Method and apparatus for monitoring a process by employing principal component analysis
First Claim
1. An apparatus adapted to monitor a production process comprising:
- a measurement apparatus adapted to collect optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma; and
a processing mechanism coupled to the measurement apparatus, the processing mechanism adapted to;
receive OES data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma during a production process performed on a production workpiece;
for a series of windows of the received OES data;
perform principal component analysis to compute a respective principal component for each window of the received OES data; and
calculate an inner product of the principal component computed for each window of the received OES data and an endpoint principal component computed for a window of OES data that corresponds to an endpoint of a previously performed calibration process; and
detect an endpoint of the production process based on the inner product calculated for each window of the received OES data.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for monitoring a process by employing principal component analysis are provided. Correlated attributes are measured for the process to be monitored (the production process). Principal component analysis then is performed on the measured correlated attributes so as to generate at least one production principal component; and the at least one production principal component is compared to a principal component associated with a calibration process (a calibration principal component). The calibration principal component is obtained by measuring correlated attributes of a calibration process, and by performing principal component analysis on the measured correlated attributes so as to generate at least one principal component. A principal component having a feature indicative of at least one of a desired process state, process event and chamber state then is identified and is designated as the calibration principal component.
86 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus adapted to monitor a production process comprising:
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a measurement apparatus adapted to collect optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma; and
a processing mechanism coupled to the measurement apparatus, the processing mechanism adapted to;
receive OES data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma during a production process performed on a production workpiece;
for a series of windows of the received OES data;
perform principal component analysis to compute a respective principal component for each window of the received OES data; and
calculate an inner product of the principal component computed for each window of the received OES data and an endpoint principal component computed for a window of OES data that corresponds to an endpoint of a previously performed calibration process; and
detect an endpoint of the production process based on the inner product calculated for each window of the received OES data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An automated semiconductor device fabrication tool comprising:
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at least one load lock;
a wafer handler chamber coupled to the load lock, the wafer handler chamber having a wafer handler therein;
a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the wafer handler chamber; and
an apparatus coupled to at least one of the plurality of processing chambers and adapted to monitor a production process, the apparatus comprising;
a measurement apparatus adapted to collect optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma; and
a processing mechanism coupled to the measurement apparatus, the processing mechanism adapted to;
receive OES data for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a plasma during a production process performed on a production workpiece;
for a series of windows of the received OES data;
perform principal component analysis to compute a respective principal component for each window of the received OES data; and
calculate an inner product of the principal component computed for each window of the received OES data and an endpoint principal component computed for a window of OES data that corresponds to an endpoint of a previously performed calibration process; and
detect an endpoint of the production process based on the inner product calculated for each window of the received OES data.
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Specification