Method and apparatus for wireless transmission of diagnostic information

• US 8,712,571 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Pai, Jiun-Rong, Wang, Yeh-Chieh, Liu, Hsu-Shui
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booker, Kelvin
• Application Number:
  US12/615,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/24 Optical enhancement of defects or not directly visible states, e.g. selective electrolytic deposition, bubbles in liquids, light emission, colour change voltage contrast G01R31/311
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system for fabricating a semiconductor device. The system includes a semiconductor fabrication tool. The semiconductor fabrication tool has an integrated inter interface that measures a first process parameter of the fabrication tool. The system also includes a wireless sensor. The wireless sensor is detachably coupled to the fabrication tool. The wireless sensor measures a second process parameter of the fabrication tool. The second process parameter is different from the first process parameter.

Claims

1. A system for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

a semiconductor fabrication tool having an integrated interface that measures a first process parameter of the fabrication tool, wherein the integrated interface is a wired I/O interface;

a wireless sensor detachably coupled to the fabrication tool, wherein the sensor measures a second process parameter of the fabrication tool, the second process parameter being different from the first process parameter; and

a diagnostic tool that is wirelessly coupled to the wireless sensor,

wherein the diagnostic tool receives measured values of the first and second process parameters,

wherein the diagnostic tool includes a centralized server that performs an analysis on the measured values of the first and second process parameters and generates a control signal in response to the analysis, the control signal instructing the semiconductor fabrication tool to adjust a fabrication operation,

wherein the semiconductor fabrication tool includes a chemical mechanical polishing tool, and

wherein the second process parameter includes a water resistance parameter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated interface is operable to measure a first group of process parameters that includes the first process parameter but not the second process parameter, and the wireless sensor is operable to measure a second group of process parameters that includes both the first and second process parameters.

6. The system of claim 1, further including an input/output tool that provides a simulated input/output port and a system variable identification for the second process parameter.

3. The system of 1, wherein the wireless sensor wirelessly transmits the measured values of the first and second process parameters, and wherein the diagnostic tool further includes:

a further wireless sensor that receives the measured values of the first and second process parameters, wherein the centralized server retrieves the measured values of the first and second process parameters from the further wireless sensor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the fabrication tool receives the control signal from the diagnostic tool through the wireless sensor and adjusts the fabrication operation in response to the control signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the centralized server is a computer integration system that is operable to monitor and control a semiconductor fabrication process.

7. A system for fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

a semiconductor fabrication tool having an integrated interface and a sensor,

wherein the semiconductor fabrication tool includes a chemical mechanical polishing tool,

wherein the integrated interface gathers a first subset of fabrication data from the fabrication tool,

wherein the sensor receives the first subset of the fabrication data from the integrated interface and gathers a second subset of the fabrication data from the fabrication tool, and

wherein the second subset of fabrication data includes water resistance data;

a first wireless transceiver that is coupled to the sensor, the first wireless transceiver transmitting wireless signals that include the first and second subsets of the fabrication data;

a second wireless transceiver that wirelessly communicates with the first wireless transceiver and that receives the first and second subsets of fabrication data from the first transceiver; and

a diagnostic device that is coupled to the second transceiver and that;

receives the first and second subsets of fabrication data;

performs analysis in response to the first and second subsets of fabrication data; and

generates a control signal instructing the semiconductor fabrication tool to adjust a fabrication operation in response to the analysis.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the diagnostic device sends the control signal to the fabrication tool using the first and second transceivers, and wherein the fabrication tool adjusts the fabrication operation in response to the control signal.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first subset of fabrication data includes measured values of a first process parameter, and the second subset of fabrication data includes measured values of a second process parameter that is different from the first process parameter.

10. The system of claim 7, further including an input/output tool that provides a simulated input/output port and a system variable identification for the second process parameter.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the integrated interface is a wired I/O interface.

12. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising:

measuring a first semiconductor fabrication process parameter of a semiconductor fabrication tool using a wired integrated interface of the fabrication tool;

measuring a second semiconductor fabrication process parameter of the fabrication tool using a wireless sensor that is detachably coupled to the fabrication tool, the second semiconductor fabrication process parameter being different from the first semiconductor fabrication process parameter,

wherein the semiconductor fabrication tool includes a chemical mechanical polishing tool, and

wherein one of the first semiconductor fabrication process parameter and the second process parameter includes a water resistance parameter;

receiving the first semiconductor fabrication process parameter at the wireless sensor via the integrated interface; and

adjusting an operation of the fabrication tool.

13. The method of claim 12, further including wirelessly communicating with a diagnostic tool.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communicating includes:

transmitting a first wireless signal that includes the measured first and second process parameters from the wireless sensor to the diagnostic tool; and

transmitting a second wireless signal that includes the control signal from the diagnostic tool to the wireless sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

performing data analysis on the measured first and second process parameters using the diagnostic tool; and

generating the control signal using the diagnostic tool in response to the data analysis.