Method and system for dispatch control of critical dimension measuring machine and readable storage medium

CN122555434APending Publication Date: 2026-08-11SIEN (QINGDAO) INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CO LTD
View PDF 0 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-02-05
Publication Date
2026-08-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

[0006]本发明的目的在于提供一种关键尺寸量测机台的派工控制方法及系统和可读存储介质,能够避免晶圆在第二次进入CDSEM站点时其同样位置遭受两次量测而引起关键尺寸有较大量测偏差的问题

Benefits of technology

[0042]1、在关键尺寸量测机台(CDSEM)利用相应量测配方对晶圆进行关键尺寸量测时,给晶圆打上与该量测配方相关联的量测标记,进而可以对新到达此站点的各片待量测的晶圆进行校验,以判断各片待量测的晶圆中是否有已被打上量测标记的晶圆,以及,判断所述已被打上的量测标记的晶圆所关联的历史量测配方与当前量测配方是否存在重叠或相同的量测位置,这样一来,可以避免出现同一晶圆先后多次进入CDSEM站点时其同一量测位置(例如是光刻工艺的曝光位置shot)被多次反复量测的情况,进而避免了CDSEM多次量测晶圆的同一量测位置导致该量测位置因受损严重而出现关键尺寸值异常问题,由此提高了先进过程控制系统基于关键尺寸值异常所计算出来的后续晶圆加工工艺的工艺参数设定值的准确度,进而提高了后续的晶圆加工工艺的效果。

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN122555434A_ABST
    Figure CN122555434A_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The application provides a key dimension measurement machine dispatching control method and system and a readable storage medium. When a key dimension measurement machine uses a corresponding measurement recipe to perform key dimension measurement on a wafer, the wafer is marked with a measurement mark associated with the measurement recipe, and a newly arrived wafer at the site is checked to determine whether there is a wafer that has been marked with a measurement mark among the wafers currently arriving at the site, and to determine whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer that has been marked with the measurement mark and the current measurement recipe have overlapping or same measurement positions, thereby avoiding the situation that the same measurement position of the same wafer is repeatedly measured when the wafer enters the key dimension measurement machine site multiple times, and avoiding the problem that the key dimension value is abnormal due to serious damage of the measurement position caused by multiple measurements of the wafer by the key dimension measurement machine, thereby improving the effect of subsequent wafer processing technology.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a dispatch control method and system for a critical dimension measurement machine and a readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in semiconductor device manufacturing, critical dimension scanning electron microscopy (CDSEM) is frequently used to measure the critical dimension (CD) of patterns fabricated on wafers. This is to determine whether the critical dimensions of the patterns on the wafer meet the design requirements of integrated circuits (ICs), thereby understanding the accuracy of related wafer fabrication processes (such as photolithography, etching, ion implantation, chemical mechanical polishing, film deposition, etc.). However, the measurement energy of the CDSEM may cause irreversible damage to the film layers or pattern structures within its field of view, resulting in abnormal critical dimension measurement values. These abnormal measurement values ​​are recorded in the Advanced Process Control (APC) system and used to further calculate and adjust the energy of the next wafer fabrication process, thus causing energy deviation in the system.

[0003] For example, to ensure the accuracy of the critical dimensions of the photoresist pattern on the wafer after photolithography, the wafer with the photoresist pattern is typically sent to a Scanning Electron Microscope (CDSEM) for After-Development Inspection Critical Dimension (ADI CD) measurement. The principle of photolithography is to coat a layer of photoresist (PR) onto the wafer, and then transfer the design pattern from the mask to the photoresist through exposure and development, thus achieving the transfer of the design pattern from the mask to the wafer.

[0004] The developed photoresist is generally quite fragile. When measuring ADI CD with a CDSEM, the energy of the CDSEM lens will cause irreversible damage to the photoresist within its field of view, resulting in photoresist shrinkage. If the same location on the wafer is measured a second time using a CDSEM, the ADI CD data will be deviated due to the shrinkage of the photoresist at that location. This will affect the APC system's calculation and adjustment of the energy for the next exposure of the lithography machine or the energy of related processes after lithography, thus causing a deviation in the system's energy.

