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US 7,257,457 B2Granted
System and method for monitoring semiconductor production apparatus
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsShinichi Imai, Masaki Taguchi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plurality of pieces of process data are acquired from a semiconductor production apparatus while it is in operation, and then, a multivariate analysis model is created using at least a portion of the plurality of pieces of process data.
Claims10
A monitoring method comprising the steps of:
- (a) acquiring from a plasma etching apparatus a plurality of pieces of process data including values of a plurality of process parameters which are obtained while the plasma etching apparatus is in operation;
- (b) after the step (a), dividing the plurality of pieces of process data for the respective process parameters and for respective steps of a process recipe for operating the plasma etching apparatus;
- (c) after the step (b), creating a multivariate analysis model using data obtained by dividing the plurality of pieces of process data;
- (d) after the step (c), obtaining a principal component value from the plurality of pieces of process data which are newly acquired, by using the multivariate analysis model;
- and
- (e) after the step (d), determining whether the plasma etching apparatus is in normal operation or abnormal operation using the principal component value,
- wherein the plurality of pieces of process data includes:
- a gas pressure and plasma emission voltage in a reaction chamber, a flow rate of helium gas flowing between a lower electrode and a wafer;
- and powers of a progressive wave and a reflected wave of a high frequency power supplied from a high frequency power supply to the lower electrode.
6 more elements
A monitoring system comprising means for:
- (a) acquiring from a plasma etching apparatus a plurality of pieces of process data including values of a plurality of process parameters which are obtained while the plasma etching apparatus is in operation;
- (b) dividing the plurality of pieces of process data for the respective process parameters and for respective steps of a process recipe for operating the plasma etching apparatus;
- (c) creating a multivariate analysis model using data obtained by dividing the plurality of pieces of process data;
- (d) obtaining a principal component value from the plurality of pieces of process data which are newly acquired, by using the multivariate analysis model;
- and
- (e) determining whether the plasma etching apparatus is in normal operation or abnormal operation using the principal component value,
- wherein the plurality of pieces of process data includes a gas pressure and plasma emission voltage in a reaction chamber;
- a flow rate of helium gas flowing between a lower electrode and a wafer;
- and powers of a progressive wave and a reflected wave of a high frequency power supplied from a high frequency power supply to the lower electrode.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.