Method and apparatus for vacuum treatment

• US 6,553,277 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Hiroshi, Ito, Takashi, Kanbara, Hiromitsu, Yagisawa, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US09/959,764
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 700/204, 438/5-10, 438/14, 438/17
• US Class Current: 700/204
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method of vacuum treatment is performed using a vacuum treatment system (1) comprising a vacuum treatment unit (31) for treating a wafer (W) placed on a wafer stage (10) and a controller (51) for controlling the vacuum treatment unit (31). A sensor wafer (11) of substantially the same shape and size as a wafer (W), which includes a detector element (11d) for detecting data about the state of a vacuum treatment and a data processing element (11p) for processing the detected data, is placed on the wafer stage (10) and treated in a vacuum by the vacuum treatment unit (31). While the sensor wafer (11) is subjected to a vacuum treatment, data on the state of the vacuum treatment is detected and processed. Based on the processed data, the controller (51) controls the vacuum treatment unit (31) to treat the wafer (W).

Claims

1. A substrate processing method of using

a processing unit including a process mechanism that conducts a predetermined process with a substrate to be processed, a conveying mechanism that conveys the substrate to be processed into and out of the processing mechanism, and a controlling mechanism that controls the conveying mechanism, and

a sensor substrate having a detecting device that detects acceleration or sound, said method comprising:

a step of conveying the sensor substrate by means of the conveying mechanism while the detecting device detects acceleration or sound to thereby obtain detected information; and

a step of conveying the substrate to be processed while controlling the conveying mechanism by means of the controlling mechanism, based on the detected information.

2. A substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the substrate to be processed is a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for an LCD.

3. A substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor substrate has a storing device that stores the information detected by the detecting device.

4. A substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor substrate has a transmitting device that transmits the information detected by the detecting device to the controlling mechanism via a real-time wireless communication.

11. A substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor substrate has substantially the same shape and substantially the same size as the substrate to be processed.

5. A sensor substrate that can be conveyed by a conveying mechanism of a substrate processing unit, the sensor substrate having

substantially the same shape and substantially the same size as a substrate to be processed,

a microscopic hole, and

a detecting device arranged in the microscopic hole, the detecting device detecting a state in a course of a microscopic-hole forming process for a substrate to be processed.

6. A sensor substrate according to claim 5, wherein:

the substrate to be processed is a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for an LCD.

7. A sensor substrate according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor substrate has a storing device that stores the information detected by the detecting device.

8. A substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor substrate has a transmitting device that transmits the information detected by the detecting device to the controlling mechanism via a real-time wireless communication.

12. A sensor substrate according to claim 5, wherein

the microscopic hole has a first aspect ratio;

and

the sensor substrate also has a second microscopic hole and a second detecting device arranged in the second microscopic hole, the second microscopic hole having a second aspect ratio, and the second detecting device also detecting a state in a course of a microscopic-hole forming process.

9. A substrate processing unit adapted for use with a sensor substrate having a detecting device that detects acceleration or sound to provide detection information, said substrate processing unit comprising;

a process mechanism that conducts a predetermined process with a substrate to be processed;

a conveying mechanism that conveys a substrate to be processed or a sensor substrate into and out of the processing mechanism; and

a controlling mechanism that controls the conveying mechanism according to detection information received from the sensor substrate.

10. A substrate processing unit according to claim 9, wherein:

the substrate to be processed is a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for an LCD.

13. A substrate processing unit according to claim 9, wherein

the sensor substrate has substantially the same shape and substantially the same