# US 6,842,658 B2 · Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and manufacturing system

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- Number: US 6,842,658 B2
- Document ID: US6842658B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 09/791,666
- Filed: 2001-02-26
- Published: 2002-08-01
- Granted: 2005-01-11
- Earliest claimed: 2001-02-01
- Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Inventors: Masaru Izawa; Masahito Mori; Nobuyuki Negishi; Shinichi Tachi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6842658B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/41875: {characterised by quality surveillance of production}
- H10P 72/0612: {Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput}
- G05B 2219/31288: Archive collected data into history file
- G05B 2219/32053: Adjust work parameter as function of other cell
- G05B 2219/32198: Feedforward inspection data for calibration, manufacturing next stage
- G05B 2219/45031: Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
- Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
- Y02P 90/80: Management or planning
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Automatic generation of processing conditions will be provided, based on a database and process modeling by a computer equipped in semiconductor device fabrication equipment, by using input of wafer processing history including the thickness and quality. The computer equipped in semiconductor device fabrication equipment obtains the wafer processing and inspection results from a production line management computer in order to assist input of the process history. The computer in the fabrication equipment can be connected to computers in a fabrication equipment manufacturer on a communication network to automatically provide process conditions and maintenance schedule.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:
recording into a computer readable recording medium, a deposition condition and mask information of other production steps performed prior to one production step of production steps in a semiconductor device manufacturing process; and
determining automatically processing conditions in said one production step based on said deposition condition and mask information recorded in said computer readable recording medium,
wherein said one production step includes an etching step for subjecting semiconductor wafers to a dry etching by plasma,
wherein conditions for the dry etching are determined based on a surface area to be etched, and
wherein the method further includes the step of measuring the surface area to be etched to provide a measured surface area, said measured surface area being used in determining the conditions for the dry etching.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said steps are performed by at least one computer, and said at least one computer is connected to another computer at a fabrication equipment manufacturer through a communication network, to obtain information supporting the conditions for the dry etching.

### Claim 3

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:
connecting a plurality of fabrication equipments, including an etching equipment, used in a manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, through a communication network to at least one computer;
recording on said at least one computer a deposition condition and mask information of other production steps performed prior to one production step of production steps in said manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, wherein said one production step includes an etching step for subjecting semiconductor wafers to a dry etching by plasma; and
determining automatically processing conditions in said one production step based on said deposition condition and mask information recorded in said at least one computer,
wherein conditions for the dry etching are determined based on a surface area to be etched, and
wherein the method further includes the step of measuring a surface area to be etched to provide a measured surface area, said measured surface area being used in determining the conditions for the dry etching.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein said at least one computer is connected to another computer at a fabrication equipment manufacturer through a communication network, to obtain information supporting the conditions for the dry etching.

### Claim 5

A manufacturing system of a semiconductor device, comprising:
a plasma processing equipment for subjecting a semiconductor wafer to a dry etching by plasma in a processing chamber held in a vacuum state by generating plasma from a feeding gas introduced into said processing chamber; and
a first computer associated with said plasma processing equipment, operatively connected to a second computer associated with other processing equipment through a communication network, for recording a deposition condition and mask information of other production steps performed prior to one production step of production steps in a manufacturing process of semiconductor devices,
wherein conditions for the dry etching are determined based on a surface area to be etched, and
wherein the system further includes a device that measures a surface area to be etched to provide a measured surface area, said measured surface area being used in determining the conditions for dry etching.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A manufacturing system of a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein said first computer associated with said plasma processing equipment is operatively connected to a third computer at a fabrication equipment manufacturer through another communication network, to obtain information supporting the conditions for the dry etching.