Integrated defect yield management and query system

• US 6,314,379 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Li-Chun, Liu, Chwen-Ming, Huang, Chih-Ming, Hu, Ding-Dar
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US08/984,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 702/81-84, 702/33-36, 702/40, 702/115, 702/117, 702/118, 702/121-123, 702/179, 702/180, 702/182-185, 702/FOR.171, 702/FOR.123, 702/FOR.125, 702/FOR.135, 702/FOR.137, 702/FOR.139, 702/FOR.170, 700/109, 700/110, 700/115-121, 382/141, 382/145, 382/147, 382/149, 382/151, 438/14-18, 134/95.1, 134/95.2
• US Class Current: 702/81
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2894 Aspects of quality control [QC] G01R31/31718 takes precedence; program control for QC G05B19/41875
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

An integrated defect yield management and query system for a semiconductor wafer fabrication process is disclosed. A local area network connects various testing devices for testing defect conditions of wafers, a defect yield management server and a client device. After inspection, these devices generate a plurality of process records corresponding to each of the semiconductor wafers. The defect yield management server retrieves the process records through the local area network. These process records are stored in a database divided into a plurality of fields, wherein each field corresponds to a specific defect property of the semiconductor wafers. Therefore, these acquired on-line data and their related history records can be accessed by using an inquiring interface, and the client device can effectively poll the process records stored in the database of the defect yield management server.

Claims

1. An integrated defect yield management and query system for a semiconductor fabrication process, comprising:

a local area network having a communication protocol;

devices connected to the local area network, for analyzing process defects and process yields of semiconductor wafers during and after the semiconductor fabrication process and providing process records corresponding to the semiconductor wafers, and for monitoring and controlling particle numbers in a semiconductor fabrication environment;

a defect yield management server, connected to the local area network, for retrieving the process records generated by the analyzing devices through the communication protocol of the local area network, the defect yield management server having a database storing the process records retrieved from the analyzing devices and history records, each of the process records and the history records having fields corresponding to specific defect characteristics of the semiconductor wafers; and

a client device, connected to the local area network, for polling the process records and the history records stored in the database of the defect yield management server.

2. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein the analyzing devices include:

in-line devices for detecting the process defects of the semiconductor wafers during the semiconductor fabrication process;

off-line devices for detecting process defects and process yields of dies generated by scribing the semiconductor wafers after the semiconductor fabrication process; and

an in-situ particle monitor for monitoring and controlling a particle condition during the semiconductor fabrication process.

3. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 2, wherein the in-line devices include:

a device for scanning the process defects of the semiconductor wafers after a wafer-processing step; and

a device for capturing an image of the surface of the semiconductor wafers.

4. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 2, wherein the off-line devices include:

a device for auditing the appearance of the semiconductor wafers and counting the number of the process defects on the semiconductor wafers;

a device for performing a yield analysis on the dies used in the semiconductor fabrication process; and

a device for analyzing the reliability of the dies.

5. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein the communication protocol of the local area network is the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP).

6. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein the client device polls the process records and the history records stored in the database of the defect yield management server through an interface written in the hypertext markup language, the interface providing a plurality of query items for the fields of the process records and the history records.

7. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein each of the fields of the process records and the history records has a tag related to the corresponding analyzing device that can be searched as a keyword.

8. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein each of the process records and the history records stored in the database has a tag for indicating a lot number pertaining to the corresponding semiconductor wafer that can be searched as a keyword.

9. The integrated defect yield management and query system of claim 1, wherein each of the fields of the process records and the history records stored in the database has a tag related to a defect event that can be searched as a keyword.