Apparatus for integrated monitoring of wafers and for process control in semiconductor manufacturing and a method for use thereof

• US 6,733,619 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nova Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nova Measuring Instruments Limited (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Finarov, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOORE, KARLA A
• Application Number:
  US10/193,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20020179841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345.24
• US Class Current: 156/345.24
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/681 using optical controlling means

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated apparatus for monitoring wafers and for process control in the semiconductor manufacturing process, by means of at least two different measurements that can be installed inside any part of the semiconductor production line, i.e., inside the photocluster equipment, the CVD equipment or the CMP equipment. The apparatus comprises a measuring unit for performing at least one optical measurement in predetermined sites on said wafer, illumination sources for illuminating said wafer via measuring unit, supporting means for holding, rotating and translating the wafer and a control unit. The measuring unit comprises: at least two measuring sub-units, one of them being normal-incidence optical measuring system.

Claims

1. An integrated apparatus for monitoring semiconductor wafer and for process control in a semiconductor production process by means of at least two different measurements, comprising a measuring unit for performing said measurements in common predetermined sites on said wafer, at least one illumination source for illuminating said wafer, supporting means for holding, rotating and translating the wafer and a control unit connected to said measuring unit, to said supporting means and to said illumination source, wherein said measuring unit comprises at least two separate, measuring sub-units fixed relative to each other, and spatially separated along a wafer translating axis, wherein the illumination is at a normal incidence one of the measuring sub-units being an optical measuring sub-unit having an optical window through which the wafer is illuminated substantially normally to the surface thereof and comprising an autofocusing assembly.

2. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said measuring unit is in a sealed enclosure.

3. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one illumination sources comprises at least one illumination source external to said measuring unit, whose light beam is conveyed to said measuring unit by suitable light guides.

4. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said apparatus is operatively connected to at least one of a Chemical Vapor Deposition equipment, a Chemical Mechanical Polishing equipment, a photocluster equipment, and semiconductor production line processing equipment.

5. An integrated apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said apparatus is installed on a cooling chamber of a cluster Chemical Vapor Deposition equipment.

6. An integrated apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said apparatus is installed on a transfer chamber of a cluster Chemical Vapor Deposition equipment.

7. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said optical measuring sub-unit comprises a visible illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the visible spectral range and wherein the other measuring sub-unit comprises optical components and illumination sources suitable for performing optical measurements at any other spectral range.

8. An integrated apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the optical unit operating at the visible spectral range light includes an optical imaging device.

9. An integrated apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the measuring unit comprises two optical sub-units, wherein one of the optical sub-units comprises a visible illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the visible spectral range and is used for relative positioning of the measuring unit and the wafer and for thin layer thickness measurements, and wherein the other optical sub-unit comprises an infrared illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the infrared spectral range and is used for layer composition measurements and for contamination analysis.

10. An integrated apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the measuring unit comprises two optical sub-units, wherein one of the optical sub-units comprises a visible illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the visible spectral range and is used for relative positioning of the measuring unit and the wafer, and for thin layer thickness measurements, and wherein the other optical sub-unit comprises an ultraviolet illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the ultraviolet spectral range and is used for illuminating a wafer by ultraviolet illumination and measuring the reflected signals by means of a detector.

11. An integrated apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the measuring unit comprises two optical sub-units, wherein one of the optical sub-units comprises a visible illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the visible spectral range and is used for relative positioning of the measuring unit and the wafer, and for thin layer thickness measurements, and wherein the other optical sub-unit comprises an X ray illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the X ray spectral range and is used for illuminating a wafer by X ray radiation and measuring the reflected signals by means of a detector.

12. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said at least two measuring sub-units fixed relative to each other are movable relative to the semiconductor wafer.

13. An integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said measuring unit is in an enclosure and said optical window is associated with said enclosure.

14. An integrated apparatus for optically measurements semiconductor wafer for process control in the semiconductor production process by means of at least two measurements in different spectral range, the apparatus comprising:

a measuring unit for performing said measurements in predetermined common sites on said wafer;

at least two illumination sources for illuminating said wafer,

supporting means for holding, rotating and translating the wafer; and

a control unit connected to said measuring unit, to said supporting means and to said illumination source,

wherein said measuring unit comprises at least two measuring sub-units fixed to each other and spatially separated along a wafer translating axis, and at least one of the measuring sub-units being an optical measuring sub-unit comprising image acquisition and autofocusing assemblies.

15. An integrated apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least one of the measuring sub-units is in an enclosure having an optical window.

16. An integrated apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least one of the measuring sub-units is a UV optical measuring sub-unit.

17. An integrated apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least one of said illumination sources is external to said measuring unit and its light beam is conveyed to said measuring unit by suitable light guides.

18. An integrated apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the measuring unit comprises two optical sub-units, wherein one of the optical sub-units comprises a visible illumination source and optical components suitable performing optical measurements at the visible spectral range and is used for relative positioning of the measuring unit and the wafer and for thin layer thickness measurements, and wherein the other optical sub-unit comprises an ultraviolet illumination source and optical components suitable for performing optical measurements at the ultraviolet spectral range and is used for illuminating a wafer by ultraviolet illumination and measuring the reflected signals by means of a detector.

19. An integrated apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said at least two measuring sub-units fixed to each other are movable relative to the semiconductor wafer.

20. An integrated apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said optical window is of an open type.

21. An integrated apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said enclosure is of a sealed type.