Determining process condition in substrate processing module
AssigneeKLA-Tencor Corporation
InventorsForrest Gilbert Yetter, Jr., Jeffrey M. Parker, Wayne G. Renken, John B. Pieper
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Abstract
A sensor network collects time-series data from a process tool and supplies the data to an analysis system where pattern analysis techniques are used to identify structures and to monitor subsequent data based on analysis instructions or a composite model. Time-series data from multiple process runs are used to form a composite model of a data structure including variation. Comparison with the composite model gives an indication of tool health. A sensor network may have distributed memory for a more simplified configuration.
Claims11
A method for determining a condition of a process in a substrate processing module, comprising:
- obtaining a first set of time-series data from measurement of a process parameter during a first occurrence of the process in the substrate processing module;
- obtaining at least a second set of time-series data from measurement of the process parameter during at least a second occurrence of the process in the substrate processing module;
- identifying a structure corresponding to a first portion of the first set of time-series data, the structure selected from a finite set of structures;
- identifying a first portion in each set of the at least a second set of time series data that corresponds to the structure;
- deriving a composite model from the first portion of the first set of time-series data and the first portion of each set of the at least a second set of time series data;
- obtaining a third set of time-series data from measurement of the process parameter during a third occurrence of the process in the substrate processing module;
- determining a degree of correlation between a first portion of the third set of timeseries data and the composite model;
- and
- determining a condition of the process based on the degree of correlation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.