JP2001176771A - System and method for control of aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the down time of a aligner and improve substantial availability thereof by identifying causes due to the device itself or a step among errors, which occurred in the aligner and finding out the compatibility between the aligner and step. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a means or storing time-sequential error history of errors which occurred in the prescribed exposure operation of the aligner as well as the processing step name. It is also provided with an indication means for indicating the content and step name of the stored error history, when an error occurs in the aligner and a means for finding out the compatibility between the aligner and step in the relation with the device name and step name, in which the indicated error occurs, and an error code indicating the details of error is independently issued from the aligner and the aligner is provided with a means for changing its destination. It is preferable that the informed error code can be and collected that the means can be mounted to a host computer 401 in a network 406 and aligners 403, 404 and 405.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an LSI, a VLSI
The present invention relates to a management system and a management method for an exposure apparatus used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a plurality of exposure apparatuses used in a lithography process, in order to quickly and efficiently work on a lot in a semiconductor device manufacturing operation, a host having a higher relationship with a computer on each exposure apparatus side. Controlled by computer or personal computer. Normally, a job necessary for processing a certain lot is selected from a database in which operation parameters are stored, and then the start of exposure processing is instructed.

Each exposure apparatus is composed of many units such as an illumination system unit, a wafer and reticle transfer system unit, and an alignment system unit. The errors that occurred in each of these units store a time-series error history of the errors, and by analyzing the contents of the past errors, it is possible to perform an early solution or repair. Further, an error generated in each exposure apparatus can be collected in a host computer or a personal computer.

Under these circumstances, in order to automate the manufacturing operation of semiconductor devices and the like, increase the operation rate of each exposure apparatus, and work efficiently, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of errors beforehand or to reduce the number of errors. Immediate action must be taken in the event of an outbreak.

[0005]

Specifically, the prior art has the following drawbacks. (1) It is not known which error (or process) the error occurred in each unit occurred during processing. (2) It is not known which exposure apparatus will process which lot (or process) to reduce the error rate. (3) It is not known whether an error occurred in each unit was caused by a problem of the device itself or a problem of the lot (or process) itself.

An exposure apparatus management system according to the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and can determine whether an error occurred in an exposure apparatus is an apparatus factor or a process factor. And the compatibility of the process to reduce downtime of the exposure equipment,
An object of the present invention is to improve the actual operation rate of an exposure apparatus.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus management system according to the present invention shows the contents of a time-series error that has occurred while the exposure apparatus is performing a predetermined exposure operation (lot processing). It is characterized by having storage means for adding the process name (job name) being processed to the error history in the error history and storing it.

It is preferable to have a display means for displaying the contents of the stored error history when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus.

When an error occurs in the exposure apparatus, it is preferable to have means for determining the compatibility between the exposure apparatus and each step by determining whether the error is a device factor or a process factor based on the display contents of the display means.

In addition, the compatibility between the exposure apparatus and each process can be determined by using the exposure apparatus management system according to the present invention to determine whether an error is a device factor or a process factor from the display contents of the display means. An exposure apparatus management method, comprising:

Further, it is preferable to manufacture a device using the exposure apparatus management system or the exposure apparatus management method according to the present invention.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the compatibility between the exposure apparatus and the process is determined from the relationship between the error history and the process name by adding and storing the process name together with the time-series error history of the error generated in the exposure apparatus. Can be issued, and occurrence of an error can be prevented.

[0013]

