Calibration of electronic processing systems

Abstract

The calibration object is placed in a first station of the electronic processing device with a target orientation using a first robotic arm, and then retrieved from the station using the same first robotic arm. The calibration object is transferred to an alignment station using a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, and / or a loading lock, wherein the calibration object has a first orientation at the alignment station. The first orientation at the alignment station is determined. A characteristic error value is determined based on the first orientation. The alignment station uses the characteristic error value to align the object to be placed in the first station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to methods and systems for calibrating components of an electronic processing system, and more specifically to transmission sequences between components of a calibrating electronic processing system. Background Technology

[0002] An electronic processing system may include one or more robotic arms for transporting a substrate from a first station of the electronic processing system to a second station. In the electronic processing system, the substrate or object is moved from the first station and positioned at the second station with a target orientation. Often, one or more systematic errors associated with the first station, the second station, and / or one or more robotic arms may prevent the robotic arms from positioning the substrate or object at the second station with a target orientation. For example, the electronic processing system may include an alignment station and a processing chamber, wherein a substrate or object can be picked up by a robotic arm from the alignment station for targeted transfer to the processing chamber. The alignment station and / or processing chamber may be associated with characteristic errors caused by a variety of sources, such as improper installation of the alignment station and / or processing chamber during the construction of the processing system, small errors in robotic arm positioning and / or orientation, etc. Therefore, the orientation and / or positioning of the substrate or object may have small errors when transferring it from the alignment station to the processing chamber. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Some of the embodiments described cover a method for a transfer sequence between an alignment station and another station in a calibration electronic processing system. A calibration object is placed in a first station of the electronic processing system with a target orientation using a first robotic arm, and then retrieved from the station using the same first robotic arm. The calibration object is transferred to the alignment station using a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, and / or a loading lock, wherein the calibration object has a first orientation at the alignment station. The first orientation at the alignment station is determined. A characteristic error value is determined based on the first orientation. In one embodiment, the difference between the first orientation and an initial target orientation at the alignment station is determined, wherein the initial target orientation at the alignment station is associated with a target orientation in the first station, and a characteristic error value is determined based on the difference between the first orientation and the initial target orientation. The characteristic error value is recorded in a storage medium. The alignment station uses the characteristic error value to align the object to be placed in the first station.

[0004] In some embodiments, a calibration object for an electronic processing system includes a body sized to fit through a slit valve of the electronic processing system. The body includes a first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces configured to engage with corresponding first plurality of registration features of a first station of the electronic processing system and to guide the calibration object to target localization and orientation at the first station. The body further includes a reference datum disposed on one side of the body, wherein the reference datum is used to determine the orientation of the calibration object. The calibration object is configured to achieve target localization and / or orientation when placed in a station of the electronic processing system, even if the calibration object is initially placed at the station with incorrect orientation and / or localization.

[0005] In some embodiments, an electronic processing system includes: a transfer chamber including a first robotic arm; a plurality of processing chambers connected to the transfer chamber; a load lock connected to the transfer chamber; a factory interface connected to the load lock, the factory interface including a second robotic arm and an alignment station; and a controller operatively connected to the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the alignment station. The controller causes the first or second robotic arm to retrieve a calibration object from a first station of the electronic processing system, the calibration object having a target orientation in the first station, wherein the first station is in a processing chamber, a side storage compartment (SSP), a load lock, a loading inlet, or a front-opening standard compartment (FOUP) among the plurality of processing chambers. The controller further causes the calibration object to be transferred to the alignment station using at least one of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, or the load lock, wherein the calibration object has a first orientation at the alignment station. The controller further determines the first orientation at the alignment station. In one embodiment, the controller determines a difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and an initial target orientation at the alignment station, wherein the initial target orientation at the alignment station is associated with a target orientation in the first station. The controller further determines a first feature error value associated with the first station based on the first orientation (e.g., based on the difference between the first orientation and the initial target orientation). The controller further records the first feature error value in a storage medium, wherein the aligner station uses the first feature error value to align the object to be placed in the first station.

[0006] In some embodiments, a method includes placing a calibration object into a loading lock via a first robotic arm in a first party, either in a factory interface or a transfer chamber, the loading lock separating the factory interface from the transfer chamber, wherein the calibration object is placed in the loading lock such that the center of the calibration object is at a first target position associated with a first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm, wherein the center of a first recess of a first blade of the first robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first teaching positioning, and wherein the factory interface, the transfer chamber, and the loading lock are components of an electronic processing system. The method further includes retrieving the calibration object from the loading lock onto a second blade of a second robotic arm in a second party, using a second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm, wherein the center of a second recess of the second blade nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second teaching positioning, and wherein after retrieving the calibration object, the center of the calibration object is offset from the center of the second recess by a first offset amount. The method further includes determining the first offset amount between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess using a sensor in or connected to the second party in the factory interface or transfer chamber. The method further includes determining a first feature error value based on a first offset, the first feature error value representing a misalignment between a first taught positioning of the first robotic arm and a second taught positioning of the second robotic arm. The method further includes recording the first feature error value in a storage medium, wherein one of the first or second robotic arms uses the first feature error value to compensate for misalignment of an object transferred between the first and second robotic arms via a loading lock.

[0007] In some embodiments, an electronic processing system includes a loading lock, a factory interface connected to a first side of the loading lock, a transfer chamber connected to a second side of the loading lock, and a controller. The controller is configured to cause a first robotic arm in the first party (factory interface or transfer chamber) to place a calibration object into the loading lock, wherein the calibration object is placed in the loading lock such that the center of the calibration object is at a first target position associated with a first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm, wherein the center of a first recess of a first blade of the first robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first teaching positioning. The controller further causes a second robotic arm in the second party (factory interface or transfer chamber) to retrieve the calibration object from the loading lock onto a second blade of the second robotic arm using a second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm, wherein the center of a second recess of the second blade nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second teaching positioning, and wherein after retrieving the calibration object, the center of the calibration object is offset from the center of the second recess by a first offset amount. The controller further uses a sensor in the second party (factory interface or transfer chamber) or connected to the second party to determine the first offset amount between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess. The controller further determines a first characteristic error value based on a first offset, the first characteristic error value representing the misalignment between the first taught positioning of the first robotic arm and the second taught positioning of the second robotic arm. The controller further records the first characteristic error value in a storage medium, wherein one of the first robotic arm or the second robotic arm uses the first characteristic error value to compensate for the misalignment of an object transferred between the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm via a loading lock.

[0008] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform any of the methods discussed above. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example rather than limitation in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to “a” or “an” embodiment in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and such references imply at least one.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a top view schematic diagram of an example electronic processing system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C The illustrations depict, according to various aspects of this disclosure, an example first orientation, an example target orientation and positioning, and an example first positioning of an object in a processing chamber.

[0012] Figure 3A and Figure 3BThe illustrations show an example first orientation and an example initial target orientation of an object at an aligner in an electronic processing system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 The illustration shows the calibration of the alignment station of an example electronic processing system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5A The illustration shows an example calibration object based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5B The illustration shows an example calibration object based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0016] Figures 5C to 5D The illustration shows an example calibration object based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0017] Figures 5E to 5F The illustration shows an example calibration object placed at a station according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5G The diagram is based on various aspects of this disclosure. Figures 5A to 5B The station removes the example calibration object.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a method for calibrating the transfer sequence of objects between the alignment station and the processing chamber of an electronic processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7A This is a flowchart of a method for transferring an object between an alignment station and a processing chamber of an electronic processing system using a calibrated transfer sequence, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7B This is a flowchart of a method for transferring an object between an alignment station and a processing chamber of an electronic processing system using a calibrated transfer sequence, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method for calibrating the transfer sequence of objects between an alignment station and an additional station in an electronic processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method for transferring an object between an alignment station and a second station of an electronic processing system using a calibrated transfer sequence, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a method for determining the accuracy of a transmission sequence between an alignment station and a second station in an electronic processing system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 11This is a flowchart of a method for determining whether a transmission sequence is no longer under calibration, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a method for calibrating the teaching positioning of two robotic arms that transmit objects to each other via a loading lock, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of a method for determining, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, whether the taught positioning of two robotic arms that transfer objects to each other via loading locks is calibrated to each other.

[0028] Figure 14 This is an example computing device that can be used as a controller for an electronic processing system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for calibrating one or more components of an electronic processing system. The components to be calibrated may include one or more stations (e.g., an alignment station, a processing chamber station, a load lock, a load inlet, a front-opening standard bay (FOUP), a side storage bay (SSP), etc.) and / or (e.g., a factory interface robot and / or a transfer chamber robot) one or more robotic arms. In embodiments, multiple components of the electronic processing system are calibrated against each other such that cumulative errors caused by any of the multiple components are eliminated or reduced. Some embodiments described herein cover the calibration of wafer transfer sequences between two stations (e.g., between an alignment station and a processing chamber station). Other embodiments described herein cover the calibration of wafer transfer between two robotic arms at a station (e.g., between two robotic arms transferring substrates to each other via a load lock).

[0030] In one embodiment, a calibration object (such as a calibration ring, calibration disk, or calibration wafer) is used to determine one or more characteristic error values ​​associated with a station (e.g., a processing chamber) in an electronic processing system. The characteristic error values ​​can then be used to transfer the object (e.g., a wafer, process accessory ring, etc.) from other stations in the electronic processing system to and / or from the station with the characteristic error to other stations. Characteristic error values ​​can be determined for some or all stations in the electronic processing system. In some embodiments, characteristic error values ​​from multiple stations can be combined to determine any angular and / or positioning changes made when transferring the object between the multiple stations. For example, a first characteristic error value can be determined for a first station, a second characteristic error value can be determined for a second station, and the first and second characteristic error values ​​can be added together to determine a combined characteristic error value for transferring the object between the first and second stations.

[0031] In one embodiment, a calibration object is used to determine a characteristic error value associated with a station. In some embodiments, the calibration object may be placed at the station (e.g., a processing chamber) with a target orientation and / or target positioning. A first robotic arm of a first robot (e.g., a transfer chamber robot) may pick up the calibration object and place it at a loading lock of an electronic processing system. A second robotic arm of a second robot (e.g., a factory interface robot) may pick up the calibration object from the loading lock and place it at an alignment station of the electronic processing system with a first orientation and / or a first positioning. The difference between the first orientation and an initial target orientation may be determined. Alternatively or additionally, an alignment station may be used to determine the difference between the first positioning and an initial target positioning. A first characteristic error value associated with the station (e.g., a processing chamber) may be determined based on the difference between the first orientation and the initial target orientation. One or more additional characteristic error values ​​associated with the station may be determined based on the difference between the first positioning and the initial target positioning. The characteristic error values(s) may be stored in a storage medium. After one or more characteristic error values ​​have been determined and stored in the storage medium, an object may be received at the alignment station for processing at the station (e.g., a processing chamber). Multiple feature error values ​​associated with the processing chamber can be retrieved from the storage medium, and the object can be aligned to the initial target orientation and / or the initial target localization based on the feature error values ​​(such as by modification through the multiple feature error values).

[0032] In one embodiment, a calibration object is used to determine and correct for offsets between the taught positions of two robotic arms that transfer objects to each other via a loading lock. A first robotic arm may have a first taught position at the loading lock, and a second robotic arm may have a second taught position at the loading lock, the second taught position being aligned with the first taught position. However, some inaccuracies often exist regarding the taught positions. For example, (e.g., in a factory interface robot) the first robotic arm may be taught to place a substrate at the loading lock such that the center of the first recess of the first robotic arm is at the center of the loading lock (center of the xy-plane). Therefore, if the substrate has a center aligned with the center of the first recess when placed in the loading lock, the center of the substrate will correspond to the center of the loading lock chamber. However, the robotic arm may actually place the substrate at an offset from the center of the loading lock chamber. The same problem may occur with the second robotic arm (e.g., in a transfer chamber robot), which may also be taught to place the substrate at the loading lock such that the center of the second recess of the second robotic arm is at the center of the loading lock (center of the xy-plane).

