Loading patent…
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsMichael Lane Smith, Jr., Joel O'Don Stevenson, Pamela Peardon Denise Ward
Estimating the term…
The invention generally relates to various aspects of a plasma process, and more specifically the monitoring of such plasma processes. One aspect relates in at least some manner to calibrating or initializing a plasma monitoring assembly. This type of calibration may be used to address wavelength shifts, intensity shifts, or both associated with optical emissions data obtained on a plasma process. A calibration light may be directed at a window through which optical emissions data is being obtained to determine the effect, if any, that the inner surface of the window is having on the optical emissions data being obtained therethrough, the operation of the optical emissions data gathering device, or both. Another aspect relates in at least some manner to various types of evaluations which may be undertaken of a plasma process which was run, and more typically one which is currently being run, within the processing chamber. Plasma health evaluations and process identification through optical emissions analysis are included in this aspect. Yet another aspect associated with the present invention relates in at least some manner to the endpoint of a plasma process (e.g., plasma recipe, plasma clean, conditioning wafer operation) or discrete/discernible portion thereof (e.g., a plasma step of a multiple step plasma recipe). A final aspect associated with the present invention relates to how one or more of the above-noted aspects may be implemented into a semiconductor fabrication facility, such as the distribution of wafers to a wafer production system.
A method for running a plasma process on product in a processing chamber using a computer-readable storage medium, said computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of data entries, wherein a first said data entry comprises a plurality of optical emissions data segments of plasma from a first said plasma process previously run on product in said processing chamber which had proceeded in accordance with a first standard, wherein a second said data entry comprises a plurality of optical emissions data segments of plasma from a second said plasma process previously run on product in said processing chamber which had proceeded in accordance with a second standard, said first said plasma process being a different type than said second said plasma process, said method comprising the steps of:
A method for running a plasma process on product within a processing chamber, said method comprising steps of:
A plasma monitoring system for a plasma process run on product in a processing chamber, said system comprising:
A method for monitoring a plasma processing system comprising a processing chamber, a product storage device comprising a plurality of product, and a computer-readable storage medium, said computer-readable storage medium comprising a plasma recipe section, said plasma recipe section comprising a plurality of data entries, wherein a first said data entry comprises data relating to a first plasma recipe, wherein a second said data entry comprises data relating to a second plasma recipe, wherein said first plasma recipe is different from said second plasma recipe, and wherein a running a plasma process step comprises the steps of removing at least one product from said product storage device, loading said at least one product into said processing chamber, exposing said at least one product in said processing chamber to a plasma in accordance with one of said first and second plasma recipes, and removing said at least one product from said processing chamber after said exposing step, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.