Metrology method in wafer transportation
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsPowen Huang, Yao-Yuan Shang, Kuo-Shu Tseng, Yen-Yu Chen, Chun-Chih Lin, Yi-Ming Dai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for fault detection in a fabrication facility is provided. The method includes moving a wafer carrier using a transportation apparatus. The method further includes measuring an environmental condition within the wafer carrier or around the wafer carrier using a metrology tool positioned on the wafer carrier during the movement of the wafer carrier. The method also includes issuing a warning when the detected environmental condition is outside a range of acceptable values.
Claims20
A method for fault detection in a fabrication facility, comprising:
- moving a wafer carrier using a transportation apparatus, wherein the transportation apparatus moves the wafer carrier along a predetermined path multiple times;
- collecting data associated with an environmental condition within the wafer carrier or around the wafer carrier using a metrology tool positioned on the wafer carrier on the predetermined path in a previous movement of the transportation apparatus;
- storing data associated with the environmental condition in the previous movement of the transportation apparatus in an archive database;
- measuring the environmental condition within the wafer carrier or around the wafer carrier using the metrology tool during the movement of the wafer carrier;
- and
- issuing a warning when the measured environmental condition is outside a range of acceptable values, wherein the range of acceptable values is derived from the archive database.
A method for processing a wafer, comprising:
- forming a material layer over a wafer in a first processing tool;
- loading the wafer formed with the material layer into a wafer carrier;
- moving the wafer carrier containing the wafer from the first processing tool to a second processing tool and monitoring an environmental condition within the wafer carrier, wherein the movement of the wafer carrier containing the wafer from the first processing tool to the second processing tool is executed multiple times;
- storing data associated with the environmental condition in an archive database in the previous movement of the wafer carrier;
- and
- stopping the movement of the wafer carrier from the first processing tool to the second processing tool and transferring the wafer carrier to a rework station for removing the material layer, when the environmental condition monitored by a metrology tool is outside a range of acceptable values, wherein the range of acceptable values is derived from the archive database.
A fabrication facility, comprising:
- a wafer carrier configured to receive at least one wafer;
- a processing tool having a load port configured to dock the wafer carrier;
- a transportation apparatus configured to move the wafer carrier to the load port, wherein the transportation apparatus includes a trail assembly and an overhead hoist transport assembly movably suspend on the trail assembly;
- a metrology tool positioned on the wafer carrier, wherein the metrology tool includes at least one sensor configured to:
- measure an environmental condition within the wafer carrier or in a vicinity of the wafer carrier;
- and
- measure a leveling degree of the load port when the wafer carrier is placed on the load port of the processing tool;
- and
- an interface device positioned in the transportation apparatus, wherein the interface device includes a power circuit configured to supply power to the metrology tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.