JP2001196283A - Semiconductor manufacturing device and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically perform a series of operations until the process fit for the purpose is completed, with a manufacturing device, by uniting an inspection device, the manufacturing device, a wafer sorting function, and a wafer carrier. SOLUTION: In the case of performing the processing for a set of wafer groups composed of a plurality of wafers by means of a semiconductor processor, the recipe of this semiconductor processor is performed, based on the recipe which is made from the data being obtained from the result of the processing by other semiconductor processor that the wafer group has received before performance of processing by this semiconductor processor and the data on the processing results of that semiconductor processor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional semiconductor production is mass production of small varieties mainly of memory and general-purpose logic products, and varieties of varieties incorporating systems tailored to customers, such as ASICs, and varieties tailored to customer needs. At present, such small-volume production of other varieties is flowing between productions of small-variety, large-volume production varieties. However, in recent years, the concept of system-on-silicon has arisen, and the number of types in which the entire system is mounted on one chip has increased. Conventionally, there has not been a semiconductor product with mixed memory that mounts memory on a logic type, but mixed logic and memory is an indispensable technology in order to mount a system on a single chip.

In the production of semiconductors in the era of mass production of small varieties, increasing the number of chips that can be taken from a single substrate due to enlargement of the substrate and miniaturization of wiring and the like is a factor that lowers the cost. The size is becoming 300mm. At the same time, each company is about to attain 0.18 μm in miniaturization of wiring.

With regard to ASICs, the gate array type and the cell-based type are mainly used. However, as in the case of the gate array type, a common ground has been used to satisfy various customer requirements by wiring. In the case of a gate array, it would have been better if the base was common and only the wiring corresponded to the customer. There is a need to. In the case of the cell-based type, there is an advantage that the same base can be shared, but it is necessary to design everything from the beginning. In the case of ASICs, there are some types of mass production, but in general, unlike general-purpose products, they are exclusive products for customers, so they are mass-produced in small types.

Normally, in the manufacture of a semiconductor device, dozens of silicon substrates are processed as a set (usually called a batch or lot; hereinafter, abbreviated as a batch) in each step. In the case of small-lot production varieties, there are many varieties that satisfy the requirements if at least one batch is used. Even in such a case, several sheets are usually put into a manufacturing process as one batch. On the other hand, in the case of mass production, at least 1,000 pieces (20 to 25 batches) of one kind are put into a production line every month.

A semiconductor manufacturing process mainly includes a process of diffusing impurities into a substrate and a process of wiring, and is accompanied by a lithographic process and an etching process for partially performing diffusion. The occurrence of defects during the process is, for example, due to excessive etching in the etching process or due to insufficient etching. Sometimes too thick or too thin. The cause of the characteristic failure is that the concentration or depth of the impurity in the diffusion step deviates from the design, or that the wiring is too thick to increase the capacitance between the wirings or that the wiring is too thin to increase the wiring resistance. Etc. Usually, these failures can be roughly classified into systematic failures and failures that occur randomly.

[0007] In the case of mass production of small varieties, the deviation from the center value of the design in each process is managed by monitoring several batches or batches. An important step for this is
Inspection has been carried out by using several substrates for monitoring and feeding them before or at the same time as the batch. However, as the substrate size increases,
Production equipment (hereinafter, referred to as “production equipment”) that performs work one by one because the equipment becomes too large for batch production in batch units, or because variations within batches cannot be absorbed.
Abbreviated as “leaf type”. ) Is increasing. Even in this case, the inspection is performed using a monitor substrate in batch units.

On the other hand, with the miniaturization of wiring, fine particles (dust)
Is a problem, and the inspection in the middle process tends to be abolished because it causes contamination by dust and the like.

[0009]

At present, a semiconductor process is operated by using a sheet on which a series of process procedures called a process control form are spelled. In the process control form, along with the process target (for example, a thermal oxide film of 1 micron), the process conditions (for example, one-to-one steam) selected from a recipe that is a correspondence table between the process processing conditions and the results obtained in advance by basic experiments Oxidation, temperature 1400 degrees, time 2 hours) are also described at the same time. Naturally, the same result can be obtained by performing processing on a wafer having exactly the same initial state as when the recipe was created and under the same condition of the apparatus.

[0010] However, the semiconductor process includes a very large number of steps, and each wafer has its own process history. For this reason, the initial state of the wafer subjected to the process is not always the same as that used for creating the recipe.

Further, since the internal temperature, the residual gas concentration, the degree of vacuum, the amount of energy to be applied, the deposits on the inner wall of the apparatus, etc. change every moment depending on the increase in the number of processed wafers, the number of simultaneously processed wafers, or the pattern shape. Even if the process is performed under the conditions specified by the recipe specified, the processing device processing capacity generally differs from time to time. For this reason, a good product can be manufactured with a product having a large circuit margin, but when a circuit that operates at a high speed is included, there is a problem that the circuit margin is small and a defect occurs due to a slight difference in the process.

