OPTICAL END-POINTING FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DELAYERING; SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING THE SAME

Systems for determining an end-point of a delayering process using optical end-point detection are described. In embodiments, the systems include a controller with an optical end-pointing (OE) module that is configured to determine an end-point of a delayering process based at least in part on the color or thickness of a surface layer of an integrated circuit (IC). In embodiments, the OE module determines whether an end-point of the delayering process has been reached based at least in part on a comparison of a determined thickness of an IC surface layer to a target thickness. The thickness of the surface layer may be determined by the OE module using a machine learning model, such as a convolutional neural network. Methods of identifying an end-point of a delayering process are also described.