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
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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;
- 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;
- and
- issuing a warning when the measured environmental condition is outside a range of acceptable values.
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;
- 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.
A fabrication facility, comprising:
- a wafer carrier configured to receive at least one wafer;
- a transportation apparatus configured to move the wafer carrier;
- a metrology tool positioned on the wafer carrier and configured to measure an environmental condition within the wafer carrier or in a vicinity of the wafer carrier;
- and
- a control system configured to control the transportation apparatus to move the wafer carrier to a rework station for removing a material layer over the wafer when the environmental condition measured by the metrology tool is outside a range of acceptable values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.