In some cases, the results of these processes can be confirmed only by an electrical test in the form of a final product in which a chip is incorporated in a package, and it takes a very long time to confirm a defect. Therefore, in the case of a mass-produced product, a problem occurs in that a large number of batches pass through the process before a determination result is obtained, and a large number of defects occur. On the other hand, in the case of varieties produced in small quantities, such as ASICs, there is a problem that it cannot be delivered in time for the customer.

Further, since the current apparatus is installed in a place different from the processing apparatus and the inspection apparatus, a person sorts wafers according to the inspection result and sends the wafer to the next processing apparatus. . Therefore, a skilled person is required to perform such sorting, and there is a problem that moving a wafer to a distant place causes dust to be easily attached.

The present invention solves the above problems and integrates an inspection apparatus, a manufacturing apparatus, a wafer sorting function, and a wafer transfer apparatus, and automatically performs a series of processes until a process intended for the manufacturing apparatus is completed. An object of the present invention is to provide a system for performing a work. This device eliminates the need for human intervention, achieves early startup of the process and reduces defects, and contributes to a reduction in the total manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing apparatus, the recipe of the semiconductor processing apparatus is used for processing the set of wafers. The process is performed based on a recipe created from data obtained from a processing result of another semiconductor processing apparatus received before processing by the apparatus and processing result data of the semiconductor processing apparatus. It is also possible to feed back data on a series of semiconductor processes or data on measurement results of electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device finally obtained.

That is, according to a first aspect of the present invention,
When a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is operated by a semiconductor processing device,
The processing conditions for processing the set of wafer groups are based on data based on the processing results previously performed in the semiconductor processing apparatus and another semiconductor processing apparatus that processed the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor processing apparatus. And a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method being determined based on the above operation data.

The data based on the results of the previously performed processing may be data on the results of processing performed on one or more sets of wafers by the semiconductor processing apparatus. The data may be data relating to the processing result of a wafer processed by the semiconductor processing device, or may be data relating to the result of processing performed on a wafer group different from one set of wafers to be performed by the semiconductor processing device. .

If the data of the processing result on the wafer processed by the semiconductor processing device does not satisfy the data required by the semiconductor processing device, a set of wafer groups by the semiconductor processing device may be used, if necessary. Before all of the above processing is completed, the wafer can be reprocessed so that the required data is satisfied.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when a set of wafers constituted by a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing apparatus, processing conditions for processing the set of wafers are set. Is based on data based on the processing results previously performed on another wafer group in the semiconductor processing apparatus and on the basis of the processing results performed on one or more subsequent semiconductor processes on the other wafer group. A semiconductor device manufacturing method characterized in that the method is determined based on data and operation data from a preceding semiconductor processing apparatus performed on the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor processing apparatus. You.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing apparatus, processing conditions for processing the set of wafers are set. However, the data based on the processing results previously performed on another wafer group in the semiconductor processing apparatus, and the measurement result data of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device finally obtained from the another wafer group, A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided, which is determined based on work data from another semiconductor processing device performed on the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor processing device.

In a semiconductor manufacturing process, deposition, exposure,
An integrated circuit is manufactured by repeating one cycle of etching several tens of times. Finally, an electrical test is performed to cut out only good products. In the first aspect of the present invention, the result of each manufacturing step is fed back to the process. On the other hand, in the second aspect, the results are fed back for a plurality of manufacturing steps. In the third viewpoint, the result of the electrical test performed in the final test is fed back.

When feedback is provided in each manufacturing process, the non-defective product rate (defective product rate) in that process can be ascertained, and the result can be predicted, thereby making it possible to flexibly control production such as wafer input. Further, when feedback is performed in a plurality of steps, it is possible to search for a cause of a result of a subsequent step that has a cause in a previous step. When feeding back the final result, the data of each process and the final product can be compared.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a process unit for performing a predetermined process on a semiconductor wafer; and a control unit for setting a process condition of the process unit. Inspection means for inspecting the state of the wafer processed by the means,
The control means includes means for correcting the processing condition from data of an inspection result by the inspection means and work data relating to processing already performed on a group of wafers to be processed by the process processing means. Is provided. The inspection means is desirably provided integrally with the processing means.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises means for measuring the state of the wafer fed into the processing means, and the control means includes means for further correcting the processing conditions based on the measurement result of the measuring means. In this case, the measuring means is desirably provided integrally with the processing means.

The control means fetches operation data of the processing following the processing by the processing means or measurement result data of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device finally obtained by a series of manufacturing processes including the processing by the processing means. And means for further modifying the processing conditions.

It is preferable that the control means obtains data for correcting the processing conditions, and further comprises a communication means for transmitting the work data of the process processing means and / or the data of the inspection result by the inspection means.