[0033] To identify and correct the offset between the teaching positions of the first and second robotic arms, in one embodiment, the first robotic arm places a calibration object (e.g., a calibration wafer or substrate) into a loading lock, wherein the calibration object is placed in the loading lock such that the center of the calibration object is at a first target position associated with a first teaching position of the first robotic arm, wherein the center of a first recess of a first blade of the first robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first teaching position. The second robotic arm uses a second teaching position of the second robotic arm to retrieve the calibration object from the loading lock onto a second blade of the second robotic arm, wherein the center of a second recess of the second blade nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second teaching position, and wherein after retrieving the calibration object, the center of the calibration object deviates from the center of the second recess by a first offset. A sensor (e.g., a sensor of a local centerer or alignment station) is used to determine the first offset between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess. A first characteristic error value based on the first offset is then determined, the first characteristic error value representing the misalignment between the first teaching position of the first robotic arm and the second teaching position of the second robotic arm. The first characteristic error value is recorded in a storage medium. The first or second robotic arm then uses the first characteristic error value to compensate for the misalignment of the object being transferred between the first and second robotic arms via a loading lock.

[0034] By calibrating multiple components (e.g., wafer transfer sequences between multiple components) as described in the embodiments herein before placing objects (e.g., substrates, wafers, replaceable parts, or components, etc.) into a target station (e.g., a processing chamber), the likelihood of positioning each object in the processing chamber with target orientation and / or positioning is increased. By increasing the likelihood of positioning each object with target orientation and / or positioning, the number of alignment operations to be performed at the destination station is reduced, thereby reducing overall system latency. Additionally, the accuracy of orientation (e.g., yaw) and / or positioning of the placed object is improved in the embodiments compared to conventional systems, wherein the orientation accuracy in the embodiments is up to + / -0.2°, + / -0.1°, or + / -0.01°. Similarly, by reducing the number of alignment operations to be performed at the destination station (e.g., a processing chamber), the likelihood of damage to the object or the robotic arm that places the object in the processing chamber due to incorrect x-axis, y-axis, or yaw axis movement is reduced. Additionally, in embodiments, by ensuring that parts are inserted with proper orientation and / or positioning on the first attempt, the amount of time spent correctly inserting new substrates, wafers, and / or replaceable parts (e.g., process accessory rings) into the destination station (e.g., processing chamber) can be reduced.

[0035] Figure 1This is a top view schematic diagram of an example electronic processing system 100 according to one aspect of this disclosure. The electronic processing system 100 may perform one or more processes on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 may be any suitable rigid, fixed-size planar article suitable for manufacturing electronic devices or circuit components thereon, such as, for example, a silicon-containing disk or wafer, a patterned wafer, a glass plate, etc.

[0036] The electronic processing system 100 may include a main frame 104 and a factory interface 106 coupled to the main frame 104. The main frame 104 may include a housing 108 having a transfer chamber 110 therein. The transfer chamber 110 may include one or more processing chambers (also referred to as process chambers) 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b disposed around and coupled to the transfer chamber 110. The processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b may be coupled to the transfer chamber 110 via corresponding ports 131, which may include slit valves, etc.

[0037] Note that a generally square-shaped main frame with four sides (also referred to as facets) is shown, with multiple processing chambers connected to each facet. However, it should be understood that a facet may comprise a single processing chamber or two or more processing chambers coupled to the facet. Additionally, the main frame 104 may have other shapes, such as a rectangular shape (where different facets may have different lengths) or a radial shape with four or more facets (e.g., five, six, or more facets).

[0038] Processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, and 118b are adaptable to perform any number of processes on substrate 102. The same or different substrate processes may occur in each of the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, and 118b. Substrate processes may include atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etching, annealing, curing, pre-cleaning, metal or metal oxide removal, etc. In one example, a PVD process may be performed in one or both of process chambers 114a and 114b, an etching process may be performed in one or both of process chambers 116a and 116b, and an annealing process may be performed in one or both of process chambers 118a and 118b. Other processes may be performed on the substrate within these chambers. Processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, and 118b may each include a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly may be configured to hold the substrate in place while performing the substrate process.

[0039] As described above, etching processes can be performed in one or more processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. Thus, some of the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b (such as etching chambers) may include an edge ring (also referred to as a process accessory ring) 136, which is positioned on the surface of the substrate support assembly. In some embodiments, the process accessory ring may sometimes undergo replacement. While replacing the process accessory ring in a conventional system involves an operator removing the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b to replace the process accessory ring, the electronic processing system 100 can be configured to facilitate replacement of the process accessory ring without operator removal of the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b.

[0040] The transfer chamber 110 may also include a transfer chamber robot 112. The transfer chamber robot 112 may include one or more robotic arms, each robotic arm including one or more end effectors (also referred to herein as blades) at its end. The end effectors may be configured to handle specific objects, such as wafers. Alternatively or additionally, the end effectors may be configured to handle objects such as process fitting rings. In some embodiments, the transfer chamber robot 112 may be a selectively compliant assembly robotic arm (SCARA) robot, such as a 2-link SCARA robot, a 3-link SCARA robot, a 4-link SCARA robot, etc.

[0041] In some embodiments, ports 131 and / or slit valves are located at the interface between processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b and transfer chamber 110. Local centerers (LCFs) 150 are positioned at or near each such port 131 or slit valve. Each LCF 150 is configured to determine the center of an object (e.g., a ring, wafer, substrate, etc.) passing through the associated port 131 or slit valve. The LCF 150 may include an arrangement of laser and detector pairs. Each laser can project a laser beam that can be received by a corresponding detector in the laser and detector pair. In embodiments, the lasers guide the laser beam vertically or at an angle relative to vertical. Each detector is positioned in the path of the laser beam from the corresponding laser. When an object (e.g., a calibration object, substrate, wafer, etc.) passes through port 131 or slit valve, the object blocks the laser beam, preventing it from being received by the detector. Based on known information about the size and shape of the calibration object or other object passing through port 131 or the slit valve, known information about the positioning of the laser and detectors, and known information about the corresponding positioning of the transfer chamber robot 112 (at which each of the corresponding detectors stops receiving the laser beam), the center of the calibration object or other known object can be determined. Other types of LCFs can also be used, such as camera-based local centerers and / or runout-based local centerers.

[0042] One or more load locks 120a, 120b may also be coupled to housing 108 and transfer chamber 110. Load locks 120a, 120b may be configured to dock and couple to transfer chamber 110 on one side and to interface and couple to factory interface 106 on the other side. In some embodiments, load locks 120a, 120b may have an environmentally controlled atmosphere that can be changed from a vacuum environment (where substrates can be transferred to and from transfer chamber 110) to atmospheric pressure or near-atmospheric pressure (e.g., via an inert gas) environment (where substrates can be transferred to and from factory interface 106). In some embodiments, one or more load locks 120a, 120b may be stacked load locks having one or more upper inner chambers and one or more lower inner chambers located at different vertical levels (e.g., one above the other). In some embodiments, a pair of upper inner chambers are configured to receive processed substrates from transfer chamber 110 for removal from main frame 104, while a pair of lower inner chambers are configured to receive substrates from factory interface 106 for processing within main frame 104. In some embodiments, one or more loading locks 120a, 120b may be configured to perform substrate processes (e.g., etching or pre-cleaning) on ​​one or more substrates 102 received therein.

[0043] In some embodiments, port 133 and / or slit valves separate the transfer chamber 110 from the load locks 120a, 120b. LCF 152 is positioned at or near each of these ports 133 and / or slit valves. The LCF can be used to determine the center of an object (e.g., a calibration object, a wafer, a substrate, etc.) on the robotic arm while placing or removing such an object from the load lock via the robotic arm.

[0044] Factory interface (FI) 106 can be any suitable housing, such as, for example, a device front-end module (EFEM). Factory interface 106 can be configured to receive substrates 102 from substrate carriers 122 (e.g., front-opening standard compartments (FOUP)) docked at various loading inlets 124 of factory interface 106. Factory interface robot 126 (shown in dashed lines) can be configured to transfer substrates 102 between substrate carriers (also referred to as containers) 122 and loading locks 120. Factory interface robot 126 can include one or more robotic arms and can be a SCARA robot or include SCARA robots. In some embodiments, factory interface robot 126 may have more links and / or more degrees of freedom than transfer chamber robot 112. Factory interface robot 126 may include end effectors at the end of each robotic arm. End effectors can be configured to pick up and carry specific objects, such as wafers. Alternatively or additionally, end effectors can be configured to carry objects such as process accessory rings.

[0045] Any conventional robot type can be used for the factory interface robot 126. Delivery can be performed in any order or direction. In some embodiments, the factory interface 106 may be maintained in, for example, a slightly positive pressure non-reactive gas environment (e.g., using nitrogen as the non-reactive gas).

[0046] In some embodiments, the side storage compartment (SSP, not shown) is coupled to FI 106.

[0047] The substrate carrier 122 and loading inlet 124, the substrate carrier 122, loading locks 120a, 120b, SSP, and processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b are each considered as or include stations herein. Another type of station is the alignment station 128. In some embodiments, the transfer chamber 110, process chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b and 118a, 118b, and loading lock 120 may be maintained at a vacuum level. The electronic processing system 100 may include one or more ports 130, 131, 133 (e.g., vacuum ports) coupled to one or more stations of the electronic processing system 100. For example, port 130 (e.g., vacuum port) may couple factory interface 106 to loading lock 120. As discussed above, an additional port 133 (e.g., a vacuum port) may be coupled to the load lock 120 and positioned between the load lock 120 and the transfer chamber 110. Each of ports 130, 133, and 131 may include a slit valve that separates the vacuum environment from a higher pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure) environment.

[0048] In some embodiments, the alignment station 128 is coupled to FI 106. Alternatively, the alignment station 128 may be housed within FI 106. In some embodiments, a port separates the alignment station 128 from FI 106. The alignment station 128 is configured to align a substrate, fixture, and / or other object (e.g., a process fitting ring) to a target orientation. The alignment station 128 includes a substrate support on which an object may be placed. Once an object is placed on the substrate support, the substrate support and the object placed thereon rotate, and the initial orientation and target orientation on the alignment station can be detected based on this orientation.

[0049] In one embodiment, the alignment station 128 includes one or more pairs of lasers and detectors (e.g., a row of laser and detector pairs). Each laser can project a laser beam, which is vertical or at an angle to the vertical. Each detector is in the path of the laser beam and detects the laser beam when it is received by the detector. When a supported object (e.g., a calibration object, substrate, wafer, etc.) rotates, one or more of the laser beams are interrupted by the object, such that the laser beam is not received by the detector for each rotation setting. For each rotation setting of the alignment station, this information can be used to determine the distance between the edge of the object at a particular location that interrupts one or more laser beams and the center of the alignment station. Each object includes a reference that can be detected by the alignment station, such as a flat portion, notch, protrusion, etc. For example, as the object rotates, the distance between the edge of the object and the center of the alignment station can be determined for each rotation setting, and the reference in the object can be identified from the determined distance using the known shape of the reference. Once the rotation setting associated with the reference position is identified, the phase of the object can be determined. This information can be used to determine the target orientation of the object, and the initial orientation of the object when it is placed at the alignment station 128. Additionally, the alignment station 128 can detect the yaw of a circular object placed off-center from the center of the alignment station based on the detected object phase and the distance between the edge of the object and the center of the alignment station for each rotational setting. Other detection mechanisms can also be used to detect the orientation and / or yaw of the object at the alignment station.

[0050] The electronic processing system 100 may also include a system controller 132. The system controller 132 may be a computing device and / or includes computing devices such as personal computers, server computers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), microcontrollers, etc. The system controller 132 may include one or more processing devices, which may be general-purpose processing devices such as microprocessors, central processing units, etc. More specifically, the processing device may be a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) microprocessor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) microprocessor, a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets or combinations of instruction sets. The processing device may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), network processors, etc. The system controller 132 may include data storage devices (e.g., one or more disk drives and / or solid-state drives), main memory, static memory, network interfaces, and / or other components. The system controller 132 may execute instructions to perform any one or more of the methods and / or embodiments described herein. Instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium (during instruction execution), which may include main memory, static memory, auxiliary storage, and / or processing devices. System controller 132 may also be configured to allow human operators to input and display data, operation commands, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, system controller 132 causes electronic processing system 100 to perform one or more calibration procedures to generate calibration data (e.g., characteristic error values) associated with one or more stations, one or more robots, and / or one or more wafer transfer sequences. System controller 132 stores the calibration values ​​(e.g., characteristic error values) in one or more data storage devices. System controller 132 later uses the appropriate calibration values ​​when instructing alignment station 128 to align an object, when instructing factory interface robot 126 to pick up or place an object, and / or when instructing transfer chamber robot 112 to pick up or place an object.

[0052] Figure 1 The illustration schematically depicts the transfer of an edge ring (or other process accessory ring) 136 into processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, and 118b. However, it should be understood that the same techniques described with reference to the edge ring can also be used to transfer other objects besides the edge ring. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described with reference to the edge ring are also applicable to substrates, overlay wafers, multi-purpose wafers, calibration objects, replaceable parts other than the edge ring, test wafers, etc.

[0053] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an object (such as edge ring 136) is removed from a substrate carrier 122 (e.g., FOUP) or SSP via a factory interface robot 126 located in a factory interface 106, or alternatively, the object is loaded directly into the factory interface 106. In some embodiments, a system controller 132 determines a transfer recipe for the object (e.g., edge ring 136). The transfer recipe may indicate the transfer path followed by the object (e.g., edge ring 136) when it is transported from the substrate carrier 122 or SSP to specific processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. For example, the transfer recipe may indicate that the object (e.g., edge ring 136) will move from an alignment station 128 to specific loading locks 120a, 120b and then to processing chambers 116a, 116b.

[0054] As described above, the alignment station 128 is configured to align an object (such as edge ring 136) to achieve target orientation of the object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the destination station (e.g., at processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, or 118a, 118b). The alignment station 128 can rotate the object (e.g., edge ring 136) in a positive or negative yaw axis direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise) to achieve initial target orientation of the object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the alignment station 128. In some embodiments, the alignment station 128 may additionally or alternatively translate the object (e.g., edge ring 136) in a positive or negative x-axis and / or y-axis direction to align the object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the alignment station 128. In some embodiments, an x-axis offset and / or y-axis offset of the object can be determined, and the offset can be used to pick up the object such that the center of the object corresponds to the center of a recess in the blade of the robotic arm of the factory interface robot 126.

[0055] The initial target orientation of an object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the alignment station 128 may nominally correspond to the target orientation of the object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the destination station (e.g., at processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, or 118a, 118b). For example, edge ring 136 may include a flat portion aligned with a corresponding flat portion in the substrate support assembly, around which edge ring 136 will be placed in the processing chamber. Failure to accurately place edge ring 136 in the processing chamber with the target orientation may result in non-uniformity of plasma generated during processing, uneven wear of edge ring 136, and / or other problems. Ideally, in the absence of robot positioning and / or rotation errors, misalignment of the processing chamber relative to the transfer chamber, etc., the edge ring aligned to the initial target orientation at the alignment station should be oriented such that the edge ring will ultimately have the target orientation in any processing chamber once placed there. However, the placement of the edge ring 136 in each of the processing chambers may result in different robotic errors. Additionally, one or more of the processing chambers may have slight misalignments or mismatches. As described more fully below, the embodiments described herein provide calibration procedures for correcting any such robotic errors, misalignments, and / or mismatches.

[0056] In one embodiment, a factory interface robot 126 positions an object (e.g., edge ring 136) at an alignment station 128 in a first orientation. A system controller 132 may determine an alignment recipe to be executed at the alignment station 128 based on a transfer recipe for the object (e.g., edge ring 136) to align the object (e.g., edge ring 136) to a corrected target orientation and / or a corrected target positioning. The corrected target orientation may correspond to an initial target orientation at the source station (e.g., at the alignment station 128) adjusted by characteristic error values ​​(e.g., characteristic angle errors) associated with the transfer recipe. Similarly, the corrected target positioning may correspond to an initial target positioning at the source station (e.g., at the alignment station) adjusted by characteristic error values ​​(e.g., characteristic positioning errors) associated with the transfer recipe. In one embodiment, the characteristic error values ​​are associated with a specific processing chamber. In another embodiment, the characteristic error values ​​are associated with both a specific processing chamber and a specific loading locking chamber. In one embodiment, multiple characteristic error values ​​are associated with a specific transport sequence for moving an object from a source station (e.g., aligner station 128) to a destination station (e.g., processing chambers 116a, 116b). The alignment recipe may include multiple characteristic error values. In some embodiments, aligner station 128 aligns an object (e.g., edge ring 136) according to an alignment recipe that may include moving the object (e.g., edge ring 136) in at least one positive or negative x-axis direction, a positive or negative y-axis direction, and / or a positive or negative yaw axis direction (rotation) to properly orient and / or position the object (e.g., edge ring 136) at aligner station 128 to a corrected target orientation and / or corrected positioning. The alignment recipe may be associated with a transport recipe for the object (e.g., edge ring 136). In response to the alignment of an object (e.g., edge ring 136) at the alignment station 128, the factory interface robot 126 can then pick up the object (e.g., edge ring 136) from the alignment station 128, the picked-up object (e.g., edge ring 136) having a calibrated target orientation, and place the object into the loading lock 120b through port 130 with the calibrated orientation.

[0057] The transfer chamber robot 112 can remove an object (e.g., edge ring 136) from the loading lock 120b via a second vacuum port 130b. The transfer chamber robot 112 can move the object (e.g., edge ring 136) into a transfer chamber 110, where it can be transferred to a destination station (e.g., processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b). The object (e.g., edge ring 136) placed in the destination station (e.g., processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b) may have target orientation and / or target localization in the destination station. If the object is oriented to an initial target orientation in the aligner station 128, the object will ultimately have characteristic errors when placed at the destination station (e.g., the processing chamber). However, because the object is oriented to a corrected target orientation in the alignment station (which may include the initial target orientation minus the angular adjustment corresponding to the feature error value), the object placed in the processing chamber has a target orientation in the processing chamber.

[0058] In one embodiment, when the factory interface robot 126 places an object (e.g., edge ring 136) into the loading lock 120b, the factory interface robot 126 nominally uses taught positioning of its robotic arm to place the object at a first target position within the loading lock. The first target position may be at the center of the loading lock or at a position offset from the center of the loading lock. In one embodiment, the center of the first recess of the first blade of the robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first taught positioning. In another embodiment, when the transfer chamber robot 112 picks up an object from the loading lock 120b, the transfer chamber robot 112 uses second taught positioning of its robotic arm. The center of the second recess of the blade of the transfer chamber robot nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second taught positioning.

[0059] In some cases, there is a misalignment or offset between the first taught positioning of the factory interface robot arm and the second taught positioning of the transfer chamber robot arm. This misalignment can be corrected using a characteristic error value, which represents the misalignment between the first taught positioning of the first robot arm and the second taught positioning of the second robot arm. For example, the factory interface robot 126 can use the first taught positioning modified by the characteristic error value to place an object. When the transfer chamber robot 112 uses the second taught positioning to pick up the object, the object will be properly positioned at the center of a recess in the blade of the transfer chamber robot arm. Alternatively, the factory interface robot 126 can use the first taught positioning to place the object, which may place the object in the loading lock 120b at a position offset from the target position in the loading lock. The transfer chamber robot 112 can then use the second taught positioning modified by the characteristic error value to pick up the object from the loading lock. The object will then be properly positioned at the center of a recess in the blade of the transfer chamber robot arm. The following references... Figures 11 to 13 The calibration of the factory interface robot 126 to the teaching positioning of the transfer chamber robot 112 for transporting objects by loading and locking is discussed in more detail.

[0060] Although not in order to be clear Figure 1 As shown, but possibly while edge ring 136 is positioned on a carrier or adapter, the transfer of edge ring 136 may occur, and the robot's end effector (i.e., blade) may pick up and place the carrier or adapter holding edge ring 136. This allows an end effector configured for handling wafers to also be used for handling edge ring 136.

[0061] Figure 2A The illustration shows an example first orientation and positioning 216 of the edge ring 210 at a processing chamber according to various aspects of this disclosure. The processing chamber may correspond to... Figure 1The electronic processing system 100 illustrated herein includes at least one of processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, or 118a, 118b. In some embodiments, the processing chamber may include a substrate support assembly 212 configured to support a substrate during substrate processing. An edge ring 210 may be configured for placement around the substrate support assembly 212. As previously discussed, the edge ring 210 may be placed at the substrate support assembly 212 with a first orientation and positioning 216 by a transfer chamber robot (not shown). In some embodiments, the first orientation and positioning 216 may include an orientation error 220. The orientation error 220 may indicate the difference between the actual orientation of the edge ring and the target orientation (e.g., the angle between the flat portion 222 of the edge ring 210 and the angle between the flat portion 224 of the substrate support assembly 212). In an embodiment, the flat portion 222 is configured to mate with the flat portion 224. The orientation error 220 may be caused at least by a first characteristic error value associated with the processing chamber. The first characteristic error value can be caused by a variety of sources (e.g., errors in robot angles and / or positioning, improper installation of the processing chamber during the construction of the processing system, etc.). The orientation error 220 can be determined based on the angle formed between the target orientation and the actual orientation. In one embodiment, the orientation error represents the angle between the flat portion 222 and the flat portion 224.

[0062] Figure 2B The illustration shows an example second orientation and positioning 225 of an edge ring 210 at a processing chamber according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the second orientation 225 may include positioning errors (also referred to as translation errors). Positioning errors may include a first positioning error 228 along the x-axis and / or a second positioning error 230 along the y-axis. Positioning errors may indicate the difference between the actual positioning and the target positioning of the edge ring. The first positioning error 228 may be caused by a second characteristic error value in the y-direction, and the second positioning error 230 may be associated with a third characteristic error value in the x-direction. Characteristic errors may be caused by a variety of sources, such as errors in robot angles and / or positioning, improper installation of the processing chamber during the construction of the processing system, etc.

[0063] Figure 2C The illustration shows an example third orientation and positioning 218 of the edge ring 210 in a processing chamber according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The third orientation and positioning 218 may be the correct orientation and positioning for placing the edge ring around a substrate support. In some embodiments, the third orientation and positioning 218 in the processing chamber may not include orientation error 220 (i.e., there is no difference between the angle of the flat portion 222 and the angle of the flat portion 224), a first positioning error 228, or a second positioning error 230.

[0064] In some embodiments, the processing chamber may be associated with a first characteristic error value, a second characteristic error value, and / or a third characteristic error value.

[0065] In some embodiments, the delivery recipe may include a combination of characteristic error values, which may be summed to determine a total characteristic error associated with placing the edge ring in the processing chamber. The characteristic error values ​​may include, for example, a first characteristic error associated with the processing chamber and a second characteristic error associated with at least another station of the electronic processing system (i.e., loading lock 120, loading inlet 124, etc.).

[0066] Figure 3A and Figure 3B The illustrations depict an example initial target orientation 314 and an example corrected target orientation 316 of an edge ring 312 at an alignment station 310 in an electronic processing system, according to various aspects of this disclosure. As previously discussed, the edge ring 312 can typically be aligned by the alignment station to the initial target orientation 314. The edge ring 312 may initially have some angular errors, which may occur during placing the edge ring in a container (e.g., a FOUP), transporting the container, and / or attaching the container to a factory interface. The alignment station can eliminate such errors by aligning the edge ring 312 to the initial target orientation 314. In the example, the initial target orientation 314 may include a flat portion of the edge ring 312 aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of an end effector that picks up the edge ring 312 from the alignment station.

[0067] As discussed above, some characteristic error (e.g., angular error) can be introduced into the edge ring 312 by moving the edge ring from the alignment station to the destination processing chamber. Therefore, during the alignment process, the alignment station may intentionally introduce the inverse of the characteristic error into the orientation of the edge ring 312. The initial target orientation adjusted by the characteristic error may correspond to a corrected target orientation 316. Thus, by introducing the inverse of the characteristic error into the edge ring during alignment, the edge ring ultimately placed in the processing chamber will have no characteristic error, as the intentionally introduced error will cancel out the characteristic error. In some embodiments, the alignment station 310 may rotate the edge ring 312 along a yaw axis 318 to position the edge ring 312 with a corrected target orientation 316. In some embodiments, the alignment station 310 may be based on data stored in a controller (such as regarding...). Figure 1 The alignment formula at the system controller 132 described herein is used to position the edge ring 312 with a calibrated target orientation 316.

[0068] As discussed above, stored characteristic errors are intentionally introduced into the edge ring during alignment. Each processing chamber may have its own characteristic error, which may differ from the characteristic errors of other processing chambers. Additionally, each loading lock may have its own characteristic error. Therefore, an edge ring moving to the first processing chamber via a first loading lock may have a different combined characteristic error than an edge ring moving to the first processing chamber via a second loading lock. To determine the characteristic error value associated with each processing chamber (and / or each loading lock or other station), a calibration procedure may be performed. The calibration procedure can be used to determine one or more characteristic error values ​​associated with the transfer sequence between the source and destination stations of the electronic processing system. Therefore, the calibration procedure takes into account any errors caused by one or more stations and / or robots involved in the transfer sequence.

[0069] Although embodiments are described with reference to the transfer of objects between the alignment station and the processing chamber, the same calibration techniques can be applied to calibrate transfer sequences between any source and any destination in an electronic processing system. For example, calibration can be performed to determine any characteristic errors associated with transferring an object from a first robotic arm (of a factory interface robot or transfer chamber robot) to a second robotic arm (of a factory interface robot or transfer chamber robot) via a loading lock. In another example, calibration can be performed to determine any characteristic errors associated with transferring an object from a FOUP, SSP, or loading inlet to a loading lock (or vice versa) via a factory interface robot.

[0070] Figure 4 The illustration depicts the calibration of a transfer sequence for transferring an object (e.g., an edge ring, wafer, or substrate) between a source station and a destination station, according to various aspects of this disclosure. An example is described for calibrating a transfer sequence between the aligner station 128 and the processing chambers 116a, 116b via a load lock 120b. However, the same process can be used to calibrate any source-destination transfer sequence. For example, this can be performed via the controller's processing logic. Figure 4 Related operations.

[0071] The calibration object 410 can be placed at the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b of the electronic processing system 100 with target orientation and / or positioning. Target orientation within the processing chamber can be the orientation of the object (i.e., calibration object 410, substrate 102, etc.) at the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b to meet or exceed a threshold accuracy (i.e., orientation error including exceeding a threshold orientation error). For example, target orientation can be object orientation with an accuracy within 0.01°, within 0.1°, within 0.001°, or within 0.02°. Similarly, target positioning within the processing system can be object positioning that meets or exceeds a threshold accuracy. The threshold accuracy for positioning can be the same as or different from the threshold accuracy for orientation. In some embodiments, target orientation and / or positioning within the processing chamber can be related to... Figures 2A to 2C The described target orientation and positioning are the same as 218.

[0072] In some embodiments, the calibration object 410 may be at least one of a calibration ring, a calibration disk, or a calibration wafer. In some embodiments, the calibration object 410 may be a standard edge ring or a standard substrate. The calibration ring may be a specially designed ring configured to be mounted around a substrate support assembly of the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b, such that the calibration ring has a target orientation and / or positioning at the substrate support assembly within a target accuracy (e.g., 0.01°). Similarly, the calibration wafer may be a specially designed wafer configured to be mounted within, on, above, or around a support assembly such that the calibration wafer has a target orientation and / or positioning at the substrate support assembly within a target accuracy, or the orientation and / or positioning of the wafer relative to the target orientation can be determined to be within a target accuracy.

[0073] In some embodiments, the substrate support assembly may include one or more coupling elements (also referred to as registration features), such as a lifting rod. In embodiments, the registration feature / coupling element is a kinematic registration feature. The calibration object 410 may include one or more coupling sockets configured to engage with one or more registration features of the substrate support assembly. In some embodiments, the one or more coupling sockets are kinematic coupling interfaces. In some embodiments, the calibration object 410 may be placed at the substrate support assembly in processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b by a transfer chamber robot 112. When placed at the substrate support assembly, the calibration object 410 may have orientation and / or positioning errors, such as regarding Figures 2A to 2BThe described orientation error 220 and / or positioning errors 228, 230. In response to the calibration object 410 being placed at the substrate support assembly, one or more registration features of the substrate support assembly can engage with corresponding coupling sockets (e.g., corresponding kinematic coupling interfaces). By engaging each registration feature with its corresponding coupling socket, the orientation and / or positioning errors associated with the calibration object 410 can be removed, and the calibration object 410 can be positioned with target orientation and / or target positioning.

[0074] Many different designs of calibration objects can be used according to embodiments of this disclosure. Such calibration objects in the embodiments include a body sized to fit through a slit valve of an electronic processing system and designed to be transported by a robotic arm of the electronic processing system. For example, the calibration object may have a height and width or diameter suitable for passing through a slit valve. For example, for a 300mm wafer processing system, the slit valve may have a width exceeding 300mm (e.g., 300mm plus headroom) and a height of approximately 10mm to 50mm. Therefore, for such a system, in embodiments, the calibration object may have a diameter of approximately 300mm or less and a height of less than 10mm to less than 50mm. For a 450mm wafer processing system, the slit valve may have a width exceeding 450mm and a height of approximately 10mm to 50mm. Therefore, for such a system, in embodiments, the calibration object may have a diameter of approximately 450mm or less and a height of less than 10mm to less than 50mm. Some wafer processing systems may be configured to allow replacement of process accessory rings through a slit valve. For such wafer processing systems, the slit valve may have a width sufficient to accommodate a 15.25-inch diameter process accessory ring (e.g., it may have a width exceeding 15.25 inches, such as 15.25 inches plus headroom). The body may be disc-shaped, ring-shaped, or have another shape. The calibration object may be picked up and placed directly by a robotic arm, or it may be mounted on a carrier or adapter that allows the carrier plus the calibration object supported by the carrier to be picked up and placed by the robotic arm. This enables the calibration object to be transferred automatically between stations in the electronic processing system without manual user intervention.

[0075] In some embodiments, the calibration object has a shape that is a negative image of a region of a station where it is designed to be placed for calibration purposes. For example, the bottom surface of the calibration object may have a shape that is a negative image of the upper surface of a substrate support assembly. In embodiments, the calibration object has sufficient inlet to allow it to be placed in an initially incorrect position and / or orientation and then automatically adjusted to the correct position and / or orientation. Thus, the bottom surface of the calibration object may fit tightly against the upper surface of the substrate support assembly. This allows the calibration object to capture the characteristic orientation and / or positioning of a region in the station (e.g., a substrate support in a processing chamber). This characteristic orientation and / or positioning can then be used for calibration purposes. While embodiments have been discussed with reference to determining the characteristic positioning and / or orientation of a substrate support for placing an edge ring in a process chamber, alternatively or additionally, the calibration object may be configured to determine the characteristic positioning and / or orientation of a chuck, plunger, cathode, etc., in a processing chamber. Additionally or alternatively, the calibration object may be configured to determine the characteristic positioning and / or orientation of a substrate support in a load lock, load inlet, FOUP, SSP, or another station.

[0076] In the embodiments, the calibration object has a solid sintered ceramic (e.g., Al2O3, AlN, Y2O3, Y3Al5O3). 12 The calibration object is formed from a body composed of (YAG, ZrO2, or some other ceramic materials). Therefore, the calibration object can be used at temperatures up to 400°C, 600°C, or 800°C or higher without damage. This allows the calibration object to be used to perform calibrations and determine the target positioning and / or orientation of an object (e.g., a substrate or edge ring) in a processing chamber at process temperatures, which may differ from the target positioning and / or orientation at room temperature. Therefore, by designing the calibration object to be usable at elevated process temperatures, the accuracy of calibrations performed using the calibration object can be improved. In some embodiments, the calibration object is composed entirely of solid sintered ceramic material. In other embodiments, the calibration object includes other components that may be composed of different materials (which may also be heat-resistant). For example, the calibration object may include a non-slip button or pad disposed on the bottom surface of the calibration object. The non-slip button or pad may be composed of rubber, perfluoropolymer, or some other material. The non-slip button or pad may be positioned where the bottom surface of the calibration object contacts the blades of a robotic arm and / or where the calibration object contacts a carrier or adapter. Anti-slip buttons or pads prevent the calibration object from moving on the carrier or blade when it is transferred between stations.

[0077] In embodiments, the calibration object includes one or more kinematic coupling interfaces. The kinematic coupling interface may include a profiled ramp that guides the calibration object to target positioning and / or orientation when engaged with a registration feature at the station. In some embodiments, the calibration object includes three kinematic coupling interfaces. In embodiments, the kinematic coupling interface may provide a guide portion up to 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 10 mm, or larger. The guide portion represents the amount of initial orientation error (rotational error) and / or positioning error that can be accommodated by the kinematic coupling interface and that the kinematic coupling interface can correct when engaged with a registration feature at the station. The registration feature may be a fixed (static) registration feature or a movable (dynamic) registration feature. An example of a fixed registration feature is an area on the outer periphery of a substrate support assembly, where the area has tight machine tolerances. Another example of a fixed registration feature is a series of retaining pins (e.g., three pins or a wafer centering cone). In the example of the fixed pin, the kinematic registration interface may be a set of inclined slots (e.g., three slots) aligned with the fixed pin in the outer periphery of the calibration object. In some embodiments, the kinematic coupling interface conforms to SemiE57-0616.

[0078] In this embodiment, the calibration object includes a reference. The reference is positioned on one side of the calibration object and may be located in an external area of ​​the calibration object (e.g., at or near the periphery) or closer to the center of the calibration object. The reference may be a notch, groove, protrusion, flat portion, or other feature that can be used to determine the orientation of the calibration object.

[0079] Figure 5A The illustration shows an example calibration object 500 according to various aspects of this disclosure. As shown, in one embodiment, the calibration object has a disc-shaped body 502. Alternatively, the body of the calibration object may have another shape, such as an annular shape. The disc-shaped body 502 includes a plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 505a, 505b, 505c within the body 502. The plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 505a to 505c are configured to engage with corresponding plurality of registration features (e.g., lifting rods) of a first station (e.g., a processing chamber) of an electronic processing system, and to guide the calibration object 500 to target positioning and target orientation at the first station. The body 502 further includes a reference 510 disposed on one side of the body (e.g., at a location on the outer periphery of the body 502). The reference can be used to determine the orientation of the calibration object 500. The lifting rod can be raised to engage with the kinematic coupling interfaces 505a to 505c. Such engagement of kinematic coupling interfaces 505a to 505c with the lifting rod alters the positioning and / or orientation of the calibration object 500 to the target positioning and / or orientation.

[0080] Figure 5BThe figure illustrates an example calibration object 520 according to various aspects of this disclosure. As shown, in one embodiment, the calibration object 520 has an annular body 522. Alternatively, the body of the calibration object may have another shape, such as a disc. The annular body 522 includes a plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 525a, 525b, 525c within the body 522. In one embodiment, the plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 525a to 525c are legs extending from the bottom of the body 522 at locations along the periphery of the body 522. The plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 525a to 525c are configured to engage with corresponding plurality of registration features of a first station (e.g., a processing chamber) of an electronic processing system and guide the calibration object 500 to target positioning and target orientation at the first station. One of the plurality of registration features may be a flat portion at a location on the outer periphery of a substrate support.

[0081] In one embodiment, kinematic coupling interfaces 525a to 525c each include a curved or chamfered bottom configured to mate with a lip of the base plate support assembly of the station. In another embodiment, kinematic coupling interfaces 525a to 525c include three kinematic coupling interfaces providing three-point locking to the outer periphery of the base plate support assembly. When the calibration object 520 is lowered onto the base plate support assembly of the station, kinematic coupling interfaces 525a to 525c engage with registration features, thereby changing the positioning and / or orientation of the calibration object 520 to the target positioning and / or orientation. The calibration object 520 can then be lifted from the base plate support assembly using a lifting rod in the base plate support assembly without interfering with the positioning and / or orientation of the calibration object 520.

[0082] The body 522 of the calibration object further includes a reference 530 disposed on one side of the body (e.g., at a location within an internal region of the annular body 522). The reference 530 can be used to determine the orientation of the calibration object 520. In an embodiment, the calibration object 520 includes a support structure 531 comprising one or more beams 533 connected to multiple locations on the annular body 522. The support structure 531 further includes a planar object 532 (e.g., a disk as illustrated), which is located at or near the center of the annular body 522 and connected to the beams 533(multiple). The support structure 531 may be configured to dock with blades of a robotic arm and / or with a carrier or connector of a process accessory ring.

[0083] Figures 5C to 5D The illustration shows an example calibration object 540 on a substrate support 580 in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 5C The diagram shows the complete calibration object 540, while Figure 5D Half of calibration object 540 is shown, where... Figure 5DA wire cut is made in the calibration object 540, with its center line passing through the center of the calibration object 540. The calibration object 540 includes a disc-shaped ceramic body 542. The ceramic body 542 includes a left-side cutout 554a in the left side of the body and a right-side cutout 554b in the right side of the body 542. The left-side cutout 554a and the right-side cutout 554b are mirror images of each other (i.e., they are linearly symmetrical about the line passing through the center of the body 542). In one embodiment, the left-side cutout 554a and the right-side cutout 554b can be used to detect the orientation of the calibration object based on the difference between a first position of the robotic arm holding the calibration object (at which the left-side cutout is detected by a local centerer) and a second position of the robotic arm holding the calibration object (at which the right-side cutout is detected by a local centerer).

[0084] In one embodiment, the calibration object 540 includes a plurality of arcuate cuts 555 in the body, the arcuate cuts 555 being offset from the outer periphery of the body. The arcuate cuts 555 may include a left cut 554a and a right cut 554b. In one embodiment, a first machine tolerance on at least one side of each of the arcuate cuts is greater than a second machine tolerance on the outer periphery of the body 542. For example, the side of the arcuate cut closest to the periphery of the body 542 may have a tight machine tolerance and may be used by an alignment station to determine the yaw and / or orientation of the calibration object 540 rather than the outer periphery of the calibration object 540. Alternatively, the outer periphery of the calibration object 540 may have a tight machine tolerance and may be used by an alignment station to determine the orientation and / or yaw of the calibration object.

[0085] In an embodiment, the body 542 includes a first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 560 and a second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 562. The first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 560 are configured to engage with corresponding first plurality of registration features of a station of an electronic processing system and guide the calibration object to intermediate positioning and / or intermediate orientation at the station. The second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces are configured to engage with corresponding second plurality of registration features of the station. As illustrated, the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 560 are a plurality of recesses in the bottom surface of the body 542, and the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 562 include a plurality of regions near the outer periphery of the body. In particular, the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 562 are the regions of the arcuate cutout 555 closest to the periphery of the body 542. The first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces have a first inlet, and the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces have a second inlet, the second inlet being smaller than the first inlet. A first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces are configured to engage with a first plurality of kinematic registration features to guide a second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces onto the second plurality of kinematic registration features (and partially correct for orientation and / or localization errors). The coupling of the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces to the second plurality of registration features then guides the calibrated object toward final target orientation and / or target localization.

[0086] Figures 5E to 5F The illustration shows an example calibration object 540 placed on a substrate support 580 (e.g., the cathode of the substrate support) at a station, according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 5E In this configuration, the wafer lifting rod 582 extends and engages with a first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 560 of the calibration object 540, thereby partially correcting the orientation and / or positioning of the calibration object 540. Figure 5F In the process, the wafer lifting rod 582 is lowered, and the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 562 engage with the outer periphery of the lip of the substrate support 580, thereby completing the orientation and / or positioning correction of the calibration object at the station. The two sets of kinematic coupling interfaces and corresponding registration features are used to increase the amount of correction for orientation and / or positioning errors achievable through the calibration object. In an embodiment, the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 560 can correct coarse errors, and the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces 562 can correct fine errors.

[0087] Figure 5G The diagram is based on various aspects of this disclosure. Figures 5A to 5B The station removes the example calibration object 540. The calibration object 540 is lifted away from the cathode of the substrate support 580 using a separate set of lifting rods (e.g., edge ring lifting rod 584) without interfering with the orientation or xy positioning of the calibration object, so that the calibration object can be picked up by the blades of the robotic arm.

[0088] return Figure 4After the calibration object 410 is placed in the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b with target orientation and / or target positioning, the calibration object 410 can be retrieved from the processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b by the transfer chamber robot 112 and placed in the loading lock 120 connected to the transfer chamber 110. The factory interface robot 126 can retrieve the calibration object 410 from the loading lock 120 and place the calibration object 410 at the alignment station 128. The calibration object 410 can be placed at the alignment station 128 with a first orientation and / or a first positioning. The first orientation may include a first characteristic error associated with the processing chamber. Optionally, the first positioning may include one or more additional characteristic errors (e.g., x-positioning characteristic error and / or y-positioning characteristic error). For example, the first orientation may include the inverse of the feature error introduced by the edge ring, which is aligned with the initial target orientation at the aligner station 128 and then moved into the processing chamber.

[0089] In response to the placement of calibration object 410 at aligner station 128, a first orientation of calibration object 410 at aligner station 128 can be determined. Additionally, in some embodiments, the difference between the first orientation and an initial target orientation at the aligner station is determined. The initial target orientation at the aligner can be the orientation of the object (i.e., calibration object 410, substrate 102), wherein, in response to the object being transferred from aligner station 128 to processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b, the object should be nominally placed with the target orientation after being received at processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. However, a characteristic error causes an object oriented with the initial target orientation at the aligner station to not have a target orientation at the processing chamber, instead having a characteristic error.

[0090] The first orientation and / or the difference between the first orientation and the initial target orientation may indicate a first characteristic error value associated with processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b (or the inverse of the characteristic error associated with processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b). The characteristic error value may be associated with a specific transport sequence between a source station (e.g., an alignment station) and a destination station (e.g., a processing chamber). The characteristic error value may quantify the characteristic orientation error associated with moving an object from the source station to the destination station (e.g., to processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b). The characteristic error value may be recorded in a storage medium (i.e., a data storage device of the system controller 132). In some embodiments, as discussed above, feature error values ​​can be retrieved from the storage medium and used by the system controller 132 to align objects to be placed at destination stations (e.g., processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b) associated with the feature error values.

[0091] As discussed above, a common destination station is at the processing chamber. However, the embodiments are not limited to using the processing chamber as the destination station. In addition to determining the characteristic error values ​​associated with processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b, characteristic error values ​​associated with one or more other stations of the electronic processing system (i.e., load lock 120, load inlet 124, etc.). For example, calibration object 410 may be aligned to a target orientation in the load lock, picked up by factory interface robot 126, and placed at alignment station 128 in a second orientation. The calibration object may include multiple kinematic coupling interfaces having shape and position on the body of the calibration object to mate with registration features in the load lock. For example, the load lock often includes a wafer lift rod. In the embodiments, the calibration object includes kinematic coupling interfaces to engage with the wafer lift rod in the load lock of the electronic processing system.

[0092] A second orientation can be determined. Additionally, the difference between the second orientation and the initial target orientation can be determined. The second orientation and / or the difference can indicate an orientation error caused by a first characteristic error value of the load lock 120. The characteristic error value associated with the load lock can be recorded in a storage medium. In some embodiments, the previously stated characteristic error value and the characteristic error value of the load lock can be retrieved from the storage medium and used by the system controller 132 for alignment of objects placed at the load lock 120 and subsequently at processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. The same (and / or similar) process can be performed to determine characteristic error values ​​associated with the loading inlet 124, SSP, and / or cartridge (e.g., FOUP). In some embodiments, a single load lock is used to convey an edge ring to the processing chamber. Therefore, in such embodiments, the characteristic error value associated with the processing chamber may also include any characteristic error value caused by a single load lock.

[0093] In some embodiments, a single calibration object is configured to calibrate multiple different types of stations (e.g., for calibrating a wafer transfer sequence for a specific type of destination station). For example, a single calibration object may be configured to calibrate both a load lock and a processing chamber. The calibration object may include a first kinematic coupling interface for engaging registration features of a load lock and a second kinematic coupling interface for engaging registration features of a processing chamber. In one embodiment, the calibration object may be aligned to a first orientation for placement in a first type of destination station (e.g., a load lock) and to a second orientation for placement in a second type of destination station (e.g., a processing chamber). In some embodiments, different calibration objects are used for calibration of different types of stations (e.g., for calibrating a wafer transfer sequence for different types of destination stations).

[0094] After the wafer transfer sequence between the source and destination stations has been calibrated, an object aligned at aligner station 128 (e.g., an edge ring) may initially have a calibrated target alignment at the source station, be transferred to the destination station (e.g., processing chambers 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b), and may have a highly accurate target orientation at the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the object may be a process accessory ring. The process accessory ring may be retrieved from a storage location (such as a substrate carrier 122 (e.g., FOUP) or SSP) by a factory interface robot 126. The process accessory ring may be placed at aligner station 128 by the factory interface robot 126. In some embodiments, it may be determined that the process accessory ring will (e.g., according to a specific transfer sequence or formulation) be placed in a specific processing chamber 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. For example, it may be determined that the process accessory ring will be placed in processing chamber 116b. In an additional embodiment, it can be determined that the process fitting ring will be positioned at a specific load lock 120b before being placed at the processing chamber 116b. In response to determining that the process fitting ring will be positioned at the process chamber 116b and optionally at the specific load lock 120b, a first characteristic error value associated with the processing chamber 116b and / or a second characteristic error value associated with the load lock 120b can be retrieved from the storage medium. The process fitting ring can be aligned to a corrected target orientation using at least the first characteristic error value (and optionally the second characteristic error value). Additionally, multiple further characteristic error values ​​associated with the processing chamber and / or the load lock (e.g., characteristic error values ​​associated with correction of positioning errors) can also be used. The corrected target orientation can be based on an initial target orientation adjusted by at least the first characteristic error value and / or the second characteristic error value. Alternatively or additionally, the corrected target positioning can be based on an initial target positioning adjusted by at least one or more additional characteristic error values ​​associated with positioning errors. In response to aligning the process fitting ring to a calibrated target orientation and / or directional positioning, the process fitting ring can be picked up from the alignment station 128 and placed at the loading lock 120b via the factory interface robot 126. In some embodiments, to correct for orientation errors, the edge ring is oriented to an adjusted initial target positioning via the alignment station, and to correct for positioning errors, the factory interface robot is picked up such that it is off-center relative to the center of the recess of the blade of the factory interface robot. The process fitting ring can then be picked up from the loading lock 120b and placed at the processing chamber 116b via the transfer chamber robot 112. In some embodiments, the process fitting ring can be placed at the processing chamber 116b with a target orientation and / or a target positioning with an accuracy between approximately 0.2° and 0.0000001°.In some embodiments, the process fitting ring can be placed at the processing chamber 116b with a target orientation within an accuracy of approximately 0.001° to 0.00001°.

[0095] In some embodiments, according to the above embodiments, one or more different characteristic error values ​​may be determined for each processing chamber 114a, 114b, 116a, 116b, 118a, 118b. For example, a first characteristic error value may be associated with processing chamber 116b, a second characteristic error value may be associated with processing chamber 116a, a third characteristic error value may be associated with processing chamber 114a, and so on.

[0096] The transmission sequence between the calibration source station and the destination station has been described with reference to the description. Figure 4 Specifically, embodiments have been described with reference to calibration transfer sequences adapted to unique target positioning and / or orientation associated with a destination station. In other embodiments, the transfer sequence between the factory interface robot 126 and the transfer chamber robot 112 can be calibrated via a loading lock (e.g., loading lock 120a). This calibration can be performed by placing the calibration object 412 into the loading lock 120a by a first robotic arm of the transfer chamber robot 112 or the factory interface robot 126, which separates the factory interface 106 from the transfer chamber 110. The calibration object is placed in the loading lock such that the center of the calibration object is at a first target position associated with a first taught positioning of the first robotic arm. The center of a first recess of a first blade of the robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first taught positioning. A second robotic arm of the factory interface robot 126 or the transfer chamber robot 112 uses a second taught positioning of the second robotic arm to retrieve the calibration object from the loading lock 120a onto a second blade of the second robotic arm. The center of a second recess of the second blade nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second taught positioning. However, after the calibration object is picked up, the center of the calibration object can be offset from the center of the second recess by a first offset amount.

[0097] In one embodiment, the first robotic arm is the robotic arm of the factory interface robot 126, and the second robotic arm is the robotic arm of the transfer chamber robot 112. In another embodiment, the first robotic arm is the robotic arm of the transfer chamber robot 112, and the second robotic arm is the robotic arm of the factory interface robot 126.

[0098] A sensor is used to determine a first offset between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess. This sensor is located in or connected to either a) the factory interface (if the second robotic arm is on the factory interface robot) or b) the transfer chamber (if the second robotic arm is on the transfer chamber robot 112). If the second robotic arm is on the factory interface robot 126, the factory interface robot 126 places the calibration object 412 at the alignment station 128. The alignment station 128 can then determine the sway of the calibration object positioned on the substrate support of the alignment station, and from the sway, an offset can be determined. The offset may include a first offset in the y-direction and / or a second offset in the x-direction. In some embodiments, an additional LCF (not shown) is placed at the interface between the load locks 120a, 120b and FI 106. In such embodiments, these LCFs can be used to determine the offset without using the alignment station 128. If the second robotic arm is on the transfer chamber robot 112, the LCF 152 associated with the load lock 120a is used to determine the offset. System controller 132 then determines a first characteristic error value based on a first offset, the first characteristic error value representing a misalignment between the first taught positioning of the first robotic arm and the second taught positioning of the second robotic arm. The first characteristic error value may include a pair of characteristic error values, one of which is associated with an offset in the x-direction and the other with an offset in the y-direction. System controller 132 then records the first characteristic error value in a storage medium. One of the first or second robotic arms then uses the first characteristic error value to compensate for misalignment of an object (e.g., a substrate, edge ring, etc.) transferred between the first and second robotic arms via loading lock 120a. For example, when placing an object into loading lock 120a, factory interface robot 126 can adjust the first taught positioning by using a negative number of the characteristic error value. Transfer chamber robot 112 can then pick up the object using the second taught positioning without modification. Alternatively, factory interface robot can use the first taught positioning to place the object into loading lock 120a. The transfer chamber robot 112 can then use a second teaching positioning modified by the characteristic error value to pick up an object from the loading lock 120a. In either case, the picked-up object does not have a characteristic error on the blades of the transfer chamber robot arm.

[0099] Figures 6 to 13These are flowcharts of various embodiments of methods 600 to 1300 for calibrating components of an electronic processing system and / or for transferring sequences and / or for transferring objects between components of an electronic processing system using characteristic error values ​​determined from calibration. The methods are executed by processing logic, which may include hardware (circuit systems, dedicated logic, etc.), software (such as running on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), firmware, or some combination thereof. Some operations of methods 600 to 1300 may be performed by a computing device (such as...) Figure 1 The system controller 132) executes or initiates this process.

[0100] For the sake of simplicity, the method is depicted and described as a series of actions. However, the actions according to this disclosure may occur in various orders and / or simultaneously, and may include other actions not presented and described herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated actions may be performed to implement the method according to the disclosed subject matter. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the method may alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states via state diagrams or events.

[0101] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a method 600 for calibrating a transfer sequence between a source station and a destination station for an electronic processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 610, a calibration object is retrieved from a first station (e.g., a processing chamber) connected to the transfer chamber by a first robotic arm. The calibration object may have been placed in the processing chamber by the robotic arm and may have a target orientation and / or positioning within the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the calibration object may be at least one of a calibration ring, a calibration wafer, or a calibration disk. At block 620, the calibration object is placed in a loading lock connected to the transfer chamber by the first robotic arm. At block 630, the calibration object is retrieved from the loading lock by a second robotic arm connected to a factory interface of the loading lock.

[0102] At box 640, a second robotic arm places the calibration object, with a first orientation and / or positioning, at an alignment station housed in or connected to the factory interface. At box 650, the first orientation at the alignment station is determined. Additionally, the difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and the initial target orientation at the alignment station is determined. The difference between the first positioning and the initial target positioning may also be determined. At box 660, one or more characteristic error values ​​associated with the processing chamber are determined. At box 670, one or more characteristic error values ​​are recorded in a storage medium. In response to the object received at the alignment station being placed at the processing chamber, the characteristic error values(multiple) can be received from the storage medium. The alignment station and / or factory interface robot can move the object based on the characteristic error values(multiple) to position it with the target orientation.

[0103] Figure 7AThis is a flowchart of method 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, method 700 for placing an object, such as a process fitting ring, at a destination station with target orientation and / or target positioning based on one or more determined characteristic error values ​​associated with a transmission sequence between a source station and a destination station. Method 700 may be performed after calibration method 600. At block 710, the system controller causes a second robotic arm (as in...) Figure 6 (As described in the text) The object (e.g., edge ring, cover wafer, substrate, etc.) is picked up from the second station. The second station can be an SSP or a box (such as a FOUP). At box 715, the system controller causes the second robotic arm to place the object at the alignment station. At box 720, the system controller determines that the object will be placed at the first station (e.g., a processing chamber).

[0104] At block 725, the system controller causes the alignment station to align an object using a first feature error value and optionally one or more additional feature error values. The alignment station may align the object to a corrected target orientation based on an initial target orientation adjusted by the first feature error value, and / or to a corrected target positioning based on an initial target positioning adjusted by one or more additional feature error values. At block 730, the system controller causes a second robotic arm to pick up the object from the alignment station. In some embodiments, during the retrieval of the aligned object, one or more additional feature error values ​​are used to adjust the positioning of the blades of the second robotic arm. For example, in one embodiment, the alignment station may not be able to adjust the x or y positioning of the object. However, the second robotic arm may pick up the object such that the object is off-center relative to the recesses of the blades of the second robotic arm. One or more additional feature error values ​​may be used to determine how far the object is off-center in the x and / or y directions.

[0105] At box 735, the system controller causes the second robotic arm to place the object in the loading lock used during calibration. At box 740, the system controller causes the first robotic arm (as in...) Figure 6 (As described in the text) The object is retrieved from the loading lock. At box 745, the system controller causes the first robotic arm to place the object in a first station (e.g., a processing chamber). The object placed in the first station has (or substantially has) target orientation and / or target positioning in the first station.

[0106] Figure 7BThe present disclosure describes a method 748 for placing an object, such as a process fitting ring, in a targeted orientation at a processing chamber based on a determined characteristic error value associated with the processing chamber. At block 750, a controller operatively coupled to a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, and an alignment station enables the second robotic arm to pick up the first process fitting ring from a storage location and place it at the alignment station. At block 755, it is determined that the first process fitting ring will be placed in the first processing chamber among a plurality of processing chambers.

[0107] At frame 760, the controller uses a first characteristic error value to align the first process fitting ring at the alignment station. According to the previously described embodiment, the first characteristic error value may be associated with a first processing chamber. The alignment station may align the first process fitting ring to a corrected target orientation based on an initial target orientation adjusted by the first characteristic error value.

[0108] At box 765, the controller causes the second robotic arm to pick up the first process accessory ring from the alignment station and place the first process accessory ring in the loading lock. At box 770, the controller causes the first robotic arm to pick up the first process accessory ring from the loading lock and place the first process accessory ring in the first processing chamber. The first process accessory ring can be placed in the first processing chamber with (or approximately with) a target orientation in the first processing chamber. For example, the process accessory ring can be placed with an error as low as 0.2° to as low as 0.01° added to or subtracted from the target orientation.

[0109] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method 800 for calibrating a transmission sequence between a source station and a destination station of an electronic processing system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 800 is similar to method 600, except that in method 800, both the source station and the destination station may be attached to or accessible from a FI or transmission chamber, or one station may be attached to and / or accessible from a FI, and the other station may be attached to and / or accessible from a transmission chamber. At block 810 of method 800, the system controller causes a first robotic arm to place a calibration object in a first station with target orientation and / or target positioning. The calibration object may be any of the aforementioned calibration objects. The act of placing the calibration object on the first station aligns and positions the calibration object with target orientation and / or target positioning. At block 820, the system controller causes the first robotic arm to retrieve the calibration object from the first station without interfering with the orientation and / or positioning achieved during the placement of the calibration object at the first station.

[0110] At box 830, the system controller causes the calibration object to be transferred to the alignment station. If the first station is at or connected to the FI, the first robotic arm places the calibration object in the alignment station, which is connected to or in the FI. If the first station is at or connected to the transfer chamber, the first robotic arm places the calibration object in the loading lock, a second robotic arm in the FI retrieves the calibration object from the loading lock, and the second robotic arm places the calibration object in the alignment station.

[0111] At box 840, the system controller uses the aligner station to determine a first orientation at the aligner station. Additionally, the system controller can use the aligner station to determine the difference between the first orientation at the aligner station and the initial target orientation at the aligner station. The initial target orientation at the aligner station is associated with the target orientation in the first station. Alternatively or additionally, the system controller determines the difference between the first position at the aligner station and the initial target position at the aligner station. The initial target position at the aligner station is associated with the target position in the first station.

[0112] At block 850, the system controller determines a first feature error value associated with the first station based on a first orientation. In some embodiments, the first feature error value is determined based on the difference between the first orientation and the initial target orientation. Additionally or alternatively, the system controller determines one or more additional feature error values ​​(e.g., feature error values ​​in the x-direction and feature error values ​​in the y-direction) associated with the first station based on the difference between the first positioning and the initial target positioning. At block 860, the system controller records the first feature error value and / or one or more additional feature error values ​​in a storage medium.

[0113] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of method 900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, method 900 for placing an object at the destination station with target orientation and / or target positioning based on one or more determined characteristic error values ​​associated with a transmission sequence between a source station and a destination station. Method 900 may be performed after calibration method 800. At block 910, the system controller causes the first robotic arm (as in...) Figure 8 (As described in the text) The object (e.g., edge ring, overlay wafer, substrate, etc.) is retrieved from the second station. The second station can be a cassette, such as a FOUP. At box 920, the system controller causes the first robotic arm to place the object at the alignment station. At box 925, the system controller determines that the object will be placed at the first station (e.g., a processing chamber). The first station (in...) Figure 8 (As described in the text) can be FOUP, SSP, load lock, or in FI or other stations attached to FI.

[0114] At block 930, the system controller causes the alignment station to align an object using a first feature error value and optionally one or more additional feature error values. The alignment station may align the object to a corrected target orientation based on an initial target orientation adjusted by the first feature error value, and / or to a corrected target positioning based on an initial target positioning adjusted by one or more additional feature error values. At block 940, the system controller causes a second robotic arm to pick up the object from the alignment station. In some embodiments, during the retrieval of the aligned object, one or more additional feature error values ​​are used to adjust the positioning of the blades of the second robotic arm. For example, in one embodiment, the alignment station may not be able to adjust the x or y positioning of the object. However, the second robotic arm may pick up the object such that the object is off-center relative to the recesses of the blades of the second robotic arm. One or more additional feature error values ​​may be used to determine how far the object is off-center in the x and / or y directions.

[0115] At frame 950, the system controller causes the first robotic arm to place an object in the first station. The object placed in the first station has (or substantially has) target orientation and / or target localization in the first station.

[0116] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a method 1000 for determining the accuracy of a transmission sequence between an alignment station and a second station in an electronic processing system, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1000 may include repeating the operations of method 600 or method 800 multiple times at block 1010. Each iteration of method 600 or method 800 may provide slightly different results. For example, the first characteristic error value and / or one or more additional characteristic error values ​​may differ slightly with each iteration. These differences in characteristic error values ​​between runs may indicate the repeatability and / or accuracy of the calibrated transmission sequence. At block 1020, the system controller determines the standard deviation of the calculated characteristic error values. For example, the standard deviation of the first characteristic error value (associated with orientation or yaw error) may be calculated, the standard deviation of the second characteristic error value (associated with x-positioning error) may be calculated, and / or the standard deviation of the third characteristic error value (associated with z-positioning error) may be calculated. At block 1025, the accuracy or repeatability of the transmission sequence may be determined based on the standard deviation(s).

[0117] Figure 11This is a flowchart of method 1100 for determining whether a transport sequence is no longer under calibration, according to embodiments of this disclosure. The transport sequence can be calibrated, and after this calibration, the actual positioning and / or orientation achieved for the transport sequence may drift slowly over time. For example, this could be due to wear on one or more robots. Additionally or alternatively, sudden displacement may occur if, for example, the processing chamber vibrates or maintenance is performed on the processing chamber or the robot. To detect such drift and / or sudden changes, calibration operations can be performed periodically.

[0118] At block 1110 of method 1100, the operation of method 600 or method 800 is performed multiple times. The operation of method 600 or method 800 can be initially performed to calibrate the transmission sequence. Subsequently, the operation of method 600 or method 800 can be performed one or more times again to verify that the previously performed calibration is still accurate.

[0119] At box 1115, the system controller compares the characteristic error values ​​between two or more executions of the calibration procedure. The system controller determines whether there are any differences between the different calculated values ​​of the characteristic error. For example, the system controller may determine whether there are differences between initially calculated characteristic error(s) and recently calculated characteristic error(s). If more than two calibration procedures have been performed, multiple comparisons may be made. The system controller may determine, based on such comparisons, any drift or sudden change in the calculated characteristic error values. If a difference is determined and this difference exceeds a difference threshold, the method proceeds to box 1120, and the system controller determines that the system has changed (e.g., due to drift or sudden change) and the original result delivery sequence is no longer under calibration. The original characteristic error values ​​can be overwritten using the new results from the most recent run of the calibration procedure. If no difference exists or the difference between the determined characteristic error values ​​is below a threshold, the method continues to box 1125, and the system controller determines that the delivery sequence is still under calibration.

[0120] Figure 12This is a flowchart of a method 1200 for calibrating the teach positioning of two robotic arms that transfer objects to each other via a load lock, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. At block 1210 of method 1200, the system controller causes a first robotic arm in one of the factory interfaces or transfer chambers to place a calibration object into the load lock. The calibration object may be a standard substrate or any other calibration object discussed herein. At block 1220, the system controller causes a second robotic arm in the second of the factory interfaces or transfer chambers to retrieve the calibration object from the load lock. At block 1225, the system controller uses a sensor (e.g., an LCF or alignment station) to determine a first offset between a first teach positioning of the first robotic arm and a second teach positioning of the second robotic arm. These two teach positioning positions should be aligned, but misalignment often exists between them. At block 1230, the system error determines a first characteristic error value based on the first offset, the first characteristic error value representing the misalignment between the first teach positioning of the first robotic arm and the second teach positioning of the second robotic arm. At block 1235, the system controller records the first characteristic error value in a storage medium.

[0121] The first characteristic error value can be used to correct most of the misalignment between the first positioning and the taught positioning. However, the robotic arm frequently overshoots or undershoots the taught positioning, which can be corrected by further refining the correction of the taught positioning (e.g., determining a finer or smaller additional characteristic error value). Therefore, in one embodiment, at block 1240, the system controller again causes the first robotic arm to place the calibration object into the loading lock. This time, the system controller causes the first robotic arm to place the calibration object into the loading lock using the first taught positioning, optionally modified by the first characteristic error value. At block 1245, the system controller causes the second robotic arm to retrieve the calibration object from the loading lock using a second taught positioning, optionally modified by the first characteristic error value. The first or second taught positioning is adjusted using the first characteristic error value to correct the determined offset.

[0122] At box 1250, the system controller uses a sensor (e.g., an LCF or alignment station) to determine a new offset. This new offset will be less than the original offset determined at box 1025. At box 1255, the system controller determines whether the new offset meets or exceeds a threshold. If the difference is below the threshold, at box 1260 the system controller determines that calibration is complete and the feature error value remains unchanged. If the difference meets or exceeds the threshold, the method continues to box 1265. At box 1265, the system controller determines an updated feature error value based on the new offset. The new offset is added to (or subtracted from) the first feature error value calculated at box 1230 (depending on whether the new feature error value is positive or negative relative to the first feature error value). The method then returns to box 1240 and repeats the operations of boxes 1240 through 1255. This process continues until at box 1255 the system controller determines that the new offset is below the threshold.

[0123] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of method 1300 for determining whether the taught positioning of two robotic arms that transfer objects to each other via loading lock is calibrated according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1300 may be performed periodically after method 1200 has been performed. At block 1310 of method 1300, the system controller causes the second robotic arm or the first robotic arm (e.g., Figure 12 (As described in the text) The substrate is placed into the loading lock using either a second taught positioning or a first taught positioning, which may be optionally modified by a feature error value. If the first robotic arm is on a transfer chamber robot, the second robotic arm is on a factory interface robot and uses the second taught positioning to place the substrate. If the first robotic arm is on a factory interface robot, the first robotic arm uses the first taught positioning to place the substrate.

[0124] At block 1320, the system controller causes the first or second robotic arm to retrieve the substrate from the loading lock using a first teaching position or a second teaching position, which may be modified by a feature error value. The first or second teaching position is modified by the feature error value at block 1310 (e.g., offset to the inverse of an offset associated with the feature error value), or the first or second teaching position is modified by the feature error value at block 1320.

[0125] At box 1330, the system controller uses a local centerer at the interface between the load lock and the transfer chamber to determine if a new offset has been detected. When the substrate is picked up at box 1320, the center of the substrate should be aligned with the center of the recess on the blade of the transfer chamber robot's arm and / or with the center of the LCF. However, robot errors or drift in either the transfer chamber robot or the factory interface robot, or both, may cause an offset.

[0126] At box 1340, the system controller determines whether an offset has been detected. If an offset is detected, the method proceeds to box 1350. If no offset is detected, the method continues to box 1345, and the system controller determines that the robot arm's taught positioning has not changed and the calibration is still accurate.

[0127] At block 1350, the system controller determines that at least one of the first taught position of the first robotic arm or the second taught position of the second robotic arm has changed (or the robotic arm's ability to achieve taught position has changed). At block 1355, the system controller determines whether the offset exceeds an offset threshold. If the offset is below the offset threshold, the method continues to block 1360 and maintains the current calibration. If the new offset meets or exceeds the offset threshold, the method continues to block 1365 and initiates a calibration procedure (e.g., the calibration procedure of method 1200).

[0128] Figure 14 This is an example computing device 1400 that can be used as a system controller for an electronic processing system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing device 1400 is a machine within which a set of instructions can be executed to cause the machine to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. In alternative embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a local area network (LAN), intranet, extranet, or the Internet. The machine may operate as a server or client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), tablet computer, web appliance, server, network router, switch, or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequentially or otherwise) specifying actions to be taken by the machine. Additionally, although only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" should also be considered to include any collection of machines (e.g., computers) that individually or collectively execute a set (or more) of instructions to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. In embodiments, computing device 1400 corresponds to... Figure 1 The system controller 132. In one embodiment, the system controller 132 is a component of the computing device 1400.

[0129] Example computing device 1400 includes processing device 1402, main memory 1404 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM)), etc.), static memory 1406 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and auxiliary memory (e.g., data storage device 1412), which communicate with each other via bus 1408.

[0130] Processing device 1402 represents one or more general-purpose processors, such as microprocessors, central processing units, etc. More specifically, processing device 1402 may be a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) microprocessor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) microprocessor, a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, or a processor implementing combinations of instruction sets. Processing device 1402 may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), network processors, etc. Processing device 1402 is configured to execute processing logic (instructions 1426) for performing the operations discussed herein. In one embodiment, system controller 132 corresponds to processing device 1402. In an embodiment, processing device 1402 executes instructions 1426 to implement any of methods 600 to 1300 of the embodiments.

[0131] The computing device 1400 may further include a network interface device 1422. The computing device 1400 may also include a video display unit 1410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device 1412 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 1414 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generating device 1416 (e.g., a speaker).

[0132] Data storage device 1418 may include machine-readable storage medium (or more specifically computer-readable storage medium) 1428, on which one or more sets of instructions 1426 are stored to embody any or more of the methods or functions described herein. During execution of the instructions 1426 by computer system 1400, the instructions 1426 may also reside wholly or at least partially in main memory 1404 and / or processing device 1402, which also constitute computer-readable storage medium.

[0133] Computer-readable storage medium 1428 may also be used to store instructions 1426 and / or feature error values ​​1450 as discussed above herein. While computer-readable storage medium 1428 is shown as a single medium in the example embodiment, the term "computer-readable storage medium" should be considered to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) that store one or more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should also be considered to include any medium other than a carrier wave capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by a machine and causing the machine to perform any or more of the methods described herein. The term "computer-readable storage medium" is also accordingly considered to include, but is not limited to, non-transitory media including solid-state memory as well as optical and magnetic media.

[0134] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive rather than an exclusive "or." When the terms "about" or "approximately" are used herein, this is intended to mean that the presented nominal values ​​are accurate to within ±10%.

[0135] Although the operations of the methods are shown and described in a specific order herein, the order of operations of each method may be changed so that certain operations can be performed in reverse order, or that certain operations can be performed at least partially concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of different operations may be performed intermittently and / or alternately.

[0136] The preceding description has set forth numerous specific details, such as examples of particular systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods have not been described in detail or have been presented in the form of simple block diagrams to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure. Therefore, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. Specific implementations may differ from these exemplary details and are still contemplated within the scope of this disclosure.

[0137] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following steps: A calibration object is placed in a first station of an electronic processing system with a first positioning and a first orientation by a first robotic arm. The calibration object includes a first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces, wherein the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces engage with corresponding first plurality of registration features of the first station. The calibration object is guided to target localization and target orientation at the first station by engaging the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces with the corresponding first plurality of registration features, wherein the target localization is different from the first localization and the target orientation is different from the first orientation; The calibration object is retrieved from the first station by the first robotic arm, and is positioned and oriented at the target location; the calibration object is transferred to the alignment station using at least one of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, or the loading lock, wherein the alignment station is housed in or connected to the factory interface of the electronic processing system, and wherein the calibration object has a first orientation at the alignment station. Determine the first orientation at the alignment station; Based on the first orientation at the alignment station, a first feature error value associated with the first station is determined; as well as The first feature error value is recorded in a storage medium, wherein the alignment station uses the first feature error value to align an object to be placed in the first station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first robotic arm is a robotic arm of the transfer chamber of the electronic processing system, wherein the first station is in a processing chamber connected to the transfer chamber, and wherein the step of transferring the calibration object to the alignment station includes the following steps: The calibration object is placed in the loading lock connected to the transfer chamber by the first robotic arm; The calibration object is retrieved from the loading lock by a second robotic arm connected to the factory interface of the loading lock; as well as The calibration object is placed at the alignment station by the second robotic arm.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the following steps: The object is retrieved from the second station of the electronic processing system by the second robotic arm; The object is placed at the alignment station by the second robotic arm; It is determined that the object will be placed in the processing chamber; The object is aligned using the first feature error value, wherein the alignment station aligns the object to a corrected target orientation, the corrected target orientation being based on an initial target orientation adjusted by the first feature error value; The object is retrieved from the alignment station by the second robotic arm; Place the object in the load lock; The object is retrieved from the loading lock by the first robotic arm; as well as The object is placed in the processing chamber by the first robotic arm, wherein the object placed in the processing chamber has the target orientation in the processing chamber.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the object is a process fitting ring.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the object is a wafer.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the object placed in the processing chamber has the target orientation in the processing chamber with an accuracy within 0.2°.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first robotic arm is the robotic arm of the factory interface, wherein the first station is in one of a loading lock, a loading inlet, or a front-opening standard compartment (FOUP), and wherein the step of transferring the calibration object to the alignment station includes the following steps: The calibration object is placed at the alignment station by the first robotic arm.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the following steps: The object is retrieved from the second station of the electronic processing system by the first robotic arm; The object is placed at the alignment station by the first robotic arm; It is determined that the object will be placed in the first station; The object is aligned using the first feature error value, wherein the alignment station aligns the object to a corrected target orientation, the corrected target orientation being based on an initial target orientation adjusted by the first feature error value; The object is retrieved from the aligner by the first robotic arm; as well as The object is placed in the first station by the first robotic arm, wherein the object placed in the first station has the target orientation in the first station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the object comprises a wafer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the object placed in the first station has the target orientation in the first station with an accuracy within 0.2°.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the following steps: Determine the difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and the initial target orientation at the alignment station, wherein the initial target orientation at the alignment station is associated with the target orientation at the first station; The first feature error value is determined based on the difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and the initial target orientation at the alignment station.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the calibration object has the target positioning in the first station, and wherein the calibration object has the first positioning at the aligner station, the method further comprising the steps of: Determine the difference between the first positioning at the alignment station and the initial target positioning at the alignment station, wherein the initial target positioning at the alignment station is associated with the target positioning in the first station; One or more additional feature error values ​​associated with the first station are determined based on the difference between the first positioning at the alignment station and the initial target positioning at the alignment station; as well as The one or more additional feature error values ​​are recorded in the storage medium, wherein the alignment station uses the one or more additional feature error values ​​to align the object to be placed in the first station.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the target positioning includes target x-positioning and target y-positioning, wherein the first positioning at the aligner station includes first x-positioning and first y-positioning, wherein the initial target positioning includes initial target x-positioning and initial target y-positioning, and wherein the one or more additional feature error values ​​include a second feature error value associated with an error in the x-positioning and a third feature error value associated with an error in the y-positioning.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate support of the first station includes the first plurality of registration features.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first plurality of registration features comprises a plurality of lifting rods or a plurality of static registration features.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate support of the first station includes the first plurality of registration features and the second plurality of registration features, and wherein the calibration object includes the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces and the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces, the method further comprising the following steps: The first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces are coupled to the first plurality of registration features to guide the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces onto the second plurality of registration features; as well as The second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces are then coupled to the second plurality of registration features to guide the calibration object toward the target orientation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first plurality of registration features includes a first plurality of lifting rods, wherein the second plurality of registration features includes a plurality of static registration features, the method further comprising the following steps: Raise the first plurality of lifting rods to engage the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces with the first plurality of lifting rods; as well as Lower the first plurality of lifting rods to engage the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces with the plurality of static registration features and disengage the first plurality of lifting rods from the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the following steps: The calibration object is raised using a second or more lifting rods while maintaining it in the target orientation, wherein the calibration object is retrieved while being raised by the second or more lifting rods.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the following steps: The steps of placing the calibration object in the first station, retrieving the calibration object from the first station, transferring the calibration object to the alignment station, determining the first orientation at the alignment station, and determining the first characteristic error value are repeated multiple times. The standard deviation of the first characteristic error value is determined due to the repeated steps of placing the calibration object in the first station, retrieving the calibration object from the first station, transferring the calibration object to the alignment station, determining the first orientation at the alignment station, and determining the first characteristic error value multiple times. as well as The accuracy of the transmission sequence between the aligner station and the first station is determined based on the standard deviation.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the following steps: Repeat the process of placing the calibration object in the first station and retrieving the calibration object from the first station; Repeat the process of transferring the calibration object to the alignment station, wherein the calibration object has a second orientation at the alignment station; Determine the second orientation at the alignment station; A second feature error value associated with the first station is determined based on the second orientation. as well as It is determined that the transmission sequence between the aligner station and the first station is no longer in calibration.

21. A calibration object for an electronic processing system, comprising: The main body, the dimensions of which are designed to fit through a slit valve in the electronic processing system; The first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces in the main body are configured to engage with corresponding first plurality of registration features of a first station of the electronic processing system and guide the calibration object to target localization and target orientation at the station; as well as A reference datum is placed on one side of the main body, wherein the reference datum can be used to determine the orientation of the calibration object.

22. The calibration object as claimed in claim 21, wherein the body is a disk-shaped body or an annular body.

23. The calibration object as described in claim 21, further comprising: The second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces in the main body are configured to engage with corresponding second plurality of registration features of the first or second station of the electronic processing system.

24. The calibration object of claim 23, wherein the second plurality of registration features are in the first station, wherein the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces have a first inlet, wherein the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces have a second inlet larger than the first inlet, and wherein the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces are configured to engage with the second plurality of registration features to guide the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces onto the first plurality of registration features.

25. The calibration object of claim 24, wherein the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces include a plurality of grooves in the bottom surface of the body, and wherein the second plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces include a plurality of regions adjacent to the outer periphery of the body.

26. The calibration object of claim 21, wherein the body is a solid sintered ceramic body that can be used at temperatures up to 400°C without damaging the calibration object.

27. The calibration object of claim 21, wherein the body has a shape that is a negative image of the surface of the substrate support at the first station.

28. The calibration object as described in claim 21, further comprising: A left-side incision, the left-side incision being located on the left side of the main body; as well as A right-side cut, wherein the right-side cut is located on the right side of the main body; The left and right incisions are used to detect the orientation of the calibration object based on the difference between a first position of the robotic arm holding the calibration object and a second position of the robotic arm holding the calibration object, wherein the left incision is detected by a local centering device at the first position and the right incision is detected by the local centering device at the second position.

29. The calibration object of claim 28, wherein the right-side cut is a mirror image of the left-side cut.

30. The calibration object of claim 21, wherein the reference includes at least one notch, at least one flat portion, at least one protrusion, at least one groove, or a combination thereof.

31. The calibration object of claim 21, wherein the main body is a disk-shaped main body, and the calibration object further comprises: Multiple arc-shaped cuts in the body, the multiple arc-shaped cuts being offset from the outer periphery of the body, wherein a first machine tolerance on at least one side of each of the arc-shaped cuts is greater than a second machine tolerance of the outer periphery of the body.

32. The calibration object of claim 21, wherein the engagement of the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces with the corresponding first plurality of registration features causes the calibration object to be repositioned from a first location to a target location and from a first orientation to a target orientation at the first station, wherein the target location is different from the first location and the target orientation is different from the first orientation.

33. An electronic processing system, comprising: A transfer chamber, the transfer chamber including a first robotic arm; Multiple processing chambers are connected to the transfer chamber; Loading lock, the loading lock being connected to the transfer chamber; A factory interface connected to the loading lock, the factory interface including a second robotic arm and an alignment station; as well as A controller, operatively connected to the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, and the alignment station, wherein the controller is used for: The first or second robotic arm places a calibration object in a first station of an electronic processing system with a first positioning and a first orientation. The calibration object includes a first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces, wherein the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces engage with corresponding first plurality of registration features of the first station, and wherein the engagement of the first plurality of kinematic coupling interfaces with the corresponding first plurality of registration features causes the calibration object to be repositioned at the first station from the first positioning to a target positioning and from the first orientation to a target orientation, wherein the target positioning is different from the first positioning and the target orientation is different from the first orientation. The first or second robotic arm retrieves the calibration object from the first station of the electronic processing system, the calibration object having the target positioning and target orientation in the first station, wherein the first station is a processing chamber among the plurality of processing chambers, the loading lock, the loading port of the factory interface, or a front-opening standard compartment (FOUP) coupled to the factory interface; The calibration object is transferred to the alignment station using at least one of the first robotic arm, the second robotic arm, or the loading lock, wherein the calibration object has a first orientation at the alignment station; Determine the difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and the initial target orientation at the alignment station, wherein the initial target orientation at the alignment station is associated with the target orientation at the first station; A first feature error value associated with the first station is determined based on the difference between the first orientation at the alignment station and the initial target orientation at the alignment station; as well as The first feature error value is recorded in a storage medium, wherein the alignment station uses the first feature error value to align an object to be placed in the first station.

34. A method comprising the following steps: A calibration object is placed into a loading lock by a first robotic arm in a first of a factory interface or a transfer chamber, the loading lock separating the factory interface from the transfer chamber, wherein the calibration object is placed into the loading lock such that the center of the calibration object is at a first target position associated with a first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm, wherein the center of a first recess of a first blade of the first robotic arm nominally corresponds to the first target position of the first teaching positioning, and wherein the factory interface, the transfer chamber, and the loading lock are components of an electronic processing system; The calibration object is retrieved from the loading lock onto the second blade of the second robotic arm using the second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm in the second of the factory interface or the transfer chamber, wherein the center of the second recess of the second blade nominally corresponds to the first target position of the second teaching positioning, and wherein after the calibration object is retrieved, the center of the calibration object is offset from the center of the second recess by a first offset amount; The first offset between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess is determined using a sensor in or connected to the second, either in the factory interface or the transfer chamber. A first feature error value is determined based on the first offset, and the first feature error value represents the misalignment between the first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm and the second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm. as well as The first feature error value is recorded in a storage medium, wherein one of the first robotic arm or the second robotic arm uses the first feature error value to compensate for the misalignment of an object transferred between the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm via the loading lock.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the first robotic arm is in the transfer chamber, wherein the second robotic arm is in the factory interface, wherein the sensor is comprised in or attached to an alignment station in the factory interface, the method further comprising the steps of: The calibration object is placed onto the alignment station using the second robotic arm.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising the following steps: The substrate to be processed is placed into the loading lock using the second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm; The substrate is retrieved from the loading lock using the first taught positioning of the first robotic arm, wherein one of the first taught positioning or the second taught positioning is modified based on the first characteristic error value to compensate for the first offset. A local centering device at the interface between the loading lock and the transfer chamber is used to determine whether there is a new offset between the center of the substrate and the center of the first recess. In response to determining that the new offset exists, it is determined that at least one of the first taught position of the first robotic arm or the second taught position of the second robotic arm has changed.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the following steps: Determine whether the new offset exceeds the offset threshold; as well as In response to determining that the new offset exceeds the offset threshold, a calibration procedure is initiated.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising the following steps: The calibration object is placed into the loading lock using the first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm; The calibration object is retrieved from the loading lock using the second teaching positioning of the second robotic arm, wherein either the first teaching positioning or the second teaching positioning is modified based on the first characteristic error value to compensate for the first offset, and wherein after retrieving the calibration object, the center of the calibration object is offset from the center of the second recess by a second offset; and The sensor is used to determine the second offset between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising the following steps: It is determined that the second offset exceeds the offset threshold; The updated feature error value is determined based on the second offset; as well as The updated feature error value is recorded in the storage medium.

40. The method of claim 38, further comprising the following steps: Determine that the second offset is less than the offset threshold; and Keep the first feature error value unchanged.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the first robotic arm is in the factory interface, wherein the second robotic arm is in the transfer chamber, wherein the sensor includes a local centerer at the interface between the loading lock and the transfer chamber, and wherein the first offset between the center of the calibration object and the center of the second recess is determined while the calibration object is removed from the loading lock by the second robotic arm.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the following steps: The substrate to be processed is placed into the loading lock using the first teaching positioning of the first robotic arm; The substrate is retrieved from the loading lock by the second robotic arm using the second taught positioning, wherein one of the first taught positioning or the second taught positioning is modified based on the first characteristic error value to compensate for the first offset. The local centering device is used to determine whether there is a new offset between the center of the substrate and the center of the second recess; as well as In response to determining that the new offset exists, it is determined that at least one of the first taught position of the first robotic arm or the second taught position of the second robotic arm has changed.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the following steps: Determine whether the new offset exceeds the offset threshold; as well as In response to determining that the new offset exceeds the offset threshold, a calibration procedure is initiated.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising the following steps: The process of placing the calibration object using the first robotic arm, picking up the calibration object using the second robotic arm, determining the first offset, and determining the first feature error value is repeated multiple times. Determine the standard deviation of the first feature error value caused by the repeated steps of placing the calibration object through the first robotic arm, picking up the calibration object through the second robotic arm, determining the first offset, and determining the first feature error value multiple times; as well as The accuracy of the transfer sequence between the first and second robotic arms is determined based on the standard deviation.

45. The method of claim 34, wherein the calibration object comprises a substrate.

46. ​​An electronic processing system, comprising: Factory interface; Load lock, wherein the first side of the load lock is connected to the factory interface; A transfer chamber connected to the second side of the loading lock; as well as A controller, wherein the controller is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 34 to 45.

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