National Cheng-Kung University

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Foresight Technology Company, Ltd.

Chi-An Kao

Fan-Tien Cheng

Hsien-Cheng Huang

Chen-Hua Douglas Yu

Ling-Sung Wang

Yung-Chang Chang

Yi-Li Hsiao

Jean Wang

Po-Zen Chen

Lawrance Sheu

Ying-Lin Chen

Wei-Ming Wu

Yung-Cheng Chang

Yu-Ping Chang

A manufacturing execution system (MES) with virtual-metrology capabilities and a manufacturing system including the MES are provided. The MES is built on a middleware architecture (such as an object request broker architecture), and includes an equipment manager, a virtual metrology system (VMS), a statistical process control (SPC) system, an alarm manager and a scheduler. The manufacturing system includes a first process tool, a second process tool, a metrology tool, the aforementioned MES, a first R2R (Run-to-Run) controller and a second R2R controller.

Manufacturing execution system with virtual-metrology capabilities and manufacturing system including the same

An advanced process control (APC) system, an APC method, and a computer program product, which, when executed, performs an APC method are provided for incorporating virtual metrology (VM) into APC. The present inventions uses a reliance index (RI) and a global similarity index (GSI) to adjust at least one controller gain of a run-to-run (R2R) controller when the VM value of a workpiece is adopted to replace the actual measurement value of the workpiece. The RI is used for gauging the reliability of the VM value, and the GSI is used for assessing the degree of similarity between the set of process data for generating the VM value and all the sets of historical process data used for building the conjecturing model.

Advanced process control system and method utilizing virtual metrology with reliance index

A new method is provided for the creation of a hole through a layer of insulating material. The method provides for combining a feed-forward method with a feed backward method and a high-polymer based hole profile, in order to establish a hole of a constant Critical Dimension for the hole bottom, making the CD of the hole bottom independent of the CD of the opening created through the overlying developed layer of photoresist and independent of the thickness of the layer of insulator material after CMP has been applied to the surface of the insulation layer.

Constant and reducible hole bottom CD in variable post-CMP thickness and after-development-inspection CD

A adjustable upper coil or electrode for a reaction chamber apparatus useable in semiconductor processing, is constructed so that its shape may be selectively changed or so at least two portions thereof may be selectively driven at different power and/or frequencies. The adjustable upper coil or electrode, therefore, enables the plasma density distribution in the reaction chamber apparatus to be selectively controlled.

Adjustable electrodes and coils for plasma density distribution control

A dual-phase virtual metrology method is disclosed for considering both promptness and accuracy by generating dual-phase virtual metrology (VM) values, wherein a Phase-I conjecture step emphasizes promptness by immediately calculating the Phase-I virtual metrology value (VM) of a workpiece once the entire process data of the workpiece are completely collected; and a Phase-II conjecture step intensifies accuracy, which does not re-calculate the Phase-II virtual metrology values (VM) of all the workpieces in the cassette until an actual metrology value (required for tuning or re-training purposes) of a selected workpiece in the same cassette is collected. Besides, the accompanying reliance index (RI) and global similarity index (GSI) of each VMand VMare also generated.

Dual-phase virtual metrology method

Growing community of inventors

Tainan, Taiwan

Chi-An Kao