Method for controlling a process device for sequential processing of semiconductor wafers

• Main Authors: THOMAS FISCHER, RALF OTTO, KARL SCHUMACHER, HEIKO HOMMEN, THORSTEN SCHEDEL, SEBASTIAN SCHMIDT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.03.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

While the first forward processed semiconductor wafer (11) of a batch in a process device (1) is measured for values for structural parameters (30), a second or other semiconductor wafers (12) of the batch is/are processed in said process device (1). A result signal (100) indicates a successfully conducted inspection of the first wafer for example, whereupon the subsequent wafers (12) do not need to be examined. The process parameters (31) of the process device (1) are automatically adjusted according to the measuring results. Events such as maintenance or parameter drift in trend cards etc. are detected in control units (8 or 9) and lead to event-related selection of the structural parameters (30') and/or initiation of a forward wafer (11) by outputting an event signal (102) e.g. in an event data bank (40).A warning signal (101) is issued by a control unit (8) in response to detected threshold value infringements (21) for at least one process parameter (31) and is also fed into the event data base (40).