Process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system

• US 6,889,568 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
• Original Assignee: SensArray Corp. (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Renken, Wayne G.
• Primary Examiner(s): GARBER, CHARLES D
• Application Number:
  US10/056,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20040031340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 738/661, 438/17, 438/18, 156/345.24, 156/345.26, 156/345.27, 156/345.28
• US Class Current: 73/866.1
• 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 system for sensing and recording or transmitting processing conditions comprising:

a substrate having a surface, the substrate comprising sensors to measure the processing conditions of the substrate at different areas of the substrate;

one or more electronics platforms mounted to the surface of the substrate comprising signal acquisition circuitry coupled to an output of the sensors;

the one or more electronics platforms individually comprising at least one integrated circuit; and

wherein each of the one or more platforms comprise one or more legs and a shelf, the one or more legs elevating the shelf from the surface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the signal acquisition circuitry is upon the shelf.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a wafer.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises glass.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a remote data processing module.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the data processing module comprises a microprocessor, a storage device, a display, and an input device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing conditions measured by the sensors comprise one or more of the following conditions:

temperature, pressure, flow rate, vibration, ion current density, ion current energy, and light energy density.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors are discrete sensors mounted in or on the wafer.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors are part of an integrated circuit formed in or on the wafer.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the power supply comprises an inductive power source.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the electronics platform further comprises a power supply.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an antenna connected to the wafer and electrically coupled to the signal acquisition circuitry.

13. A system for sensing and recording or transmitting processing conditions comprising:

a substrate having a surface, the substrate comprising sensors to measure the processing conditions of the substrate at different areas of the substrate;

one or more electronics platforms mounted to the surface of the substrate comprising signal acquisition circuitry coupled to an output of the sensors;

wherein each of the one more platforms comprise one or more legs and a shelf, the one or more legs elevating the shelf from the surface

wherein the electronics platform further comprises data transmission circuitry comprising a transceiver, the data transmission circuitry operable to transmit the processing conditions in real time during measurement of the processing conditions to the data processing module via the transceiver.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the transceiver transmits and receives RF signals.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the transceiver transmits and receives IR signals.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the transceiver inductively transmits and receives.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the transceiver sonically transmits and receives.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the system further comprises a data transmission cable and wherein the data transmission circuitry transmits the processing conditions over the cable.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the data transmission circuitry is further operable to send and receive control signals to and from the data processing module.

20. A system for sensing and recording or transmitting processing conditions comprising:

a substrate having a surface, the substrate comprising sensors to measure the processing conditions of the substrate at different areas of the substrate;

one or more electronics platforms mounted to the surface of the substrate comprising signal acquisition circuitry coupled to an output of the sensors; and

wherein the electronics platform is mounted to a recessed portion of the surface of the substrate, wherein the recessed portion and the platform are within a cavity and wherein the platform is substantially equal in mass to the removed cavity.

21. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform including at least one integrated circuit;

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more leas that elevate the platform from the substrate; and

a gap between the electronics platform and the substrate wherein the gap is from 1 mm to 5 mm.

22. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform including at least one integrated circuit; and

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more legs that elevate the platform from the wherein the one or more legs are between 1 mm to 5 mm in height and between 0.05 mm and 1.0 mm in width.

23. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform including at least one integrated circuit;

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more legs that elevate the platform from the substrate; and

an electrical cable between the electronics platform and the substrate.

24. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform including at least one integrated circuit; and

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more legs that elevate the platform from the substrate wherein the one or more legs insulate the platform from high temperatures at the substrate.

25. A system for sensing processing conditions comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of sensors attached to the substrate;

an electronics platform electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors;

the electronics platform encompassing at least one integrated circuit; and

the electronics platform mounted to the substrate by one or more lees that elevate the platform from the substrate.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising a gap between the electronics platform and the substrate.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the gap is from 1 mm to 5 mm.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the one or more legs are between 1 mm and 5 mm in height and between 0.05 mm and 1.0 mm in width.

29. The system of claim 25 further comprising an electrical cable between the electronics platform and the substrate.

30. The system of claim 25 further comprising electrical conductors integral to the one or more legs.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the electronics platform is mounted to the center of a surface of the substrate.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the one or more legs insulate the platform from high temperatures at the substrate.

33. The system of claim 25 further comprising an additional electronics platform, the electronics platform and the additional electronics platform being equidistant from the center of the substrate along a diameter of the substrate.