[0005] Therefore, a technical solution is needed to avoid the problem of significant measurement deviations in critical dimensions caused by the wafer being measured twice at the same location when it enters the CDSEM site for the second time. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dispatch control method and system for a critical dimension measurement machine and a readable storage medium, which can avoid the problem of significant measurement deviation of critical dimensions caused by the wafer being measured twice at the same location when it enters the CDSEM site for the second time.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a method for dispatching and controlling a critical dimension measuring machine, comprising the following steps:

[0008] Verify each wafer to be measured at the current station of the critical dimension measurement machine. The verification includes determining whether there are wafers marked with measurement marks among the wafers to be measured, and determining whether there is any overlap or the same measurement position between the historical measurement formula associated with the wafer marked with measurement marks and the current measurement formula.

[0009] Each wafer to be measured that fails the verification is blocked from entering the station for measurement.

[0010] Using the current measurement formula, critical dimensions are measured on at least one of the wafers to be measured that has passed the calibration, and each of the wafers to be measured is marked with a new measurement mark related to the current measurement formula.

[0011] Optionally, the wafers arriving at the site of the critical dimension measurement machine include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.

[0012] Optionally, when marking the corresponding wafer with the corresponding measurement mark, the measurement formula associated with the measurement mark is also recorded in the manufacturing execution system.

[0013] Optionally, the dispatch control method further includes: recording at least the abnormal critical dimension measurement values ​​into the advanced process control system.

[0014] Optionally, the normal automatic dispatching process at the critical dimension measurement station includes a queuing stage, a reservation stage, a loading stage, a measurement stage, and a loading-out stage.

[0015] In the loading stage, the corresponding wafers are marked with measurement marks associated with the corresponding measurement formula.

[0016] And / or, at any point in time between the queuing phase and the loading phase, the corresponding wafer is subjected to the verification.

[0017] Optionally, the dispatch control method further includes at least one of the following (1) to (5):

[0018] (1) Set a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not subject to the control of the critical dimension measurement equipment; the verification also includes: determining whether the historical measurement recipes associated with the wafer that has been marked with measurement and the current measurement recipe are in the whitelist of measurement recipes. If either or both of the historical measurement recipes and the current measurement recipes are in the whitelist of measurement recipes, the wafer that has been marked with measurement passes the verification; otherwise, the wafer that has been marked with measurement fails the verification.

[0019] (2) When each wafer marked with the corresponding measurement mark needs to be reworked or sent to the next process, and / or when the corresponding wafer has undergone the critical dimension measurement but the measurement fails, the measurement mark of the wafer is automatically deleted.

[0020] (3) Select a portion of the wafers from the current batch of wafers arriving at the site of the critical dimension measurement machine according to the corresponding wafer selection rules as the wafers to be measured for each wafer.

[0021] (4) When at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully passed the critical dimension measurement of the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine again, if it is found that there is a wafer to be measured in the wafer batch that has not passed the verification, the entire wafer batch is blocked so that the wafer batch skips the critical dimension measurement step.

[0022] (5) If at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch still needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, a suitable wafer is selected from all wafers in the wafer batch or from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, using the verification, to perform the next critical dimension measurement; or, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, the wafer batch is reselected according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement and / or the new wafer selection rules, to replace at least one wafer from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer to be measured can pass the verification, and then perform the next critical dimension measurement.

[0023] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a dispatch control system for a critical dimension measuring machine, characterized in that it includes:

[0024] A marking unit is configured to mark the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement formula when the critical dimension measurement machine performs or completes critical dimension measurement on the corresponding wafer using the corresponding measurement formula.

[0025] The verification unit is configured to: verify each wafer to be measured at the current station of the critical dimension measurement machine, the verification including determining whether there is a wafer marked with a measurement mark among the wafers to be measured, and determining whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer marked with a measurement mark has an overlap or the same measurement position with the current measurement recipe.

[0026] The inbound control unit is configured to prevent the wafers to be measured that fail the verification from entering the inbound measurement unit, and to allow at least one wafer to be measured that passes the verification to enter the inbound measurement unit, so that the critical dimension measurement machine can perform critical dimension measurement using the current measurement recipe.

