Apparatus and methods for determining wafer characters
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsWei-Da Kang, Wen-Ting Tsai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for determining wafer characters are disclosed. In one example, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a processing tool configured to process a semiconductor wafer; a device configured to read an optical character disposed on the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is located at the apparatus for wafer fabrication; and a controller configured to determine whether the optical character matches a predetermined character corresponding to the semiconductor wafer based on the optical character read in real-time at the apparatus.
Claims18
A method, comprising:
- loading a semiconductor wafer into a processing tool to process the semiconductor wafer;
- reading an optical character disposed on the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is in the processing tool for wafer fabrication;
- determining whether the optical character matches a predetermined character corresponding to the semiconductor wafer based on the optical character read in real-time during the wafer fabrication;
- in response to a determination that there is a mismatch between the optical character and the predetermined character, transporting, via a transport tool, the semiconductor wafer to a fixing tool for fixing the mismatch;
- and
- in response to a determination that there is no mismatch between the optical character and the predetermined character, recording that the semiconductor wafer passed a mismatch check of the optical character.
A method, comprising:
- loading a semiconductor wafer into a processing chamber to fabricate the semiconductor wafer;
- reading an optical character disposed on the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is being fabricated in the processing chamber;
- and
- determining whether the optical character matches a predetermined character corresponding to the semiconductor wafer based on the optical character read in real-time during the wafer fabrication.
A method, comprising:
- loading a semiconductor wafer into a processing chamber to fabricate the semiconductor wafer;
- reading an optical character disposed on the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is in the processing chamber whose inside gaseous pressure is equal to one of:
- a vacuum pressure, or a partial vacuum pressure;
- and
- determining whether the optical character matches a predetermined character corresponding to the semiconductor wafer based on the optical character read in real-time during the wafer fabrication.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.