JP4547396B2 - Sample processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a process monitor for a sample processing apparatus and a control method for the sample processing apparatus, and more particularly to a process monitor for a vacuum processing apparatus suitable for fine processing of a semiconductor device and a control method for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus using the same. About.

  The size of semiconductor devices has become finer year by year, and the demand for dimensional accuracy of processing has become stricter. On the other hand, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment that physicochemically processes semiconductor wafers using heat or plasma, reaction products generated by chemical reactions inside the equipment remain attached to the inner wall of the equipment, and over time, Often the processing state is changed. For this reason, there is a problem that the processing shape of the semiconductor device is gradually changed and the performance is deteriorated as the number of wafer processes is increased. In order to cope with this problem, usually, measures are taken such as cleaning the deposits on the inner wall of the chamber with plasma, or increasing the temperature of the chamber walls to make the deposits difficult to adhere. However, in most cases, these measures are not perfect, and as a result, the processing shape of the semiconductor device gradually changes. For this reason, the parts of the manufacturing apparatus are replaced or cleaned before the processing shape changes so as to become a problem. In addition to the deposited film, various apparatus state fluctuations are involved in wafer shape changes. Therefore, a device has been devised such as detecting a change in the processing state inside the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and feeding back the detection result to the input of the plasma processing apparatus to keep the processing state constant.

A method for monitoring such fluctuations in plasma processing is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. In this disclosed example, a method for predicting apparatus performance or diagnosing a plasma state using a relational expression between plasma processing characteristics and apparatus electrical signals is shown. As the method, a method is disclosed in which an approximate expression representing the relationship between the three electrical signals and the plasma processing characteristics of the apparatus is obtained by multiple regression analysis. Another example is disclosed in Patent Document 2. This disclosed example shows a method for applying a general detection system having a plurality of existing detectors to a plasma processing apparatus and monitoring the state of the apparatus from a correlation signal of the detection signals.
As a method for generating the correlation signal, a calculation formula based on a ratio of six electrical signals is disclosed. Another disclosed example is disclosed in Patent Document 3. In this disclosed example, a method for capturing a large number of signals from a light and a mass analyzer to generate a correlation signal and monitoring the state of the apparatus is shown. As a method for generating this correlation signal, a method using principal component analysis is disclosed.

JP-A-10-125660 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-87323 US Pat. No. 5,658,423

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, an approximate expression that represents the relationship between three electrical signals and processing characteristics is derived using a multiple regression analysis on a map in a multidimensional space around a number of processing conditions. Thus, in order to measure the processing characteristics on a vast map, an extremely large number of wafers are required, and actual operation is difficult. Furthermore, when the processing conditions not taken into account at the time of measurement change, the obtained approximate expression cannot be used. Furthermore, in order to incorporate the influence of internal conditions that are difficult to observe, such as the deposited film inside the chamber, which is the most practical problem, into an approximate expression, it is necessary to conduct an experiment for acquiring a larger number of processing characteristics. Furthermore, the method described in Patent Document 2 is a general method in which a signal obtained by correlating a plurality of detection signals from a plurality of well-known detection means is used for diagnosis, but the disclosed correlation is used. Is a conventional technique that takes several signal ratios, and finding a specific means of realizing a system that accurately monitors the state of a plasma processing apparatus that takes various states according to many causes of fluctuations. Have difficulty.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 provides a method for monitoring various plasma states by analyzing principal components of a large amount of data monitored from the apparatus and capturing changes in the apparatus state. However, further contrivance is necessary to find an effective implementation method in an actual plasma processing apparatus that processes wafers having various device structures under various conditions from this disclosed example. In particular, in these known examples, processing of a single wafer is usually performed by a combination of several processing conditions, and it is not considered that the influence of each processing step on processing accuracy differs. Even if the processing conditions are constant, the influence on the machining shape differs between the first half and the second half of the processing time. The performance of future semiconductor devices is sensitive to changes in extremely small machining shapes, and in order to monitor and control such minute machining shape fluctuations, a specific process monitoring that takes into account the processing time sequence. The method is essential.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a process monitor, a sample processing apparatus control method, and a sample manufacturing method that can cope with various processing states of a sample processing apparatus and are easily operated.

  Another object of the present invention is to monitor a processing state of a sample processing apparatus, accurately and easily monitor a change in the processing state, and control a processing condition, a control method for the sample processing apparatus, and The object is to provide a method for producing a sample.