[0027] Optionally, the dispatch control system further includes at least one of the following (1) to (5):

[0028] (1) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a measurement recipe establishment unit, which is configured to provide a corresponding measurement recipe for each wafer to be measured at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine.

[0029] (2) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measuring machine also includes a measurement value feedback unit, which is configured to: feed back the measurement results of the critical dimension measuring machine to other related systems.

[0030] (3) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a whitelist setting unit, which is configured to: set a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not subject to the control of the critical dimension measurement machine; the verification unit is further configured to: determine whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer that has been marked with measurement and the current measurement recipe are in the measurement recipe whitelist; if either or both of the historical measurement recipe and the current measurement recipe are in the measurement recipe whitelist, then the wafer that has been marked with measurement passes the verification; otherwise, the wafer that has been marked with measurement fails the verification.

[0031] (4) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a mark deletion unit, which is configured to: automatically delete the measurement mark of the wafer when each wafer marked with the corresponding measurement mark needs to be reworked or sent to the next process, and / or when the critical dimension measurement of the corresponding wafer is performed but the measurement fails.

[0032] (5) The dispatch control system of the key dimension measuring machine is integrated with the advanced process control system and the real-time dispatch system in the automated dispatch system.

[0033] Optionally, the dispatch control system further includes at least one of the following (1) to (6):

[0034] (1) The wafers in the wafer batch arriving at the site of the critical dimension measurement machine include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.

[0035] (2) The marking unit is further configured to: when marking the corresponding wafer with the corresponding measurement mark, record the measurement formula associated with the measurement mark in the manufacturing execution system;

[0036] (3) The normal automatic dispatching process at the critical dimension measurement station includes a queuing stage, a reservation stage, a loading stage, a measurement stage, and a loading stage. In the loading stage, the marking unit marks the corresponding wafer with a measurement mark associated with the corresponding measurement formula; and / or, the verification unit performs the verification on the corresponding wafer at any time point from the queuing stage to the loading stage.

[0037] (4) The dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit, which is configured to: select a portion of wafers from the wafer batch currently arriving at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine as the wafers to be measured, and / or select a portion of wafers from all the wafers to be measured that have passed the verification by the verification unit, so as to load them onto the critical dimension measurement machine for critical dimension measurement.

[0038] (5) When at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully passed the critical dimension measurement of the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine again, when the verification unit verifies that there is a wafer to be measured in the wafer batch that has not passed the verification, the inbound control unit will block the entire wafer batch so that the wafer batch skips the critical dimension measurement step.

[0039] (6) In the special case where at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch still needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, the verification unit selects a suitable wafer from all wafers in the wafer batch or from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so as to perform the next critical dimension measurement; or, the dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit, which, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, is used to reselect wafers in the wafer batch according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement and / or new wafer selection rules, so as to replace at least one wafer among the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer to be measured can pass the verification of the verification unit, and then perform the next critical dimension measurement.

[0040] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a readable storage medium, characterized in that the readable storage medium is used to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the dispatch control method for a key dimension measuring machine as described in the present invention.

[0041] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0042] 1. When a critical dimension measurement machine (CDSEM) performs critical dimension measurement on a wafer using a corresponding measurement recipe, a measurement mark associated with that recipe is applied to the wafer. This allows for the verification of each wafer arriving at the station to determine if any wafers have been marked with a measurement mark, and whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the marked wafers overlaps with the current measurement recipe or if there are identical measurement positions. This avoids the situation where the same measurement position (e.g., the exposure shot in the photolithography process) is repeatedly measured multiple times when the same wafer enters the CDSEM station. This prevents the same measurement position from being severely damaged and causing critical dimension value anomalies due to repeated measurements by the CDSEM on the same measurement position. As a result, the accuracy of the process parameter settings for subsequent wafer processing calculated by the advanced process control system based on critical dimension value anomalies is improved, thereby improving the effectiveness of subsequent wafer processing.

[0043] 2. Provide a measurement recipe whitelist function so that measurement recipes in the whitelist are not restricted by wafer measurement marks, in order to meet some special application situations that require repeated measurement using the same measurement recipe.

