Device and method for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer

A semiconductor wafer manufacturing device, comprising:

• a storage means which stores a plurality of sets of processing amount data which specify respective processing amounts over substantially the entire area of a wafer under a plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• a substrate wafer measurement means which obtains substrate wafer flatness profile data by measuring the flatness of a substrate wafer over substantially its entire area;
• a manufactured wafer prediction means which, by applying each of said plurality of sets of processing amount data to said substrate wafer flatness profile data, calculates a plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, each of which specifies predicted values for flatness profile of a manufactured wafer over substantially its entire area, which would be obtained if said substrate wafer were to be processed under said plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• a processing conditions selection means which evaluates said plurality of sets of processing conditions on the basis of said plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, and selects one set of processing conditions according to the result of said evaluation;
• a wafer processing means which manufactures a manufactured wafer by processing said substrate wafer under said selected processing conditions;
• a flatness measurement device which can measure wafer thickness;
• an epitaxial layer growth reactor which operates under set processing conditions;
• and
• a control device for inputting output data from said flatness measurement device, and controlling said epitaxial layer growth reactor;
• wherein:
• said flatness measurement device functions as said substrate wafer measurement means;
• said epitaxial layer growth reactor functions as said wafer processing means;
• and
• said control device functions as said storage means, said manufactured wafer prediction means, and said processing conditions selection means;
• said processing is growth of an epitaxial layer;
• said processing amounts are the thickness of that epitaxial layer;
• and
• said flatness profile is a wafer thickness profile.

A semiconductor wafer manufacturing method, comprising:

• a storage step of storing a plurality of sets of processing amount data which specify respective processing amounts over substantially the entire area of a wafer under a plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• a substrate wafer measurement step of obtaining substrate wafer flatness profile data by measuring the flatness of a substrate wafer over substantially its entire area;
• a manufactured wafer prediction step of, by applying each of said plurality of sets of processing amount data to said substrate wafer flatness profile data, calculating a plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, each of which specifies predicted values for flatness profile of a manufactured wafer over substantially its entire area, which would be obtained if said substrate wafer were to be processed under said plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• a processing conditions selection step of evaluating said plurality of sets of processing conditions on the basis of said plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, and selecting one set of processing conditions according to the result of said evaluation;
• and
• a wafer processing step of manufacturing a manufactured wafer by processing said substrate wafer under said selected one set of processing conditions;
• wherein:
• a flatness measurement device which can measure wafer flatness is employed at the substrate wafer measurement step to obtain the substrate wafer flatness profile data;
• an epitaxial layer growth reactor which operates under said selected one set of processing conditions is employed at the wafer processing step to manufacturer the manufactured wafer;
• and
• a control device for inputting output data from said flatness measurement device and for controlling said epitaxial layer growth reactor is employed at the storage step to store the plurality of sets of processing amount data, is employed at the manufactured wafer prediction step to calculate the plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, and is employed at the processing conditions selection step to evaluate said plurality of sets of processing conditions and to select said selected one set of processing conditions.

A semiconductor wafer manufacturing device, comprising:

• a control device;
• a flatness measurement device;
• and
• an epitaxial layer growth reactor;
• wherein
• said control device stores a plurality of sets of processing amount data which specify respective processing amounts over substantially the entire area of a wafer under a plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• said flatness measurement device obtains substrate wafer flatness profile data by measuring the flatness of a substrate wafer over substantially its entire area;
• said control device, by applying each of said plurality of sets of processing amount data to said substrate wafer flatness profile data, calculates a plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, each of which specifies predicted values for flatness profile of a manufactured wafer over substantially its entire area, which would be obtained if said substrate wafer were to be processed under said plurality of sets of processing conditions;
• said control device evaluates said plurality of sets of processing conditions on the basis of said plurality of sets of manufactured wafer flatness profile data, and selects one set of processing conditions according to the result of said evaluation;
• and
• said epitaxial layer growth reactor manufactures a manufactured wafer by processing said substrate wafer under said selected one set of processing conditions.