The apparatus has means for identifying a wafer to be input to the processing means, and identifies a wafer state before being input to a series of processing processes, a state of an apparatus which processed the wafer, and a state of the processed wafer. It is desirable to have means for automatically and sequentially accumulating the data in association with the numbers.

Means for changing the place where the wafer is transported based on the measurement result obtained by the measuring means;
For example, a robot arm can be provided.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

A semiconductor processing apparatus using a real-time adaptive recipe is constituted by the apparatus shown in FIG.

A wafer recognition device 5 for recognizing a wafer to be processed, a wafer history storage device 6 for storing history information of the recognized wafer, a search device 7 for searching and retrieving the stored history information, a device state Group 8 for monitoring data, device status data storage device 9 for storing data from sensors, process processor 10 for calculating device process conditions from wafer history information and device status and process target information, and measuring process results Inspection device 11 for performing, information processing device 12 for transmitting the measurement result,
Wafer processing history data 13, real-time adaptive recipe bus 14, for exchanging data between process equipment,
And a transfer device 2, such as a robot arm that also serves as a wafer sorting device, and a wafer processing device 15.

The semiconductor processing apparatus according to this embodiment integrally includes a wafer inspection apparatus 1, a wafer transfer apparatus 2 also serving as a wafer sorting apparatus, and the like. The semiconductor device manufacturing process uses a real-time adaptive recipe 3 to process control values. A system is realized in which a target process is automatically completed by adjusting to a wafer to be processed.

The real-time adaptive recipe 3 is the semiconductor process operation management system itself. Completely different from conventional fixed recipes, the process conditions change so that the margin of the entire product manufacturing process is maximized in accordance with the current attributes of the wafers to be processed and the current equipment status. Typical recipe. This recipe is a kind of function that takes the output result of the wafer inspection device 1, time, etc. as arguments, and cannot be written fixedly on paper. Is definitely different.

The present device operates as follows. First, wafers to be used in the semiconductor device process are put into the semiconductor manufacturing process in batches, but in each manufacturing process, work is not performed in batches but basically in individual wafers. Processing is performed. For this purpose, a recognition number (tag) 17 is added to each wafer so that each wafer can be individually recognized.
Before the wafer is put into the semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, a number or a bar code is entered for each wafer using a laser marker or the like, or a notch is added to the wafer. Granted by method. The identification number 17 is used throughout the process as a management number unique to the processed wafer.

All the wafers introduced into the processing device pass through a wafer recognition device 5 for reading a management number. At this time, the wafer recognition device 5 reads the identification number of the wafer, reads data from the process history storage device 13, and passes the data to the process processor 10. On the other hand, the process apparatus is provided with a number of sensors 8 such as temperature, pressure, mass spectrometer, and emission spectrometer for managing the state of the apparatus, and the information is sequentially stored in the apparatus state data storage 9 in real time. ing. The process processor 10 reads the current device state from the storage device 9.
Further, the process target value is read out from the device structure description file 18 which defines the process target, and is passed to the process processor 10. The process processor 10 optimizes the processing parameters to be performed by the apparatus based on the three pieces of information.

Hereinafter, a specific example of parameter optimization will be described. As described above, wafers are put into the process in batches.

The case where the previous process is an insulating film forming process by CVD and a contact hole is formed by a dry etching process via a photolithography process will be described as an example.

When a contact hole is opened in an insulating film, the etching time varies if the thickness of the insulating film, the opening area of the contact hole, and the like are different. In addition, since the etching conditions change with time, it is needless to say that it is necessary to feed back data from the processing result of the wafer immediately before the wafer concerned.

If a wafer is processed first in this batch, there is no data for the previous wafer in this batch of wafers.

In this case, the data to be fed back include data of the last wafer processed under the same conditions, data of the most recent wafer processed by this apparatus, or both of these data. This is done by feeding back data.

As described above, the process data of the process before the wafer to be currently processed and the result calculated from the processing result of the wafer before the process are sent to the control device of the process device. The processing apparatus processes the provided wafer based on data output from the process processor. The processed wafer is moved to an inspection chamber where it is inspected whether the desired shape, electrical characteristics, etc. have been obtained. The inspection result is sent to the process history recording device. The information is also sent to the process pass / fail judgment device 19, and an error with respect to the process target is calculated to determine pass / fail. As a result of the pass / fail judgment, the wafer that needs reprocessing is transferred again to the process chamber by a transfer system such as a robot arm that also has a sorting function. The process processor calculates the optimal processing parameters corresponding to the process shortage required for reprocessing from the inspection results of the processed wafers, the processing characteristics of the equipment, the process history of the wafer to be processed, and the current equipment status. I do. This parameter is sent to the processing equipment, which reprocesses the wafer according to the parameter.

