US 8,019,457 B2 · Method of controlling result parameter of IC manufacturing procedure

Abstract

A method of controlling a result parameter of an IC manufacturing procedure is described. The value of at least one first variable of a process correlated with the result parameter is acquired, and the difference between the predicted value and the target value of the result parameter is calculated from the same using a correlation equation of the first variable and the result parameter. A correcting action is then performed to a subsequent process including at least one second variable correlated with the result parameter, which is based on a correlation equation of the second variable and the result parameter to control the subsequent process and adjust the second variable such that the difference is reduced due to the affect of the second variable to the result parameter. The at least one first variable and the at least one second variable include two or more different physical quantities.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method of controlling a result parameter of an integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing procedure, wherein the IC manufacturing procedure includes a number “N” of processes correlated with the result parameter, an i-th process includes at least one i-th variable correlated with the result parameter in a correlation equation and having a standard value Vi−0, the variables include two or more different physical quantities and the result parameter has a target value P0 when each variable has its standard value, comprising:

setting j=k (1≦k≦N−1) and setting a predicted accumulative deviation ΔPC of the Result parameter to zero;
a) acquiring a value Vj−r of a j-th variable of a j-th process;
b) calculate a difference ΔVj−r between Vj−r and Vj−0;
c) calculating a predicted variation ΔPj of the result parameter from ΔVj−r using a correlation equation of the j-th variable and the result parameter, and adding ΔPj to ΔPC;
d) calculating, from ΔPC, a correcting value ΔV(j+1)−d capable of compensating ΔPC using a correlation equation of a (j+1)-th variable and the result parameter;
e) increasing the value of j by one;
and
repeating the steps a-e for at least one cycle if k is not equal to N−1, and making an end when j is equal to N.

5 more elements

A method of controlling a result parameter of an integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing procedure, comprising:

providing a first process correlated with the result parameter and a subsequent second process correlated with the result parameter;
providing at least one first variable correlated with the result parameter for the first process and at least one second variable correlated with the result parameter for the second process, wherein the variables include two or more different physical quantities and each of the first and second variables is correlated with the result parameter in a correlation equation;
acquiring a value of the first variable of the first process;
calculating, from the acquired value of the first variable, a difference between a predicted value and a target value of the result parameter using the correlation equation of the first variable and the result parameter;
and
taking a correcting action that comprises controlling the second process to adjust the value of the second variable according to the difference and the correlation equation of the second variable and the result parameter, so as to reduce the difference between a predicted value and a target value of the result parameter through an affect of the second variable to the result parameter.

3 more elements

A method of controlling a result parameter of an integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing procedure comprising:

providing a plurality of processes correlated with the result parameter, wherein each process includes at least one variable correlated with the result parameter in a correlation equation and the variables include two or more different physical quantities;
and
performing, to every two neighboring processes among the plurality of processes, steps of:
acquiring a value of a variable of an earlier process among the two neighboring processes;
calculating, from the acquired value of the variable of the earlier process, a difference between a predicted value and a target value of the result parameter using the correlation equation of the variable of the earlier process and the result parameter;
and
taking a correcting action that comprises controlling a later process among the two neighboring processes to adjust a value of a variable of the later process according to the difference and the correlation equation of the variable of the later process and the result parameter, so as to reduce the difference between a predicted value and a target value of the result parameter through an affect of the variable of the later process to the result parameter.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of controlling result parameter of IC manufacturing procedure

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Method of controlling result parameter of IC manufacturing procedure

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16