[0044] 3. When a wafer needs to be reworked or sent to the next stage, and / or when the wafer measurement fails, the measurement mark of the wafer is automatically deleted to prevent the system from recording too many measurement marks and reduce the system storage burden. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Those skilled in the art will understand that the accompanying drawings are provided to better understand the invention and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the invention. Wherein:

[0046] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the dispatch control method for a key dimension measuring machine in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the normal dispatching process of the dispatching control method for the key dimension measuring machine in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application example of the dispatch control method for a key dimension measuring machine according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an example architecture of the dispatch control system for a key dimension measuring machine in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0050] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid confusion with the invention. It should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as "connected to" or "coupled to" other elements, it may be directly connected to other elements, or there may be intervening elements. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "comprising" is used to identify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items. The terms "at least one," "at least one of," and "at least one" all include any, two, more than, and all combinations of the associated listed items. Furthermore, it should be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts herein, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer program instructions. It will be well known to those skilled in the art that implementation in hardware, implementation in software, and implementation using a combination of software and hardware are equivalent.

[0051] The technical solution proposed by the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0052] The core of the technical solution of this invention lies in marking the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement recipe when the critical dimension measurement machine (CDSEM) performs critical dimension measurement on the wafer using the corresponding measurement recipe. This allows for subsequent verification of each wafer arriving at the site to determine if any wafers have been marked with the measurement recipe, and whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the marked wafers overlaps with the current measurement recipe or if there are identical measurement positions. This avoids the situation where the same measurement position (e.g., the exposure shot in the lithography process) is repeatedly measured when the same wafer enters the CDSEM site multiple times. This prevents the same measurement position from being severely damaged and causing critical dimension value anomalies due to repeated CDSEM measurements of the same measurement position, thereby improving the accuracy of the next wafer delivery energy calculated by the advanced process control system based on critical dimension value anomalies.

[0053] Based on this, please refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for dispatching control of a critical dimension measuring machine, which includes the following steps:

[0054] S1, the wafer lot has arrived at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine, and the verification of each wafer to be measured in the wafer lot begins. In one example, every wafer in the wafer lot is a wafer to be measured, so all wafers in the wafer lot are verified. In another example, according to the corresponding wafer selection rules or the record of the last critical dimension measurement of the wafer lot, a portion of the wafers in the wafer lot can be selected as wafers to be measured, thereby realizing the sampling measurement of the wafer lot.

[0055] S2, determine whether the current wafer being verified (i.e. the current wafer to be measured) has been marked with a measurement mark before (or, determine whether the current wafer is a wafer that has been marked with a measurement mark). If yes, proceed to step S3; otherwise, jump to step S5.

[0056] S3. Determine whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the measurement mark that has been marked on the current wafer and the current measurement recipe (also the "measurement recipe to be used") have overlapping or identical measurement positions for the current wafer (including determining whether the two recipes are the same recipe). If yes, the current wafer fails the verification and proceeds to step S4. If no, proceed to step S5.

[0057] S4. Control the current wafer to prevent it from being measured in the station (i.e., prevent it from being loaded onto the critical dimension measurement machine). For example, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can call the Real Time Dispatch (RTD) system to control the critical dimension measurement machine to remove the wafer that has failed the verification, so as to prevent it from being loaded onto the critical dimension measurement machine for critical dimension measurement at the same measurement position.

[0058] S5, using the current measurement formula, performs critical dimension measurements on the current wafer (which has passed the S3 verification);

[0059] S6, After the critical dimension measurement of the current wafer is completed, a new measurement flag related to the current measurement recipe is added to the current wafer;

[0060] S7. Determine whether the current measurement of this wafer batch needs to be terminated. If yes, terminate the current run of the critical dimension measurement machine on this wafer batch. If no, return to step S2 and continue the verification of the next wafer in the wafer batch.

[0061] In step S1, a wafer batch may include multiple wafers. These wafers may be wafers processed using the same process or wafers processed using different processes. These processes may include photolithography (including exposure and development steps), etching, ion implantation, film deposition (e.g., epitaxial growth, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, thermal oxidation, etc.), chemical mechanical polishing, etc. Therefore, in step S1, the wafers in the wafer batch arriving at the critical dimension measurement station may include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.