This procedure is repeated an appropriate number of times until a wafer having a desired processing state is obtained. On the other hand, wafers that cannot be reprocessed due to excessive etching or the like are automatically sorted so as not to proceed to the next process, transported to another line, and analyzed for failure or discarded.

All information associated with the wafer processed as described above is sent to the wafer history information storage device together with the wafer identification number and is managed collectively.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the apparatus according to the second embodiment.

The semiconductor manufacturing process is not always performed only in a vacuum. For example, the cleaning process still includes a process using a hydrofluoric acid solution, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, a process using alcohol, or a water washing process using pure water, and these are performed in a water tank placed in a normal clean atmosphere. Done in Therefore, when the inspection device requires a vacuum, one container including these clean atmosphere regions and all the device groups as described in the first embodiment is regarded as one semiconductor process device.

FIG. 2 shows such an inspection apparatus, in which a portion of a transfer system connecting the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses has a wafer recognition apparatus, a required inspection apparatus, and a sorting function. Note that a sensor for monitoring the state of the process device is provided in the process processing unit 21.

In general, inspection is performed one by one, but process processing using a solution is often performed collectively for each wafer carrier. Therefore, the entire wafer carrier is once put into the preliminary vacuum chamber 23 and evacuated. After that, the sheet is taken out one by one as needed, and the inspection is performed in the inspection room 24. This can shorten the evacuation time. In this embodiment, a roughing vacuum chamber that pulls a vacuum for each wafer carrier,
After that, this is realized by separately providing a vacuum chamber in which only one sheet is pulled out to make a vacuum.

Since the time after evacuation and the temperature of the wafer change the surface state of the wafer, a timer and a timer are used to keep the evacuation time and temperature constant so that the measured surface state of the wafer is constant. It is desirable to control with a thermometer.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which a large number of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses 31 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are arranged to form a semiconductor manufacturing line. Each manufacturing and inspection equipment has
A data port 34 is provided for acquiring a wafer state obtained by the inspection and device information obtained by the sensor from an external storage device or transmitting the information to an external information processing device. They are connected by a bidirectional test data bus 32. Since semiconductor factories have a lot of electromagnetic wave noise, it is desirable that the inspection data bus be connected to an optical LAN or the like which is strong against electromagnetic wave interference.

In FIG. 3, the inspection apparatus is paired with a transport apparatus to form an inspection apparatus / transport apparatus 33.

In such a semiconductor manufacturing line,
As described above, the data based on the processing result previously performed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 and the work data from another semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 that processed the wafer group prior to the work by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 The processing conditions can be determined based on not only data based on the result of processing previously performed on another wafer group in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 but also one or more semiconductors at a subsequent stage with respect to the another wafer group. The processing conditions are determined based on data based on the processing results performed by the manufacturing apparatus 31 and work data from the preceding semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 performed on the wafer group prior to the work performed by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31. You can also decide.

Further, such a semiconductor manufacturing line is further combined so that data based on the processing result previously performed on another wafer group by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 31 and finally obtained from the another wafer group are obtained. The processing conditions are determined based on the measurement result data of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device and the work data from another semiconductor manufacturing device 31 performed on the wafer group prior to the work by the semiconductor manufacturing device 31. You can also decide.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to a dry etching apparatus 41. Since the etching apparatus is a vacuum apparatus, a multi-chamber dry etching apparatus has been developed so as not to generate unnecessary dust.

In general, an etching apparatus capable of multi-chambering can have three to five chambers, and can automatically move a wafer between them without cutting vacuum. One of the plurality of chambers is used as an original etching chamber 42, one is used as an inspection room 43, and the other is used as an inspection preparation room 44.

In the etching step, a wafer having a resist pattern formed on an insulating film such as an oxide film or a silicon substrate on which a metal film or the like is formed is irradiated with plasma to physically and chemically oxidize the oxide film or the metal film. This is the step of processing.

Even when the etching apparatus is operating normally, if a defect such as dust is present in the resist pattern defining the processing shape, etching failure occurs locally,
This leads to lower device manufacturing yield. Therefore, in the dry etching apparatus of the present embodiment, before transferring the wafer 45 introduced into the apparatus to the etching processing chamber in addition to the apparatus of the first embodiment, a small-sized laser or electron beam scanning or the like is used in the inspection room. The presence or absence of dust and pattern defects are inspected by a dust inspection device. If dust or a defect is found by this inspection, the transport device 46 automatically returns to the process for removing surface dust or transports the device to a device for performing the process again. If no dust or defect is detected, the transfer device transfers the wafer to the etching chamber. The various measurement data is sent to the process processor, which optimizes the etching parameters so that the intended process is performed. In the etching processing chamber, etching is performed based on this data.

