Method for recovering a plasma process

• US 6,927,076 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lu, Ching-Shan, Fang, Yu-Wen, Chen, Shi-Rong
• Primary Examiner(s): Norton, Nadine G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): UMEZ ERONINI, LYNETTE T
• Application Number:
  US10/264,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20040067645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,039 Days
• Field of Search: 438/5, 438/7, 438/9, 438/10, 438/706, 438/710
• US Class Current: 438/5
• 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 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418

Abstract

A method for automated monitoring and controlling of a semiconductor wafer plasma process including performing a plasma process in a plasma processing system to treat a semiconductor process wafer according to a first plasma process recipe; collecting plasma process parameters including at least an RF power and a plasma process time at pre-determined time intervals; and, storing the plasma process parameters including pre-process plasma processing system parameters according to a selectively queryable database to create a plasma process history such that upon abortion of the plasma process the plasma process history may be selectively retrieved to determine a second plasma process recipe to complete the plasma process.

Claims

1. A method for automated monitoring and controlling of a semiconductor wafer plasma process comprising the steps of:

performing a plasma process in a plasma processing system to treat a semiconductor process wafer according to a first plasma process recipe;

collecting plasma process parameters comprising at least an RF power and a plasma process time at pre-determined time intervals; and

,

storing the plasma process parameters including pre-process plasma processing system parameters according to a selectively queryable database to create a plasma process history such that upon abortion of the plasma process the plasma process history may be selectively retrieved to determine a second plasma process recipe to complete the plasma process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma process comprises an anisotropic etching process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma process parameters further comprise at least one of RF frequency, plasma chamber pressure, semiconductor wafer temperature, RF bias, plasma source gas flow rates, electrode position, and plasma species emission spectra.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the plasma process parameters comprises storing the plasma process parameters associated with an identifiable plasma process system and an identifiable plasma process recipe including a plasma process recipe step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined time interval is from about 0.5 seconds to about 30 seconds.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of;

determining whether the plasma process has been aborted;

upon determining an aborted plasma process selectively retrieving from the selectively queryable database the plasma process history to determine the second plasma process recipe; and

,

resuming the aborted plasma process.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second plasma process recipe comprises one of a pre-determined plasma processing time recipe and an iterative plasma process parameter adjustment recipe in response to a plasma species concentration.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of selectively retrieving comprises determining the plasma process history comprising at least the RF power and the plasma process time.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plasma process is an anisotropic etching process wherein determining the pre-determined plasma processing time recipe comprises determining plasma process parameters including at least an RF power and plasma processing time required to complete at least one plasma processing step.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of resuming the aborted plasma process comprises retrieving the pre-process plasma process system parameters from the selectively queryable database and re-setting the plasma processing system to pre-process conditions.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the iterative plasma process parameter adjustment recipe comprises;

retrieving the plasma processing history including at least one plasma species emission spectra from the selectively queryable database;

retrieving a model plasma process history;

determining a difference between the model plasma process history and the plasma process; and

,

determining adjustments to the plasma processing parameters required to approximate the model plasma process history.

12. A method for recovering from an aborted plasma etch process comprising the steps of:

beginning a semiconductor wafer plasma etch process in a plasma processing system according to a first plasma etch process recipe including plasma etch process recipe steps;

collecting plasma etch process parameters comprising at least an RF power and a plasma etch process time at pre-determined time intervals;

storing the plasma etch process parameters including pre-process plasma processing system parameters according to a selectively queryable database to create a plasma etch process history;

determining whether the plasma etch process has been aborted;

upon determining an aborted plasma etch process selectively retrieving from the selectively queryable database the plasma etch process history to determine a second plasma etch process recipe; and

,

resuming the aborted plasma etch process to complete the plasma etch process according to the second plasma etch process recipe.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plasma etch process parameters further comprise at least one of RF frequency, plasma chamber pressure, semiconductor wafer temperature, RF bias, plasma source gas flow rates, electrode position, and plasma species emission spectra.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of storing the plasma etch process parameters comprises storing the plasma etch process parameters associated with an identifiable plasma etch process system and an identifiable plasma etch process recipe including a plasma etch process recipe step.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the pre-determined time interval is from about 0.5 seconds to about 30 seconds.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of selectively retrieving comprises determining the plasma etch process history comprising at least an RF power and a process time.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second plasma etch process recipe comprises determining a processing time at an RF power required to complete a plasma process recipe step.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of resuming the plasma process comprises retrieving pre-process plasma processing system parameters from the selectively queryable database to restore the plasma processing system to pre-process conditions.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of storing includes storing in computer readable media included in a server remotely located from the plasma processing system including a backup power supply.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the plasma etch process recipe comprises an iterative plasma process parameter adjustment recipe adjusted in response to at least one plasma species concentration.