  A feature of the present invention resides in a monitor data acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of monitor data related to a processing state of a sample in a processing apparatus via a sensor, and belongs to an arbitrary processing category of the sample from the plurality of monitor data Data selection means for selecting monitor data, a monitor signal generation section for generating monitor data belonging to the processing section selected by the data selection means as a monitor signal, and a plurality of samples processed in the processing apparatus. And a display setting controller for displaying the monitoring signal on the display unit in time series.

  Another feature of the present invention is that a monitor data acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of monitor data related to a processing state of a sample in a processing apparatus via a sensor, and an arbitrary processing section of the sample from the plurality of monitor data Obtained with respect to a plurality of samples processed in the processing apparatus, a data selection means for selecting monitor data belonging to the data, a monitoring signal generation section for generating monitor data belonging to the processing category selected by the data selection means as a monitoring signal, and The process monitor includes a display setting controller that displays the received monitoring signal on a display unit in time series, and a display switching unit that switches display according to the usage status of the processing device.

  Another feature of the present invention is that a monitor data acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of monitor data related to a processing state of a sample in a processing apparatus via a sensor, and processes the monitor data from the plurality of monitor data. A monitoring signal generation unit that extracts a smaller number of monitoring signals than the number monitored, and a display setting controller that displays the monitoring signals obtained for a plurality of samples processed in the processing device on a display unit in a time series. It is in having.

  According to the present invention, the processing status of a sample processing apparatus having complicated and varied states is monitored depending on the processing conditions and the cumulative number of processed samples, and an apparatus monitoring signal for monitoring the apparatus is acquired from the various processing sequences. By providing the means, a process monitor that can be easily operated, a display method thereof, a control method of the sample processing apparatus, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method can be provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the monitor data is acquired from the plasma apparatus by the sensor, and the apparatus monitoring signal is generated from the data of the most important sample processing section related to the processing performance of the sample, thereby accurately and easily. Changes in the processing state can be monitored and processing conditions can be controlled.

  According to the present invention, the processing status of a sample processing apparatus having complicated and varied states is monitored depending on the processing conditions and the cumulative number of processed samples, and an apparatus monitoring signal for monitoring the apparatus is acquired from the various processing sequences. By providing the means, a process monitor that can be easily operated, a display method thereof, a control method of the sample processing apparatus, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method can be provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the monitor data is acquired from the plasma apparatus by the sensor, and the apparatus monitoring signal is generated from the data of the most important sample processing section related to the processing performance of the sample, thereby accurately and easily. Changes in the processing state can be monitored and processing conditions can be controlled.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sample processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention provided with a sensor and a display device. Reference numeral 1 denotes a sample processing apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or an LCD manufacturing apparatus. Here, the sample processing apparatus 1 will be described as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a silicon wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device is processed as a sample. The sample processing apparatus 1 is a process in which a vacuum vessel, a discharge unit for forming a plasma generation unit therein, and a sample as an object to be processed in the vacuum vessel, for example, an electrode for placing a wafer are installed. It consists of parts. A processing gas is supplied from a gas supply device into the vacuum container of the sample processing apparatus 1, and the inside of the vacuum container is evacuated to a predetermined pressure by an exhaust device. A high frequency power source is connected to the electrode.

  In the sample processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, a wafer (sample) is loaded and placed on the electrode. Then, the processing gas is supplied into the vacuum container by the gas supply device, and the processing gas is turned into plasma by the action of the electric field. The sample is processed, eg, plasma etched, with a processing gas and plasma. The plasma gas is later exhausted by an exhaust device. The processing of the sample in the sample processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the controller 3.

  The sample processing apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of sensors 2 for detecting and acquiring information regarding various processing states in the sample processing apparatus as monitor data. The sensor 2 monitors the processing state of the sample in the sample processing apparatus and the processing environment of the sample (hereinafter simply referred to as the processing state of the sample), and acquires monitor data at regular or arbitrary time intervals. Specifically, information on the processing gas supplied to the processing apparatus, pressure in the processing apparatus, the state of plasma generated in the processing apparatus, information on processing of the sample, and the like are included.

  The sensor 2 may be a light detection means such as an optical spectrum spectrometer or a monochromator, or may be an electric signal detector such as a voltage detector, a current detector or an impedance monitor, or a pressure inside the apparatus. It may be a detector, a flow rate detector of the processing gas, a position detector or a temperature detector in the operating part of the apparatus, or a gas composition detector inside the processing apparatus such as a mass analyzer. May be.

  However, in order to grasp the complicated processing state inside the processing apparatus, it is desirable to acquire as many types of monitor data as possible. That is, spectral data obtained by wavelength-resolving plasma emission, spectral data obtained by frequency-resolving electrical signals, and the like are optimal as monitor data.

  The monitor data acquired by the sensor 2 is sent to the data selection means 4. The sensor 2 acquires the emission spectrum from the processing device once per second, for example, and sends it to the selection means 4.

  The data selection means 4 selects a portion used for monitoring the apparatus from the sent monitor data. Most simply, the data selection means 4 may select all monitor data. The monitor data selected by the data selection means 4 is sent to the device monitoring signal generator 5. The device monitoring signal generator 5 generates a device monitoring signal corresponding to the monitoring type from the received monitor data and sends it to the output data buffer 6. The monitoring type is to monitor the processing shape of the sample, to monitor the state of the deposited film inside the processing device, to monitor the degree of wear of each part of the processing device, and to change the processing state for each sample. When the samples are compared and monitored, a change in the processing state for each lot of samples is monitored with respect to sample processing, such as when a plurality of lots are compared and monitored.

  The output data buffer 6 holds a necessary number of device monitoring signals and sends the device monitoring signals to the display unit 7. The display unit 7 displays the sent device monitoring signal on a display screen and includes a display setting controller 8. The display setting controller 8 has a function of setting the selection method in the data selection means 4, the monitoring type of the device monitoring signal generator 5, and the number of outputs of the output data buffer 6. The output data buffer 6 may be incorporated in the display unit 7, and the display setting controller 8 does not necessarily have to be attached to the display unit 7, and may exist independently.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a display screen of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of FIG. The display screen of the display unit 7 has a function as an input / output unit for the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8, and the display of the window 22 is controlled by the display setting controller 8.

  In FIG. 2, a window 22 of the display unit 7 displays a change in processing state for each wafer. The window 22 displays, for example, a graph in which the processed wafers are arranged in time series on the horizontal axis and the apparatus monitoring signal of each wafer is taken on the vertical axis. In the window 22, a description 21 of an event that has occurred in the apparatus may be added. As this event, an event that has occurred in a processing apparatus that is currently being processed or an event that has occurred in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a displayed wafer has been processed in the past may be acquired and displayed via a LAN or the like.

  The button 24 may serve as a command button for displaying a monitoring type of the device monitoring signal currently displayed in the window 22 and opening a monitoring type setting window. Similarly, the button 25 is a command button for displaying the number of wafers displayed in the window 22 and opening the display sample number setting window. The button 26 is a command button for displaying the device type to be displayed in the window 22, that is, the type of sample, and for opening the device type setting window. The button 27 is a command button for displaying a sample processing section for generating a device monitoring signal to be displayed on the window 22 and opening a window for selecting the sample processing section.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the processing system of the display setting controller 8 for implementing the display of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows an example of the flow of the data processing.
In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a sample is often processed by a combination of a plurality of processing conditions. Here, a portion corresponding to each processing condition during sample processing is referred to as sample processing division. The sample processing division may be divided more finely regardless of the division of processing conditions, or may be divided into larger portions, for example, the first half and the second half of the processing. For example, when the monitoring type is a sample processing shape, the final sample processing shape is not equally affected by all sample processing categories, but there are sample processing categories to be monitored with priority. For this reason, the monitor data acquired by the sensor 2 is sent to the data selection means 4 (FIG. 4, S400 to S402).

  In this embodiment, the data selection means 4 comprises only the sample processing category selection unit 9, and the sample processing category selection button 10 can be used to select which sample processing category monitor data is to be output. The selected monitor data is sent to the device monitoring signal generator 5 (S404). The device monitoring signal of the type selected by the monitoring type setting button 11 is generated by the device monitoring signal generator 5 (S406) and sent to the output data buffer 6 (S408). Usually, a large number of monitor data is acquired during each selected sample processing section, and as a result, a large number of data on the time change of the apparatus monitoring signal is generated. When monitoring the time change of the processing state, the time change of the device monitoring signal is sent to the output data buffer 6 as it is, and when monitoring the processing state change for each sample, the device monitoring signal is averaged for each sample. Are sent to the output data buffer 6. The output data buffer 6 sends an apparatus monitoring signal corresponding to the number of samples specified by the display sample number setting button 12 to the display device selection unit 13 (S410). Only the device monitoring signal of the sample of the type specified by the display device selection button 14 is sent to the display unit 7 and displayed (S412).

5 and 6 show another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8. FIG. 5 shows an example of the monitoring type selection window, and FIG. 6 shows an example of the operation flow of the display setting controller 8.
When the button 24 is pressed, a monitoring type selection window is displayed (S602 to S606). The monitoring type can be selected from the menu 28 (S608 to S612). The selection items of the menu 28 are, for example, “Overall level 1” is a monitoring type that displays a rough processing state of the apparatus, and “Overall level 2” is a processing state monitoring type that monitors further changes in the processing state. “Overall level 3” is a monitoring type for monitoring further fine fluctuations. In addition, there may be an item of “processing performance” related to machining dimensional accuracy and machining speed, or an item of “component consumption” indicating the degree of wear of components inside the apparatus. Note that a plurality of types of check boxes 28 may be selected, and when a plurality of types are selected, a plurality of types of device monitoring signals are displayed in the window 22.

7 and 8 show other examples of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8. FIG. 7 shows a display sample number setting window, and FIG. 8 shows an example of an operation flow of the display setting controller 8.
The display sample number setting window in FIG. 7 is displayed by pressing the display sample number setting button 25 (S802 to S806). In the case of display for each sample such as the window 22, the number of display samples is set by the input unit 29, and in the case of display for each lot such as the window 23 described later, the number of display lots is set by the input unit 29. (S808-S814).

FIGS. 9 and 10 show other examples of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8. FIG. 9 shows an example of the device selection window, and FIG. 10 shows an example of the operation flow of the display setting controller 8.
The device selection window is displayed when the button 26 is pressed (S1002 to S1006), and a plurality of sample device types can be selected by the check box 31 (S1008 to S1012). The device label 32 corresponding to the check box 31 lists the device type. For example, when the device name is “T12345F” and “T” and “F” in the device name have meanings in the device structure, the display device name is not “T12345F” but “T”. It is desirable to be able to select all devices that start or all device names that end with "F". In the device label 32, it is possible to select all the same devices as the sample that has been processed immediately before. When there are a plurality of types of recipes, that is, combinations of processing conditions on the same device, each device may be recognized as a different device so that the device can be selected, or another recipe selection window may be prepared. When the device type to be displayed has been selected, the end button 30 is pressed to confirm the selected device type, and the device type selection window ends (S1014).

  FIG. 11 shows another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8. The figure shows an example of a sample processing category selection window, and a plurality of sample processing categories used for generating an apparatus monitoring signal can be selected by a check box 33. The operation of the display setting controller 8 is the same as in FIG. One apparatus monitoring signal may be generated and displayed from a plurality of sample processing sections, or a plurality of apparatus monitoring signals may be generated and displayed. The sample processing category label 34 corresponding to the check box 33 displays the sample processing category name. Since the sample processing category required to generate the device monitoring signal varies depending on the monitoring type, it is desirable that the sample processing category name label 34 changes according to the monitoring type selected in the pull-down menu 28.

  FIG. 12 shows another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8. In this example, an arbitrary processing section can be selected instead of the predefined sample processing section. By specifying the step start point 35 and the step end point 35 ′ on the time axis 36, an arbitrary time range can be extracted as the sample processing section.

  FIG. 13 shows another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8 of the present invention. The overall operation sequence of this example is the same as in FIG. However, it is different in that a sample processing category automatic selection unit 15 is added. In this example, the sample processing category automatic selection unit 15 determines the sample processing category optimum for the monitoring type set by the monitoring type setting button 11 without selecting the sample processing category displayed by the user, and selects the sample processing category. The operation of the means 9 is set. The processing steps selected here may select several processing steps for one monitoring type.

  FIG. 14 shows another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the data acquired by the sensor 2 is accumulated in the monitor data storage means 16. Next, the data load unit 17 extracts the data from the monitor data storage unit 16 and sends it to the device selection unit 13 by the number selected by the display sample number setting button 12. The device selection unit sends only the monitor data of the type of sample designated by the device selection button 14 to the sample processing category selection unit. Then, only the monitor data designated by the sample processing category selection button 15 is sent to the device monitoring signal generation unit 5, and the device monitoring signal corresponding to the monitoring type setting button 11 is displayed on the display unit 7.