[0062] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 2 The normal automated dispatching process at this critical dimension measurement station includes the following stages:

[0063] (1) In the queueing stage, the Real Time Dispatch (RTD) system sorts the wafer lot that can be dispatched and adds the wafer lot to the queue waiting in front of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM (i.e., a machine or equipment EQP) through the manufacturing execution system (MES).

[0064] (2) Reserve stage: When the current wafer lot is waiting in line in front of the CDSEM critical dimension measurement machine, the manufacturing execution system (MES) determines whether the loading port is idle and whether the wafer lot to be dispatched is already in the overhead crane storage system. Then the RTD system reserves the wafer lot with the loading port of the CDSEM critical dimension measurement machine.

[0065] (3) Tracking in stage: After the reservation is successful, the RTD system can send a transfer instruction to the overhead crane through the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) so that the overhead crane can move the wafer lot to the loading and unloading port of the critical dimension measurement machine. The control system of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM (including the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM of the present invention) EQP controller further loads the corresponding wafer in the wafer lot into the measurement position required by the measurement recipe.

[0066] (4) Measurement (process) stage: The control system EQP controller of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM controls the CDSEM to use the corresponding measurement recipe to perform critical dimension measurement on the corresponding wafers in the current wafer batch lot. In this stage, the feedback of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM can be obtained through the control system EQP controller (which may be part of the equipment automation control system EAP), and then the wafer batch on the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM can be determined according to the feedback record.

[0067] The information in the measurement recipe is used to determine the measurement targets on the wafer (including measurement points or measurement locations), measurement types (including circular measurement, elliptical measurement, two-rectangle measurement, etc.), measurement paths (including measurement start and end points, scanning direction, etc.), measurement parameters (including lateral critical dimensions, longitudinal critical dimensions, gap width, etc.), electron beam energy, resolution, field of view, positioning location of measurement points (also known as "positioning points"), and focusing location (also known as "focus points").

[0068] (5) Track out stage: When the CDSEM critical dimension measurement machine finishes measuring the current wafer lot, the MES system can issue a transfer instruction to the crane based on the feedback from the EQP controller to remove the current wafer lot from the loading and unloading port of the CDSEM critical dimension measurement machine.

[0069] Optionally, in step S5, the critical dimension measuring machine can at least record abnormal critical dimension measurement values ​​into the Advanced Process Control (APC) system during the measurement (process) stage.

[0070] Optionally, in step S6, each wafer that has successfully completed critical dimension measurements can be marked with a measurement flag associated with the current measurement recipe during the track-out stage.

[0071] Optionally, in step S6, when affixing the corresponding measurement mark to the corresponding wafer, the measurement recipe associated with the measurement mark flag can also be recorded in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). For example, it can be recorded under the wafer tag.

[0072] Optionally, when there are special requirements, the measurement flags on the wafer can be deleted from the manufacturing execution system. For example, if a wafer with measurement marks needs to be reworked (e.g., returned to the pre-measurement photolithography, etching, chemical mechanical polishing, etc.), the wafer needs to be dispatched to the corresponding rework station. The measurement flags can be automatically deleted when or after the wafer is dispatched to the rework station. As another example, when a wafer with measurement marks needs to be dispatched from the current stage (where critical dimension measurement is only a step within the current stage) to the next stage, all measurement marks recorded in the current stage's process can be automatically deleted after the wafer leaves the current stage, thereby reducing the system's storage burden. In this context, a Stage represents a small process loop, which can encompass the entire process of forming a film structure (layer). Therefore, it includes multiple Steps, and a series of Stages (or loops) arranged together form a process flow. For example, the photolithography stage includes a series of steps such as resist coating, exposure, development, and post-development critical dimension measurement (CD Step). The next stage after the photolithography stage could be an etching stage, an ion implantation stage, a sidewall formation stage, and so on.

[0073] In other embodiments, when a wafer has already undergone critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine but the measurement failed, the measurement flag of the wafer is automatically deleted.

