Method and system managing execution of preventative maintenance operation in semiconductor manufacturing equipment

• US 9,721,762 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Byungbok, Kang, Namjun, Han, Kyounghoon, Kim, Tae-Hwa, Lee, Jae-Hyun, Cho, Junghyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/473,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20150198944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32394 Treating interior parts of workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Provided are a method and a system for managing semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The method may be performed using an equipment computer and may include ordering to perform a preventive maintenance to a chamber and parts in the chamber, monitoring a result of the preventive maintenance to the chamber and the parts, and performing a manufacturing process using plasma reaction in the chamber, if the result of the preventive maintenance is normal. The monitoring the result of the preventive maintenance may include a pre-screening method monitoring the result of the preventive maintenance using electric reflection coefficients obtained from the chamber and the parts without using the plasma reaction.

Claims

1. A method of managing semiconductor manufacturing equipment using an equipment computer, comprising:

ordering, by an equipment computer, a preventive maintenance operation for a chamber in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wherein the chamber is configured with a lower electrode being disposed in a lower portion of the chamber, and an upper electrode being disposed in an upper portion of the chamber;

determining, by the equipment computer, whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished using first electric reflection coefficients obtained by a measuring instrument in relation to the chamber by applying a control signal with varying frequencies to the chamber in the absence of a plasma reaction, wherein the determining is configured with the lower electrode being connected to the upper electrode by a plurality of switches, and the measurement instrument being connected between the plurality of switches; and

then,

only after determining that the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished, performing a semiconductor manufacturing process using a plasma reaction in the chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment,

wherein the equipment computer obtains the electric reflection coefficients from the measuring instrument when the measuring instrument is directly connected to the lower electrode and the upper electrode through the plurality of switches.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining first reference data for the chamber before generating a plasma reaction,

wherein the first reference data comprises an electric reflection coefficient associated with an electrical part of the chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished comprises:

obtaining first measurement data for the electrical part of the chamber after executing the preventive maintenance operation; and

thereafter,

comparing the first measurement data with the first reference data using a pre-screening method to determine whether the preventive maintenance was normally finished.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

when the first measurement data and the first reference data are different, re-ordering the preventive maintenance operation.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

expressing the first reference data as a first frequency map having a first peak value associated with an electric reflection coefficient; and

expressing the first measurement data as a second frequency map having a second peak value associated with the electric reflection coefficient,

wherein the pre-screening method uses a pattern matching method to compare an overlap between the first and second frequency maps.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing process comprises a run time period during which the plasma reaction is induced in the chamber;

and

an idle time period during which the plasma reaction is not induced in the chamber,

wherein the determining of whether or not the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed is performed during the idle time period.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining second reference data for the chamber, wherein the second reference data comprises an electric reflection coefficient associated with an electrical part of the chamber.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of whether or not the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed comprises:

obtaining second measurement data for the electrical part of the chamber after executing the preventive maintenance operation;

comparing the second measurement data with second reference data to determine whether the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed; and

then,

checking whether a period for a periodically performed preventive maintenance operation for the chamber has been reached, upon determining that the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed based on the comparing of the second measurement data with second reference data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating a health index for the chamber using the second reference data, if the semiconductor manufacturing process was normally performed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if the second measurement data is different from the second reference data indicating that the semiconductor manufacturing process was not normally performed, re-ordering the preventive maintenance operation.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether to stop operation of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment after checking a result of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the obtaining of the second reference data for the chamber comprises:

obtaining the second reference data in relation to a golden chamber selected from among a number of chambers, wherein the second reference data contains electric reflection coefficients associated with the golden chamber.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the preventive maintenance operation for the chamber; and

after determining that the preventative maintenance operation was normally finished, performing a seasoning process for the chamber before the performing of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

15. A management system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, comprising:

semiconductor manufacturing equipment that includes a chamber, a lower electrode disposed in a lower portion of the chamber, a lower power generator providing a lower power into the lower electrode, a lower matcher connected between the lower electrode and the lower power generator, a lower switch connected between the lower matcher and the lower electrode, an upper electrode disposed in an upper portion of the chamber, an upper power generator providing an upper power into the upper electrode, an upper matcher connected between the upper electrode and the upper power generator, and an upper switch connected between the upper matcher and the upper electrode;

an electric reflection coefficient measuring instrument disposed out of the chamber and connected between the lower switch and the upper switch to provide a control signal with varying frequencies to an electrical part of the chamber; and

an equipment computer configured to control execution of a preventative maintenance operation for the chamber using at least one frequency map obtained by providing the control signal to the electrical part and with a respective frequency exhibiting a peak value in relation to an electric reflection coefficient associated with the electrical part and responsive to the control signal,

wherein the equipment computer obtains the electric reflection coefficient from the electric reflection coefficient measuring instrument when the electric reflection coefficient measuring instrument is directly connected to the lower electrode and the upper electrode through the lower switch and the upper switch.

16. The management system of claim 15,

wherein the at least one frequency map includes a first frequency map obtained before a plasma reaction is generated using the electrical part, and a second frequency map obtained after a plasma reaction is generated using the electrical part.

17. A method of managing a preventative maintenance operation to a chamber in an assembly of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the method comprising:

before running a semiconductor manufacturing operation, ordering by an equipment computer a preventive maintenance operation for a chamber in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wherein the chamber is configured with a lower electrode being disposed in a lower portion of the chamber, and an upper electrode being disposed in an upper portion of the chamber, then

determining, by the equipment computer, whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished using first electric reflection coefficients obtained by a measuring instrument in relation to the chamber by applying a control signal with varying frequencies to the chamber in the absence of a plasma reaction, wherein the determining is configured with the lower electrode being directly connected to the upper electrode by a plurality of switches, and the measuring instrument being connected between the plurality of switches;

after running the semiconductor manufacturing operation, ordering by an equipment computer the preventive maintenance operation for the chamber upon determining that the semiconductor manufacturing operation was not normally performed, and then determining whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished using second electric reflection coefficients obtained by the measuring instrument in relation to the chamber by applying a control signal with varying frequencies to the chamber in the absence of a plasma reaction; and

after running the semiconductor manufacturing operation using the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, ordering by the equipment computer the preventive maintenance operation for the chamber upon determining that a period for the preventive maintenance operation has been reached, and then determining whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished using third electric reflection coefficients obtained by the measuring instrument in relation to the chamber by applying a control signal with varying frequencies to the chamber in the absence of a plasma reaction,

wherein the equipment computer obtains the first electric reflection coefficients, the second electric reflection coefficients and the third electric reflection coefficients from the measuring instrument when the measuring instrument is directly connected to the lower electrode and the upper electrode through the plurality of switches.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether or not the preventive maintenance operation was normally finished comprises:

obtaining first measurement data for an electrical part of the chamber after ordering the preventive maintenance operation; and

thereafter,

comparing the first measurement data with first reference data using a pre-screening method to determine whether the preventive maintenance was normally finished.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

expressing the first reference data as a first frequency map having a first peak value associated with an electric reflection coefficient; and

expressing the first measurement data as a second frequency map having a second peak value associated with the electric reflection coefficient,

wherein the pre-screening method uses a pattern matching method to compare an overlap between the first and second frequency maps.