JPH1041203A - Manufacturing system of semiconductor device and manufacture of semiconductor device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the rate of good articles with no lowering of the rate of operation of a device by a concentrated control of the data relating to foreign matters in each process of the manufacturing processes of a semiconductor wafer so as to identify a process for cleaning from these control data. SOLUTION: A manufacturing process of a semiconductor device comprises a process (S1) of forming a film by using for instance, a sputtering method or a CVD method, a photoengraving process baking a desired pattern and an etching process (E1) performing a pattern process according to the pattern. The number of foreign matters is detected in every process being the generation sources of these actual foreign matters for performing batch control thereof. Then, the foreign matter data from the etching device (E1) or the like are concentratedly controlled by a host computer 5. Then, finally the correlation between the data and a yield coefficient or the like are analysed for identifying which process device should be cleaned at what timing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing system and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device manufacturing system for detecting foreign matter during a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process. And a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing an etching apparatus which is one of conventional semiconductor wafer manufacturing apparatuses.
Referring to FIG. 15, a conventional etching apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 101 for performing an etching process, and a load lock chamber 102 used when loading and unloading wafers 104 and 105. Vacuum chamber 10
A pair of electrodes 107 and 108 opposed to each other are provided in one.
Is installed. The electrode 107 is grounded, and the high frequency power supply 103 is connected to the electrode 108. An etching gas supply device 106 for supplying an etching gas is connected to the vacuum chamber 101.

An etching step is indispensable in a method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers 104 and 105. When using the etching apparatus 100, a semiconductor material gas (etching gas) is introduced into the vacuum chamber 101. Then, a high-frequency output is applied between the electrodes 108 and 107 by the high-frequency power source 103 to cause plasma discharge to form gas plasma. Etching is performed by this gas plasma.

Recently, fine patterning has been progressing,
Processing is becoming impossible with only conventional dry etching techniques. Therefore, conventionally, it has been proposed to use, as an etching gas, a deposition (deposition) gas that protects an etching side wall from a gas only for etching. By converting such a deposition gas into gas plasma, etching can be performed while protecting the side wall of the object to be etched.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned method using a depot gas as an etching gas, deposits of the depot gas during etching are accumulated on a semiconductor wafer to be etched and become foreign matters. However, there is a problem that the foreign matter lowers the yield (rate of non-defective products) during wafer manufacturing. Conventionally, in order to solve such inconvenience, as shown in FIG. 15, the semiconductor wafer 105 in the manufacturing process where etching has been actually performed is once carried out of the etching apparatus 100 to perform a foreign substance inspection. Then, based on the result of the foreign substance inspection, processing is performed by a method such as cleaning the etching chamber 101, cleaning other parts, or replacing the electrodes 107 and 108 according to the number of foreign substances. However, when the number of foreign substances is to be cleaned, and when the number of foreign substances is, the cleaning of the vacuum chamber 101 or the electrode 107 is performed.
All of the criteria for exchanging the parts 108 and 108 are empirically determined, and it is difficult to perform appropriate cleaning. In other words, in the past, the standard of how much foreign matter should be cleaned was ambiguous, and the standard of how much foreign matter should be cleaned where and how much should be cleaned was ambiguous. It was difficult to perform a proper cleaning. As a result, cleaning may be performed unnecessarily, and in that case, there is a problem that the operation rate of the apparatus is reduced. In addition, there is also a disadvantage that the cleaning is not performed on an apparatus that originally needs cleaning, and in this case, the defective rate of a completed device increases, and it is difficult to improve the yield. Although foreign matter was generated in steps other than the etching step, there was a problem that the standard was ambiguous in this case as well.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide:
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing system capable of improving the yield (non-defective product rate) without lowering the operation rate of the device, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the same.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing system and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the same, which can perform appropriate cleaning of a manufacturing apparatus corresponding to each manufacturing process. Aim.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing system including a collective managing unit and a determining unit. The collective management means is for centrally managing data on foreign matter in each step of the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process. The determining means is for determining a process to be cleaned based on data by the collective managing means. Such collective management means and determination means are constituted by, for example, a host computer. In this way, by centrally managing the data on foreign matter during the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, it is possible to easily analyze the relationship between the data on foreign matter in each process and the product defect rate, and as a result, the defect rate is significantly reduced. It is possible to understand the process that affects. As a result, the number of foreign substances in the process is mainly controlled and cleaning is performed.
The defective rate can also be reduced more effectively. Further, the number of times of cleaning can be reduced in a process that does not significantly affect the defect rate, and as a result, the yield can be improved without lowering the operation rate.