  FIG. 15 shows another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8 of the present invention. In FIG. 14, monitor data for past processing is stored, but in the example of FIG. 15, only device monitoring signals for past sample processing are stored in the device monitoring signal database 20, and device monitoring for past samples is performed. The signal is obtained from here. In this method, there is an advantage that the storage capacity can be reduced by storing only the device monitoring signal in which the information is compressed, for example, when the monitor data is very large and the storage capacity becomes enormous. .

  16 and 17 show another example of the window of the display unit 7 and the display setting controller 8 of the present invention. The window 23 in this example displays the variation of the processing state for each lot. In order to select the display for each wafer or the display for each lot, for example, the display can be selected by the display selection button for samples 28 ′ or the display selection button for lots 28 ″ in the monitoring type selection window of FIG. For example, the window 23 is a graph in which processed horizontal lots are arranged in time series on the horizontal axis, and device monitoring signals of each lot are plotted on the vertical axis. In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a sample is processed for a group of several samples called lots.

  In the case of an 8-inch wafer, a group of 25 wafers is often one lot. However, the number of samples contained in one lot varies depending on the case. Although cleaning of the inner wall of the apparatus may be performed between individual samples, a special cleaning process may be inserted between lots. In addition, the temperature of each part of the processing chamber may change during the idle time between lots. For this reason, even in a situation where the sample is stably processed, the apparatus monitoring signal does not become a constant value, and a certain variation pattern is often repeated for each lot. This variation pattern varies depending on the device type of the sample. In such cases, conventional monitoring methods that only check that the signal is within a certain range are not sufficient.

  In the present invention, the variation pattern of the standard device monitoring signal obtained during processing of the corresponding device acquired from the database is compared with the variation pattern of the monitored device monitoring signal, and the comparison data is the device monitoring signal for each lot. And lots with processing errors can be easily found. Further, it is more preferable that the device monitoring signal of each material in the lot is displayed on the window 22 when the display portion of each lot is selected with a mouse or the like. In this case, when a lot that seems to be abnormal is found in the window 23, if the display portion of this lot is selected, the processing state of the sample belonging to the abnormal lot is displayed in the window 22, and which of the lots having an abnormality is displayed. It is easy to find out if the sample processing was abnormal. The display of the window 23 can also be controlled by a button group 24 ′, 25 ′, 26 ′, 27 ′ having the same function as the window 22.

  FIG. 17 shows the configuration of the data processing system of the display setting controller 8 for implementing the display of FIG. The monitor data acquired by the sensor 2 is converted into a device monitoring signal by the data selection means 4 and the device monitoring signal generator 5 and sent to the processing state comparison / determination unit 19. At the same time, a device monitoring signal is similarly generated from the standard data of the monitor data retrieved from the database 18 and sent to the processing state comparison / determination unit 19 as a standard device monitoring signal.

  An example of a graph comparing these two signals is shown in FIG. The processing state comparison / determination unit 19 calculates the deviation of the device monitoring signal 53 in the lot from the standard device monitoring signal 52 to generate comparison data for each lot as shown in FIG. Data is generated by the processing state comparison / determination unit 19 and displayed on the display unit 7. When the device monitoring signal is average data or the like between the selected sample processing sections, the comparison data of the two signals can be obtained only by taking a difference. When the apparatus monitoring signal holds time variation information between the sample processing sections, the area of the shift portion of the graph of the time variation pattern of the two signals can be used as comparison data. The standard data may be set in advance in the database by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus manufacturer, or monitor data obtained when the processing result is normal as a result of the past sample processing may be adopted. Furthermore, a threshold value for the comparison result can be provided, and if the comparison data exceeds the threshold value, it can be determined that the process is abnormal and a warning can be displayed.

  Further, by using the standard device monitoring signal fluctuation pattern database, it is possible to detect which of the sample processing categories is abnormal. For each sample processing section, arrange the sample processing sections in descending order of deviation from the standard of the device monitoring signal, and display this order to indicate which sample processing section during processing of one sample is abnormal. Can be shown.

  FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The operation of the sample processing apparatus 1 is almost the same as that of the embodiment of FIG. 17, except that past apparatus monitoring signals are stored in the apparatus monitoring signal database 20 instead of storing monitor data of past sample processing. Is different. This can reduce the capacity of the database.

  FIG. 21 shows another example of the display screen of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The window 22 displays the processing state fluctuation for each wafer. In the window 22, for example, the processed wafers are arranged in time series on the horizontal axis, and the apparatus monitoring signal of each wafer is plotted on the vertical axis. In the window 22, a description 21 of an event that has occurred in the apparatus may be added. As this event, not only the processing apparatus currently being processed but also an event that has occurred in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which the displayed wafer has been processed in the past may be acquired and displayed via a LAN or the like. The button 24 may serve as a command button for displaying a monitoring type of the device monitoring signal currently displayed in the window 22 and opening a monitoring type setting window. Similarly, the button 25 is a command button for displaying the number of wafers displayed in the window 22 and opening the display sample number setting window. The button 26 is a command button for displaying the device type to be displayed in the window 22, that is, the type of sample, and for opening the device type setting window. The button 27 is a command button for displaying a sample processing section for generating a device monitoring signal to be displayed on the window 22 and opening a window for selecting the sample processing section.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 21, the window 23 displays the processing state variation for each lot. For example, the window 23 is a graph in which processed horizontal lots are arranged in time series on the horizontal axis, and device monitoring signals of each lot are plotted on the vertical axis. In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a sample is processed for a group of several samples called lots.

  In the case of an 8-inch wafer, a group of 25 wafers is often one lot. However, the number of samples contained in one lot varies depending on the case. Although cleaning of the inner wall of the apparatus may be performed between samples one by one, special cleaning may be performed between lots. In addition, the temperature of the chamber may change depending on the free time between lots. For this reason, the apparatus monitoring signal for monitoring the processing of the sample does not always have a constant value even when the sample is stably processed, but often repeats a constant pattern for each lot. In such a case, the conventional monitoring method that only checks that the monitor signal is within a certain range is insufficient.

  In this embodiment, the device monitoring signal is compared with a standard device monitoring signal fluctuation pattern obtained during processing of the corresponding device acquired from the database, and the comparison data is displayed as a device monitoring signal for each lot, and processed. Lots with abnormalities can be easily found. Further, it is more preferable that the device monitoring signal of each material in the lot is displayed on the window 22 when the display portion of each lot is selected with a mouse or the like. In this case, when a lot that seems to be abnormal is found in the window 23, if the display section of this lot is selected, the processing state of each sample of the abnormal lot is displayed in the window 22, and which of the lots having an abnormality is displayed. It is easy to find out if the sample processing was abnormal. The display of the window 23 can also be controlled by a button group 24 ′, 25 ′, 26 ′, 27 ′ having the same function as the window 22.

  Further, by using the standard device monitoring signal fluctuation pattern database, it is possible to detect which of the sample processing categories is abnormal. For each sample processing section, arrange the sample processing sections in descending order of deviation from the standard of the device monitoring signal, and display this order to indicate which sample processing section during processing of one sample is abnormal. Can be shown.

  FIG. 22 shows another embodiment of the display screen of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows an example of the monitoring type selection window, and the monitoring type can be selected from the menu 28. For example, “total level 1” is a monitoring type that displays a rough processing state of the apparatus, and “total level 2” is a processing type monitoring type that monitors further changes in the processing state. “Level 3” is a monitoring type for monitoring finer fluctuations. In addition, there may be an item such as “processing performance” related to machining dimensional accuracy and machining speed, or an item such as “component consumption” indicating the degree of wear of components inside the apparatus. Note that a plurality of types of check boxes 28 may be selected. When a plurality of types of check boxes 28 are selected, a plurality of types of device monitoring signals are displayed in the windows 22 and 23. Further, a display selection button 28 ′ for each sample and a display selection button 28 ″ for each lot may be provided.

  FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows an example of a display sample number setting window. In the case of display for each sample as in the window 22, the display sample number 29 can be selected, and in the case of display for each lot as in the window 23, the number of display lots is displayed. 30 can be selected.

