management module 146 provides the digital signal processor 144 with an appropriate level of voltage. Preferably, power management module 146 is a power management integrated circuit available from Texas Instruments, Inc., named TPS5602. The digital signal processor 144 is also a microprocessor available from Texas Instruments, preferably designated TMS320C6211. The digital signal processor 144 is coupled to a memory module 148 that can take any type of memory. However, the memory module 148 preferably includes a module of synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) having a size of 16Mx16. Memory module 148 may also include flash memory having a size of 256Kx8. Flash memory is used to store nonvolatile data such as programs, operational data and / or other unaltered data that may be required. The random access memory is used to store volatile data such as data related to program operation or acquired data.

The illumination module 150 including the plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the image acquisition device 152 are connected to the digital signal processor 144 through the camera controller 154. The camera controller 154 provides relevant signals to the image acquisition device 152 and the light emitting diodes directed by the digital signal processor 144 to facilitate image acquisition and illumination. The image acquisition device 152 is an area array such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging device or a charge coupled device (CCD) connected to an optical device 156 that focuses an image with respect to the array. It may include an area (area array device).

The image acquisition device can be used commercially available from Kodak Corporation under the trade name KAC-0310. The digital signal processor 144 also preferably includes a number of I / O ports 158. The port is preferably a serial port that facilitates communication between the digital signal processor 144 and other devices. In particular, the serial port 158 is connected to the radio-frequency module 162, and the data sent through the port 158 is connected to an external device through the radio frequency module 162.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the radio frequency module 162 operates in accordance with the known Bluetooth standard of Bluetooth Core Specification Version 1.1 (2001.02.22) available from the Bluetooth SIG (www.bluetooth.com). . One example of such a module 162 is the one sold by Mitsumi under the trade name WML-C11.

The sensor 164 may take the appropriate form and provide relevant information regarding additional conditions within the semiconductor processing device. Such sensors may include one or more thermometers, accelerometers, inclinometers, compasses, light sensors, pressure sensors, electric field strength sensors, magnetic field strength sensors, acidity sensors, viscosity sensors, humidity sensors, chemical activity sensors, or suitable It may include other types of sensors.

5 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device 152 mounted on a circuit board 202. Generally, a label 204 is attached to the back of the circuit board 202. The cleaning film or lens 206 is disposed in proximity to the image acquisition device 152. A tubular tube 208 extends through the hole 210 of the circuit board 152 and a lens 214 is disposed therein. Screws are formed in the outer periphery of the lens 214 and the inner diameter of the tube 208 so that the lens 214 in the tube 208 can be rotated to change the image focus. One or more LEDs 216 are connected to the circuit board 212 to provide illumination for image acquisition.

The total thickness t can be nearly 8.5 mm using commercially available materials and devices with the structure shown in FIG. 5. Difficulties can arise in wireless substrate-type devices in which the sensor itself must pass through slots or other holes having a thickness of less than 8.5 mm. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, such commercially available elements are arranged in a flat structure to reduce the overall sensor close to the thickness of the circuit board.

6 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device 154 connected to a circuit board 250 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Some components of the image capturing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 are the same as those of the image capturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and the same reference numerals are used for the elements. The circuit board 250 has a hole 252 sized to accommodate the image acquisition device 154. As described above, the image acquisition device 154 is preferably Kodak's model KAC-0310. The image acquisition device is provided by a 48-pin ceramic leadless chip carrier (CLCC) having 12 attachment regions on each side. This arrangement allows the image acquisition device 154 to be mounted in a hole 252 at a depth corresponding at least to the thickness of the circuit board 250. Since the typical circuit board thickness is about 1 mm, the result is that the thickness of 1 mm can be reduced, resulting in a total thickness of 7.5 mm for the structure shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a circuit board 250 having a hole 252 and an image acquisition device 154. As shown in FIG. 7, the image capturing apparatus 154 includes a plurality of connection points 254 disposed at its periphery. In order to couple the points 254 of the image acquisition device 154, the circuit board 250 is arranged in a number of positions arranged around the inner surface of the hole 252 to connect the connection points 254 of the image acquisition device 154. Provide a contact 256. The contact portion 256 forms an etched through hole in the circuit board 250 at its respective position, and cuts the circuit board 250 leaving a portion of each etched through hole behind the circuit board 250. It can be configured in a way to form a pad (pad), but is not limited to this method. It may then be soldered to couple the contacts 256 to the points 254 by hand or by machine.