A semiconductor device manufacturing system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a manufacturing apparatus and an inspection apparatus corresponding to each step, and collectively manages data relating to foreign substances by the collective management means. Configured to be transmitted online from the device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor device manufacturing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the manufacturing apparatus further includes a manufacturing apparatus corresponding to each step, and the manufacturing apparatus detects foreign matter in the manufacturing apparatus. It is configured to include means for performing

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing system according to the first aspect, further including a manufacturing apparatus corresponding to each step, wherein the manufacturing apparatus cleans the inside of the manufacturing apparatus. It is configured to include a cleaning unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the semiconductor device manufacturing system according to the fourth aspect, the cleaning means corresponds to the step in which the cleaning is determined to be necessary when the determining means determines that the cleaning is required. The cleaning of the manufacturing apparatus to be performed is performed.

The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 6 includes a step of collectively managing and a step of determining. In the step of collectively managing, data relating to foreign matter in each process during the manufacture of the semiconductor wafer is collectively managed. In the determining step, a process to be cleaned is determined based on the collectively managed data. Thus, the same effect as the first aspect can be obtained.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device will be described with reference to FIG. In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a step of forming a film using a sputtering method or a CVD method (S1), a photoengraving step of printing a desired pattern (P1), and pattern processing according to the pattern. And an etching step (E1). Each of these steps is actually a source of foreign matter.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of foreign substances is detected for each process, and these are collectively managed. As a result, a process and an apparatus in which a large amount of foreign matter is generated become clear, and as a result, an accurate cleaning process for reducing the foreign matter can be performed, which leads to an improvement in the operation rate and the yield.

In order to collectively manage the number of foreign substances corresponding to each manufacturing process as described above, for example, a configuration as shown in FIG. 2 can be considered. In FIG. 2, manufacturing apparatuses corresponding to respective processes such as an etching apparatus (E1), a sputtering apparatus (S1), a CVD apparatus (C1), and another etching apparatus (E2), a foreign substance analyzing apparatus (I1), and a foreign substance inspection machine An inspection device such as (I2) is connected to the host computer (host computer) 5 together. And an etching device (E1)
Foreign matter data from the host computer 5 is centrally managed by the host computer 5. In this case, the number of foreign substances detected by the etching apparatus (E1) or the like is file-managed for each wafer process and transmitted to the host computer 5 online. All the data of each process is transmitted to the host computer 5 online, data accumulation and statistical processing are performed, and trend management (trend management) is performed for each file.

In order to achieve the configuration shown in FIG. 2, a configuration different from the conventional one is required on the manufacturing apparatus side. FIG. 3 shows a specific structure of the etching apparatus (E1) for achieving the configuration shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, in this etching apparatus, a sensor 10 for detecting foreign matter in vacuum chamber 2 is provided in vacuum chamber 2.
a and 10b are provided. And the sensor 10b
The CPU 4 that receives signals from the host computer and exchanges signals with the host computer 5 is also provided in the etching apparatus (E1).

Further, a cleaning gas supply device 8 for supplying a cleaning gas into the vacuum chamber 2 when it is determined that cleaning is necessary is provided.
A valve 9 is provided between the cleaning gas supply device 8 and the vacuum chamber 2. Similarly, an etching gas supply device 6 and a valve 7 are provided. By configuring the etching apparatus (E1) in this way, it is possible to achieve batch management of the foreign matter count data as shown in FIG. Specifically, the number of foreign substances during the etching process is detected by the sensors 10a and 10b, a detection signal is sent to the CPU 4, and data is transmitted from the CPU 4 to the host computer 5 online.

The sputtering apparatus (S1) shown in FIG.
The etching apparatus E1 shown in FIG. 3 also includes the D apparatus (C1).
The configuration shown in FIG. 2 can achieve the system shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a foreign substance analyzer (I2) (for example, a foreign substance analyzer of KLA, a pretester with a fail bit map function, etc.)
Is transmitted to the host computer 5 to perform data accumulation and statistical processing.