[0074] Optionally, in steps S2 and S3, the corresponding wafers to be measured in the wafer lot that have arrived at the current site can be verified at any point in time from the add queue stage to the track in stage.

[0075] It should be understood that after each normal measurement on a critical dimension measurement machine, a measurement flag is added to each wafer (i.e., a measurement flag record is added). Therefore, if a subsequent measurement formula is found to be used at the same measurement location as the wafer, the wafer will be blocked from further measurement until the wafer tag clear rule is triggered. This clear rule either deletes all measurement flags on the wafer or deletes all measurement flags on every wafer in the wafer batch containing the wafer.

[0076] Optionally, the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measurement machine in this embodiment, after executing step S2 and before or after executing step S3, further includes: setting a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not controlled by the critical dimension measurement machine, and further determining whether the historical measurement recipes associated with the measurement mark currently affixed to the wafer and the current measurement recipe are in the whitelist of measurement recipes. If either or both of the historical measurement recipes and the current measurement recipes are in the whitelist of measurement recipes, then the wafer with the measurement mark passed the verification; otherwise, the wafer with the measurement mark failed the verification. This provides a whitelist function for measurement recipes, ensuring that the measurement recipes in the whitelist are not controlled by the wafer's measurement mark, thus satisfying some special cases where repeated measurements using the same measurement recipe are required.

[0077] It is worth noting that, Figure 1In the example shown, once it is verified in step S3 that one wafer in the wafer batch has passed the verification, then in step S5, the current measurement formula will be used to measure that wafer. That is, the current measurement formula will be used to measure each wafer in the wafer batch that has passed the verification. Thus, in this example, if the corresponding number of wafers to be measured are selected from the wafer batch in step S1 using the corresponding wafer selection rules, then through steps S2 to S5, the effect of measuring each selected and verified wafer in the wafer batch can be achieved (i.e., the effect of "selecting wafers first, then inspecting and measuring" is achieved). If all wafers in the wafer batch are used as wafers to be measured in step S1, then through steps S2 to S5, the effect of measuring each verified wafer in the wafer batch can be achieved (i.e., the effect of "full lot inspection and measurement" is achieved). However, the technical solution of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0078] In another example, step S3 can be used to verify each wafer in the wafer batch to be measured, and to summarize all the wafers that passed verification and all the wafers that failed verification in the wafer batch to be measured. In step S4, all the wafers that failed verification in the wafer batch to be measured are simultaneously blocked. In step S5, according to the corresponding sampling strategy (or wafer selection rule), a portion (one or more wafers) of wafers are selected from all the wafers that passed verification in the wafer batch to be measured, and the selected wafers are measured one by one using the current measurement formula. Therefore, in this example, if in step S1 a certain number of wafers to be measured are selected from the wafer batch using the corresponding wafer selection rules, then through steps S2 to S5, the wafers selected from the wafer batch that have passed the verification can be re-selected, and the re-selected wafers can be measured one by one (that is, the effect of "selecting wafers first, then inspecting, then selecting wafers and then measuring" is achieved). If in step S1 all wafers in the wafer batch are used as wafers to be measured, then through steps S2 to S5, the effect of selecting wafers from the wafer batch that have passed the verification can be achieved, and the selected wafers can be measured one by one (that is, the effect of "full lot inspection first, then selecting wafers and then measuring" is achieved).

[0079] in addition, Figure 1In the example shown, the measurement flag is added only after each wafer has completed its measurement. That is, the measurement flag is added when the measurement is complete. Therefore, only wafers successfully measured will have the measurement flag added. However, the technical solution of this invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments of this invention, the measurement flag can be added at the start of the measurement or at any suitable point during the measurement process. Furthermore, when the critical dimension measurement machine fails to measure any wafer, the previous measurement flag for that wafer can be automatically deleted to avoid interference from measurement flags added during measurement failures.

[0080] Optionally, the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention further includes: automatically deleting the measurement mark of each wafer when it needs to be reworked or enters the next stage. This allows for timely deletion of the measurement marks of the corresponding wafers stored in the system, thereby preventing the system from recording (i.e. storing) too many measurement marks and reducing the system's storage burden.

