Method of recipe control operation

• US 7,340,320 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM Japan K.K. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM Japan K.K. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Takizawa, Masahiro, Wada, Takashi, Noguchi, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard; Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Douglas S
• Application Number:
  US11/105,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/21, 702/64, 702/170, 438/14, 324/230
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

An operation method of a recipe control process in which multiple processing targets are processed continuously in a processing apparatus using recipes that specify a set of control parameters specifying the processing conditions of processing targets. The method comprises the steps of: (I) specifying correction coefficients to correct at least one of the parameters'"'"' values for each processing target, separately from the recipes, and (II) performing the recipe control process for multiple processing targets and applying the correction coefficients to each processing target to adjust the parameters'"'"' values.

Claims

1. An operation method of a recipe control process in which multiple processing targets are processed in sequence under conditions continuously in a processing apparatus using recipes that specify a set of control parameters specifying the processing conditions of processing targets, wherein

the targets are each placed in numbered places prior to the processing, and

different values of at least one control parameter are set for different targets processed in sequence, said method comprising:

setting a reference value for the at least one control parameter;

allocating the recipes to the numbered places in sequence, said recipes having the reference value for the at least one control parameter;

specifying correction coefficients which lead to the different values of the at least one control parameter, respectively, by correcting the reference value for the at least one control parameter;

applying the correction coefficients to the targets in sequence which are subjected to the processing; and

performing the recipe control process for multiple processing targets by using the correction coefficients applied to the respective processing targets so as to apply in sequence the recipes having the different values of the at least one of the parameters to the respective processing targets.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correction coefficients are functions of count of processed targets.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising resetting the count every time a state inside the processing apparatus changes.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing target is a semiconductor substrate.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the process is a film deposition process on semiconductor substrates.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one of the parameters is film deposition time.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the processing target is a semiconductor substrate, the process is a film deposition process on semiconductor substrates, and the state change inside the processing apparatus is caused by a cleaning process in the processing apparatus.

8. An operation method of a processing system in which one processing that includes multiple processing operations is repeated multiple times and in which conditions of each processing operation are controlled by parameters, said method comprising:

specifying recipes, each assigning values of the parameters to each processing operation in each processing run;

setting a reference value for the at least one control parameter;

allocating the recipes to scheduled runs in sequence, said recipes having the reference value for the at least one control parameter;

specifying correction coefficients which lead to the different values of the at least one control parameter, respectively, by correcting the reference value set for the at least one control parameter; and

starting processing according to the recipes by applying the correction coefficients to the processing runs in sequence where the recipes are actually performed so as to apply in sequence the recipes having the different values of the at least one of the parameters to the actually performed processing runs.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the processing is a processing of semiconductor substrates.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the number of runs of the processing corresponds to the number of semiconductor substrates.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one process is a film deposition process on semiconductor substrates.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter is film deposition time.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the correction coefficients return to their initial values every time the state inside the reactor chamber changes.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the state change inside the reactor chamber is caused by a cleaning process in the reactor chamber.

15. A method of depositing films on semiconductor substrates which are transferred from numbered slots, comprising:

providing recipes that specify a set of control parameters specifying the processing conditions of processing targets, wherein different values of at least one control parameter are set for different substrates processed in sequence;

setting a reference value for the at least one control parameter;

allocating the recipes to the numbered slots in sequence, said recipes having the reference value for the at least one control parameter;

specifying correction coefficients which lead to the different values of the at least one control parameter, respectively, by correcting the reference value set for the at least one control parameter;

applying the correction coefficients to the substrates in sequence which are subjected to the processing; and

depositing films on the substrates from the numbered slots in sequence by using the correction coefficients applied to the respective semiconductor substrates so as to apply in sequence the recipes having the different values of the at least one of the parameters'"'"' values to the respective substrates.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the correction coefficients are a set of coefficients applied when the state inside the reactor chamber changes, and these coefficients return to their initial values every time the state changes.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the state change inside the reactor chamber is caused by a cleaning process in the reactor chamber.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cleaning process is performed after films have been deposited on multiple semiconductor substrates.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the correction coefficients are coefficients for film deposition time on semiconductor substrates.

20. A processing system in which one processing that includes multiple processes is repeated multiple times and in which the conditions of each process are controlled by parameters, said processing system comprising:

a unit that specifies recipes for assigning the parameters'"'"' values to each process in each processing run, wherein a reference value for the at least one control parameter is set, and the recipes are allocated to scheduled runs in sequence, said recipes having the reference value for the at least one control parameter;

a unit that specifies correction coefficients which lead to the different values of the at least one control parameter, respectively, by correcting the reference value set for the at least one control parameter; and

a unit that starts the processing according to the recipes by applying the correction coefficients to the processing runs in sequence in which the recipes are actually performed so as to apply in sequence the recipes having the different values of the at least one of the parameters to the actually performed processing runs.