Method, system and medium for process control for the matching of tools, chambers and/or other semiconductor-related entities

• US 7,082,345 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwarm, Alexander T., Shanmugasundram, Arulkumar P., Armer, Helen
• Primary Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, PAUL L
• Application Number:
  US10/172,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20020199082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/19, 700/20, 700/31, 700/32, 700108-110, 700/121, 438/5
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/042 operating processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 49/03 according to the final size of the previously ground workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 49/18 taking regard of the presence of dressing tools
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 53/017 Devices or means for dressing, cleaning or otherwise conditioning lapping tools
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32053 Adjust work parameter as function of other cell
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32065 Synchronise set points of processes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31053 involving a dielectric removal step
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, system and computer program useful for producing a product, such as a microelectronic device, for example in an assembly line, where the production facility includes parallel production of assembly lines of products on identically configured chambers, tools and/or modules. Control is provided between such chambers. Behaviors of a batch of wafers (or of each wafer) are collected as the first batch (or each wafer) is processed by one of the identically configured chambers in one assembly line to produce the microelectronic device. The information relating to the behavior is shared with a controller of another one (or more) of the identically configured chambers, process tools and/or modules, to provide an adjustment of the process tool and thereby to produce a second batch (or next wafer) which is substantially identical, within tolerance, to the first batch (or wafer).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) collecting data representative of one or more behaviors of at least one of one or more semi-conductor processing entities, said one or more behaviors being collected in the course of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities converging to, or attempting to maintain proximity with, a target setting; and

(B) sharing information, relating to the data representative of the one or more behaviors, between at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities and at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity, wherein the sharing of the information facilitates the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity receiving the information to adjust a recipe that enables the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity to converge to, or attempt to maintain proximity with, the target setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing of the information is performed on a wafer-to-wafer basis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing of the information is performed on a run-to-run basis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing of the information is performed on the same processing entity, at a time substantially later than a time at which the data was collected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing of the information is performed on a different processing entity, at a substantially later time, or a substantially same time at which the data is collected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting data includes measuring at least one device processed by one or more of the semi-conductor processing entities, and wherein the step of sharing includes adjusting a process parameter for the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity subsequent to measuring of the at least one device and prior to processing of a next device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of collecting data includes measuring at least one device in a batch of devices processed by one or more of the semi-conductor processing entities, and wherein the step of sharing includes adjusting a process parameter for the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity subsequent to measuring of the batch and prior to processing of a next batch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity resides on a same tool as said one or more semi-conductor processing entities.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conducting processing entity comprises a chamber.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the chamber comprises two or more processing stations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity and said one or more semi-conductor processing entities reside on separate tools.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at Least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity comprises a chamber.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the chamber comprises two or more processing stations.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities includes an integrated metrology tool.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a separate metrology tool for at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities from a controller.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor entity comprises a module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the module comprises a chamber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the chamber comprises a processing station.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity is configured the same as said one or more semi-conductor processing entities.

21. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium the computer program product comprising instructions for enabling a computer to:

(A) collect data representative of one or more behaviors of at least one of one or more semi-conductor processing entities, said one or more behaviors being collected in the course of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities converging to, or attempting to maintain proximity with a target setting; and

(B) share information, relating to the data representative of the one or more behaviors, between at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities and at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity, wherein the information facilitates the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity receiving the information to adjust a recipe that enables the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity to converge to, or attempt to maintain proximity with the target setting.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions for sharing of the information are performed on a wafer-to-wafer basis.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions for sharing information are performed on a run-to-run basis.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions for sharing information are performed on a same tool, at a time substantially later than a time at which the data was collected.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the information is provided from a first tool, to a second tool at a substantially later time, or a substantially same time at which the data is collected.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions for collecting data include instructions for measuring at least one device processed by at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities, and wherein the instructions for sharing include instructions for adjusting a process parameter for the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity subsequent to measuring of the at least one device and prior to processing of a next device.

27. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions for collecting data include instructions for measuring at least one device in a batch of devices processed by at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities, and wherein the instructions for sharing include instructions for adjusting a process parameter for the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity subsequent to measuring of the batch and prior to processing of a next batch.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity comprises a first chamber and a second chamber.

29. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the at least one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity is on a tool separate from the one or more semi-conductor processing entities.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities includes an integrated metrology tool.

31. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for providing a separate metrology tool for at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities.

32. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions for controlling at least one of the one or more semi-conductor processing entities from a controller.

33. A computer-implemented method of converging, to a target setting, processing results of two or more comparably configured semi-conductor processing entities, comprising:

obtaining, for one of the comparably configured semi-conductor processing entities, a recipe to be utilized in conjunction with processing a product;

measuring at least one product characteristic subsequent to processing;

adjusting at least one recipe parameter based upon said measuring step;

providing the at least one recipe parameter to at least one other comparably configured semi-conductor conductor processing entity; and

utilizing the at least one recipe parameter to adjust a recipe of at least one other comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity and converge the processing results of the one comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity with the at least one other comparably configured semi-conductor processing entity.

34. The computer-implemented method according to claim 33, wherein the two or more comparably configured processing entities comprise tool chambers.

35. The computer implemented method according to claim 34, wherein a first tool chamber is on a first tool and a second tool chamber is on a second tool.

36. The computer implemented method according to claim 35, wherein the first tool chamber comprises a first and a second processing station and the second tool chamber comprises a third and a fourth processing station.

37. The computer implemented method according to claim 34, wherein a first tool chamber and a second tool chamber are on a same tool.

38. The computer implemented method according to claim 37, wherein the first tool chamber comprises a first and a second processing station and the second tool chamber comprises a third and a fourth processing station.

39. A computer-implemented system of converging, to a target setting, processing results generated by comparatively configured process tools operating in parallel in a semiconductor processing environment, said system comprising:

a module controller containing module level models for setting at least one process tool results target;

each of said comparatively configured process tools configured in parallel and communicating with said module controller, each of said comparatively configured process tools comprising an automatic process control module that receives as input from said module controller a module level model, wherein at least one of said respective automatic process control modules adjust at least one recipe processing parameter based on shared information from another automatic process control module to enable at least one of said comparatively configured process tools to converge to or maintain a respective process tool results target.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein said at least two process tools comprise embedded computer intelligence.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein said module controller comprises a graphical user interface.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein said automatic process control module comprises at least one of hardware and software.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein each of said at least two process tools further comprises a tool controller for processing a recipe to achieve said at least one process tool results target.