[0081] Optionally, the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention further includes: after at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone critical dimension measurement by the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine again, when it is verified that there is a wafer to be measured in the wafer batch that has failed the verification, the entire wafer batch is blocked so that the wafer batch skips the critical dimension measurement step;

[0082] Optionally, the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention further includes: when at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, when the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, a suitable wafer is selected from all wafers in the wafer batch or from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, for the next critical dimension measurement. Dimensional measurement; or, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, according to the new selection rules or the record of the previous critical dimension measurement, the wafer batch is reselected to replace at least one wafer from the batch corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer can pass the verification and then be used for the next critical dimension measurement, and each wafer that has completed the next critical dimension measurement is marked with a new measurement mark related to the current measurement formula. Further, when reselecting wafers according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement, all wafers that successfully completed the previous critical dimension measurement can be excluded, and only wafers that have not undergone the previous critical dimension measurement can be selected as new wafers to be measured, avoiding the problem of duplicate wafer selection in the next critical dimension measurement and the previous critical dimension measurement.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 3 The following example illustrates the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention in detail, using a wafer lot containing 5 wafers W1 to W5 and the current process being the photolithography process.

[0084] First, the five wafers W1 to W5 in this wafer lot undergo coating (not shown), exposure, and development in sequence, and then arrive at the CDSEM machine (i.e., the critical dimension measurement machine) station for the first time. According to the corresponding wafer selection rules (i.e., a sampling test of this wafer lot to improve measurement efficiency and save time), W1 and W5 are selected from W1 to W5 as the wafers to be measured this time. The measurement recipe to be used in this measurement is R1. During the process of adding queues, reserving, and tracking in the wafer lot, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention, or any suitable system such as the MES system, will use steps S2-S3 to verify wafers W1 and W5. After verification, it is found that neither W1 nor W5 has a measurement mark. After the reservation stage, W1 and W5 will be loaded normally onto the CDSEM machine. The CDSEM machine will use measurement recipe R1 to perform normal critical dimension measurements on W1 and W5. After the measurement is completed, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention, or any suitable system such as the MES system, will mark W1 and W5 with a measurement mark flag named "R1". Optionally, the measurement mark flag "R1" can be recorded under the wafer tag of W1 and W5 for deletion if there are special needs later.

[0085] After the first measurement is successful, there may be special circumstances where the wafer lot needs to be measured again for critical dimensions, or the wafer lot may be mistakenly sent to the CDSEM machine. In this case, the wafer lot will arrive at the CDSEM machine for the second time. At this time, the current measurement recipe (which is also the measurement recipe to be used) set by the CDSEM machine is recipeR2.

[0086] If recipe R2 is different from recipe R1 (i.e., recipe R2 and recipe R1 are two measurement recipes with non-overlapping or completely different measurement locations for the same wafer), and according to the wafer selection rules, W1 and W5 are still selected from the wafer lot as wafers to be measured, during the wafer lot's queuing, reservation, and tracking stages, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention or any suitable system such as the MES system will use the above steps S2 to S3 to re-verify wafers W1 and W5. After verification, it is found that although W1 and W5 have been marked with the measurement flag "R1" before, the measurement recipe R1 associated with the measurement flag "R1" is different from the current measurement recipe. For both W1 and W5, there are no identical or overlapping measurement positions for R2 (i.e., R2 and R1 represent two measurement recipes with different measurement positions for either W1 or W5). Therefore, W1 and W5 are unaffected (i.e., they will not be blocked). After the reservation phase, W1 and W5 will be loaded onto the CDSEM machine normally. The CDSEM machine will use measurement recipe R2 to perform normal critical dimension measurements on W1 and W5. After the measurement is completed, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention, or any suitable system such as the MES system, will mark W1 and W5 with a measurement flag named "R2". Optionally, this measurement flag "R2" can be recorded under the wafer tag of W1 and W5 for subsequent deletion if there are special needs.

