Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Uwe Schulze

Rolf Seltmann

Jan Raebiger

Matthias Schaller

Uwe Knappe

Mathias Baranyai

Jens Busch

Martin Mazur

Richard P Good

Bernd Schulz

Heiko Wagner

Richard Good

Kevin Andrew Chamness

Joerg Weigang

Fritjof Hempel

Jens Krause

Robert Barlovic

Andreas Becker

By controlling the flow rate of one or more gaseous components of an etch ambient during the formation of metal lines and vias on the basis of feedback measurement data from critical dimensions, process variations may be reduced, thereby enhancing performance and reliability of the respective metallization structure.

Method and system for advanced process control in an etch system by gas flow control on the basis of CD measurements

Metrology data associated with a plurality of workpieces processed at a selected operation in the process flow including a plurality of operations is retrieved. A processing context associated with each of the workpieces is determined. The processing context identifies at least one previous tool used to perform an operation on the associated workpiece prior to the selected operation. A plurality of performance metrics is determined for a plurality of tools capable of performing the selected operation based on the metrology data. Each performance metric is associated with a particular tool and a particular processing context. A set of the performance metrics is identified for the plurality of tools having a processing context matching a processing context of a selected workpiece awaiting performance of the selected operation. The selected workpiece is dispatched for processing in a selected one of the plurality of tools based on the set of performance metrics.

Method and apparatus for dispatching workpieces to tools based on processing and performance history

By taking into consideration the combination of the substrate holders in various lithography tools used during the imaging to two subsequent device layers, enhanced alignment accuracy may be accomplished. Furthermore, restrictive tool dedications for critical lithography processes may be significantly relaxed by providing specific overlay correction data for each possible process flow, wherein, in some illustrative embodiments, a restriction of the number of possible process flows may be accomplished by implementing a rule for selecting a predefined substrate holder when starting the processing of an associated group of substrates.

Method and system for reducing overlay errors in semiconductor volume production using a mixed tool scenario

By taking into consideration tool-specific distortion signatures and reticle-specific placement characteristics in an alignment control system, the control quality of sophisticated APC strategies may be significantly enhanced. Respective correction data may be established on the basis of any combinations of tool/reticles and layers to be aligned to each other, which may modify the respective target values of alignment parameters used for controlling the alignment process on the basis of standard overlay measurement data obtained from dedicated overlay marks.

Method and system for reducing overlay errors within exposure fields by APC control strategies

By automatically estimating the focus status of individual substrates or lots on the basis of focus-specific tool information obtained from the exposure tool, such as tilt angle ranges used during the automatic focusing procedures, possible hot spot errors may be detected highly efficiently prior to releasing the substrates to a subsequent etch process. Consequently, yield losses may be reduced. Moreover, possible error sources for hot spot errors may be identified.

Method and system for automatically detecting exposed substrates having a high probability for defocused exposure fields

An advanced process control (APC) architecture comprising a process model that incorporates a target offset term is provided. The APC architecture may be applied to a so-called develop inspect critical dimension (DICD) model using the target offset term to correct at least one exposure parameter on the occurrence of an abrupt event. A corresponding event may, for example, concern a modified reflectivity of processed substrates, for example due to a rework of substrates covered by amorphous carbon material.

Advanced process control model incorporating a target offset term

A method for estimating a state associated with a process includes receiving a state observation associated with the process. The state observation has an associated process time. A weighting factor to discount the state observation is generated based on the process time. A state estimate is generated based on the discounted state observation. A system includes a process tool, a metrology tool, and a process controller. The process tool is operable to perform a process in accordance with an operating recipe. The metrology tool is operable to generate a state observation associated with the process. The process controller is operable to receive the state observation, the state observation having an associated process time, generate a weighting factor to discount the state observation based on the process time, generate a state estimate based on the discounted state observation, and determine at least one parameter of the operating recipe based on the state estimate.

Time weighted moving average filter

A controller and a method of controlling a process tool is provided, in which machine constants used for calibrating manipulated variables of the control algorithm are explicitly introduced into the process model, thereby providing an enhanced controller behavior immediately after the introduction of new measurement values of the machine constants.

Method and system for advanced process control including tool dependent machine constants

An APC controller is configured to operate on a segregated data structure during its normal operation and to establish a control state during an initializing event for a non-initialized manufacturing context on the basis of other initialized or non-initialized manufacturing contexts. Thus, the processing of pilot substrates may be reduced or the processing of the pilot substrates may be initiated on the basis of reliably established process parameters.

Method and system for estimating a state of an uninitialized advanced process controller by using segregated controller data

The present invention relates to a method of run-to-run control of a manufacturing process. A plurality of runs of the manufacturing process is performed. In each of the runs, a value of a process input is applied to the manufacturing process. A measured value of a process output of the respective run is determined. A process input quantity is calculated based on the measured value, the applied process input, a target value of the process output and at least one value of a sensitivity parameter. The sensitivity parameter describes a variation of the process output caused by a variation of the process input. The process input applied in a subsequent one of the plurality of runs is based on the process input quantity. The sensitivity parameter is modified between at least one pair of the runs of the manufacturing process. The method of run-to-run control may be applied in order to control a critical dimension of regions of a photoresist layer remaining on a surface of a semiconductor structure after development of the photoresist layer.

Method of process control

An advanced control system for a photolithography tool that receives measurement data relating to inline parameters varying with position on a substrate surface. The position sensitive measurement data is used to establish a position dependent target offset for an exposure map, thereby effectively compensating for substrate non-uniformities. Since the inline measurement data is available significantly earlier in comparison to electrical measurement data of a completed circuit element, a more accurate exposure map may be obtained taking into account the process history of the substrates.

Method and system for improving exposure uniformity in a step and repeat process

A technique is disclosed that allows alignment of substrates on a run-to-run basis by using the position data of one or more previously aligned substrates to determine a setpoint of a pre-alignment process for one or more subsequent substrates. The setpoint may also be determined on the basis of a predefined characteristic of the substrates to be aligned.

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Dresden, Germany

Uwe Schulze