Here, the KLA data is data detected by a foreign substance analyzer of KLA, specifically, data obtained by detecting and analyzing the location, number and contents of foreign substances on a wafer during a process. is there. In addition, the fail bit map is used to detect and analyze the position of a defective chip on the wafer, the position of the defective chip in the chip, the number of defects, and the content of the defect when measuring the electrical characteristics in the final wafer process. Data. The statistical processing method in the system shown in FIG. 2 includes statistical processing for each process, trend (trend) management, statistical processing between processes, a combination of processes, trend management, correlation between yield data and each process. Relational statistics processing,
Statistical processing of correlation between foreign matter inspection machines and foreign matter analyzers,
Foreign matter generation analysis processing is performed based on the foreign matter analyzer data.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show examples of the above-described statistical processing and trend management for each process. FIG. 4 shows two examples ((a), FIG. 4) of the foreign matter number measurement data of the sputtering apparatus (S1) in the sputter film forming step of FIG.
(B)), and FIG. 5 shows two examples ((a) and (b)) of the foreign matter count measurement data of the etching apparatus (E1) in the etching step. FIG. 6 shows measurement data of the number of foreign substances for each processed wafer of the foreign substance analyzing apparatus (I1) in the foreign substance analysis step. Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that in the case of (a), the number of foreign substances is always smaller than the preset reference value. However, in the case of (b), it can be seen that the number of foreign substances in the predetermined time exceeds the reference value. Similarly, in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the number of foreign substances does not exceed the reference value in (a), but exceeds the reference value in (b). Further, as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that there is a processed wafer exceeding the reference value even in the foreign substance count data by the foreign substance analyzing apparatus.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of statistical processing between the above-described processes and statistical processing by a combination of the processes. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the foreign matter count data of the foreign matter analyzer (I1) and the etching apparatus (E1), and FIG. 8 shows the foreign matter analyzer (I1).
The relationship between the data of the number of foreign substances and the data of the number of foreign substances of the sputtering apparatus (S1) is shown. Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG.
It can be seen that there is a correlation between the number of foreign substances in I1 and the number of foreign substances in E1, but there is not much correlation between the number of foreign substances in I1 and the number of foreign substances in S1.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show examples of the correlation between the above-described yield data and each process. FIG.
FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the foreign matter count data of the etching apparatus (E1) and the device yield, and FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the foreign matter count data of the sputtering apparatus (S1) and the device yield. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, it can be seen that there is a correlation between the device yield and the number of foreign substances in the etching apparatus (E1), but there is little correlation between the device yield and the data on the number of foreign substances in the sputtering apparatus. .

Based on the statistical processing results shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, there is little correlation between the number of foreign substances in the sputtering apparatus and the device yield. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It can be seen that cleaning is not necessarily required even when the number is large. FIG. 11 shows four cases in which the examples of (a) and (b) shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are combined. Referring to FIG. 11, when the number of foreign particles in etching apparatus (E1) is lower than the reference value as in Case 3, (a), even if the number of foreign particles in sputtering apparatus (S1) exceeds the reference value. However, (b), cleaning need not always be performed. Conventionally, in the case of the case 3, the sputtering apparatus is cleaned, but in the present embodiment, the cleaning can be omitted, and the yield can be improved without lowering the operation rate of the apparatus. Can be.

The above-described statistical processing of the correlation between the foreign substance analyzing devices is not shown in the figure.
The correlation between the foreign substance data in the LA device (the number of foreign substances in each process) and the fail bit data (the probability that the chip becomes NG as an electrical characteristic) in the pretester is calculated. This allows
We will find out the processes that are truly involved in the yield, and reduce and enhance the management of the foreign substances based on the correlation data. In the foreign matter generation analysis processing using the above foreign matter analysis device data, the KLA data (the place of the foreign matter in each process) and the fail bit map data (the place where the chip becomes NG as an electrical characteristic) are superimposed to generate the foreign matter. Perform source analysis. A specific example will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 shows fail bitmap data (a place where a chip becomes NG as an electrical characteristic) with an x mark. FIG. 13 shows the location of foreign matter in each process analyzed by a foreign matter analyzer (I1) manufactured by KLA. A mark indicates the location of the foreign matter.
A circle is attached to a place of the cross in FIG. 12 corresponding to a place where the cross in FIG. 12 matches the circle in FIG. It can be seen that a chip defect has occurred at a position having both the X and O marks shown in FIG.

By the above-mentioned statistical processing, it is possible to analyze in which process the foreign matter affects the yield of the product, and it is possible to mainly manage the process which affects the characteristics of the device. There is an advantage.

It should be noted that changes in the device configuration, changes in the device itself,
The above-described correlations change due to a change in the process and a change in the product type. Therefore, it is necessary to determine a treatment method (cleaning method) based on the result of the statistical processing by the host computer 5.