Next, an example of an exposure apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described as a reference example. [Reference Example] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an example of an exposure apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus includes an EWS main unit 106 having a CPU for controlling the apparatus main body, an EWS display apparatus 102 for displaying predetermined information in the apparatus, and an image obtained through imaging means in the apparatus main body. A console unit including a monitor TV 105 for displaying information, an operation panel 103 for performing predetermined input to the device, an EWS keyboard 104, and the like is provided. In the figure, 107 is ON / OFF
Switch, emergency stop switch 108, various switches, mouse, etc. 110, LAN communication cable 110, 11
1 is an exhaust duct that generates heat from the console function, and 1
Reference numeral 12 denotes a chamber exhaust device. The exposure apparatus main body is installed inside the chamber 101. The EWS display 102 is of a thin flat type such as EL, plasma, liquid crystal, etc.
It is connected to the EWS main unit 106 by an N cable 110. Operation panel 103, keyboard 104, monitor TV
105 etc. are also installed in front of the chamber 101,
1 The console operation similar to the conventional console operation can be performed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows a stepper as an exposure apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 202 denotes a reticle, 203 denotes a wafer, and a light beam emitted from the light source device 204 is used for the illumination optical system 20.
5 illuminates the reticle 202 through the projection lens 206, the pattern on the reticle 202 is
3 can be transferred to the photosensitive layer. Reticle 202
Is supported by a reticle stage 207 for holding and moving the reticle 202. The wafer 203 is exposed while being vacuum-sucked by the wafer chuck 291. The wafer chuck 291 can be moved in each axis direction by the wafer stage 209.

Above the reticle 202, a reticle optical system 281 for detecting the amount of displacement of the reticle is arranged. The projection lens 20 is located above the wafer stage 209.
An off-axis microscope 282 is arranged adjacent to the sixth axis. The main role of the off-axis microscope 282 is to detect the relative position between the internal reference mark and the alignment mark on the wafer 203. A reticle library 220 which is a peripheral device adjacent to these stepper bodies is also provided.
And a wafer carrier elevator 230, and a required reticle or wafer is transferred to the main body by the reticle transfer device 221 and the wafer transfer device 231. When the reticle is transported to the reticle library 220 or the main body by the reticle transport device 221, the reticle cassette barcode reader 222 reads a barcode on the reticle cassette.

The chamber 101 is mainly composed of an air conditioner 210 for controlling the temperature of air, a filter box 213 for filtering fine foreign substances to form a uniform flow of clean air, and a booth 214 for shutting off the environment of the apparatus from the outside. ing. In the chamber 101, air whose temperature has been adjusted by the cooler 215 and the reheat heater 216 in the air-conditioned air chamber 210 is supplied to the booth 214 by the blower 217 via the air filter g. The air supplied to the booth 214 is returned to the air conditioner room 210 from the return port ra.
And circulates in the chamber 101. Normally, the chamber 101 is not strictly a circulating system, and the outside air of the booth 214, which is about 10% of the circulating air volume, is provided in the air conditioner room 210 to maintain the inside of the booth 214 at a positive pressure at all times. oa is introduced through a blower. In this way, the chamber 101 enables the environment temperature where the apparatus is placed to be kept constant and the air to be kept clean. In addition, the light source device 204 is provided with an intake port sa in preparation for cooling of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and generation of gas such as chlorofluorocarbon in the event of a laser abnormality.
And an exhaust port ea, and a part of the air in the booth 214 is forcibly exhausted to factory equipment via a light source device 204 and a dedicated exhaust fan provided in the air conditioner room 210. Further, a chemical adsorption filter cf for removing chemical substances in the air is provided so as to be connected to the outside air introduction port oa and the return port ra of the air conditioner room 210, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 321 denotes a main unit C built in the EWS main unit 106, which controls the entire apparatus.
It is a PU and comprises a central processing unit such as a microcomputer or a minicomputer. 322 is a wafer stage driving device, and 323 is the off-axis microscope 28.
2 is an alignment detection system, 324 is a reticle stage driving device, 325 is an illumination system such as the light source device 204, 3
26 is a shutter driving device, 327 is a focus detection system,
Reference numeral 328 denotes a Z drive, which is a main body CPU 32
1 is controlled. 329 is the reticle transport device 2
21, a transfer system such as a wafer transfer device 231. 330
Is a console unit having the display 102, the keyboard 104, etc., for giving various commands and parameters relating to the operation of the exposure apparatus to the main body CPU 321. That is, it is for exchanging information with the operator. 331 is a console CPU, and 332 is an external memory for storing parameters and the like.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows that the apparatus of FIG. 1, ie, a stepper as an exposure apparatus, is connected to a LAN cable 406 in a semiconductor factory. In the figure, what is connected to the LAN cable 406 is the host computer 4.
01, a terminal equipped with an exposure apparatus management system 402 that collects information of errors and process names generated in steppers No. 1 403, No. 2 404, and No. 3 405 of each stepper.

