Method, system and medium for controlling manufacture process having multivariate input parameters

• US 7,966,087 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kokotov, Yuri, Fisher, Yossi, Sarel, Shalomo, Shanmugasundram, Arulkumar P., Paik, Young Jeen, Entin, Efim, Seror, Jacques, Schwarm, Alexander T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta; Kidest
• Application Number:
  US11/888,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97, 700/52, 700/28, 700/29, 700/37, 700/121, 700/42, 700/46, 708/539, 708/523, 438/14, 438/404, 257/E21.324, 703/13, 703/2, 703/6, 703/14
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/32 with inputs from more than one sensing element; with outputs to more than one correcting element
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/042 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/048 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method, system, and medium of modeling and/or for controlling a manufacturing process is disclosed. In particular, a method according to embodiments of the present invention includes calculating a set of predicted output values, and obtaining a prediction model based on a set of input parameters, the set of predicted output values, and empirical output values. Each input parameter causes a change in at least two outputs. The method also includes optimizing the prediction model by minimizing differences between the set of predicted output values and the empirical output values, and adjusting the set of input parameters to obtain a set of desired output values to control the manufacturing apparatus. Obtaining the prediction model includes transforming the set of input parameters into transformed input values using a transformation function of multiple coefficient values, and calculating the predicted output values using the transformed input values.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising:

calculating, by a computer system, a set of predicted output values;

obtaining, by the computer system, a prediction model based on a set of input parameters, the set of predicted output values and empirical output values, wherein obtaining the predication model comprises transforming the set of input parameters into transformed input values using a transformation function having a plurality of coefficient values;

optimizing, by the computer system, the prediction model by minimizing differences between the set of predicted output values and the empirical output values, wherein minimizing the differences comprises collecting historical information on the set of input parameters and the empirical output values;

creating a score function on the collected information; and

determining coefficient values that minimize the score function to minimize the difference; and

adjusting, by the computer system, the set of input parameters using the optimized prediction model to obtain a set of desired output values to control the manufacturing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the prediction model comprises:

transforming the set of input parameters into transformed input values using a transformation function having a plurality of coefficient values; and

calculating predicted output values using the transformed input values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the score function is

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

collecting additional empirical output values and corresponding input values;

calculating a new set of coefficients {right arrow over (P)}_new; and

using the new set of coefficients as the optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

collecting additional empirical output values and corresponding input values;

calculating a new set of coefficients as

{right arrow over (P)}_new≡

{right arrow over (P)}_previous+K({right arrow over (P)}_optimum−

{right arrow over (P)}_previous),

wherein K<

1 and {right arrow over (P)}_previous is a previously calculated optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}; and

using the new set of coefficients as the optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}.

6. A manutacturing apparatus, comprising:

a memory device storing a set of input parameters and empirically-collected output values;

a processing device, coupled to the memory device, to receive the set of input parameters and to calculate a set of predicted output values, wherein the processing device is configured to calculate a prediction model to minimize differences between the set of predicted output values and the empirically collected output values;

calculate the predication model to minimized the difference comprises the processing device to transform the set of input parameters into transformed input values using a transformation function having a plurality of coefficient value, to collect historical information on the set to input parameters and the empirical output values, to create a score function based on the collected information, and to determine coefficient values that minimize the score function to minimize the differences and to obtain a set of desired output value to control manufacturing apparatus.

7. The manufacturing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing device is configured to use the prediction model in a reverse fashion to set a new set of input parameters to obtain a set of desired output values.

8. The manufacturing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a tool that is controlled by the processing device, wherein the set of input parameters is a recipe for the tool.

9. The manufacturing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the tool is at least one of a etcher tool, a deposition tool, or a chemical mechanical planarization tool.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions that when executed a computer cause the computer to perform a method for predicting output characteristics of a device produced by a manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising:

calculating a set of predicted output values;

obtaining a prediction model based on a set of input parameters, the set of predicted output values, and empirical output values, wherein obtaining the predication model comprises transforming the set of input parameters into transformed input values using a transformation function having a plurality of coefficient values;

optimizing the prediction model by minimizing differences between the set of predicted output values and the empirical output values, wherein minimizing the differences comprises collecting historical information on the set of input parameters and the empirical output values;

creating a score function on the collected information; and

determining coefficient values that minimize the score function to minimize the difference; and

adjusting the set of input parameters using the optimized prediction model to obtain a set of desired output values to control the manufacturing apparatus.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein obtaining the prediction model further comprise:

calculating predicted output values using the transformed input values.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the score function is

13. The medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

collecting additional empirical output values and corresponding input values;

calculating a new set of coefficients {right arrow over (P)}_new; and

using the new set of coefficients as the optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

collecting additional empirical output values and corresponding input values;

calculating a new set of coefficients as

{right arrow over (P)}_new≡

{right arrow over (P)}_previous+K({right arrow over (P)}_optimum−

{right arrow over (P)}_previous),

wherein K<

1 and {right arrow over (P)}_previous is a previously calculated optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}; and

using the new set of coefficients as the optimal value of {right arrow over (P)}.

15. A system for controlling a manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

a memory device storing an input that causes a change in at least two of a plurality of outputs, and empirical output values;

means for calculating predicted output values based on the input; and

means for minimizing effects of the at least two of the plurality of outputs that are interdependent from each other, wherein the means for minimizing effects comprises means for collecting historical information on the input parameter and the empirical output values, means for creating a score function based on the collected information and means for calculating a set of transform coefficients that minimize the score function to minimize the effects on the empirical output values and the predicted output values to obtain a set of desired output values to control the manufacturing apparatus.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for calculating an input value for one or more desired output values based on the calculated set of transform coefficients.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for identifying the input that causes the change in the at least two of the plurality of outputs.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device configured to store historical information including input parameter data and empirical output data;

a corrector coupled to the storage device to receive the historical information from the storage device;

an input transformer to receive the historical information and a set of coefficients {right arrow over (P)} from the collector, wherein the input transformer is configured to calculate transformed input parameters {right arrow over (X)}′

ⁱ and to send the transformed input parameters {right arrow over (X)}′

ⁱ to the corrector;

an input-output dependency model to receive the transformed input parameters {right arrow over (X)}′

ⁱ from the corrector, wherein the input-output dependency model is configured to calculate predicted output parameter values y_pred;

the corrector is configured to calculate a score equation and a new set of coefficients P to minimize the score equation; and

the corrector is configured to obtain a set of input values for a set of desired output values.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the corrector is configured to obtain the set of input values for the set of desired output values by obtaining a set of transformed input parameters {right arrow over (X)}′

ⁱ by reversing the input-output dependency model and by obtaining the set of input values to produce the set of desired output values by reversing the transformed input parameters {right arrow over (X)}′

ⁱ using the new set of coefficients {right arrow over (P)}.