JP4781505B2 - Processing device automatic inspection method and automatic return method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic inspection method and an automatic return method for a processing apparatus for an object to be processed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Processing equipment is generally operated under critical conditions, and since minor abnormalities and contamination can reduce the yield of final products, regular inspection and maintenance are essential. For example, in the case of semiconductor wafer processing equipment, periodic inspections and maintenance are performed about once a day, and automation of work in periodic inspections and inspections after return after maintenance improves work reliability and efficiency. Was necessary for. Traditionally, workers have inspected various inspection items during periodic inspections and when returning after maintenance. Also, when returning after maintenance, the inspection and result are automatically determined according to the limited inspection items and inspection sequence determined in advance, and the normal operation mode may be restored.
[0003]
By the way, these inspection items include inspection items that cannot be inspected while the apparatus is in operation and the apparatus must be stopped once. For this reason, every time inspection or maintenance is performed, an operator must check the operation status of the equipment. If the equipment is in operation, the worker must wait until the equipment stops, or stop the equipment when necessary. there were. In addition, these inspection items include inspection items that can be measured only after the dummy wafer or the like is collected after processing the dummy wafer or the like once, such as particle measurement or film thickness measurement. Therefore, it has conventionally been difficult to automatically perform all periodic inspections and return after maintenance. When performing inspections and maintenance, the operator checks the operating status of the equipment each time and proceeds with manual work. I had to.
[0004]
Furthermore, in recent years, with the increase in the size of wafers and glass substrates to be processed, the processing equipment itself has also increased in size, and the number of workers and man-hours required for manual work by workers has also increased. From this point of view, automation during inspection and maintenance work is becoming an important technical requirement.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of conventional processing apparatus inspection methods and recovery methods. By automating the processing apparatus inspection and maintenance return work, the operating rate of the processing apparatus can be reduced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved processing apparatus automatic inspection method and automatic return method that can be improved.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus for an object to be processed, the registration step for registering in advance at least inspection items and their inspection times, and registration When the inspection time is reached, a confirmation process for confirming the operation status of the processing apparatus, and in this confirmation process, if it is determined that the processing apparatus is not operating, the processing apparatus When it is determined that the processing device is in operation, it includes an inspection process for automatically executing the inspection work for the registered inspection item after waiting for the processing device to finish operating, and a process for determining the completion of the inspection work. An automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus is provided.
[0007]
The processing apparatus preferably includes an inline inspection apparatus, and the inspection items include inspection items using the inline inspection apparatus . Further, it is preferable to further include an abnormality detection response step in which when the abnormality is detected in the inspection step, the abnormality content is notified to the administrator, and the processing apparatus interrupts the inspection work. The inspection items include at least one of ultimate vacuum inspection, leak inspection, flow inspection, discharge inspection, high frequency power supply system inspection, plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, etching characteristic inspection, test transport, and test wafer processing inspection. Is preferably included. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a multivariate analysis method for detecting anomalies and / or determining completion in the inspection process.
[0008]
Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic return method for a processing apparatus for an object to be processed, which is an inspection item when the processing apparatus returns from a maintenance mode to a normal operation mode. A registration process for registering inspection items including at least inspection items using an in-line inspection device and their inspection procedures, and an inspection in which registered inspection items are registered when the processing device is returned from the maintenance mode. There is provided an automatic return method for a processing apparatus comprising an automatic return step for automatically inspecting according to a procedure.
[0009]
It is preferable that the automatic recovery process further includes a process for detecting an abnormality when the abnormality is detected and the administrator is notified of the abnormality and the processing apparatus interrupts the inspection work. The inspection items include at least one of ultimate vacuum inspection, leak inspection, flow inspection, discharge inspection, high frequency power supply system inspection, plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, etching characteristic inspection, test transport, and test wafer processing inspection. Is preferably included. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a multivariate analysis method for detecting anomalies and / or determining completion in the inspection process.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an automatic inspection method and an automatic return method for a processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, members having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.