On the other hand, it is ideal that the inspection can be performed immediately after the etching process. However, usually, when the etching is performed, the fluorocarbon or the like remains as a deposit at the processing location and the inspection is difficult because the outermost surface of the processing location is not exposed. Often it is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a preparation room 44 for performing a pretreatment for removing the minimum amount of deposits required for the inspection is provided. The preparation chamber has a resist stripping function generally called an asher, and is provided with an oxygen plasma generator for removing a resist or a deposit made of a fluorocarbon polymer. Naturally, if the sample is excessively exposed to the oxygen plasma, the processed surface exposed by the angle etching will be damaged, so that an optimum condition that does not adversely affect the inspection is given from the process processor.

The wafer from which the deposit has been removed is introduced into the inspection room 43 by the transfer device 46 by the robot arm.
In the inspection room, the surface shape of the processing surface, the shape of the bottom of the processing surface, the presence or absence of electrical continuity, the presence or absence of bottom foreign matter, and the like are inspected by an inspection device using an electron beam, light, or the like. These inspection results are sent to the process processor as shown in the first embodiment, and the quality of the process results is determined.

If the target process is not completed, a control parameter change command is issued to the process control device so as to match the target, and the process is performed again until the target process result is obtained. To be continued.
Also, the process processor changes the etching conditions so that the next wafer to be processed is processed normally.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention,
An example applied to the device 51 is shown.

A CVD apparatus is an apparatus for depositing a thin film,
It is used to fill thin films, grooves, or holes on a flat surface. Naturally, if dust is present on the surface of the substrate on which the thin film is deposited, the quality of the deposited thin film deteriorates.

Therefore, the wafer introduced into the CVD apparatus is first sent to the inspection room 54 and inspected for dust on the surface. If more than a specified amount of debris is detected, the wafer is returned to the process of removing debris on the surface. If there is no dust, it is sent to the deposition chamber 52 for depositing the thin film, and the thin film is deposited.

The wafer on which the thin film has been deposited is sent to the preparation room 53, where the surface is simply cleaned, and then transferred to the inspection device 55. The inspection device 55 in the inspection room is provided with devices such as surface particle inspection by laser scattering, film thickness inspection, and the like.
Sent to

If the film thickness is within the reference value range, the wafer is sent to the next step together with the data as it is. When the film thickness is smaller than the standard, the film is sent again to the CVD chamber 58 to deposit a film to have an appropriate thickness. If the film is excessively adhered, the information is sent together with the wafer to the polishing device 59 and the like, and is polished to a desired thickness so as to be within a reference value.

When the thickness has no relation to the characteristics or the like, it means that the wafer may be transferred to the next step without adjusting the film thickness to the reference value, and the processing may be performed based on the thickness. Not even.

For example, the case where the contact hole is opened by dry etching corresponds to the above example.

It goes without saying that this information is simultaneously fed back to the deposition conditions for the next wafer.

FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention,
The case where the present invention is applied to the device 61 is shown. The introduced wafer 66 is conveyed to the chamber 62 for performing CMP, and is polished until a desired film thickness is obtained.

Since polishing is affected by the thickness accuracy of the supporting substrate, the polished wafer 66 generally has a variation in film thickness. Since the wafer immediately after the polishing has dust and the like on its surface, it is introduced into a preparation chamber 63 which is a cleaning device for removing the dust. For this wash, soak in the solution or
Or remove the garbage by polishing the surface with a star bar. The presence of particles such as particles on the substrate surface adversely affects the lithography in the next step. Therefore, whether or not cleaning has been completed is inspected by a dust detection device 65 such as a laser scattering method. The inspection room 64 is provided with a laser scattering device, a film thickness management device, and the like that make it possible.

It goes without saying that the information such as the thickness and shape of the polished wafer is fed back to the polishing of the wafer to be polished after the wafer. It is sent to the work condition of the transition and used for the work.

FIG. 7 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to a sputtering apparatus 71.

If dust is present on the surface of the substrate to be sputtered, a film formation failure occurs. Therefore, the wafer 72 introduced into the sputtering apparatus 71 is sent to the measurement chamber 73 and inspected for dust on the surface. If there is garbage, it is sent to the garbage removal process. As a method of removing dust, a method of scrubbing the wafer surface, or an asher if an organic substance is used. These devices may be installed in the preparation room 75.

The wafer confirmed to be free of dust is introduced into the sputter chamber 74 by the transfer device 76. After the sputtering is completed, the wafer is transported again to the measurement chamber 73 and inspected for film thickness and the like. When the film thickness is small, the film is returned to the sputtering chamber 74 again to perform sputtering, thereby forming a film having a desired film thickness. The measured film thickness is sent together with the wafer to an information processing device, and is used to optimize the next process parameter.

FIG. 8 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an ion implantation apparatus 81.

