ADAPTIVE AND AUTOMATIC DETERMINATION OF SYSTEM PARAMETERS
First Claim
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1. A method of automatically determining process parameters for processing equipment, said method comprising:
- processing at least one substrate in the processing equipment;
collecting data on process monitors for the at least one substrate after processing is completed;
receiving the collected data by a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) optimization system;
revising a sensitivity matrix used by a MIMO optimizer of the MIMO optimization system using the collected data and an adaptive-learning algorithm; and
determining a set of process parameters for the processing equipment by the MIMO optimizer, wherein the MIMO optimizer uses the revised sensitivity matrix to determine the process parameters.
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Abstract
A MIMO optimizer is used to identify tunable process parameters for processing equipment.
48 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of automatically determining process parameters for processing equipment, said method comprising:
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processing at least one substrate in the processing equipment; collecting data on process monitors for the at least one substrate after processing is completed; receiving the collected data by a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) optimization system; revising a sensitivity matrix used by a MIMO optimizer of the MIMO optimization system using the collected data and an adaptive-learning algorithm; and determining a set of process parameters for the processing equipment by the MIMO optimizer, wherein the MIMO optimizer uses the revised sensitivity matrix to determine the process parameters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of qualifying processing equipment for production, said method comprising:
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(1) processing at least one substrate in the processing equipment; (2) collecting data on process monitors for the at least one substrate after processing is completed; (3) determining if the collected data are within specifications of the process monitors, if the answer is yes, determining that the processing equipment is qualified for production, and if the answer is no, determining a set of process parameters for the processing equipment by a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) optimizer; and repeating (1)-(3) until the processing equipment is qualified. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer-readable storage medium embodying instructions for causing, when executed by a processor, the processor to perform a method of automatically determining process parameters for processing equipment, said medium comprising:
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instructions for causing the processing equipment to process at least one substrate; instructions for collecting data on process monitors for the at least one substrate after the substrate has been processed by the processing equipment; instructions for revising a sensitivity matrix used by a MIMO optimizer using the collected data and an adaptive-learning algorithm; and instructions for determining a set of process parameters for the processing equipment by the MIMO optimizer, wherein the MIMO optimizer uses the revised sensitivity matrix to determine the process parameters. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer-readable storage medium embodying instructions for causing, when executed by a processor, the processor to perform a method of qualifying processing equipment for production, said medium comprising:
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first instructions for causing the processing equipment to process at least one substrate; second instructions for collecting data on process monitors for the at least one substrate after the substrate has been processed by the processing equipment; third instructions for determining if the collected data are within specifications of the process monitors, and for, if the answer is yes, determining that the process equipment is qualified for production, and if the answer is no, determining a set of process parameters for the processing equipment by a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) optimizer, and repetitively performing the first through third instructions until the processing equipment is qualified. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification