Management system and apparatus, method therefor, and device manufacturing method

• US 6,785,583 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2003
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Satoru, Ina, Hideki, Sentoku, Koichi, Suzuki, Takehiko, Matsumoto, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US10/423,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 700/108, 700/51, 700/28, 700/29, 703/2, 705/7, 705/8
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/705 Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70525 Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70633 Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7092 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32018 Adapt process as function of results of quality measuring until maximum quality
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus management system includes a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which operates in accordance with a parameter, an obtaining device for obtaining evaluation values of an operation result of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of parameter values of the parameter, a holding device for holding the evaluation values obtained by the obtaining device for each object to be processed by the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, and an optimization device for analyzing the evaluation values held by the holding device. The optimization device optimizes the parameter on the basis of at least one of a sensitivity representing a change degree of the evaluation values upon the change in the parameter, and a variation amount of the evaluation values for each object to be processed.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus management system comprising:

a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which operates in accordance with a parameter;

obtaining means for obtaining evaluation values of an operation result of said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of parameter values of the parameter;

holding means for holding the evaluation values obtained by said obtaining means for each object to be processed by said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus; and

optimization means for analyzing the evaluation values held by said holding means, and optimizing the parameter on the basis of at least one of a sensitivity representing a change degree of the evaluation values upon the change in the parameter, and a variation amount of the evaluation values for each object to be processed.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said optimization means decides a set parameter value of the parameter from a region where at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount becomes minimum.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein when at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount falls outside a predetermined range, said optimization means changes a set parameter value of the parameter so as to make at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount fall within the predetermined range.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining means estimates and obtains evaluation values.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein

said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus performs predetermined measurement processing with a set parameter value of the parameter, and processes the object on the basis of a measurement result, and

the system further comprises an inspection apparatus which acquires a shift amount of the measurement result obtained by actually measuring a processing result of the object, and outputs the shift amount as the evaluation value.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

the system further comprises acquisition means for performing at least one of (i) actually measuring and (ii) estimating and acquiring a measurement result when the predetermined measurement processing is performed with a parameter value other than the set parameter value, and

said obtaining means estimates the evaluation values of an operation result of said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to the plurality of the parameter values on the basis of the measurement result obtained by performing the predetermined measurement processing with the set parameter, the measurement result obtained by said acquisition means, and the evaluation value obtained by said inspection apparatus.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said acquisition means includes executing the predetermined measurement processing for said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus with a parameter value other than the set parameter value to acquire a measurement result.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein said acquisition means estimates the measurement result of the predetermined measurement processing by processing a signal obtained in the predetermined measurement processing while changing a parameter value regarding a processing method.

9. The system according to claim 5, wherein

said semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus includes an exposure apparatus which performs exposure processing for a substrate, and

the parameter is used for alignment processing in the exposure apparatus.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said inspection apparatus includes an overlay inspection apparatus.

11. A device manufacturing method comprising:

manufacturing a device by using a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus managed by a management system defined in claim 1.

12. A device manufacturing method comprising:

optimizing a parameter value used in a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus during device production by using a management system defined in claim 1.

13. A management method of managing a parameter for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which operates in accordance with a parameter, said method comprising:

an obtaining step of obtaining evaluation values of an operation result of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of parameter values of the parameter;

a holding step of holding the evaluation value obtained in the obtaining step for each object to be processed by the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus; and

an optimization step of analyzing the evaluation values held in the holding step, and optimizing the parameter on the basis of at least one of a sensitivity representing a change degree of the evaluation value upon the change in the parameter value, and a variation amount of the evaluation values for each object to be processed.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the optimization step, a set parameter value of the parameter is decided from a region where at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount becomes minimum.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the optimization step, when at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount falls outside a predetermined range, a set parameter value of the parameter is so changed as to make at least one of the sensitivity and the variation amount fall within the predetermined range.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein said obtaining step estimates and obtains the evaluation values.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus performs predetermined measurement processing with a set parameter value of the parameter, and processes the object on the basis of a measurement result, and

a shift amount of the measurement result obtained by actually measuring a processing result of the object by a predetermined inspection apparatus is used as the evaluation value.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein

the method further comprises an acquisition step of performing at least one of (i) of actually measuring and (ii) estimating and acquiring a measurement result when the predetermined measurement processing is performed with a parameter value other than the set parameter value, and

in the obtaining step, the evaluation value of the operation result of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to the plurality of the parameter values is estimated on the basis of the measurement result obtained by performing the predetermined measurement processing with the set parameter, the measurement result acquired in the acquisition step, and the evaluation value obtained by the inspection apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the acquisition step includes executing the predetermined measurement processing for the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus with a parameter value other than the set parameter value to acquire a measurement result.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, in the acquisition step, the measurement result of the predetermined measurement processing is estimated by processing a signal obtained in the predetermined measurement processing while changing a parameter value regarding a processing method.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein

the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus includes an exposure apparatus which performs exposure processing for a substrate, and

the parameter is used for alignment processing in the exposure apparatus.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the inspection apparatus includes an overlay inspection apparatus.

23. A manufacturing apparatus wherein a predetermined operation parameter is set by a management method defined in claim 13.

24. A device manufacturing method of manufacturing a device by performing substrate processing using a manufacturing apparatus defined in claim 23.

25. A management apparatus for managing a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

communication means for communicating with the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, which operates in accordance with a parameter;

obtaining means for obtaining evaluation values of an operation result of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of parameter values of the parameter;

holding means for holding the evaluation values obtained by said obtaining means for each object to be processed by the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus; and

optimization means for analyzing the evaluation values held by said holding means, and optimizing the parameter on the basis of at least one of a sensitivity representing a change degree of the evaluation value upon the change in the parameter, and a variation amount of the evaluation values for each object to be processed.

26. A device manufacturing method comprising:

manufacturing a device by using a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus managed by a management apparatus defined in claim 25.

27. A computer-readable memory which stores a control program for causing a computer to operate as a management apparatus defined in claim 25.

28. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus management method using an apparatus connected via communication means to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, which operates in accordance with a parameter, said method comprising:

an obtaining step of obtaining evaluation values of an operation result of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of the parameter values of the parameter;

a holding step of holding an estimation result of the evaluation value obtained in the obtaining step for each object to be processed by the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus; and

an optimization step of analyzing the evaluation values held in the holding step, and optimizing the parameter on the basis of at least one of a sensitivity representing a change degree of the evaluation values upon the change in the parameter, and a variation amount of the evaluation values for each object to be processed.