Process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system

• US 9,165,846 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Renken, Wayne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIVERA VARGAS, MANUEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/911,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 sensing wafer and data analysis system, comprising:

an instrumented substrate having sensors that output sensor signal data;

a data processing system that processes the sensor signal;

an electronics module that moves independently of the data processing system, the electronics module receiving the sensor signal data from the instrumented substrate, the electronics module subsequently passing the sensor signal data to the data processing system, wherein the electronics module is of a size same as that of the instrumented substrate; and

a physically continuous flexible connection between the electronics module and the instrumented substrate, the connection allowing relative lateral displacement of the electronics module with respect to the instrumented 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 laterally displaced from each other such that none of any portion of the electronics module overlaps with the substrate.

2. The process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system of claim 1 wherein the electronics module has a memory unit and the sensor signal data are stored in the memory unit prior to the electronics module passing the sensor signal data to the data processing system.

3. The process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system of claim 1 wherein the sensor signal data pass from the electronics module to the data processing module over a wireless connection.

4. The process sensing wafer and data analysis system of claim 1 wherein the instrumented substrate has a physical dimension that is equal to the physical dimension of a semiconductor wafer, printed circuit board or flat panel display substrate and the electronics module has a physical dimension that is equal to or less than the physical dimension of the instrumented substrate.

5. The process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system of claim 1 wherein the instrumented substrate is placed in a process environment and the electronics module is placed outside the process environment.

6. A method of sensing and analyzing process conditions in a process environment, comprising:

generating sensor signal data using one or more sensors attached to a substrate within the process environment;

sending the sensor signal data from the sensors to an electronics module displaced from the substrate, wherein the electronics module is of a size same as that of the substrate; and

sending the sensor signal data from the electronics modules to a data processing system, the electronics module moving separately from the data processing system, and wherein the electronics module is configured to laterally displace from the substrate via a physically continuous flexible connection 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 laterally displaced from each other such that none of any portion of the electronics module overlaps with the substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein sensor signal data is generated by the one or more sensors that are in the process environment while the electronics module and the data processing system are not in the process environment.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein sensor signal data is generated by the one or more sensors while the electronics module transmits the sensor signal data to the data processing system, the data processing system displaced from the electronics module.