Methodology for chamber performance matching for semiconductor equipment

• US 10,192,763 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lu, Xuesong, Zhang, Lin, Le, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US14/875,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20170098565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37008 Calibration of measuring system, probe, sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45032 Wafer manufacture; interlock, load-lock module
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50388 Integrated loader, shuttle transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/327 Arrangements for generating the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3321 CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3323 uniformity
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3211 Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32522 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methodology to match and calibrate processing chamber performance in a processing chamber. In one embodiment, a method for calibrating a processing chamber for semiconductor manufacturing process includes performing a first predetermined process in a processing chamber, collecting a first set of signals transmitted from a first group of sensors disposed in the processing chamber to a controller while performing the predetermined process, analyzing the collected first set of signals, comparing the collected first set of signals with database stored in the controller to check sensor responses from the first group of sensors, calibrating sensors based on the collected first set of signals when a mismatch sensor response is found, subsequently performing a first series of processes in the processing chamber, and collecting a second set of signals transmitted from the sensors to the controller while performing the series of processes.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating a plasma processing chamber for semiconductor manufacturing process, comprising:

performing a first predetermined plasma process in a plasma processing chamber;

maintaining a desired gas pressure in the plasma processing chamber;

collecting a first set of signals transmitted from a first group of sensors disposed in the plasma processing chamber to a controller while performing the predetermined process;

analyzing the collected first set of signals;

comparing the collected first set of signals with database stored in the controller of the plasma processing chamber to check sensor responses from the first group of sensors;

calibrating sensors based on the collected first set of signals when a mismatch sensor response is found;

subsequently performing a first series of plasma processes including at least two processes in the processing chamber, wherein the first series of processes comprises multiple processes including the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, 20% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, and 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process; and

collecting a second set of signals transmitted from the sensors to the controller while performing the series of plasma processes in the plasma processing chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a second series of plasma processes on a group of substrates transferred in the plasma processing chamber respectively; and

forming a film layer on each substrate in the group with different film properties.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

measuring film properties of each film layer disposed in each substrate;

comparing the film properties with the database stored in the controller to check sensor responses from the first group of sensors; and

calibrating the first group of sensors in the processing chamber based on the measured film properties when a mismatch sensor response is found.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the film properties measured from the film layers formed on the substrates include at least one of film thickness, film uniformity, refractive index, efficient coefficient, film stress, wet etching rate (WER) or dry etching rate, lithography overlay, conductivity, resistivity, density.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

implementing a second group of chamber sensors in the processing chamber.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

performing the first predetermined process in the plasma processing chamber;

collecting a third set of signals transmitted from the second group of sensors.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

analyzing the third set of the signals by the controller to check sensor response from the second group of sensors;

comparing the sensor response with the database stored in the controller; and

calibrating the second group of sensors in the processing chamber when a mismatch is found.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

measuring film properties of each film layer disposed in each substrate; and

calibrating process parameters set in the first predetermined process based on the measured film properties when a mismatch sensor response is found.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the second series of processes comprises multiple processes including the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, 20% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, and 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined process is a BKM process set for the processing chamber.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined process comprises a single layer recipe or multi-layer recipes.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which, when executed by a processor performs an operation for operating a processing chamber, the operation comprising:

performing a first hardware calibration process by calibrating sensors in a plasma processing chamber based on sensor responses collected and analyzed from operating a first predetermined process in the plasma processing chamber;

performing a second hardware calibration process by calibrating the sensors in the processing chamber based on sensor responses collected and analyzed from operating a first set of processes including at least two processes in the processing chamber,

wherein the first set of processes comprises multiple processes including the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, 20% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, and 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process; and

maintaining a desired gas pressure in the plasma processing chamber while performing the first and the second hardware calibration processes.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

performing a on-wafer result calibration process by adjusting process parameters set in the first predetermined process or sensors in the plasma processing chamber based on data collected and analyzed from film layers formed on a group of substrates having a second set of processes performed on each substrate in the group respectively disposed in the plasma processing chamber.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the second set of processes comprises §

multiple processes including the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, 20% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process, and 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising a software having a data library stored therein for data comparison and analysis.

16. A processing system, comprising:

a controller coupled to a plasma processing chamber, the controller comprising a system memory containing instructions and a processor, the processor configured to cause the plasma processing chamber to perform a method when executing the instructions, the method comprising;

receiving a first set of signals transmitted from a plasma processing chamber when performing a first predetermined process in the plasma processing chamber;

analyzing the collected first set of signals;

comparing the collected first set of signals with database stored in the controller to check sensor responses from the first group of sensors;

calibrating sensors based on the collected first set of signals when a mismatch sensor response is found;

subsequently performing a first series of processes including at least two processes in the processing chamber, wherein the first set of processes samples run at process parameters set by the first predetermined process, set about 20% above and below of the process parameters set by the first predetermined process, and set about 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process;

maintaining a desired gas pressure in the plasma processing chamber while performing the first series of processes; and

collecting a second set of signals transmitted from the sensors to the controller while performing the series of processes.

17. The processing system of claim 16, wherein the second set of processes samples run at process parameters set by the first predetermined process, set about 20% above and below of the process parameters set by the first predetermined process, and set about 10% above and below of the process parameters set in the first predetermined process.