Offset correction techniques for positioning substrates within a processing chamber

A method for aligning a substrate to a process center of a support mechanism, wherein said process center representing a focal center for processing said substrate in a plasma processing chamber, comprising:

• identifying a set of data points, wherein said set of data points includes a plurality of thickness values for said substrate at a plurality of orientations and at a plurality of radial distances from a geometric center of said substrate;
• processing said set of data points to calculate a set of parameters for determining said process center of said support mechanism;
• and
• teaching a set of robot arms said set of parameters, thereby enabling said set of robot arms to align another substrate that is supported by said support mechanism with said process center of said support mechanism when said set of robot arm s positions said another substrate in said plasma processing chamber for processing, wherein a metrology tool is employed to generate said plurality of radial distances from said neometric center of said substrate.

An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory program storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein, said computer readable code being configured for aligning a substrate to a process center of a support mechanism, wherein said process center representing a focal center for processing said substrate in a plasma processing chamber, comprising:

• computer readable code determining a plurality of thickness values for said substrate after substrate processing at a plurality of orientations and at a plurality of radial distances from a geometric center of said substrate;
• computer readable code deriving a set of process rate values from said plurality of thickness values and a process duration;
• computer readable code creating an off-centered plot for a first process rate of said set of process rate values, wherein said off-centered plot represents a substantially concentric circle whose points on a circumference of said off-centered plot having substantially same first process rate;
• computer readable code applying a curve-fitting equation to said off-centered plot to determine a set of parameters for offsetting said substrate in relation to said support mechanism;
• and
• computer readable code teaching a set of robot arms said set of parameters, thereby enabling said set of robot arms to align another substrate that is supported by said support mechanism with said process center of said support mechanism when said set of robot arms positions said another substrate in said plasma processing chamber for processing.