In the ion implantation apparatus, impurities are introduced into the substrate in the form of ions. However, if charges are accumulated on the surface of the substrate, the profile of the impurities may change. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect whether unnecessary charges are accumulated on the surface of the wafer 85 introduced into the ion implantation apparatus. Therefore, a charge amount measuring device is provided in the inspection room 83, the wafer is checked, and if there is a charge, the charge is removed using the charge removing device provided in the preparation room 86.

The ion implantation is performed in the ion implantation chamber 82.
The ion-implanted wafer is almost the same in appearance as a non-ion-implanted wafer. For this reason, the presence / absence of the processing may be erroneously recognized and the process may proceed to the next step without ion implantation, or may be implanted twice, thereby causing a problem. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to check the state of the wafer after ion implantation.

Since the dielectric constant of the whole wafer changes when ions are implanted into the substrate, the presence or absence of impurities can be measured by placing an electrode on the surface and measuring the magnitude of the dielectric constant. Further, by selecting a place where an impurity is introduced into a relatively large region of the wafer and examining X-rays generated by irradiating an electron beam, the impurity concentration can be quantitatively examined. Alternatively, it can be checked by using the fact that the absorptance of light of a specific wavelength changes. Such an inspection device 84 is provided in the inspection room 83.

FIG. 9 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention, and shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a plasma stripping apparatus 91.

The plasma peeling device is a device used for removing organic substances such as resist. The operating principle of the plasma stripping apparatus is to oxidize and remove the resist present on the silicon wafer 94 into carbon oxide using oxygen plasma. However, depending on the state of adhesion of the resist, it is necessary to change the intensity of the plasma or the processing time.

In general, when a resist burns in oxygen plasma, light is generated due to oxidation of carbon. Therefore, an optical sensor 92 is provided inside the plasma peeling device to measure the color of the plasma and detect the end point of the peeling.

The peeled wafer is temporarily placed in the preparation room 93, and the time is adjusted. The wafer sent from the preparation room 93 to the inspection room 95 is inspected by a dust inspection device using a laser scattering method or an inspection device 96 for inspecting the presence or absence of carbon on the surface of the surface foreign matter.

If only dust or carbon below the standard is detected, the plasma stripping is considered to be complete and is automatically transported to the next step.

If the peeling is not complete, the wafer is returned to the plasma peeling chamber again by the automatic transfer device 97 provided in the apparatus, and the peeling process is performed. As described above, it is repeatedly performed until the peeling is completed as intended.

FIG. 10 shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention.
An example in which the present invention is applied to a wet cleaning apparatus 101 is shown. This cleaning device cleans the surface of the wafer by cleaning the surface when loading the wafer, removing organic matter before putting it in an electric furnace, and removing foreign matter in holes that are not completely removed by a plasma peeling device to remove resist, CMP, etc. It is used to remove adhered fine particles or wiring debris.

Since the wafer processed by the wet cleaning device is wet, the measurement cannot be performed as it is. Therefore, first, spin-drying is performed in the preparation room 102 to remove moisture on the substrate surface, and then, if necessary, a process is performed in which the temperature is raised to about 100 ° C. and a vacuum is applied to completely remove moisture from the substrate surface. I do. Thereafter, the substrate is transferred to the inspection room 103 by the transfer device 107, and the presence or absence of foreign matter at the bottom of the hole, the hole opening diameter, the measurement of the hole bottom diameter, and the like are performed.

FIG. 11 shows a tenth embodiment of the present invention.
The case where the present invention is applied to the plating apparatus 111 is shown.
The plating device is a device used for copper wiring and the like.

A seed layer serving as a seed for plating is previously formed on a substrate to be plated by sputtering or CVD, and electroplating is performed thereon. The control items of plating are management of plating thickness and plating material. There are various plating methods, but in the case of electroplating, which is usually used for forming wiring, the deposited copper contains some hydrogen but is very high in purity, so the plating thickness is determined by Faraday's law. Can be calculated strictly from the amount of coulomb required for. Therefore, for example, in a process of a constant plating thickness, the quality of the plating material or the thickness can be inspected by measuring the ratio of the coulomb amount to the total weight of the plating or the electric resistance of a specific shape. Therefore, a coulomb meter 114 is provided in the plating chamber 115 to measure the amount of charge used for deposition. In the inspection room, a device 116 for inspecting whether the surface is roughened by hydrogen bubbles or the like is placed. An inspection device for measuring sheet resistance may be provided.

FIG. 12 schematically shows one semiconductor line utilizing the present invention. The microfabricated shape in semiconductor manufacturing is almost determined by resist processing. Therefore, in the vicinity of the photoresist processing apparatus, a shape inspection apparatus 121 for confirming that the photoresist shape has been correctly formed.
Is provided. The substrate on which the photoresist pattern is formed is finally subjected to a step of removing the resist through various semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, and the resist is completely removed by a cleaning apparatus. In this state, the state of dust or the bottom of the formed hole on the wafer surface is inspected.

