Method and apparatus for monitoring integrated circuit fabrication

• US 6,892,156 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: Brion Technologies Incorporated (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: Ye, Jun, Chen, Xun
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/874,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 702/117, 702/116, 702/132, 702/136, 702/184, 702/185, 438/5, 438/10, 438/11, 438/14, 438/17, 438/18, 156/345.13
• US Class Current: 702/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• 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 2224/48463 the connecting portion on the bonding area of the semiconductor or solid-state body being a ball bond
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49107 on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• 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 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention is a sensor unit for sensing process parameters of a process to manufacture an integrated circuit using integrated circuit processing equipment. In one embodiment, the sensor unit includes a substrate having a wafer-shaped profile and a first sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a first process parameter. The sensor unit of this embodiment also includes a second sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a second process parameter wherein the second process parameter is different from the first process parameter. In one embodiment, the sensor unit includes a first source, disposed on or in the substrate, wherein first source generates an interrogation signal and wherein the first sensor uses the interrogation signal from the first source to sample the first process parameter. The sensor unit may also include a second source, disposed on or in the substrate, wherein second source generates an interrogation signal and wherein the second sensor uses the interrogation signal from the second source to sample the second process parameter. The first sensor and the first source may operate in an end-point mode or in a real-time mode. In this regard, the first sensor samples the first parameter periodically or continuously while the sensor unit is disposed in the integrated circuit processing equipment and undergoing processing. In one embodiment, the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, a surface tension sensor or a surface stress sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor unit for sensing at least one process parameter of a process to manufacture an integrated circuit using integrated circuit processing equipment that includes a wafer handling apparatus, the sensor unit comprising:

a substrate that is capable of being disposed on the wafer handling apparatus;

a first sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a first parameter of the process;

a second sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a second parameter of the process, wherein the second sensor is a different type of sensor from the first sensor.

2. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the first and second sensors continuously or periodically sample the first and second parameters, respectively, while the sensor unit is disposed in the integrated circuit processing equipment and undergoing processing.

3. The sensor unit of claim 2 wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor.

4. The sensor unit of claim 3 wherein the second sensor is a mechanical sensor and the second process parameter is acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position or angle of the substrate.

5. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the second sensor is MEMS device.

6. The sensor unit of claim 1 further including at least one battery, disposed on or in the substrate, to provide electrical power to the first and second sensors.

7. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the first and second sensors operate in a real-time mode and the sensor unit further includes data storage to store data which is representative of the first and second parameters.

8. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the second sensor measures acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position or angle of the substrate.

9. The sensor unit of claim 1 further including:

data storage to store data which is representative of the first parameter;

communication circuitry, coupled to the data storage, to provide the data which is representative of the first parameter to external circuitry; and

at least one rechargeable battery, to provide electrical power to the first and second sensors.

10. The sensor unit of claim 9 wherein the first sensor samples the first parameter continuously or periodically while the sensor unit is disposed in the integrated circuit processing equipment and undergoing processing.

11. The sensor unit of claim 9 wherein:

the first sensor is a temperature sensor; and

the second sensor is a mechanical sensor and the second process parameter is acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position, or angle of, or pressure or stress on the substrate.

12. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is an optical sensor.

13. The sensor unit of claim 1 wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the sensor unit further includes a controller, coupled to the temperature sensor, to control the sampling of first parameter of the process by the first sensor.

14. A sensor unit for sensing a plurality of process parameter of a process to manufacture an integrated circuit using integrated circuit processing equipment that includes a wafer handling apparatus, the sensor unit comprising, the sensor unit comprising:

a substrate that is capable of being disposed on the wafer handling apparatus;

a first sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a first process parameter during the manufacturing process, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the first process parameter is temperature; and

a second sensor, disposed on or in the substrate, to sample a second process parameter, wherein the second sensor is a mechanical sensor and the second process parameter is acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position, or angle of, or pressure or stress on the substrate.

15. The sensor unit of claim 14 wherein the first and second sensors operate in a real-time mode.

16. The sensor unit of claim 15 further including data storage to store data which is representative of the first parameter.

17. The sensor unit of claim 16 wherein the sensor unit further includes at least one rechargeable battery, to provide electrical power to the first sensor, the second sensor and the data storage.

18. A sensor unit for sensing a plurality of process parameters of a process to manufacture an integrated circuit using integrated circuit processing equipment that includes a wafer handling apparatus, the sensor unit comprising, the sensor unit comprising:

a substrate that is capable of being disposed on the wafer handling apparatus;

a first sensor disposed on or in the substrate, wherein the first sensor samples a first process parameter;

a second sensor disposed on or in the substrate, wherein the second sensor samples a second process parameter; and

a third sensor disposed on or in the substrate, wherein the third sensor samples a third process parameter, and wherein the first, second and third sensors are different types of sensors.

19. The sensor unit of claim 18 wherein the first, second and third sensors operate in real-time mode.

20. The sensor unit of claim 18 wherein the first sensor operates in an end-point mode.

21. The sensor unit of claim 18 further including:

data storage to store data sampled by the first, second and third sensors;

communication circuitry, coupled to the data storage, to provide the data sampled by the first, second and third sensors to external circuitry; and

at least one rechargeable battery, to provide electrical power to the first, second and third sensors, and the data storage.

22. The sensor unit of claim 18 wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a pressure sensor.

23. The sensor unit of claim 22 wherein the third sensor is a chemical sensors.

24. The sensor unit of claim 22 wherein the third sensor is a surface tension sensor.

25. The sensor unit of claim 22 wherein the third sensor is a surface stress sensors.

26. The sensor unit of claim 22 wherein the third sensor is a surface profile sensor.

27. The sensor unit of claim 18 wherein:

the first sensor is a temperature sensor; and

the third sensor is a mechanical sensor and the third process parameter is acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position, or angle of, or pressure or stress on the substrate.

28. The sensor unit of claim 18 wherein the third sensor is a mechanical sensor and the third process parameter is acceleration, deceleration, displacement, position, or angle of, or pressure or stress on the substrate.