Tokyo Electron Limited

Thomas E Winter

Mark Winkler

Minoru Kubota

An Exhaust Gas Analyzer (EGA) subsystem for monitoring exhaust gasses, for controlling and rapidly adjusting the processing conditions within a processing chamber in a thermal processing unit used for heating-treating wafers before and/or during Post Application Bake (PAB) procedures. The EGA subsystem can be used to control and/or optimize the heat-treating of coated wafers at different bake plate temperatures, and the EGA subsystem can provide a high wafer throughput.

Processing a wafer with a post application bake (PAB) procedure

The present invention includes a method of performing a double-patterning (DP) processing sequence using a plurality of Site-Dependent (S-D) procedures, the method including receiving a first set of wafers by one or more subsystems in a processing system, creating one or more first patterned layers on a first set of patterned wafers, establishing first confidence data for the first set of patterned wafers, establishing a first set of high confidence wafers, creating one or more second patterned layers on a second set of patterned wafers, establishing second confidence data for the second set of patterned wafers and establishing a second set of high confidence wafers.

Method and apparatus for performing a site-dependent dual patterning procedure

The invention can provide a method of processing a wafer using Site-Dependent (S-D) processing sequences that can include S-D creation procedures, S-D evaluation procedures, and S-D transfer sequences. The S-D creation procedures can be performed using S-D processing elements, the S-D evaluation procedures can be performed using S-D evaluation elements, and S-D transfer sequences can be performed using site-dependent transfer subsystems. Site-dependent data can be stored in site-dependent libraries and/or databases.

In-line lithography and etch system

The present invention includes a method of performing a dual damascene procedure using Site-Dependent (S-D) procedures, the method including receiving a plurality of wafers and associated data by a S-D transfer subsystem coupled to a lithography-related subsystem, determining S-D wafer data for each wafer, establishing a first Dual Damascene processing sequence, determining a first set of S-D processing wafers to be processed, establishing real-time operational states for a plurality of first S-D processing elements in the lithography-related subsystem, transferring a first number of the first set of S-D processing wafers to a first number of the first S-D processing elements in the lithography-related subsystem and delaying other S-D wafers in the first set of S-D processing wafers for a first amount of time.

Method and apparatus for performing a site-dependent dual damascene procedure

A method and system for positioning a wafer on a bake plate in a processing module that includes lowering a bake plate cover assembly over the wafer during a baking process, raising the bake plate cover assembly after the baking process, removing the wafer, determining whether the bake plate cover assembly requires cleaning, then either processing another wafer if the cover assembly does not need cleaning or establishing a cleaning process for the bake plate cover assembly if the cover does need cleaning. Automated sensing of the state of the cover assembly may be employed, and cleaning process may be automatically performed in response to the cleaning need determination.

Bake plate lid cleaner and cleaning method

The present invention includes a method of verifying a Site-Dependent (S-D) wafer that includes receiving a first set of S-D wafers by one or more S-D processing elements in one or more processing subsystems, creating a first set of unverified S-D wafers by performing a first S-D creation procedure, establishing S-D wafer state data for each unverified S-D wafer, establishing a first set of evaluation wafers comprising a first number of the unverified S-D wafers, establishing first operational states for a plurality of S-D evaluation elements, determining a first number of available evaluation elements, establishing a first S-D transfer sequence, transferring the first set of S-D evaluation wafers to the first number of available evaluation elements in one or more evaluation subsystems and applying a first corrective action when the number of S-D evaluation wafers is greater than the first number of available evaluation elements.

Method and apparatus for verifying a site-dependent wafer

An edge bead removal device for a spin coater apparatus and methods of edge bead removal that overcome the deficiencies of conventional edge bead removal techniques. The edge bead removal device includes a coater cup and a head situated within the coater cup proximate to a peripheral edge of a substrate. The head is movable in a radial direction relative to an azimuthal axis of a rotatable substrate support inside the coater cup. The position of the head relative to a rim of the peripheral edge is mapped using an optical sensor. When the substrate support rotates the substrate and the head is used to dispense edge bead removal chemical, the radial position of the head is adjusted, as guided by the map, relative to the azimuthal axis to maintain a constant gap between the head and the substrate's peripheral rim.

Apparatus and method for removing an edge bead of a spin-coated layer

An apparatus and method for dispensing a solution on a substrate is described in which the solution is dispensed through a solution nozzle assembly while the substrate is rotated. As the solution is dispensed, the solution on the substrate forms a wave front that radially spreads from the substrate center to the substrate edge. The dispensing of the solution is performed in such a way that the solution is dispensed at a radial location substantially equivalent to or less than the radial location of the wave front at any instant in time.

Method and system for dispensing resist solution

The present invention includes a method of creating a Site-Dependent (S-D) evaluation library including receiving a plurality of S-D wafers by one or more S-D transfer subsystems in a processing system, establishing wafer state data for each S-D wafer, establishing a library-creation processing sequence for creating a library of S-D evaluation data, determining a first number of S-D process wafers to be processed, establishing first operational states for a plurality of S-D processing elements in one or more processing subsystems, determining a first number of available processing elements, establishing a first S-D transfer sequence, transferring the first number of S-D process wafers to the first number of available processing elements therein and applying a first corrective action.

Method and apparatus for creating a site-dependent evaluation library

The present invention includes a method of verifying a Site-Dependent (S-D) processing procedure, the method including receiving a plurality of wafers by a S-D transfer system, determining S-D wafer state data for each wafer; establishing a first set of verification wafers, determining a number of required verification sites for each verification wafer, determining a number of visited verification sites, determining a number of remaining verification sites for each verification wafer, establishing a first procedure-verification sequence, determining a first S-D verification procedure, transferring the first verification wafer to a first S-D processing element and delaying the first verification wafer for a first period of time.

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Parsonsfield, ME, United States of America

Thomas E Winter