International Business Machines Corporation

Shawn R Goddard

Matthew D Moon

Shawn A Adderly

David A DeMuynck

Craig E Schneider

Daniel A Delibac

Melissa J Roma

Kyle Babinski

Edward W Conrad

John S Smyth

James C Douglas

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing integrated circuit (IC) chips. In the method, wafers are received and the backside roughness levels of these wafers are determined. Based on the backside roughness levels, the wafers are sorted into different groups. Chips having the same design are manufactured on wafers from all of the different groups. However, during manufacturing, process(es) is/are performed differently on wafers from one or more of the different groups to minimize systematic variations in a specific parameter (e.g., wire width) in the resulting chips. Specifically, because systematic variations may occur when the exact same processes are used to form IC chips on wafers with different backside roughness levels, the method disclosed herein selectively adjusts one or more of those processes when performed on wafers from one or more of the different groups to ensure that the specific parameter is approximately equal in the resulting integrated IC chips.

Method of fine-tuning process controls during integrated circuit chip manufacturing based on substrate backside roughness

The invention relates to fitting a curve to a plurality of data points. A 'seed curve' is determined from a first set of data points selected from the plurality of data points. From the remaining data points, data points are individually selected and a determination is made for each selected data point as to whether the data point is acceptable to be included with the first set of data points. When a data point is determined to be acceptable, the data point is included with the first set of data points to form another set of data points. After each of the other data points are evaluated for inclusion with the first set of data points, a best fit curve is determined from a final set of data points.

System and method of curve fitting

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South Burlington, VT, United States of America

Shawn R Goddard