FIG. 13 shows the shape of a generally manufactured wafer and the circuit blocks built in each chip. Each block includes an analog circuit, a processor, a memory, and the like, and each block has a characteristic size.

In general, a pattern is formed on each block according to the same rule in order to facilitate the process, but the margins of the circuits constituting each block are usually different. Therefore, in the inspection, it is necessary to construct a process such that a high-speed logic circuit with a narrow margin is accurately formed. For example, an inspection apparatus provided in an etching apparatus acquires and accumulates data as shown in FIG. 14 for each wafer.

For example, if the thickness of the oxide film changes by 10% in the process of forming an oxide film having a thickness of 1 micron, the diameter of the bottom of the hole formed with an inclination of 88 degrees changes by 30% or more. This change changes the hole area nearly twice so that the magnitude of the current flowing through the hole changes greatly.

In a high-speed logic circuit, a change in the Hall resistance directly affects the signal propagation speed, and the circuit operation becomes unstable or inoperable. In such a case, for example, when the film thickness is larger than the standard, if the etching inclination angle is changed to be steeper than 88 degrees and the etching is performed, the hole bottom area is 1 μm when the film thickness is 1 μm. And it can reach the required circuit level.

As described above, according to the present invention, the configuration shown in FIG. 15 is used to integrate the history information of the wafer to be processed, the status information of the apparatus, and the information obtained from the processing result of the process. The process processor calculates and processes the process parameters as modified process data so that the process apparatus controls the process device so that the process device manufactures a non-defective product, thereby securing more non-defective products.

In particular, there is an example in which data to be fed forward to the next step and data to be fed back to the next wafer after the operation are not specifically shown. It goes without saying what data is needed.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing line for implementing the present invention. This line includes the film deposition system FILM DEP
O, an apparatus for each step such as an exposure apparatus PHOTO, an etching apparatus ETCH, etc., and further includes a test apparatus TEST for performing a final test and a diagnostic apparatus DIAGNOSIS. In each process, inspection equipment corresponding to the process, such as the particle radar PARTICLE RADAR, which monitors particles during the reaction in the chamber, the laser scope LASER SCOPE, which inspects surface particles by laser scattering, and electron beam inspection An electron beam scope EB SCOPE, etc. are provided, a test device TEST performs a logic LSI test IDD SPECTRUM, and a diagnostic device a logic LSI defect analysis IDDQ DIAG, a memory defect analysis ME.
MO FANEX etc. are performed. Data of each step is collected in one or more information processing devices at a higher rank. In each step, the processing conditions for processing the wafer group are determined based on the data based on the processing results previously performed by the semiconductor processing apparatus in that step, and another data obtained by processing the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor processing apparatus. It can be determined based on work data from the semiconductor processing device, and data based on a processing result previously performed on another wafer group in the semiconductor processing device, and a subsequent stage for the another wafer group. Is determined based on the data based on the processing results performed in one or more of the semiconductor processes and the work data from the preceding semiconductor process device performed on the wafer group prior to the work by the semiconductor process device. And data based on the processing results previously performed on another wafer group in the semiconductor processing apparatus. And data obtained by measuring the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device finally obtained from the another wafer group, and another semiconductor processing apparatus performed on the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor processing apparatus. Can be determined based on the work data from

[0096]

According to the present invention, a wafer in which dust or pattern collapse has already occurred at the time of introduction of a processing apparatus can be known. No need to do it. If a defect is found, the process is automatically returned to the previous process before the current process is performed, so that the defect rate can be reduced.

Since the state of the processed wafer is immediately checked, it is possible to immediately know that a defective process has occurred. In addition, since all of those states are recorded and recorded, the cause of the failure can be specified. The process conditions are automatically set so that the target process is completed in consideration of the processing history of the wafer currently being processed and the current state of the apparatus, so that many non-defective products can be obtained.

