Die-based in-fab process monitoring and analysis system for semiconductor processing

• US 6,368,884 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2000
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Oshelski, Anastasia Lynn, Goodwin, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, OLIVIA T
• Application Number:
  US09/548,142
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 438/14-16, 250/234, 264/406
• US Class Current: 438/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5448 Located on chip prior to dicing and remaining on chip after dicing

Abstract

A method is provided for manufacturing, the method including processing a workpiece in a plurality of processing steps and measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece in at least two of the plurality of processing steps. The method also includes displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display a final resulting workpiece.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing, the method comprising:

processing a workpiece in a plurality of different types of processing steps;

measuring characteristics of the different types of processing performed on the workpiece in at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps; and

displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps to display different types of processing errors associated with a final resulting workpiece.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

forming a plurality of output signals corresponding to the characteristics measured by using the characteristics measured as input to a semiconductor device yield model; and

predicting a semiconductor device yield value based on the plurality of output signals.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

detecting faulty processing performed in at least one of the plurality of processing steps based on at least one of the plurality of output signals; and

correcting the faulty processing performed in the at least one of the plurality of processing steps.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring photolithography hotspots.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having photolithography overlay errors outside a tolerance range.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having etch uniformity issues.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having deposition uniformity issues.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having polishing uniformity issues.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having bridging issues.

13. A computer-readable, program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method for processing a workpiece, the method comprising:

processing a workpiece in a plurality of different types of processing steps;

measuring characteristics of the different types of processing performed on the workpiece in at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps; and

displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps to display different types of processing errors associated with a final resulting workpiece.

14. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, the method further comprising:

forming a plurality of output signals corresponding to the characteristics measured by using the characteristics measured as input to a semiconductor device yield model; and

predicting a semiconductor device yield value based on the plurality of output signals.

15. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 14, the method further comprising:

detecting faulty processing performed in at least one of the plurality of processing steps based on at least one of the plurality of output signals; and

correcting the faulty processing performed in the at least one of the plurality of processing steps.

16. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

17. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 14, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

18. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 15, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

19. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring photolithography hotspots.

20. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having photolithography overlay errors outside a tolerance range.

21. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having etch uniformity issues.

22. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having deposition uniformity issues.

23. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having polishing uniformity issues.

24. The computer-readable, program storage device of claim 13, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having bridging issues.

25. A computer programmed to perform a method of manufacturing, the method comprising:

processing a workpiece in a plurality of different types of processing steps;

measuring characteristics of the different types of processing performed on the workpiece in at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps; and

displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of different types of processing steps to display different types of processing errors associated with a final resulting workpiece.

26. The computer of claim 25, the method further comprising:

forming a plurality of output signals corresponding to the characteristics measured by using the characteristics measured as input to a semiconductor device yield model; and

predicting a semiconductor device yield value based on the plurality of output signals.

27. The computer of claim 26, the method further comprising:

detecting faulty processing performed in at least one of the plurality of processing steps based on at least one of the plurality of output signals; and

correcting the faulty processing performed in the at least one of the plurality of processing steps.

28. The computer of claim 25, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

29. The computer of claim 26, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

30. The computer of claim 27, wherein displaying the characteristics measured by overlaying the characteristics measured at each of the at least two of the plurality of processing steps to display the final resulting workpiece includes using a graphic user interface (GUI) to display the characteristics measured.

31. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring photolithography hotspots.

32. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having photolithography overlay errors outside a tolerance range.

33. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having etch uniformity issues.

34. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having deposition uniformity issues.

35. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having polishing uniformity issues.

36. The computer of claim 25, wherein measuring characteristics of the processing performed on the workpiece includes measuring sites having bridging issues.