[0011]
First, a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus to which an automatic inspection method and an automatic return method according to the present embodiment can be applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0012]
The illustrated processing apparatus 100 is a multi-chamber apparatus capable of performing a plurality of processes simultaneously, and performs a process such as etching on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) as an object to be processed. A plurality of processing chambers 102 and 104 are arranged in parallel. One end of load lock chambers 110 and 112 as vacuum preparatory chambers equipped with transfer arms 106 and 108 as transfer means is connected to each processing chamber 102 and 104 via gate valves 114 and 116.
[0013]
Furthermore, one side surface in the longitudinal direction of a transfer chamber 124 as a common transport path is connected to the other end of the load lock chambers 110 and 112 via gate valves 118 and 120. The illustrated transfer chamber 124 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is provided with a transfer arm 128 as a transfer means movable in the longitudinal direction. Further, a spare chamber 130 is connected to one side surface of the transfer chamber 124 in the short direction. In addition to the pre-alignment stage for performing pre-alignment of the wafer, the preliminary chamber 130 is provided with an in-line inspection device capable of performing wafer particle inspection, film thickness inspection, and the like. In the illustrated example, the spare chamber 130 is configured to serve as both the pre-alignment chamber and the in-line inspection chamber, but each chamber may be configured separately.
[0014]
A particle inspection apparatus as an in-line inspection apparatus irradiates a laser beam on a wafer surface, detects light irregularly reflected by particles, and measures the size of the particles from the intensity. Further, the laser beam and the wafer move relative to each other, and the entire surface of the wafer is set as a measurement region, and the position on the wafer is measured. In addition, the particle inspection apparatus has a particle size of 0.2 μm or more, preferably 0.1 μm or more, regardless of whether a pattern is formed on the wafer or a multilayer film is formed. It is preferable to have the ability to detect. A film thickness inspection apparatus as an in-line inspection apparatus irradiates the wafer surface with laser light or LED light, and measures the film thickness from the intensity change of the irradiation light from the upper surface and the lower surface of the film. In addition, the film thickness inspection device measures the thickness of the outermost film with a reproducibility within ± 5 angstroms, preferably within ± 2 angstroms, even when multiple layers are formed on the wafer. can do. Data obtained by these in-line inspection apparatuses can be monitored on the apparatus operation screen, stored in the control unit, and used as multivariate analysis data for evaluating the apparatus state.
[0015]
A plurality of, for example, three wafer cassettes 138, 140, 142 mounted on the cassette stage 138 are connected to the other side surface in the longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 124 via gate valves 132, 134, 136. The wafer cassettes 138, 140, and 142 are configured so that a plurality of wafers can be accommodated at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. Further, a fine coil unit 144 is installed on the upper portion of the transfer chamber 124 so that clean air can be fed into the transfer chamber.
[0016]
The operation of the processing apparatus 100 will be briefly described. First, the transfer arm 128 moves in the transfer chamber 124 and takes out the wafer W from the selected loading wafer cassette 138. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the preliminary chamber 130 and pre-aligned, and then transferred to the transfer arm 106 in the selected load lock chamber 110. The transfer arm 106 places the wafer W on the mounting table 146 in the processing chamber 102. Thereafter, in the processing chamber 102, after a predetermined processing, for example, plasma processing is performed on the wafer W, the wafer W is loaded in the reverse order, and the wafer W is loaded into the load lock chamber 110, the transfer chamber 124, and the selected unloading wafer cassette. It is carried out to 142, and a series of processings are ended.
[0017]
After the above processing is performed for a predetermined time or for a predetermined number of lots, it is necessary to perform predetermined inspection and maintenance. Hereinafter, the automatic inspection method for the processing apparatus according to the present embodiment and the automatic return method from the maintenance mode will be described in detail.
[0018]
First, an automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, according to the present embodiment, the inspection items to be performed at the time of the inspection operation of the processing apparatus are first registered in advance. (S302). As a registration method, a macro for inspection can be described in advance, and various parameters can be described in the macro.
