US 2002/0173057 A1 · Semiconductor manufacturing method and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

Inspection of a semiconductor wafer is performed while a manufacturing process of another semiconductor wafer is executed. A plurality of semiconductor wafers are mounted on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and, while semiconductor the manufacturing process is executed, an arbitrary semiconductor wafer is removed from among the semiconductor wafers having finished the manufacturing process, to a position that is different from a position on the manufacturing apparatus defined for the plurality of semiconductor wafers. Inspection is then done for the removed wafer and, if it is evaluated as good, it is first returned to the position from which the wafer has been removed and then returned, along with the other semiconductor wafers to the original position on the manufacturing apparatus.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A semiconductor manufacturing method for forming a semiconductor circuit on a semiconductor wafer while performing semiconductor manufacturing process on said semiconductor wafer, said method comprising:

mounting a plurality of said semiconductor wafers on a mounting position on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
removing a semiconductor wafer among said plurality of semiconductor wafers from a position different from said mounting position on said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus while a semiconductor manufacturing process is performed for each of said plurality of semiconductor wafers, wherein said removed semiconductor wafer is a semiconductor wafer to which said semiconductor manufacturing process is finished;
inspecting said removed semiconductor wafer;
returning said removed semiconductor wafer to said position different from said mounting position on said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, if said removed semiconductor wafer is evaluated as good in said inspecting step;
and
returning said removed semiconductor wafer to said mounting position on said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, together with other semiconductor wafers having finished said semiconductor manufacturing process.

3 more elements

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for forming a semiconductor circuit on a semiconductor wafer while performing semiconductor manufacturing process on said semiconductor wafer, said apparatus comprising:

a wafer mounting section for mounting a plurality of said semiconductor wafers;
a process chamber for performing a semiconductor manufacturing process of said semiconductor wafer;
a wafer service section for removing and/or setting said semiconductor wafer;
and
a wafer conveying section for conveying said semiconductor wafer between said mounting section, said process chamber and said wafer service section;
wherein
an arbitrary semiconductor wafer among semiconductor wafers having finished said semiconductor manufacturing process in said process chamber is removed from said wafer service section, and said arbitrary wafer is returned to said wafer mounting section together with other semiconductor wafers having finished said semiconductor manufacturing process, after said arbitrary semiconductor wafer is returned to said wafer service section.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Semiconductor manufacturing method and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Life of this patent

Semiconductor manufacturing method and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16