Neural network control of chemical mechanical planarization
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsJingang Yi, Cangshan Xu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Broadly speaking, a method for controlling a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process to obtain a desired result is provided. More specifically, the method incorporates a first neural network to estimate a CMP result and a second neural network to tune CMP control parameters used to obtain the CMP result. The second neural network tunes the CMP control parameters to minimize a difference between the CMP result and a desired CMP result.
Claims14
A method for estimating a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) result, comprising:
- developing a neural network, wherein the neural network is configured to relate one or more CMP control parameters to a CMP result;
- training the neural network using data for the one or more CMP control parameters and the CMP result;
- and
- using the neural network to estimate the CMP result of a subsequent CMP operation based on data to be applied in the subsequent CMP operation for the one or more CMP control parameters.
A method for adjusting control parameters of a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) operation, comprising:
- developing a neural network, wherein the neural network is configured to relate a comparison between a desired CMP result and an obtained CMP result to one or more CMP control parameters associated with the obtained CMP result;
- training the neural network using data for the desired CMP result, the obtained CMP result, and the one or more CMP control parameters associated with the obtained CMP result;
- and
- using the neural network to determine values for one or more CMP control parameters to be used in a subsequent CMP operation such that the obtained CMP result for the subsequent CMP operation is acceptable relative to the desired CMP result, wherein the one or more CMP control parameters to be used in the subsequent CMP operation are the same as the one or more CMP control parameters associated with the obtained CMP result.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.