[0019]
The inspection items that can be registered can be arbitrarily set. For example, the following items can be registered. Process module (processing room) virtual volume measurement, pressure gauge zero-tone inspection, pressure gauge zero-tone calibration, pressure gauge sensitivity / linearity inspection, flow meter zero point inspection, flow meter zero point calibration, flow meter sensitivity / stability inspection, Flow meter FLOW VERIFY, flow meter self-diagnosis, back cooling gas pressure gauge zero adjustment calibration, process module exhaust test, load lock module exhaust test, process module leak test, load lock module leak test, discharge test, high frequency power supply system test, Plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, film thickness inspection, dummy transfer inspection, test wafer processing inspection, etc.
[0020]
Among these inspection items, particle inspection, film thickness inspection, dummy transfer inspection, test wafer processing inspection, etc., actually operate the processing equipment, process dummy wafers and test wafers, and process with inline inspection equipment etc. This is a necessary item. Furthermore, it is also possible to input parameters relating to abnormality determination criteria for each inspection item. In addition, the statistical values indicating a small number of equipment states are obtained by multivariate analysis of the measured values of all or multiple inspection items acquired over time, and based on this, comprehensive equipment abnormality criteria or maintenance is performed. It is also possible to set a later return completion criterion. By automating these comprehensive judgments that have been performed by workers in the past, periodic inspections and return work after maintenance can be automated.
[0021]
Furthermore, an execution trigger can be set as a parameter to be registered in the automatic inspection macro. The execution trigger is an item that sets the timing for executing the above inspection macro, and sets the time (can be set at execution intervals such as minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months), lots, number of wafers, discharge time, etc. It is possible.
[0022]
As described above, after the inspection items are registered in step S302, the processing apparatus is operated as usual. When the time for performing the inspection work set in advance in the execution trigger item is reached (S304), according to the present embodiment, the operating status of the processing apparatus is confirmed (S306). In this confirmation step (S306), if it is determined that the processing device is not operating, the registered contents are immediately inspected automatically (S308). On the other hand, if it is determined in the confirmation step (S306) that the processing apparatus is in operation, the registered contents are inspected after the processing apparatus is ended, for example, after the wafer is carried out or the lot is completed. Done automatically. In the confirmation step (S306), when it is determined that the processing apparatus is operating, it is possible to set so as to skip the inspection item specified by the inspection macro.
[0023]
Also, for inspection items using in-line inspection equipment such as particle inspection and film thickness measurement, and inspection items that require time such as dummy conveyance for inspecting the conveyance system, as an execution trigger, before lot processing, lot processing It is also possible to calibrate so that inspection items that do not require inspection time during the lot processing are mainly executed by concentrating on the front and back of the lot by specifying after or after the lot processing.
[0024]
In the inspection step (S308), if no abnormality is detected as a result of the determination based on the abnormality determination standard for each inspection item, the respective inspections are sequentially advanced in the same manner. Finally, test results are comprehensively determined based on the equipment abnormality criteria for a small number of statistical parameters obtained by multivariate analysis of all or multiple test items acquired over time. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, it is determined that the inspection has been completed, and the series of inspection operations is terminated (S312). On the other hand, if an abnormality is detected in the inspection step (S308), the abnormality detection content is notified to the worker (S314), and if necessary, the inspection operation is interrupted (S316). Wait for instructions. However, if the detected abnormality is minor, it can be configured to continue the inspection work.
[0025]
In the inspection step (S308), various determination methods can be employed particularly for abnormality detection by comprehensive determination of the apparatus state to be finally performed. However, a multivariate analysis method such as principal component analysis is used. Therefore, more reliable abnormality detection can be performed. In Principal Component Analysis, the device state is represented by only one or a small number of statistical data indicating the overall characteristics of multiple types of inspection data called principal components. Can be evaluated and grasped. Specifically, for example, the inspection data of all the inspection items when the apparatus is in a normal state is acquired a plurality of times in advance, and the principal component analysis of the obtained plurality of inspection data is performed. Determine the values you want. Then, the inspection data of all inspection items when actually inspecting are applied to the equation for calculating the first principal component to obtain the value of the first principal component, and the values of the first principal component in the normal state are compared. If it is within the predetermined range, it can be determined that there is no abnormality. Note that if there are n inspection items, there are up to n-th principal component, that is, n components, and the first principal component is generally the most reliable.