Next, the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 together with a process name which has been processed together with a time-series error history of errors occurring in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention. An embodiment of the storage means for storing data will be described. The display (and touch panel) 10 is provided by the operator.
2 on the Start button (not shown) or from the host computer 401 or a personal computer.
When the lot processing is started by the t command, the reticle transport device 221 causes the reticle 202 necessary for the lot processing to be processed.
To the reticle stage 207. At the same time, the wafer 203 is unloaded by the wafer transfer device 231 and transferred to the wafer stage 209. If an error occurs during the transfer, the transfer system 329 detects the error and the
An error code is notified to the console CPU 331 via U321. Then, the error details (units constituting the device where the error occurred, functions of the units,
An error code indicating an apparatus name, a process name, an error content, etc.) is notified to the exposure apparatus management system 402. At this time, the same information as the data notified to the exposure apparatus management system 402 may be notified to the host computer 401. Wafer 2
When the transport of the reticle 202 and the reticle 202 are completed normally, the off-axis microscope 28
The relative position between the reference mark inside 2 and the alignment mark on the wafer 203 is detected. Then, reticle 2
The exposure process of transferring the pattern on the wafer 02 to the photosensitive layer on the wafer 203 is performed by various units (illumination system 325, shutter drive 326, focus detection system 327, Z drive 32).
8 etc.). If an error occurs during these processes, each unit detects the error and sends the console CPU 331 via the main body CPU 321.
Is notified of the error code. In this case, similarly to the above, an error code indicating the details of the error (units constituting the device where the error occurred, the function of the unit, device name, process name, error content, etc.) is stored in the exposure apparatus management system 40.
Notify 2.

Table 1 below shows an error code indicating error details notified to the exposure apparatus management system 402 in this embodiment, and a list of error history such as the contents thereof and a process name (job name) for each apparatus. It is. The leftmost item (column) indicates an item number which is a sequential number of collected data, and the second column indicates a device name. In this embodiment, the device name of the first stepper 403 is STP001,
Unit 404 is STP002, Unit 405 is STP00
3. The third column shows the process name, which is the name of the job that was being processed when the error occurred. The fourth column indicates the date and time when the error occurred, and the fifth column indicates the error code that occurred.
The column shows the content of the error.

[0021]

[Table 1]

The error code in the fifth column has a meaning in the code itself so that it is possible to determine which unit has generated the error. In this example, the first two characters of the code (00-10-0001-0000) (0
0) represents a unit, 00 is assigned to the console CPU 331, 10 is assigned to the transport system 329, 20 is assigned to the shutter drive 326, and 30 is assigned to the alignment detection system 323. The next two characters (10) represent the function of each unit, and a sequential value is assigned to each unit. The next four characters (0001) and the last four characters (0000) represent details of each function (device name, process name, and error content).

According to Table 1, the data of item No. 1 is STP0
01 indicates that a "DB access error" occurred while processing a process name (job name) called ABC-1. This error indicates that another device (for example, STP
002 or STP003) ABC-1
It does not occur when processing (job name).
Due to this, "DB access error" occurred here
Can be determined to be a problem unique to STP001.

The data of item No. 4 means that an "alignment error" occurred during processing of a process name (job name) called ABC-1 in STP001. This error has also occurred in another device. ST
In the case of P002, the same process name of ABC-1 is processed in the item No. 7, and in the case of STP003, the same process name of ABC-1 is processed in the item No. 9 as well. Has occurred. Thus, it can be determined that the “alignment error” generated here is not a problem unique to the apparatus but a problem of the process itself.

According to Table 1, when processing the same process name (job name) called ABC-1, an error is less likely to occur when processing is performed in STP002 than in STP001 or STP003. In other words, STP0
By performing the processing in 02, it is possible to prevent an error from occurring.

In the example shown in Table 1, the errors are arranged in the order in which the errors occurred for each exposure apparatus. However, if it is desired to see the error occurrence rate for each process, the process name is displayed in the item next to the item number, and the next item is displayed. May be displayed as the device name.

