Process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system

• US 7,360,463 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SensArray Corp. (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SensArray Corp. (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Renken, Wayne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Samir M.
• Application Number:
  US10/685,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20040074323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 738/661, 438/17, 438/18, 156/345.24, 156/345.26, 156/345.27, 156/345.28
• US Class Current: 73/866.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A measuring device incorporating a substrate with sensors that measure the processing conditions that a wafer may undergo during manufacturing. The substrate can be inserted into a processing chamber by a robot head and the measuring device can transmit the conditions in real time or store the conditions for subsequent analysis. Sensitive electronic components of the device can be distanced or isolated from the most deleterious processing conditions in order increase the accuracy, operating range, and reliability of the device.

Claims

1. A process condition monitoring device comprising:

a substrate having a first perimeter, the substrate comprising sensors to measure the processing conditions of the substrate at different areas of the substrate;

an electronics module having a second perimeter that encloses the same or less area than the first perimeter, the module comprising;

signal acquisition circuitry coupled to an output of the sensors;

data transmission circuitry coupled to the signal acquisition circuitry;

a power source; and

leads connecting the substrate to the electronics module for transmitting signals between the substrate and the electronics module, the leads providing a flexible connection that allows relative movement between the substrate and the electronics module, wherein the leads are sufficiently flexible to allow relative movement of the electronics module and/or substrate between at least a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the electronics module is above or below the substrate, and in the second position the electronics module and the substrate are displaced from each other such that the first and the second perimeters do not intersect; and

a remote data processing system, and wherein the data transmission circuitry comprises a wireless transceiver to transmit the processing conditions to the remote system.

2. The monitoring device of the claim 1 wherein the signal acquisition circuitry is configured to amplify an output signal of the sensors.

3. The monitoring device of claim 2 wherein the signal acquisition circuitry is further configured to provide an input signal to the sensors.

4. The monitoring device of claim 3 wherein the input signal comprises input power.

5. The monitoring device of claim 2 wherein the data transmission circuitry comprises an analog to digital converter.

6. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the electronics module comprises a micro-controller and is configures to process the output signal using sensor calibration coefficients.

7. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the data transmission circuitry comprises a memory, and wherein the data transmission circuitry stores the processing conditions in the memory.

8. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the remote system is configured to process the received processing conditions using calibration coefficients to provide a final output value.

9. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver transmits and receives RF signals.

10. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the transceiver transmits and receives IR signals.

11. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the transceivers transmits and receives sonic signals.

12. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the data transmission circuitry comprises one or more connectors to couple the remote data processing system to the device with a communications cable.

13. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the remote system is a microprocessor controlled device.

14. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the processing conditions measured by the sensors comprise one or more of the following conditions:

temperature, pressure, flow rate, vibration, ion current density, ion current energy, and light energy density.

15. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein the leads form a ribbon cable.

16. The monitoring device of claim 1 wherein, in the first position both the electronics module and the substrate are held by one ore more robot hands and in the second position the substrate is within a chamber and the electronics module is outside of the chamber.

17. A monitoring system, comprising:

a substrate having a first perimeter, the substrate comprising sensors that measure the conditions of the substrate at different areas of the substrate;

an electronics module having a second perimeter that encloses the same or less area than the first perimeter, the module comprising electronic circuitry that receives data outputs of the sensors and transmits data of the measured conditions out of the module; and

leads connecting outputs of the sensors on the substrate with the electronics module electronic circuitry, the leads providing a flexible connection that allows relative positioning of the substrate and the electronics module between at least a first position wherein the electronics module is located above or below the substrate and a second position wherein the electronics module and the substrate are displaced from each other such that the first and the second perimeters do not overlap.

18. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein, in the second position, the substrate is located within a processing chamber and the electronics module is located outside the chamber.

19. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the substrate and the electronics module are held by different hand of a robot.

20. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the leads are in the form of a flat ribbon cable.

21. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the electronic circuitry of the module includes a wireless device that transmits the data of the measured conditions out of the module.

22. The monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the wireless device includes a transceiver.

23. The monitoring system of claim 22, wherein the electronic circuitry of the module additionally processes signals received by the wireless transceiver to control operation of the electronics module.

24. The monitoring system of claim 23, additionally comprising a remote data processing system having a wireless transceiver that receives the data of the measured conditions sent by the transceiver of the electronics module and sends the signals to control operation of the electronics module.

25. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the sensors are characterized by measuring a processing condition selected from a group including temperature, pressure, flow rate, vibration, ion current density, ion current energy and light energy density.

26. The monitoring system of claim 22, wherein the transceiver operates to transmit and receive any of a group of signal types including infrared, acoustic, sonic, ultrasonic, radio frequency and inductive signals.

27. The monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the wireless device transmits the data of the measured conditions out of the module by any of a group of signal types including infrared, acoustic, sonic, ultrasonic, radio frequency and inductive signals.

28. The monitoring system of claim 21, additionally comprising a remote data processing system having a wireless device that receives the data of the measured conditions sent by the wireless transmitter of the electronics module.

29. The monitoring systems of claim 17, wherein the electronic circuitry of the module is connected to a wired circuit that transmits the data of the measured conditions out of the module.

30. The monitoring system of claim 17, additionally comprising a remote data processing system to which the circuitry of the electronics modules transmits data of the measured conditions.

31. The monitoring system of claim 17 wherein the sensors are characterized by measuring a processing condition selected from a group including temperature, pressure, flow rate, vibration, ion current density, ion current energy and light energy density.