8 is a schematic diagram of an image acquisition device electrically connected to a circuit board 260 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Instead of making a direct electrical connection between the circuit board 260 and the image acquisition device 154, a flexible circuit 262 is provided to electrically connect the circuit board 260 and the image acquisition device 154. Flexible circuit 262 is generally a very thin electrical circuit formed of one or more conductive traces disposed between two layers of insulating material. Flexible circuits are known to be as thin as 0.2 mm.

In another embodiment, the CMOS chip itself in the image acquisition device may be directly attached to a printed circuit board by removing the CMOS chip instead of being embedded in a chip carrier without a conventional ceramic lead wire. However, in this embodiment, it is difficult to keep the optical surface of the image capturing apparatus clean. Moreover, assembly costs are considerably increased and overall reliability is believed to be low.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the wireless substrate type sensor provides improved safety against semiconductor wafer process chamber contamination. While sensors measure physical properties, it is very important not to contaminate the process chamber. Moreover, the sensor must be dimensionally stable. Known sensor materials and elements can generate particles that can contaminate the wafer process chamber. If the wireless substrate-type sensor is sealed to separate potential contaminants inside the sensor, a pressure difference can occur between the inside and the outside. If the pressure difference is too large, the housing may be deformed and may even cause breakage. In addition, the lightweight substrate-type sensor housing can be weakened mechanically because such sealing must minimize the total weight of the sensor housing.

Wireless substrate-type sensors generally have an outer surface and an interior space. Some sensing devices are housed in an interior space. The sensor housing includes a seal that prevents gas, particles or molecules from entering or exiting the interior space without passing through a specially provided exhaust port. The exhaust port is provided with a filter to allow gas to pass but prevent passage of particles or molecules larger than the size filtered by the filter. The outer surface of the sensor is preferably composed of, or coated or deposited with, a chemically non-reactive material such as nickel, polyethylene or polycarbonate. The shape and finish of the sensor housing is preferably chosen so that the sensor itself is easy to clean. It is desirable to minimize external gaps or corner areas where particles may be trapped.

9 is a schematic perspective view of a sensor 118 with a sensor housing 270. The sensor housing 27 includes one or more perforations 272 which are the only passages between the inside and the outside thereof. A suitable high molecular weight breather filter is preferably disposed in the housing 270 near the aperture 272. Filter 274 is shown in phantom in FIG. 9. The position of the perforation 272 and the filter disposed adjacent thereto may be provided at a suitable location of the housing 270, may be provided on the top surface as shown in FIG. 9, or may be provided on the side as necessary. have. Perforation 272 protects delicate filter 274 from mechanical damage and is relatively easy to manufacture. The use of perforations 272 and filters 274 prevents particles from being excited from the sensor housing 270 that may contaminate the semiconductor process chamber. Perforation 272 prevents deformation or damage of housing 270 by causing the pressure in housing 270 to be equal to the pressure of the chamber.

10 is a cross-sectional view of a wireless substrate type sensor 118 having a fouling resistant sensor housing 280 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The sensor housing 280 is sealed by welding. The aperture 282 is completely sealed with a deformable pressure equalizing member 284. The member 284 is preferably composed of an elastic material that returns to its original shape when a given pressure is removed. Preferably, the member 284 includes a bellows 286 but may have other suitable shapes that are deformable in response to pressure differentials. The member 284 may also be a balloon, bladder or other suitable structure. In this embodiment, the pressure inside the sensor housing 280 is equalized with the semiconductor chamber pressure by deformation of the pressure equalizing member 284 without allowing deformation of the sensor housing 280.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (11)

A housing having a support element and sensing electronics disposed thereon, said sensing electronics comprising rigid connection means having recesses and sensing elements disposed in the recesses and electrically connected to the sensing electronics. Flat substrate type sensor for a semiconductor processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensing element is an image sensor. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess is a hole passing through the rigid connecting means. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the recess is a cutting part. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein the cutting portion is U-shaped. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein the cutting portion is rectangular. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing element is provided in a chip carrier without a lead of ceramic. The substrate type sensor according to claim 1, wherein the recess includes a flexible connecting means. A housing having a support platform and sensing electronics disposed thereon, wherein the sensing electronics includes a circuit board having an image acquisition chip disposed thereon and electrically connected to the sensing electronics. Flat substrate type sensor for semiconductor processing apparatus. 10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the image acquisition chip is coupled to the sensing electronics by flip chip technology. 10. The substrate type sensor of claim 9, wherein the image acquisition chip is connected to the sensing electronics by die attach and wire bonding techniques.

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