In this embodiment, an error code indicating the details of an error that occurred in each device (units constituting the device where the error occurred, the function of the unit, device name, process name, error content, etc.) is exposed. Device management system 402
Although described as a centralized management system that collects data in the mounting terminal, as another embodiment, a collection location, that is, a terminal mounting the exposure apparatus management system is connected to a host computer, a personal computer in a network such as a LAN, or an exposure apparatus ( For example, STP001) may be used. Further, the present management system may be mounted on each exposure apparatus or the like in the network as a distributed management system.

As described above, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the name of the process being processed is added and stored together with the time-series error history of the errors generated in the exposure apparatus, so that the compatibility between the apparatus and the process is maintained. Can be determined, and an error can be prevented from occurring.

[Embodiment of Device Production Method] Next, an embodiment of a device production method using the above-described exposure apparatus management system will be described. FIG. 5 shows a small device (IC
Of semiconductor chips such as LCDs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.).
In step 1 (circuit design), a device pattern is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the designed pattern. On the other hand, in step 3 (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon or glass. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and an assembly process (dicing,
Bonding), a packaging step (chip encapsulation), and the like. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7).

FIG. 6 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. Step 15
In (resist processing), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. In step 16 (exposure), the circuit pattern on the mask is printed and exposed on the wafer by the exposure apparatus having the above-described management system. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer. By using the production method of this embodiment, a device with a high degree of integration can be manufactured at a high operation rate.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to determine whether an error occurred in the exposure equipment is caused by the equipment or the process, and by determining the compatibility between the exposure equipment and the process, it is possible to reduce the downtime of the exposure equipment and improve the actual operation rate of the exposure equipment. It becomes possible. Further, since the present management system can be mounted on the exposure apparatus itself, there is also an advantage that the present management system can be utilized with existing resources as they are.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an example of an exposure apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a network configuration diagram in a semiconductor factory according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of manufacturing a micro device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of a wafer process in FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

101: temperature control chamber, 102: EWS display device, 103: operation panel, 104: EWS keyboard, 105: monitor TV, 106: EWS body, 107: ON / OFF switch,
108: emergency stop switch, 109: various switches, mouse, etc. 110: LAN communication cable, 111: exhaust duct, 112: exhaust device, 202: reticle, 203:
Wafer, 204: light source device, 205: illumination optical system, 20
6: projection lens, 207: reticle stage, 209:
Wafer stage, 281: reticle optical system, 282: off-axis microscope, 210: air conditioner room, 213: filter box, 214: booth, 217: blower, 22
0: reticle library, 221: reticle transport device,
222: reticle cassette barcode reader, 230:
Wafer carrier elevator, 231: wafer transfer device,
g: air filter, cf: chemical adsorption filter, oa: outside air introduction port, ra: return port, sa: intake port, ea: exhaust port, 321: main body CPU, 322: wafer stage driving device, 323: alignment detection system, 324: reticle stage drive, 325: illumination system, 326: shutter drive, 327: focus detection system, 328: Z drive, 329: transport system, 330: console, 33
1: console CPU, 332: external memory, 401:
Host computer, 402: exposure apparatus management system,
403: 1st stepper, 404: 2nd stepper, 4
05: Stepper No. 3, 406: LAN communication cable in semiconductor factory.

Claims (5)

[Claims] In an exposure apparatus, a process name being processed is added to an error history indicating a time-series error content generated during execution of a predetermined exposure operation by the exposure apparatus and stored in the error history. An exposure apparatus management system, comprising a storage unit for causing the exposure apparatus to manage the exposure apparatus. 2. When an error occurs in the exposure apparatus,
2. The exposure apparatus management system according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the contents of the stored error history. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining whether the error is a device factor or a process factor from the display contents of the display means, thereby determining compatibility between the exposure apparatus and each step. Or the exposure apparatus management system according to 2. 4. An exposure apparatus management system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the error is attributed to an apparatus factor or a process factor based on display contents of the display means. An exposure apparatus management method for determining compatibility of processes. 5. A device manufacturing method, comprising manufacturing a device using the exposure apparatus management system according to claim 1 or the exposure apparatus management method according to claim 4.