[0026]
As described above, according to the automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the inline inspection apparatus is changed to a processing apparatus by automatically determining the completion of a comprehensive inspection using multivariate analysis. It is possible to measure automation even if it is an inspection item that has been difficult to automate in the past as in the case where it is provided. In addition, since the operation status of the processing apparatus is confirmed when the inspection work is executed, a flexible inspection work can be automatically executed as if the worker performs the inspection work manually.
[0027]
Next, an automatic return method for the processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As already explained, the processing apparatus needs to be maintained regularly or as needed. After the predetermined maintenance is completed, it is necessary to inspect predetermined inspection items by a predetermined procedure and return to the normal operation mode. In this regard, in the past, when returning after maintenance, workers performed inspections one by one while determining the inspection items for various inspection items. However, according to the automatic return method of the processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the return from the maintenance work including in-line inspection such as particle inspection and film thickness measurement to the normal operation mode has been completed by the conventional worker. It is possible to carry out automatically including comprehensive judgment.
[0028]
In order to execute the processing apparatus automatic return method according to the present embodiment, it is necessary to register in advance the processing content and procedure performed when the processing apparatus returns from the maintenance operation to the normal operation mode (S402). As a registration method, it is possible to describe a macro for inspection in advance and describe various parameters in the macro in the same manner as the automatic inspection method for the processing apparatus described above.
[0029]
The inspection items that can be registered can be arbitrarily set in the same manner as the automatic inspection method of the processing apparatus described above. For example, the following items can be registered. Process module (processing room) virtual volume measurement, pressure gauge zero-tone inspection, pressure gauge zero-tone calibration, pressure gauge sensitivity / linearity inspection, flow meter zero point inspection, flow meter zero point calibration, flow meter sensitivity / stability inspection, Flow meter FLOW VERIFY, flow meter self-diagnosis, back cooling gas pressure gauge zero adjustment calibration, process module exhaust test, load lock module exhaust test, process module leak test, load lock module leak test, discharge test, high frequency power supply system test, Plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, film thickness inspection, dummy transfer inspection, test wafer processing inspection, etc.
[0030]
Among these inspection items, particle inspection, film thickness inspection, dummy transfer inspection, test wafer processing inspection, etc., actually operate the processing equipment, process dummy wafers and test wafers, and process with inline inspection equipment etc. This is a necessary item. Furthermore, it is also possible to input parameters relating to abnormality determination criteria for each inspection item. In addition, the statistical values indicating a small number of equipment states are obtained by multivariate analysis of the measured values of all or multiple inspection items acquired over time, and based on this, comprehensive equipment abnormality criteria or maintenance is performed. It is also possible to set a later return completion criterion. By automating these comprehensive judgments that have been performed by workers in the past, periodic inspections and return work after maintenance can be automated.
[0031]
After the inspection items are registered in advance as described above, periodic maintenance or maintenance as necessary is performed on the processing apparatus (S404). After the maintenance is completed as usual, the processing apparatus is returned from the maintenance state according to the automatic return method according to the present embodiment (S406). At the time of return, in the registration step (S402), the return work is automatically performed according to the inspection contents and procedure registered in advance (S408).
[0032]
At the time of the return process (S408), it is determined based on the abnormality criterion whether or not an abnormality has occurred for each inspection item (S410). In this abnormality determination step (S410), if no abnormality is detected as a result of determination based on the abnormality determination standard for each inspection item, the respective inspections are sequentially advanced in the same manner. Finally, test results are comprehensively determined based on the equipment abnormality criteria for a small number of statistical parameters obtained by multivariate analysis of all or multiple test items acquired over time. If it is determined that there is no abnormality, it is determined that the inspection has been completed, the return process is terminated, and the process proceeds to the normal operation mode (S412). On the other hand, when an abnormality is detected in the abnormality determination step (S410), the abnormality detection content is notified to the worker or the like, and if necessary, the return process is interrupted (S414). Wait for instructions. However, if the detected abnormality is minor, it can be configured to continue the restoration process.
