Production managing system of semiconductor device

• US 7,321,805 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Topcon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fab Solutions, Inc. (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Itagaki, Yousuke, Yamada, Keizo, Ushiki, Takeo, Tsujide, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US11/005,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20050106803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/108, 438/14
• US Class Current: 700/121
• 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 production managing system for semiconductor devices includes, in a semiconductor producing center C, production devices 11a-11c for producing semiconductor devices, in-line measuring devices 12a-12c for measuring data of a lot, a database 2 storing data of production methods, the measured data, the specifications of the process steps corresponding to the measured data, the estimated yield, the data of lot input date and hour, the data of the scheduled date on which the process step is performed, the data of actual date of completion in every step and the data of the scheduled date of completion of the semiconductor devices of every lot, correspondingly to a lot number data of the semiconductor devices (chips) and a server 1 including an estimated yield operating unit 1a for calculating the estimated yield, which is a final yield, on the basis of the specifications and the measured data, and a production managing unit 1b for performing a production management of semiconductor devices ordered by a user on the basis of the respective data inputted by the user and the estimated yield, wherein a user terminal of the user not only performs a determination whether or not the process processing in every process is normal but also estimates the final number of normal products ordered by the user and obtainable finally.

Claims

1. A system for managing the production of semiconductor devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of production devices to perform production processes for fabricating semiconductor devices;

a plurality of in-line measuring devices to measure at least one process parameter of each production process performed by the production devices and to output the process parameter as measured data, wherein;

at least one in-line measuring device of the plurality of in-line measuring devices is associated with one of the plurality of production devices such that the in-line measuring device measures a process parameter of the process performed by the associated production device, and

at least one in-line measuring device is a wafer current measuring device that;

(a) irradiates holes, formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer, with electron beam and (b) measures a substrate current in or flowing through the wafer, wherein the substrate current is generated in response to the irradiated electron beam; and

a data storage device to store;

(i) data which is indicative of the production processes performed by the production devices, (ii) the measured data or data representative thereof, (iii) specifications of the production processes that are associated with the measured data, (iv) data of the start of production of the semiconductor devices, (v) data of the scheduled date on which each production process is performed by the production devices, and (vi) data of the date of completion of each production process performed by the production devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a wafer lot includes a plurality of semiconductor wafers, each semiconductor wafer contains a plurality of semiconductor devices, and wherein the plurality of in-line measuring devices output process parameters as measured for the wafers of a wafer lot.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of in-line measuring devices output process parameters as measured for all of the wafers of the wafer lot.

4. The system of claim 2 further including a user terminal, wherein the user terminal provides:

(i) the specifications of the production processes, (ii) data which is indicative of a measuring position on a wafer to be measured by an in-line measuring device, and (ii) data which is indicative of the type of the in-line measuring device.

5. The system of claim 1 further including a computing device, coupled to the data storage device, the computing device including an estimated yield operating unit to calculate an estimated yield of semiconductor devices using the specifications of the production processes and the measured data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the estimated yield operating unit calculates an estimated yield of a wafer lot using:

(i) statistical values of process parameters, (ii) the specifications of the production processes, and (iii) the measured data after the production process is performed by a predetermined production device.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the estimated yield operating unit calculates an estimated yield for a production process performed by a production device using:

(i) the specification of the production process performed by the production device and (ii) associated measured data, and wherein if the estimated yield of the production process is lower than a predetermined minimum yield, the production managing unit notifies an operator.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein if the estimated yield of the production process is lower than a predetermined yield, the production managing unit notifies an operator.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein a semiconductor wafer contains a plurality of semiconductor devices and wherein the estimated yield operation unit calculates the estimated yield after each production process and calculates the number of acceptable semiconductor devices of a wafer or inoperative semiconductor devices of a wafer on the basis of the estimated yield.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein the estimated yield operation unit calculates estimated cost of a semiconductor device using:

(i) the number of acceptable semiconductor devices or inoperative semiconductor devices and (ii) a working ratio of the production device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the wafer current measuring device is associated with a processing production device that performs photolithographic processing.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the wafer current measuring device is associated with a processing production device that performs etching.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is the diameter of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is the diameter of the bottom area of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

15. The system of claim 1 further including a computing device, coupled to the data storage device, the computing device including an estimated yield operating unit to calculate an estimated yield of semiconductor devices using a test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the test element group includes a plurality of holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is:

(i) the diameter of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer and (ii) the diameter of holes of the test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is:

(i) the diameter of the bottom area of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer and (ii) the diameter of the bottom area of the holes of the test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the plurality of holes include a plurality of holes having different diameters located on or in the semiconductor wafer.

20. A system for managing the production of semiconductor devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of production devices to perform production processes for fabricating semiconductor devices;

at least one in-line measuring device to measure at least one process parameter of each production process performed by the production devices and to output the process parameter as measured data, wherein the at least one in-line measuring device is a wafer current measuring device that;

(a) irradiates holes, formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer, with electron beam, and

(b) measures a substrate current in or flowing through the wafer, wherein the substrate current is generated in response to the irradiated electron beam; and

a data storage device to store;

(i) data which is indicative of the production processes performed by the production devices, (ii) the measured data or data representative thereof, and (iii) specifications of the production processes that are associated with the measured data.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein a wafer lot includes a plurality of semiconductor wafers, each semiconductor wafer contains a plurality of semiconductor devices, and wherein the at least one in-line measuring device output process parameters as measured for the wafers of a wafer lot.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the at least one in-line measuring device outputs process parameters as measured for all of the wafers of the wafer lot.

23. The system of claim 21 further including a user terminal, wherein the user terminal provides:

(i) the specifications of the production processes, (ii) data which is indicative of a measuring position on a wafer to be measured by the at least one in-line measuring device, and (ii) data which is indicative of the in-line measuring device.

24. The system of claim 20 further including a computing device, coupled to the data storage device, the computing device including an estimated yield operating unit to calculate an estimated yield of semiconductor devices using the specifications of the production processes and the measured data.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the estimated yield operating unit calculates an estimated yield of a wafer lot using:

(i) statistical values of process parameters, (ii) the specifications of the production processes, and (iii) the measured data after the production process is performed by a predetermined production device.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the estimated yield operating unit calculates an estimated yield for a production process performed by a production device using:

(i) the specification of the production process performed by the production device and (ii) associated measured data, and wherein if the estimated yield of the production process is lower than a predetermined minimum yield, the production managing unit notifies an operator.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein if the estimated yield of the production process is lower than a predetermined yield, the production managing unit notifies an operator.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein a semiconductor wafer contains a plurality of semiconductor devices and wherein the estimated yield operation unit calculates the estimated yield after each production process and calculates the number of acceptable semiconductor devices of a wafer or inoperative semiconductor devices of a wafer on the basis of the estimated yield.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein the estimated yield operation unit calculates estimated cost of a semiconductor device using:

(i) the number of acceptable semiconductor devices or inoperative semiconductor devices and (ii) a working ratio of the production device.

30. The system of claim 20 wherein the wafer current measuring device is associated with a processing production device that performs photolithographic processing.

31. The system of claim 20 wherein the wafer current measuring device is associated with a processing production device that performs etching.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is the diameter of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is the diameter of the bottom area of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

34. The system of claim 20 further including a computing device, coupled to the data storage device, the computing device including an estimated yield operating unit to calculate an estimated yield of semiconductor devices using a test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the test element group includes a plurality of holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is:

(i) the diameter of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer and (ii) the diameter of holes of the test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

37. The system of claim 35 wherein the at least one process parameter of the wafer current measuring device is:

(i) the diameter of the bottom area of the holes formed in a semiconductor wafer or disposed in a layer which is disposed on or above a semiconductor wafer and (ii) the diameter of the bottom area of the holes of the test element group located on, above or in the semiconductor wafer.

38. The system of claim 35 wherein the plurality of holes include a plurality of holes having different diameters located on or in the semiconductor wafer.