Feedforward, feedback wafer to wafer control method for an etch process
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorMerritt Funk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of using a run-to-run (R2R) controller to provide wafer-to-wafer (W2W) control in a semiconductor processing system is provided. The R2R controller includes a feed-forward (FF) controller, a process model controller, a feedback (FB) controller, and a process controller. The R2R controller uses feed-forward data, modeling data, feedback data, and process data to update a process recipe on a wafer-to-wafer time frame.
Claims25
A method of operating a semiconductor processing system comprising:
- determining a first state for a wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data;
- determining a second state for the wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data;
- determining a process recipe to change the state of the wafer from the first state to the second state;
- performing the process recipe on the wafer, wherein the state of the wafer changes from the first state to a processed state;
- determining when the processed state is not the second state;
- and
- updating the process recipe.
A method of operating a semiconductor processing system comprising:
- determining a first state for a wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data;
- substantially simultaneously determining a second state for the wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data;
- substantially simultaneously determining a predicted state for the wafer, wherein a predicted process recipe is used to change the state of the wafer from the first state to the predicted state;
- substantially simultaneously determining a modeled state for the wafer, wherein a process module is used to change the state of the wafer from the first state to the modeled state;
- substantially simultaneously determining a measured state for the wafer, and
- determining a recipe for changing the wafer state to the second state using the first state, the predicted state, the modeled state, and the measured state.
A method of operating a semiconductor processing system comprising:
- determining a first state for a wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data, wherein the determining the first state uses filtered metrology data;
- determining a second state for the wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data, wherein the determining the second state uses filtered metrology data;
- determining a process recipe to change the state of the wafer from the first state to the second state;
- performing the process recipe on the wafer, wherein the state of the wafer changes from the first state to a processed state;
- determining when the processed state is not the second state;
- and
- updating the process recipe.
A method of operating a semiconductor processing system comprising:
- determining a first state for a wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data, wherein determining the first state comprises measuring a bottom critical dimension in a gate stack;
- determining a second state for the wafer via optical digital profiling using critical dimension data and sidewall angle data, wherein determining the second state comprises measuring a bottom critical dimension in a gate stack;
- determining a process recipe to change the state of the wafer from the first state to the second state;
- performing the process recipe on the wafer, wherein the state of the wafer changes from the first state to a processed state;
- determining when the processed state is not the second state;
- and
- updating the process recipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.