System and method for real-time fault detection, classification, and correction in a semiconductor manufacturing environment

• US 6,980,873 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Shen, Hsueh Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US10/831,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 700114-117, 700108-110, 700/121, 700/213, 700/223, 700/228, 700/175, 700/100, 700/96
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37519 From machining parameters classify different fault cases
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/024 Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks

Abstract

A system and method for detecting a fault and identifying a remedy for the fault in real-time in a semiconductor product manufacturing facility are provided. In one example, the method includes importing data from a manufacturing device and data representing a plurality of different manufacturing devices into an analysis tool. The imported data is analyzed using the analysis tool to determine if a fault exists in the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation and, if a fault exists, the fault is classified and a remedy for the fault is identified based at least partly on the classification. Configuration data used to control the manufacturing device may be updated, and the update may apply the remedy to the configuration information. The manufacturing device'"'"'s operation may then be modified using the updated configuration data.

Claims

1. A computer-executable method for detecting a fault and identifying a remedy for the fault in real-time in a semiconductor product manufacturing facility, the system comprising:

importing data from a manufacturing device into an analysis tool;

importing data representing a plurality of different manufacturing devices into the analysis tool;

analyzing the imported data to determine if a fault exists in the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation;

if a fault exists, classifying the fault and identifying a remedy for the fault based at least partly on the classification;

updating configuration data used to control the manufacturing device, wherein the updating applies the remedy to the configuration information; and

modifying the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation using the updated configuration data.

2. The computer-executable method of claim 1 further comprising storing the data from the manufacturing device in a tool database prior to importing the data into the analysis tool, wherein the data is imported into the analysis tool from the tool database.

3. The computer-executable method of claim 2 further comprising importing the data from the tool database into an analysis database associated with the analysis tool prior to importing the data into the analysis tool, wherein the data is imported into the analysis tool from the analysis database.

4. The computer-executable method of claim 3 further comprising importing archive data into the analysis database from at least one of a tool archive database configured to archive data from the tool database, and a permanent storage.

5. The computer-executable method of claim 2 wherein the data representing a plurality of different manufacturing devices is imported into the analysis tool from a cross-tool analysis database containing comparison data from the plurality of different manufacturing devices.

6. The computer-executable method of claim 5 wherein updating configuration data used to control the manufacturing device includes storing the configuration information in a configuration database accessible to an interface for the manufacturing device, and wherein modifying the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation includes transferring the configuration information from the configuration database to the interface.

7. The computer-executable method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing data from the manufacturing device into a tool database;

optimizing the data in the tool database;

transferring the data from the tool database to a cross-tool analysis database; and

analyzing the data from the cross-tool analysis database by comparing the data with data from a plurality of other manufacturing devices.

8. The computer-executable method of claim 7 wherein analyzing the data from the cross-tool analysis database identifies a trend in the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation.

9. The computer-executable method of claim 7 wherein analyzing the data from the cross-tool analysis database identifies an optimization to be made in the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation.

10. The computer-executable method of claim 7 wherein optimizing the data includes identifying and discarding fragmented data, and compressing non-fragmented data.

11. The computer-executable method of claim 1 further comprising instructions for producing a report summarizing the analyzed data.

12. A system for real-time fault detection and classification in a semiconductor product manufacturing facility, the system comprising:

a tool database configured to store data from a manufacturing device;

a tool analysis database accessible to the tool database and configured to store data for analysis by an analysis tool;

a cross-tool analysis database accessible to the tool analysis database and configured to store data comparing a plurality of manufacturing devices;

a configuration database accessible to the analysis tool and configured to store data used for controlling the manufacturing device; and

a plurality of software instructions for execution within the system, the instructions including;

instructions for importing data from the tool database into the tool analysis database;

instructions for importing data from the tool analysis database and the cross-tool analysis database into the analysis tool;

instructions for analyzing the imported data to determine if a fault exists in the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation;

instructions for, if a fault exists, classifying the fault and identifying a remedy for the fault based at least partly on the classification;

instructions for updating the data in the configuration database using the remedy; and

instructions for modifying the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation using the updated data from the configuration database.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising an interface accessible to the manufacturing device and the configuration database, wherein the instructions for modifying the manufacturing device'"'"'s operation using the updated data from the configuration database include transferring the data from the configuration database to the interface.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a tool archive database accessible to the tool database and configured to archive data from the tool database.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising instructions for a database optimization process, the instructions including:

instructions for storing data from the manufacturing device in the tool database;

instructions for optimizing the data stored in the tool database; and

instructions for archiving the data in the tool database by storing the data in the archive database.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the instructions for archiving the data in the tool database include instructions for compressing the data.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the instructions for optimizing the data include instructions for filtering fragmented data from the tool database.

18. The system of claim 12 further comprising archiving files from the tool archive database to a permanent storage medium.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising instructions for restoring data from the permanent storage medium to the tool archive database, and from the tool archive database to the tool database.

20. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

instructions for transferring the data from the tool database to the cross-tool analysis database; and

instructions for analyzing the data by comparing the data to similar data obtained from a plurality of other manufacturing devices.