Method, device, computer-readable storage medium and computer program element for monitoring of a manufacturing process

• US 7,016,750 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Steinkirchner, Erwin, Maeritz, Jörn
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N.
• Application Number:
  US10/712,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 700/100, 700/108, 700/101, 700/115, 700/103, 700/117, 700/121
• US Class Current: 700/103
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0208 characterized by the configuration of the monitoring system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

In the case of a method for monitoring of a manufacturing process of a plurality of physical objects, several rules which relate to at least one status of at least one of the plurality of physical objects are stored. Furthermore, in the case of the method, a sample is selected from the plurality of physical objects by using the several rules, with physical objects of the sample being marked in such a way that they can be subjected to a measurement, the rules being formed on the basis of the criterion that the number of measurements is reduced and redundant measurements are avoided, and it being possible in the case of the method for the several rules to be combined with one another and checked against one another.

Claims

1. A method for computer-controlled monitoring of a manufacturing process of a plurality of physical objects, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one rule stored in a control computer, each of the at least one rule relating to at least one status of at least one of the plurality of physical objects;

evaluating the plurality of physical objects based on the at least one rule to select a sample of the plurality of physical objects;

marking the sample of the plurality of physical objects in such a way that the sample can be subjected to a measurement; and

determining whether to perform further measurements on the sample based on the criterion of reducing the number of measurements and avoiding redundant measurements.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical object is a wafer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one rule relates to a Statistical Process Control (“

SPC”

) sampling status of the plurality of physical objects.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one rule relates to an inquiry of a specific status of the plurality of physical objects.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one rule relates to an inquiry of an explicit status of the plurality of physical objects at a process step.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one rule relates to an inquiry of a sampling status of the plurality of physical objects.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one rule relates to an inquiry of a special monitoring status of the plurality of physical objects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining each of the at least one rule into a single rule.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring the marked sample of the plurality of physical objects.

10. A device for computer-controlled monitoring of a manufacturing process of a plurality of physical objects with a processor which is set up in such a way that the following method steps can be carried out:

providing at least one rule relating to at least one status of at least one of the plurality of physical objects;

evaluating the plurality of physical objects based on the at least one rule to select a sample of the plurality of objects;

marking the sample of the plurality of physical objects in such a way that the sample can be subjected to a measurement; and

determining whether to perform further measurements on the sample based on a criterion of reducing the number of measurements and avoiding redundant measurements.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a program for monitoring of a manufacturing process of a plurality of physical objects is stored, the program executes the following method steps when it is run by a processor:

providing at least one rule relating to at least one status of at least one of the plurality of physical objects;

evaluating the plurality of physical objects based on the at least one rule to select a sample of the plurality of objects;

marking the sample of the plurality of physical objects in such a way that the sample can be subjected to a measurement; and

determining whether to perform further measurements on the sample based on a criterion of reducing the number of measurements and avoiding redundant measurements.

12. A computer program element for monitoring of a manufacturing process of a plurality of physical objects which executes the following method steps when it is run by a processor:

providing at least one rule relating to at least one status of at least one of the plurality of physical objects;

evaluating the plurality of physical objects based on the at least one rule to select a sample of the plurality of objects;

marking the sample of the plurality of physical objects in such a way that the sample can be subjected to a measurement; and

determining whether to perform further measurements on the sample based on a criterion of reducing the number of measurements and avoiding redundant measurements.