Real time defect source identification

• Main Authors: MAIMON, AMOTZ, SOMEKH, SASSON
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.04.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

A method and apparatus for inspecting a semiconductor wafer provides real-time information identifying tools visited by wafers under inspection and the process parameters used at those tools, and displays this information at the wafer inspection tool. Embodiments include inspecting a wafer using an inspection tool, such as a CCD imager, generating a list of the tools visited by the wafer from data retrieved from a conventional manufacturing execution system and displaying the list at the inspection tool, along with a defect map. The user may then request that a set of process parameters and tool parameters for any of the tools identified on the list be displayed at the inspection tool. Thus, at the time that defects are discovered, the user is automatically provided with a list of the tools visited by the wafer and has easy access to the process parameters used at each of those tools. This information facilitates tracing the causes of defects to their source, such as to a particular process step or to a particular piece of processing equipment, and enables early and effective corrective action to be implemented.