The transfer device depends on the processing state of the wafer.
Since the process to be performed next is automatically determined and automatically transported to the processing device, a desired process result can be obtained without human intervention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first conceptual configuration diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus using a real-time adaptive recipe of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second conceptual configuration diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus using a real-time adaptive recipe of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor production line in which a large number of second conceptual configurations of a semiconductor process device are arranged.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a dry etching apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a CVD apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a CMP apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a sputtering apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an ion implantation apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a plasma peeling apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a wet cleaning apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a plating apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of one semiconductor line to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a wafer and a chip.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of data acquired by the inspection device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the flow of process information data according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a semiconductor manufacturing line for implementing the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Wafer inspection device 2: Transfer device such as a robot arm 3: Real-time adaptive recipe 5: Wafer recognition device 6: Wafer history storage device 7: Wafer processing history data search device 8: Sensor group 9: Device status data storage device 10: Process processor 11: Wafer inspection device 12: Information processing device 13: Process control device 13-1: Wafer processing history data 14: Real-time adaptive recipe bus 15: Wafer processing device 17: Identification number 18: Device structure description file 19: Process pass / fail Judging devices 21, 22: Process processing unit 23: Preliminary vacuum chamber 24: Inspection room 31: Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 32: Inspection data bus 33: Inspection device and transport device 34: Data port 35: Process processor 41: Dry etching device 42: Etching room 43: Inspection room 44: Inspection preparation room 45: Wafer 46: Transfer device 47: Inspection device 48: Process Control device 49: Information processing device 51: CVD device 52: Deposition room 53: Preparation room 54: Inspection room 55: Inspection device 56: Information processing device 57: Transport device 58: CVD room 59: Polishing device 61: CMP device 62: Chamber 63: Preparation room 64: Inspection room 65: Dust detector 66: Wafer 71: Sputter device 72: Wafer 73: Measurement room 74: Sputter chamber 75: Preparation room 76: Transport device 81: Ion implantation device 82: Ion implantation Room 83: Inspection room 84: Inspection device 85: Wafer 86: Preparation room 91: Plasma stripping device 92: Optical sensor 93: Preparation room 94: Silicon wafer 95: Inspection room 96: Inspection device 97: Automatic transfer device 101: Wet cleaning Equipment 102: Preparation room 103: Inspection room 111: Plating device 115: Plating room 116: Inspection device 121: Shape inspection device

Claims (17)

[Claims] When a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing apparatus, processing conditions for processing the set of wafers are set to be different from those previously set by the semiconductor processing apparatus. A semiconductor device that is determined based on data based on a result of the process performed on the semiconductor device and work data from another semiconductor process device that has processed the wafer group prior to the operation by the semiconductor process device. Method. 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the data based on a result of the previously performed process is data on a result of a process performed on one or a plurality of sets of wafers by the semiconductor processing device. Production method. 3. The semiconductor according to claim 1, wherein the data based on a result of the previously performed processing is data on a processing result of a wafer processed by the semiconductor processing apparatus up to that time in a set of wafers. Device manufacturing method. 4. The data based on the result of the previously performed processing is data on the result of processing performed on a wafer group different from one set of wafers to be performed by the semiconductor processing apparatus. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1. 5. When data of a processing result for a wafer processed by the semiconductor processing device does not satisfy data required by the semiconductor processing device, processing of a set of wafer groups by the semiconductor processing device is performed. 2. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the wafer is reprocessed before all the processes are completed so that the required data is satisfied. 6. When a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing device, processing conditions for processing the set of wafers are set to a value that has been previously set by the semiconductor processing device. Data based on the processing result performed on another wafer group, data based on the processing result performed on one or more subsequent semiconductor processes on the other wafer group, A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which is determined based on operation data from a preceding semiconductor processing apparatus performed on a wafer group prior to an operation. 7. When a set of wafers composed of a plurality of wafers is processed by a semiconductor processing apparatus, processing conditions for processing the set of wafers are set to a value that has been previously set by the semiconductor processing apparatus. The data based on the processing result performed on another wafer group, the measurement result data of the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device finally obtained from the another wafer group, and A semiconductor device manufacturing method which is determined based on operation data from another semiconductor processing apparatus performed on the wafer group. 8. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a processing unit for performing a predetermined processing on a semiconductor wafer; and a control unit for setting processing conditions of the processing unit, wherein a state of the wafer processed by the processing unit is provided. Inspection means for inspecting, the control means, the processing conditions from the data of the inspection results by the inspection means and the work data on the processing already performed on the wafer group to be processed by the process processing means A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising means for correcting. 9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein said inspection means is provided integrally with said process processing means. 10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: means for measuring a state of a wafer supplied to said processing means, wherein said control means includes means for further correcting said processing condition based on a measurement result of said measuring means. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment. 11. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein said measuring means is provided integrally with said processing means. 12. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means includes means for fetching operation data of processing subsequent to the processing by said process processing means and further correcting said processing conditions. 13. The means for acquiring the electrical characteristic measurement result data of the semiconductor device finally obtained by a series of manufacturing processes including the processing by the process processing means, and further modifying the processing conditions. 9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: 14. A communication device for acquiring data for correcting the processing condition by the control unit and transmitting work data of the process processing unit and / or data of an inspection result by the inspection unit. 9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to 8. 15. A state of a wafer before being introduced into a series of processing processes, a state of an apparatus that has processed the wafer, and a state of a processed wafer having means for identifying a wafer to be introduced into the processing means. 9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for automatically and sequentially accumulating the data in association with the wafer identification number. 16. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: means for changing a place where the wafer is transferred based on a measurement result obtained by the measuring means. 17. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the changing means is a robot arm.