Defect source identifier with static manufacturing execution system

• US 20030135295A1
• Filed: 01/14/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Dor, Amos, Gavra, Yifah
• Application Number:
  US10/047,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135295A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32197 Inspection at different locations, stages of manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A defect source identifier that provides information used to identify a source of a defect on a substrate, which defect source identifier includes a LotRoute database generation process and a LotRoute database access process, wherein the LotRoute database generation process includes a software application that runs on a server and that, in response to user input, defines a wafer route including wafer route information, and associates the wafer route with any one of a number of entities; and the LotRoute database process includes a software application that runs on the server and that, in response to input from the defect source identifier, retrieves the wafer route information using an identifier of one of the entities.

Claims

1. A defect source identifier that provides information used to identify a source of a defect on a substrate, which defect source identifier comprises:

a LotRoute database generation process and a LotRoute database access process, wherein;

the LotRoute database generation process comprises a software application that runs on a server and that, in response to user input, defines a wafer route including wafer route information, and associates the wafer route with any one of a number of entities; and

the LotRoute database process comprises a software application that runs on the server and that, in response to input from the defect source identifier, retrieves the wafer route information using an identifier of one of the entities.

2. The defect source identifier of claim 2 wherein the entities are one of Lot ID, Step or Layer ID, Inspection/Review Tool ID, and Fixed Route ID.

3. The defect source identifier of claim 2 wherein the LotRoute database generation process designates the wafer route associated with the Route ID as a default route.

4. The defect source identifier of claim 3 wherein the wafer route information associated with an entity comprises one or more tools specified by one or more of tool type and tool identifier.

5. The defect source identifier of claim 4 wherein the LotRoute database generation process enables a user to add, edit, or delete a wafer route.

6. The defect source identifier of claim 5 wherein the LotRoute database process comprises a retrieval algorithm that retrieves wafer route information by searching for a wafer route using Lot ID as a retrieval key, and if a wafer route associated with the Lot ID is found, returning the wafer route information;

otherwise by searching for the wafer route using Step ID as a retrieval key, if specified, and if a wafer route associated with the Step ID is found, returning the wafer route information, otherwise by searching for the wafer route using Tool ID as a retrieval key, if specified, and if a wafer route associated with the Tool ID is found, returning the wafer route information, otherwise by returning the default wafer route information.