Method and apparatus for monitoring consumable performance

• US 6,567,718 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Campbell, William J., Conboy, Michael R., Lansford, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THOMAS K
• Application Number:
  US09/627,874
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/46, 700/173-178, 451/54, 451/307, 451/40, 451/303
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32234 Maintenance planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5628 Valve encasing

Abstract

A method for monitoring consumable performance in a processing tool comprises storing a performance model of the processing tool; receiving a consumable item characteristic of a consumable item in the processing tool; determining a predicted processing rate for the processing tool based on the consumable item characteristic and the performance model; determining an actual processing rate of the processing tool; and determining a replacement interval for the consumable item based on at least the actual processing rate. A processing system includes a processing tool and an automatic process controller. The processing tool is adapted to process wafers and includes a consumable item.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring consumable performance in a processing tool, comprising:

storing a performance model of the processing tool;

receiving a consumable item characteristic of a consumable item in the processing tool;

determining a predicted processing rate for the processing tool based on the consumable item characteristic and the performance model;

determining an actual processing rate of the processing tool; and

determining a replacement interval for the consumable item based on at least the actual processing rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the actual processing rate includes:

processing wafers in the processing tool; and

measuring a characteristic of the processed wafers to determine the actual processing rate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining operating recipe parameters for the processing tool based on the predicted processing rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval based on the actual processing rate and the predicted processing rate.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving scheduling information associated with the processing tool, and wherein determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval based on the actual processing rate and the scheduling information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a polishing pad and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the polishing pad.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a carrier and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing tool comprises a sputter deposition tool including a target and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the target.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the consumable item characteristic includes receiving an age of the consumable item.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the actual processing rate includes measuring a characteristic of the wafers prior to being processed in the processing tool.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating the performance model based on the characteristic of the processed wafers.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising processing wafers in the processing tool based on the operating recipe parameters.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the scheduling information includes monitoring the idle time of the processing tool.

14. A processing system, comprising:

a processing tool adapted to process wafers, the processing tool including a consumable item; and

a processing device programmed with instructions that, when executed, perform a method for monitoring consumable performance in the processing tool, the method including;

storing a performance model of the processing tool;

receiving a consumable item characteristic of a consumable item in the processing tool;

determining a predicted processing rate for the processing tool based on the consumable item characteristic and the performance model;

determining an actual processing rate of the processing tool; and

determining a replacement interval for the consumable item based on at least the actual processing rate.

15. The processing system of claim 14, further comprising a first metrology tool adapted to measure a characteristic of the processed wafers to determine the actual processing rate.

16. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the processing tool is adapted to process the wafers based on operating recipe parameters, and the method further comprises determining the operating recipe parameters based on the predicted processing rate.

17. The processing system of claim 14, wherein determining the replacement interval for the consumable item in the method includes determining the replacement interval based on the actual processing rate and the predicted processing rate.

18. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises receiving scheduling information associated with the processing tool, and wherein determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval based on the actual processing rate and the scheduling information.

19. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a polishing pad and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the polishing pad.

20. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a carrier and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the carrier.

21. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the processing tool comprises a sputter deposition tool including a target and determining the replacement interval for the consumable item includes determining the replacement interval for the target.

22. The processing system of claim 14, wherein the consumable item characteristic comprises an age of the consumable item.

23. The processing system of claim 15, further comprising a second metrology tool adapted to measure a characteristic of the wafers prior to being processed in the processing tool.

24. The processing system of claim 15, further comprising updating the performance model based on the characteristic of the processed wafers.

25. The processing system of claim 18, wherein receiving the scheduling information in the method includes monitoring the idle time of the processing tool.

26. A processing system, comprising:

a processing tool adapted to process wafers, the processing tool including a consumable item; and

an automatic process controller adapted to store a performance model of the processing tool, receive a consumable item characteristic of the consumable item in the processing tool, determine a predicted processing rate for the processing tool based on the consumable item characteristic and the performance model, determine an actual processing rate of the processing tool, and determine a replacement interval for the consumable item based on at least the actual processing rate.

27. The processing system of claim 26, further comprising a first metrology tool adapted to measure a characteristic of the processed wafers to determine the actual processing rate.

28. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the processing tool is adapted to process the wafers based on operating recipe parameters, and the automatic process controller is further adapted to determine the operating recipe parameters based on the predicted processing rate.

29. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the automatic process controller is adapted to determine the replacement interval based on the actual processing rate and the predicted processing rate.

30. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the automatic process controller is adapted to receive scheduling information associated with the processing tool and determine the replacement interval for the consumable item includes based on the actual processing rate and the scheduling information.

31. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a polishing pad, and the automatic process controller is adapted to determine the replacement interval for the for the polishing pad.

32. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the processing tool comprises a polishing tool including a carrier, and the automatic process controller is adapted to determine the replacement interval for the carrier.

33. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the processing tool comprises a sputter deposition tool including a target, and the automatic process controller is adapted to determine the replacement interval for the target.

34. The processing system of claim 26, wherein the consumable item characteristic comprises an age of the consumable item.

35. The processing system of claim 27, further comprising a second metrology tool adapted to measure a characteristic of the wafers prior to being processed in the processing tool.

36. The processing system of claim 27, wherein the automatic process controller is further adapted to update the performance model based on the characteristic of the processed wafers.

37. The processing system of claim 30, wherein the automatic process controller is adapted to monitoring the idle time of the processing tool.

38. A processing system, comprising:

a processing tool adapted to process wafers, the processing tool including a consumable item;

means for storing a performance model of the processing tool;

means for receiving a consumable item characteristic of a consumable item in the processing tool;

means for determining a predicted processing rate for the processing tool based on the consumable item characteristic and the performance model;

means for determining an actual processing rate of the processing tool; and

means for determining a replacement interval for the consumable item based on at least the actual processing rate.