Method of online predicting maintenance of an apparatus

• US 8,154,721 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co.Ltd. (NAURA Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Nmc Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chen, Zhuo, Hu, Liqiong, Xie, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Geisel, Kara E
• Application Number:
  US12/441,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 356/300, 356/326, 438/689, 438/706, 216/67, 134/1.1
• US Class Current: 356/300
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring

Abstract

A method of online predicting maintenance of an apparatus is disclosed. Using an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) positioned on the apparatus and the change of emission spectrum intensity detected by the OES in the process, according to the detected results, measuring the parameter in the process, the function relation between the process parameter and spectrum intensity is acquired. A control threshold is decided by the processing requirement to the apparatus. When the parameter exceeds the control threshold, maintenance to the etching apparatus is engaged in order to avoid processing error caused by frequent shutdown or deficient maintenance which is estimated by experience, and hence decreasing the cost and increasing processing efficiency of substrates (such as silicon wafers) without changing apparatus and adding other online sensor, and improving production rate by avoiding waste substrates caused by error processing results. The method is suitable for semiconductor substrate etching maintenance of the apparatus and also other maintenance of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of online predicting maintenance of an apparatus having a chamber and an optical emission spectrometer (OES) mounted on a side wall of the chamber, comprising:

step A of detecting an intensity of a spectrum emitted during a dry clean process of the chamber, by using the OES;

step B of quantifying a process parameter in the process based on an analysis of the spectrum intensity; and

obtaining a changing trend of the process parameter by statistically analyzing the process parameters obtained by detecting and quantifying many times and obtaining function relation between the process parameter and the intensity of the spectrum; and

step C of performing a maintenance operation when a value of the process parameter exceeds a control threshold set according to a requirement of the process to the apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step A comprises:

step A1 of detecting an intensity of the spectrum emitted during the dry clean process many times, by using the OES, to determine a change in the intensity, and recording stable time required when intensity of the emitted spectrum detected by the OES becomes stable during each clean process.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step B comprises:

step B1 of statistically analyzing the recorded stable time to obtain a function relation between said stable time and an amount of reactant or product used during the dry clean process, and further to determine a changing trend of process parameter;

step B2 of obtaining a function relation between the amount of reactant or product and the roughness of the chamber inner wall during the dry clean process, according to the results detected; and

further obtaining a changing trend of the stable time with changing of the roughness of the chamber inner walls, so as to obtain a time period of dry clean when the roughness exceeds a normal range.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step C comprises:

step C1 of performing a maintenance operation to a component of the chamber when the intensity of spectrum associated with the stable time or the time of dry clean exceeds the control threshold set according to the requirement of the process to the apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises a liner and/or a quartz window.

6. A method of online predicting maintenance of an apparatus having a chamber and an optical emission spectrometer (OES) mounted on a side wall of the chamber, comprising:

step A of detecting an intensity of the emitted spectrum with increasing of number of substrates being processed during a process, by using the OES, to determine a change in the intensity;

step B of quantifying a process parameter in the process based on an analysis of the spectrum intensity; and

obtaining a changing trend of the process parameter by statistically analyzing the process parameters obtained by detecting and quantifying many times; and

step C of performing a maintenance operation when a value of the process parameter exceeds a control threshold set according to a requirement of the process to the apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 6, said step B comprises:

step B3 of obtaining a changing trend of a pollution degree of an OES window with the changing of the intensity of the emitted spectrum detected by OES.

8. The method according to claim 7, said step C comprises:

step C2 of performing a maintenance operation to the OES window, when the intensity of emitted spectrum detected by the OES exceeds a control threshold set according to requirement of the process to the apparatus.