US 9,870,928 B2Granted

System and method for updating an arm scan profile through a graphical user interface

AssigneeVeeco Precision Surface Processing LLC

InventorsDavid A. Goldberg, Jonathan Yutkowitz

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Abstract

A system and method for performing a wet etching process is disclosed. The system includes multiple processing stations accessible by a transfer device, including a measuring station to optically measure the thickness of a wafer before and after each etching steps in the process. The system also includes a controller to analyze the thickness measurements in view of a target wafer profile and generate an etch recipe, dynamically and in real time, for each etching step. In addition, the process controller can cause a single wafer wet etching station to etch the wafer according to the generated etching recipes. In addition, the system can, based on the pre and post-etch thickness measurements and target etch profile, generate and/or refine the etch recipes.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A method for wet-etching a wafer according to a customized arm scan profile using a wafer wet etching processing system that includes a plurality of stations, the method comprising the steps of:

providing, at a process controller including a memory and a processor configured by executing instructions in the form of code therein, a wafer profile defining a target thickness of the wafer at each of a plurality of radial locations on a surface of the wafer after a first etching step and an initial thickness of the wafer at each of the plurality of radial locations;
identifying, with the processor, a characteristic variation in thickness across each of the plurality of radial locations, wherein the variation in thickness is determined based on a respective difference between the measured initial thickness and the target thickness of the wafer at each of the plurality of radial locations;
selecting, using the configured processor, an arm scan profile according to the identified characteristic variation in thickness across each of the plurality of radial locations;
displaying, by the processor on a display, an interactive graphical representation of the arm-scan profile, wherein the arm scan profile is represented as a chart including a plurality of points each of which has a respective first value on a first axis that corresponds to a respective radial location parameter and a respective second value on a second axis that corresponds to a respective arm scan speed parameter at the respective radial location of the plurality of radial locations;
receiving at the processor, a user interaction with a particular point on the graphical representation of the arm scan profile, wherein the user interaction includes a manipulation of one or more of the respective first value and the respective second value for the particular point;
updating, with the processor according to the manipulation of the one or more of the respective first value and the respective second value for the particular point, one or more of the respective radial location parameter and the arm scan speed parameter in the arm scan profile;
and
etching the wafer using the wafer wet etching apparatus according to the updated arm scan profile, wherein the arm scan profile controls movement of the arm during the first etching step causing a nozzle to selectively dispense a first etchant onto each of the plurality of radial locations thereby selectively thinning the wafer at each radial location.

5 more elements

A method for wet-etching a wafer according to a customized arm scan profile using a single wafer wet etching processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting, using the configured processor, an arm scan profile;
displaying, by the processor on a display, an interactive graphical representation of the selected arm-scan profile, wherein the arm scan profile is represented as a chart including a plurality of points each of which has a respective first value on a first axis that corresponds to a respective radial location parameter and a respective second value on a second axis that corresponds to a respective arm scan speed parameter at the respective radial location of a plurality of radial locations;
receiving at the processor, a user interaction with a particular point on the graphical representation of the arm scan profile, wherein the user interaction includes a manipulation of one or more of the respective first value and the respective second value for the particular point;
updating, with the processor according to the manipulation of the one or more of the respective first value and the respective second value for the particular point, one or more of the respective radial location parameter and the arm scan speed parameter in the arm scan profile;
and
etching the wafer using the single wafer wet etching apparatus according to the updated arm scan profile, wherein the arm scan profile controls movement of the arm during the first etching step causing a nozzle to selectively dispense a first etchant onto each of the plurality of radial locations thereby selectively thinning the wafer at each radial location.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/928,079Filed 30 Oct 2015 · us provisional application
Priority: 31 Oct 2014
Published: US 2016/0126150 A15 May 2016
Granted: 16 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H10P 50/642
Of semiconductor materials: chemical etching
H10P 74/203
Characterised by the properties tested or measured, e.g. structural or electrical properties: structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring…
H10P 74/23
Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment of wafers, substrates or devices: characterised by multiple measurements, corrections,…
H10P
Generic processes or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of devices covered