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US 7,487,054 B2Granted
Automated dynamic metrology sampling system and method for process control
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJavier A. Ayala, Marc J. Postiglione, Eric P. Solecky
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Abstract
A system and method for optimizing and implementing a metrology sampling plan. A system is provided that includes a system for collecting historical metrology data from a metrology tool; and a reduction analysis system that compares an initial capability calculated from the historical metrology data with a recalculated capability for a reduced data set, wherein the reduced data set is obtained by removing a subset of data from the historical metrology data.
Claims7
A method for optimizing a metrology sampling plan, comprising:
- providing a program product stored on a computer readable medium, which when executed, causes a computer to perform the steps of:
- collecting historical metrology data from a metrology tool;
- comparing an initial capability calculated from the historical metrology data with a recalculated capability for a reduced data set, wherein the reduced data set is obtained by removing a subset of data from the historical metrology data;
- determining whether the initial capability and recalculated capability will provide substantially the same process capability result;
- repeating the comparing step with different reduced data sets;
- and providing and storing an optimized reduced data set usable in a metrology operation;
- wherein the historical metrology data comprises data collected for individual wafers contained within a cassette, and wherein the subset of data comprises data for a wafer at a predetermined position within each cassette.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.