Systems for managing production information

• US 7,299,147 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Maeda, Shunji, Shibata, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Sang H.
• Application Number:
  US11/648,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 3562371-2376, 356/394, 356600-601, 250/559.45, 250/559.06, 250/559.22, 250/559.42
• US Class Current: 702/108
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/33 using ultraviolet light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9501 Semiconductor wafers manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95607 using a comparative method

Abstract

A system for managing production information includes a defect information database, a defect information collection unit, and a manufacturing apparatus information managing unit. The defect information database stores defect information including a coordinate value of a defect portion and a defect feature amount which are detected by inspecting a specimen processed in a device manufacturing line by using an optical inspection apparatus having an ultraviolet light source. The defect information collection unit at least one of collates and retrieves defect information from the defect information database and judges a fatality of a defect. The manufacturing apparatus information managing unit which processes information stored in the defect information collection unit and stores information on transition of yield and maintenance condition of a manufacturing apparatus in the device manufacturing line.

Claims

1. A system for managing production information, comprising:

a defect information database for storing defect information which is detected in a device manufacturing line by using plural inspection apparatuses which inspect a specimen;

a defect information collection unit which at least one of collates and retrieves defect information from the defect information database and judges a fatality of a defect, and when the defect is judged to have a high fatality, establishes a correlative relationship between the defect and past defect data stored in the defect information database; and

a manufacturing apparatus information managing unit which stores a defect occurring condition and a defect solution condition outputted from the defect information collection unit;

wherein the defect information stored in the defect information database is detected by the plural inspection apparatuses, at least one of the plural inspection apparatuses being equipped with an illumination optical unit having an ultraviolet light illumination light source, a detection optical unit having a time delay integration image sensor which detects an optical image of the device, and an image processing unit which processes a signal outputted from the time delay integration sensor by the detection of the optical image; and

wherein the illumination optical unit of the at least one of the plural inspection apparatuses illuminates the specimen with an ultraviolet light having plural wavelengths emitted from the ultraviolet light illumination light source.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the defect information stored in the defect information database includes at least one of an ADC result, an image of a defect portion, a coordinate value of the defect portion, and a defect feature amount.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the defect information collection unit provides a content of a defect solution by referring to defect solution information stored in the defect information database when the defect is judged to have the high fatality and a correlative relationship with the past defect data.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet light illumination light source of the at least one of the plural inspection apparatuses is a laser.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the laser emits a pulsed ultraviolet laser beam.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the illumination optical unit of the at least one of the plural inspection apparatuses illuminates the specimen with a polarized light.

7. A system for managing production information, comprising:

a defect information database for storing defect information including a coordinate value of a defect portion and a defect feature amount which are detected by inspecting a specimen processed in a device manufacturing line by using an optical inspection apparatus having an ultraviolet light source which emits ultraviolet light having plural wavelengths to illuminate the specimen;

a defect information collection unit which at least one of collates and retrieves defect information from the defect information database and judges a fatality of a defect; and

a manufacturing apparatus information managing unit which processes information stored in the defect information collection unit and stores information on transition of yield and maintenance condition of a manufacturing apparatus in the device manufacturing line.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the defect information collection unit establishes a correlative relationship between the defect and past detect data stored in the defect information database when the defect is judged to have a high fatality.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the defect information collection unit provides a content of a defect solution by referring to defect solution information stored in the defect information database when the defect is judged to have the high fatality and a correlative relationship with the past defect data.