In the present embodiment, the number of foreign substances in each process is collectively managed using the host computer 5 as described above, and the correlation between the data and the final product yield is analyzed. Accordingly, it is possible to easily determine at which timing the manufacturing apparatus of which process should be cleaned. Further, for the device to be cleaned which is found by the host computer 5, a signal is sent to each process device to issue a cleaning instruction. As a result, signals are processed in the CPU of each device.
In the etching apparatus shown in (1), the etching process is interrupted and the sequence is changed to a self-cleaning sequence. Thereby, the supply of the etching gas from the etching gas supply device 6 is automatically stopped by the valve 7, and thereafter, the cleaning gas is automatically supplied from the cleaning gas supply device 8 into the vacuum chamber 2 by operating the valve 9. , Cleaning is performed. Similar operations are performed for other devices.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic flow of the cleaning operation by the host computer described above. FIG.
, This processing is all performed online. The foreign substance analyzer can also analyze the type of foreign substance (whether it is dust or metal), and the pretester with a fail bit can analyze in which process a failure has occurred.

In the above embodiment, a combination of an etching apparatus and a sputtering apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to a combination of apparatuses between other processes. In addition, although a case has been described where the determination of cleaning is performed based on a combination of the foreign substance analysis data and the foreign substance count data of each step, the determination may be made based only on the foreign substance count data of each step. The same effect is obtained if statistical processing is possible. Further, it may be determined at which step cleaning should be performed based on a combination of only the foreign substance analysis data. Further, in the present embodiment, the method of detecting foreign matter data inside the apparatus and transmitting the foreign matter data to the host computer online has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a method of detecting the number data of foreign substances may be used. Further, in the semiconductor manufacturing system including six or more devices shown in FIG. 2, a foreign matter number detecting means may be provided for each device to bring the device online.

[0031]

As described above, according to the semiconductor device manufacturing system according to the first to fifth aspects, by appropriately cleaning the manufacturing apparatus in each step, the operating rate of the apparatus is not reduced. Yield (non-defective rate) can be improved.

According to the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the sixth aspect, unnecessary cleaning can be omitted, so that the yield can be improved without lowering the operation rate of the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a semiconductor device manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing details of a host computer and an etching apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between time and foreign matter count data in the sputter film forming step shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between time and foreign matter count data in the etching step shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing foreign matter count data for each processing wafer in the foreign matter analyzing apparatus in the foreign matter analyzing step shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between the number of foreign substances in the foreign substance analyzer (I1) and the number of foreign substances in the etching apparatus (E1).

FIG. 8 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between the number of foreign substances in the foreign substance analyzing apparatus (I1) and the number of foreign substances in the sputtering apparatus (S1) in the foreign substance analyzing step shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between a device yield and the number of foreign substances in the etching apparatus (E1).

FIG. 10 is a correlation diagram showing a relationship between a device yield and the number of foreign particles in the sputtering apparatus (S1).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a combination treatment method in the cases (a) and (b) shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a position of a defective chip on a semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the position of a foreign substance on a semiconductor wafer by the foreign substance analyzing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a schematic flow of a cleaning operation by the host computer of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows the structure of a conventional etching apparatus and the inspection of foreign matter.
It is a schematic diagram for explaining a processing process.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 vacuum chamber, 4 CPU, 5 host computer,
8 cleaning gas supply device, 9 valve, 10a,
10b Sensor.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A collective management means for centrally managing data relating to foreign matter in each step of a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, and a determination for determining a step to be cleaned based on data by the collective management means. And a means for manufacturing a semiconductor device. 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a manufacturing apparatus and an inspection apparatus corresponding to each of said steps, wherein data relating to said foreign matter is transmitted online from said manufacturing apparatus and said inspection apparatus to said collective management means. Manufacturing system. 3. A manufacturing apparatus corresponding to each of the steps,
2. The semiconductor device manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein said manufacturing apparatus includes a unit for detecting a foreign substance in said manufacturing apparatus. 4. The semiconductor device manufacturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a manufacturing apparatus corresponding to each of the steps, wherein the manufacturing apparatus includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the inside of the manufacturing apparatus. 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein said cleaning means cleans the manufacturing apparatus corresponding to the step determined to require cleaning when said determination means determines that cleaning is necessary. Manufacturing system. 6. A semiconductor device, comprising: a step of collectively managing data relating to foreign matter in each step of a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process; and a step of determining a step to be cleaned based on the collectively managed data. Manufacturing method.