  FIG. 24 shows another example of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows an example of a device selection window, and a plurality of device types of samples to be displayed can be selected by a check box 31. The device label 32 corresponding to the check box 31 lists the device type. For example, when the device name is “T12345F” and “T” and “F” in the device name have meanings in the device structure, the display device name is not “T12345F” but “T”. It is desirable to be able to select all devices that start or all device names that end with "F". In the device label 32, it is possible to select all the same devices as the sample that has been processed immediately before. When there are a plurality of types of recipes, that is, combinations of processing conditions on the same device, each device may be recognized as a different device so that the device can be selected, or another recipe selection window may be prepared.

  FIG. 25 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows an example of a sample processing category selection window, and a plurality of sample processing categories used for generating an apparatus monitoring signal can be selected by a check box 33. One apparatus monitoring signal may be generated and displayed from a plurality of sample processing sections, or a plurality of apparatus monitoring signals may be generated and displayed. The sample processing category label 34 corresponding to the check box 33 displays the sample processing category name. Since the sample processing category required to generate the device monitoring signal varies depending on the monitoring type, it is desirable that the sample processing category name label 34 changes according to the monitoring type selected in the pull-down menu 28.

  FIG. 26 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows another example of the sample processing category selection window. By specifying the step start point 35 and the step end point 35 'on the time axis 36, means for extracting an arbitrary time range as the sample processing category. Is shown.

  FIG. 27 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The figure shows a system for automatically selecting a device monitoring signal to be displayed and a display method according to the usage status of the device. For example, when the “process recipe development” button 37 is pressed, an apparatus monitoring signal such as a predicted machining shape value necessary for developing a process recipe is automatically selected and displayed. In addition, when the “after apparatus cleaning” button 38 is pressed, an apparatus monitoring signal indicating, for example, residual gas necessary after the apparatus cleaning is automatically displayed. Further, when the “stable operation period” button 39 is pressed, a plurality of apparatus monitoring signals indicating the degree of component wear and the machining shape to be monitored in the stable operation period of the apparatus are displayed. If the “Failure Handling” button is pressed, a device monitoring signal reflecting the meshing of the device components is generated from the impedance monitor and displayed. In addition, an event notation section 41 of an appropriate device is displayed on the window 42 for each button.

  FIG. 28 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. In the embodiments so far, for example, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using plasma or the like, it is better to use as many types and number of sensors as possible in order to accurately grasp the processing state of the apparatus. However, when a device is monitored using a large number of sensors, a large amount of monitor data is generated every moment, and it is difficult to generate a device monitoring signal from this.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, a wide variety of monitor data acquired from the sensor 2 is converted into a small number of valid signals 49 by the signal filter 43, and this small number of valid signals is put into the model formula 45 to obtain the device monitor signal 44. The technique of obtaining is effective. Many model formulas are usually prepared, and the corresponding model formula is selected according to the selected monitoring type. The signal filter 43 that generates the effective signal 49 to be substituted into the model formula may be different depending on the monitoring type, and is acquired from the signal filter database 46 by the signal filter selection means 47 and used. The signal filters stored in the signal filter database 46 may be stored in advance, or the eigenvectors obtained by analyzing the monitor data when the processing is normally completed by principal component analysis are used as signal filters. It may be stored in a database. Principal component analysis is a general statistical analysis method that can extract effective signals from a large number of signals in an important order.

  In order to obtain an effective signal 49 used in the model equation 45 for generating a certain device state signal, a special combination of processing settings is processed and principal component analysis is performed, and a signal filter optimal for the device state at that time is regenerated. Also good. The model formula 45 can also be obtained by performing linear modeling such as multiple regression analysis between the device performance to be monitored, for example, the value of the deviation of the machining shape, and the effective signal 49, or from the physical model of the processing. It can also be obtained by predicting 45 function forms and fitting the coefficients. The system shown in FIG. 28 can display a predicted value of a physical quantity that needs to be measured after processing the sample, such as a processed shape of the sample, without displaying it immediately after processing the sample, thereby enabling early abnormality detection.

  FIG. 29 shows another embodiment of the display unit 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of the present invention. The device status monitoring and display methods described so far can also be used for device control. In this embodiment, the device monitoring signal obtained by the device monitoring signal generation unit 5 is passed to the processing performance prediction unit 50, and the processing performance predicted by the processing performance prediction unit 50 is passed to the processing parameter correction amount calculation unit 51. This is a system for calculating the correction amount of the processing parameter for eliminating the deviation of the predicted value of the processing performance from the standard value and passing it to the controller 3 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to control the processing conditions of the next sample.