[0033]
As described above, according to the automatic return method of the processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the in-line inspection apparatus is provided in the processing apparatus by automatically determining the completion of the comprehensive return using multivariate analysis. As in the case, it is possible to measure automation even for a return work item from maintenance that has been difficult to automate.
[0034]
The preferred embodiments of the automatic inspection method and automatic return method of the processing apparatus according to the present embodiment have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the automatic inspection method and automatic return method of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, an inline inspection apparatus is provided in the processing apparatus by automatically determining completion of comprehensive inspection and return using multivariate analysis. As in the case, it is possible to automate the periodic inspection and the return processing from the maintenance mode to the normal operation mode, which were conventionally difficult to automate. In addition, the reliability of these operations can be improved and the burden on workers can be greatly reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus to which an automatic inspection method and an automatic return method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus to which an automatic inspection method and an automatic return method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps of an automatic inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing steps of an automatic return method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 Processing apparatus 102, 104 Processing chamber 106, 108 Transfer arm 110, 112 Load lock chamber 114, 116 Gate valve 118, 120 Gate valve 124 Transfer chamber 128 Transfer arm 130 Preliminary chamber 132, 134, 136 Gate valve 137 Cassette stage 140, 142, 144 Wafer cassette 145 Fan coil unit 146 Mounting table W Wafer

Claims (10)

An automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus for a workpiece,
A registration process for pre-registering at least inspection items and their inspection time;
A confirmation process for confirming the operating status of the processing device when the registered inspection time is reached;
In the confirmation step, when it is determined that the processing device is not operating, the processing device is registered immediately after it is determined that the processing device is operating. An inspection process for automatically performing inspection work on inspection items;
A process for determining completion of inspection work;
A method for automatically inspecting a processing apparatus.   2. The processing apparatus automatic inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus includes an in-line inspection apparatus, and the inspection items include an inspection item using the in-line inspection apparatus.   2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of responding to an abnormality detection in which, when an abnormality is detected in the inspection step, an abnormality content is notified to an administrator, and the processing apparatus interrupts the inspection operation. Or the automatic inspection method of the processing apparatus of 2.   The inspection items include at least one of ultimate vacuum inspection, leak inspection, flow inspection, discharge inspection, high-frequency power supply system inspection, plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, etching characteristic inspection, test transport, and test wafer processing inspection. The method for automatically inspecting a processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The automatic inspection method for a processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a multivariate analysis method is used to detect abnormality and / or determine completion in the inspection step. . An automatic return method for a processing device for a workpiece,
A registration step for registering in advance inspection items including inspection items using at least an in-line inspection device and inspection procedures when the processing device returns from the maintenance mode to the normal operation mode;
An automatic return process for automatically inspecting registered inspection items according to a registered inspection procedure when returning the processing device from maintenance mode;
An item for determining the completion of the inspection;
A method for automatically returning a processing apparatus, comprising: 7. The processing apparatus automatic return method according to claim 6, wherein the processing device includes an in-line inspection device, and the inspection item includes an inspection item using the in-line inspection device. An abnormality detection response step of notifying an administrator of the content of an abnormality when the abnormality is detected in the automatic recovery step and interrupting the inspection work by the processing device. The automatic return method of the processing apparatus of 6 or 7. The inspection items include at least one of ultimate vacuum inspection, leak inspection, flow inspection, discharge inspection, high-frequency power supply system inspection, plasma emission inspection, particle inspection, etching characteristic inspection, test transport, and test wafer processing inspection. The method for automatically returning a processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing apparatus is automatically restored . 10. The automatic return method for a processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a multivariate analysis method is used to detect abnormality and / or determine completion in the inspection process. .

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