IRREGULAR MECHANICAL MOTION DETECTION SYSTEMS AND METHOD

• US 20200130130A1
• Filed: 06/05/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chunhung, Tsai, Yu Chi, Chuang, Chin Wei, Chen, Bo-An, Wang, Sheng-Chen, Tsai, Chen-Hua
• Granted Patent: US 11,731,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/005 Control means for lapping machines or devices

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for predicting irregular motions of one or more mechanical components of a semiconductor processing apparatus. A mechanical motion irregular prediction system includes one or more motion sensors that sense motion-related parameters associated with at least one mechanical component of a semiconductor processing apparatus. The one or more motion sensors output sensing signals based on the sensed motion-related parameters. Defect prediction circuitry predicts an irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component based on the sensing signals.

Claims

1. A mechanical motion irregularity prediction system, comprising:

one or more motion sensors configured to sense motion-related parameters associated with at least one mechanical component of a semiconductor processing apparatus, and to output sensing signals based on the sensed motion-related parameters; and

defect prediction circuitry configured to predict an irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component based on the sensing signals.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database communicatively coupled to the defect prediction circuitry, the database storing information associated with irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component,

wherein the defect prediction circuitry is configured to predict the irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component based on the sensing signals and the information stored in the database.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

signal processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the one or more motion sensors and to the defect prediction circuitry, the signal processing circuitry configured to;

receive the sensing signals output from the one or more motion sensors;

generate spectral images based on the sensing signals, the spectral images including frequency and time information associated with the sensing signals.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the signal processing circuitry includes an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the received sensing signals into digital sensing signals.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the signal processing circuitry further includes fast Fourier transform (FFT) circuitry configured to transform the digital sensing signals to frequency spectrum data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the signal processing circuitry further includes window circuitry configured to generate apply a window function to the frequency spectrum data.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a historical spectral image database which stores a plurality of historical spectral images that are indicative of irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component,

wherein the defect prediction circuitry is configured to predict the irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component based on the spectral images and the historical spectral images.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the defect prediction circuitry is further configured to predict at least one of a status or a remaining operational lifetime of the at least one mechanical component based on the sensing signals.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

hold circuitry communicatively coupled to the defect prediction circuitry and the at least one mechanical component of the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, the hold circuitry configured to stop an operation of the at least on mechanical component in response to the defect prediction circuitry predicting the irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component.

10. A method, comprising:

sensing, by at least one motion sensor, motion-related parameters associated with at least one mechanical component of a semiconductor processing apparatus;

generating, by signal processing circuitry, spectral information based on the sensing signals; and

predicting, by defect prediction circuitry, an irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component based on the spectral information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the generating the spectral information includes:

converting the sensing signals into digital sensing signals;

transforming the digital sensing signals to frequency spectrum data; and

applying a window function to the frequency spectrum data.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the generating the spectral information includes generating spectral images, the spectral images including frequency and time information associated with the sensing signals.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predicting an irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component includes analyzing the generated spectral images by machine learning circuitry trained to predict the irregular motion based on a plurality of historical spectral images that are indicative of irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

automatically stopping an operation of the at least one mechanical component based on the predicting the irregular motion of the at least one mechanical component.

15. A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, comprising:

a rotatable platen;

a polishing pad on the rotatable platen;

a polishing head configured to carry a semiconductor wafer and to selectively cause the semiconductor wafer to contact the polishing pad;

a pad conditioner having a pad conditioner head and a conditioning disk coupled to the pad conditioner head, the conditioning disk configured to selectively contact the polishing pad;

a first motion sensor configured to sense a first motion-related parameter associated with at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner; and

defect prediction circuitry configured to predict an irregular motion of the at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner based on the sensed first motion-related parameter.

16. The CMP apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

signal processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the first motion sensor and to the defect prediction circuitry, the signal processing circuitry configured to generate spectral images based on the sensed first motion-related parameter, the spectral images including frequency and time information associated with the first motion-related parameter.

17. The CMP apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

hold circuitry communicatively coupled to the defect prediction circuitry and the at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner, the hold circuitry configured to stop an operation of the at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner in response to the defect prediction circuitry predicting the irregular motion.

18. The CMP apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first motion sensor includes at least one of:

a torque sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, or a vibration sensor

19. The CMP apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a second sensor configured to sense a second parameter associated with the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner, the second sensor including at least one of;

a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or a humidity sensor,

wherein the defect prediction circuitry is configured to predict the irregular motion of the at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner based on the sensed first motion-related parameter and the sensed second parameter.

20. The CMP apparatus of claim 15 wherein the defect prediction circuitry is configured to predict at least one of a status or a remaining operational lifetime of the at least one of the rotatable platen, the polishing pad, the polishing head, or the pad conditioner based on the sensed first motion-related parameter.