  As already described, since the processing of the sample in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is repeated in units of lots, the correction amount may be stored and the processing conditions of the sample at the same position in the next lot may be corrected. When the device type of the next lot is different, a correction amount conversion table between devices may be required.

  The display unit of each embodiment described above may be attached to the processing apparatus, or can be mounted so as to be displayed on a terminal in an office or a remote monitoring company via a network. In particular, since the device monitoring data is often much smaller in size than the monitoring data, the load on the network is small and it is optimal for use in remote diagnosis and the like.

  Although these embodiments have been described mainly with respect to semiconductor devices, the same monitoring function can be applied to other sample manufacturing apparatuses and manufacturing methods such as LCD devices.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the sample processing apparatus which becomes the 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of the display part 7 in the sample processing apparatus 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a processing system of a display setting controller for implementing the display of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows one Example of the flow of the data processing of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the monitoring type selection window in the sample processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation | movement flow of the display setting controller 8 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the display sample number setting window in the sample processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation | movement flow of the display setting controller 8 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the display sample number setting window in the sample processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation | movement flow of the display setting controller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the other example of the window of a display part of this invention, and a display setting controller. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data processing system of the display setting controller for implementing the display of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the graph which compared two signals of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the comparison data for every lot by the Example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display screen of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display screen of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other Example of the display part in the sample processing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, 2 ... Sensor, 3 ... Controller, 4 ... Data selection means, 5 ... Apparatus monitoring signal production | generation part, 6 ... Output data buffer, 7 ... Display part, 8 ... Display setting controller, 9 ... Sample processing classification Selection unit, 10 ... Sample processing category selection button, 11 ... Monitoring type setting button, 12 ... Display sample number setting button, 13 ... Device selection unit, 14 ... Device selection button, 15 ... Sample processing category automatic selection unit, 16 ... Monitor Data storage means, 17 ... data load unit, 18 ... database of past signals and standard data, 19 ... processing state comparison / determination unit, 20 ... device monitoring signal database, 21 ... event notation unit, 22 ... window, 23 ... window, 24 ... button, 24 '... button, 25 ... button, 25' ... button, 26 ... button, 26 '... button, 27 ... button, 27' Button, 28 ... Monitoring type menu, 28 '... Selection button for each sample, 28 "... Selection button for each lot, 29 ... Input section, 30 ... End button, 31 ... Check box, 32 ... Device label, 33 ... Check box 34 ... Sample processing category label, 35 ... Step start point, 35 '... Step end point, 36 ... Time axis, 37 ... Button, 38 ... Button, 39 ... Button, 40 ... Button, 41 ... Event notation part, 42 ... Window ... 43 ... Signal filter 44 ... Device monitoring signal 45 ... Model formula 46 ... Signal filter database 47 ... Signal filter selection unit 48 ... Signal filter generation unit 49 ... Valid signal 50 ... Processing performance prediction unit 51: Processing parameter correction amount calculation unit, 52: Standard device monitoring signal, 53: Device monitoring signal

Claims (2)

In a sample processing apparatus for plasma processing a sample in a vacuum vessel,
The sample processing apparatus includes:
A plurality of sensors for detecting, as monitor data, a plurality of types of information relating to the processing state of the sample;
Data selection means for selecting a time range used for monitoring the apparatus in the detected plurality of monitor data;
A signal filter for converting a plurality of monitor data selected by the data selection means into an effective signal;
A model formula for generating a predicted machining shape of the sample from the effective signal;
A display screen for displaying the machining shape prediction value,
A sample processing apparatus that displays a processing shape prediction value on the display screen without measuring a processing shape after processing the sample. In a sample processing apparatus for plasma processing a sample in a vacuum vessel,
The sample processing apparatus includes:
A monitor data acquisition unit that acquires, as monitor data, a plurality of types of information related to the processing state of the sample via a plurality of types of sensors that detect at least light and electrical signals;
A data selection means for selecting a limited partial time range used for monitoring the apparatus in the detected plurality of monitor data;
A signal filter for converting a plurality of monitor data selected by the data selection means into an effective signal;
A processing performance prediction unit that predicts the processed shape of the sample from the effective signal,
The processing parameter correction amount calculation unit calculates a correction amount of the processing parameter for eliminating the deviation between the processed shape of the sample and the standard value predicted by the processing performance prediction unit, and controls the processing parameter of the sample. A sample processing apparatus.

Images