[0087] When recipe R2 is identical to recipe R1, or when there is overlap or the same measurement position for both W1 and W5, and according to the wafer selection rules, W1 and W5 are still selected from the wafer lot as wafers to be measured, during the process of the wafer lot going through stages such as adding queue, reserving, and tracking in, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention or any suitable system such as the MES system will use the above steps S2 to S3 to verify the wafers W1 and W5 again. After verification, it is found that W1 and W5 have been marked with the measurement flag "R1" before, and the measurement recipe associated with the measurement flag "R1" is... R1 has the same or overlapping (or identical) measurement position as the current measurement formula R2, thus locking W1 and W5 and preventing W1 and W5 from being loaded onto the CDSEM instrument, thus preventing the same measurement position of W1 and the same measurement position of W5 from being measured twice by R1 and R2 respectively.

[0088] At this point, if the wafer lot is mistakenly loaded into the CDSEM machine, the entire wafer lot can be blocked based on the verification result, preventing any wafer from W1 to W5 from being loaded into the CDSEM machine, thereby enabling the wafer lot to skip the CD Step.

[0089] If recipe R2 is exactly the same as recipe R1, or if there is overlap or the same measurement position for both W1 and W5, and a second measurement is required for the wafer lot (i.e., the wafers in the lot other than W1 and W5 need to be measured), then based on the record of the first measurement, the wafer selection rules can be changed to select one or more wafers from W2 to W4 in the wafer lot as new wafers to be measured. Then, steps S2 to S3 above are used to verify each of the new wafers to be measured, and after verification, it is found that from W2 to... The wafers selected in W4 that are to be measured have no measurement marks, or even if they have measurement mark flags, the historical measurement recipes associated with these measurement marks and the measurement positions of R2 are either non-overlapping or completely different for the same wafer. Therefore, with W1 and W5 under control, after the reservation phase is completed, one or more wafers selected from W2 to W4 that have passed the verification can be normally loaded onto the CDSEM machine. The CDSEM machine will use measurement recipe R2 to perform normal critical dimension measurements on the wafers loaded in W2 to W4. After the measurement is completed, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of this invention or any suitable system such as the MES system will mark the wafers measured in W2 to W4 with a measurement mark flag named "R2". Optionally, the measurement flag "R2" can be recorded under the wafer tag of the wafers measured in W2 to W4, so that the measurement flag can be deleted if there are special needs later.

[0090] In this way, during the lithography process, it is possible to avoid the situation where the same measurement position (e.g., the same exposure shot) of the same wafer is measured by the same measurement formula when the same wafer enters the CDSEM station multiple times. This avoids the problem of abnormal critical dimension values ​​caused by severe shrinkage of the photoresist pattern at the measurement position due to multiple measurements of the same measurement position of the wafer by the CDSEM. As a result, the accuracy of the exposure energy calculated by the advanced process control system based on the abnormal critical dimension value is improved, thereby improving the lithography effect of subsequent wafer batches.

[0091] In summary, the critical dimension measurement machine dispatch control method of the present invention marks the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement recipe when the critical dimension measurement machine (CDSEM) performs critical dimension measurement on the wafer using the corresponding measurement recipe. This allows for the verification of newly arrived wafers at this station to determine whether any wafers have been marked with measurement marks, and whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the marked wafers overlaps or has the same measurement position with the current measurement recipe for that wafer. This avoids the situation where the same measurement position (e.g., the exposure shot in the photolithography process) is measured by the same measurement recipe when the same wafer enters the CDSEM station multiple times. This also avoids the problem of critical dimension value anomalies caused by the CDSEM repeatedly measuring the same measurement position of the wafer, resulting in severe damage at that measurement position. This improves the accuracy of the process parameter settings for subsequent wafer processing calculated by the advanced process control system based on critical dimension value anomalies, thereby improving the efficiency of subsequent wafer processing.

[0092] Based on the same inventive concept, please refer to Figure 4 An embodiment of the present invention also provides a dispatch control system 1 for a critical dimension measuring machine, which can implement the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measuring machine of the present invention. This dispatch control system 1 for the critical dimension measuring machine may include a marking unit 11, a verification unit 12, and an entry control unit 13.

[0093] The marking unit 11 is configured to mark the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement recipe when the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM performs or completes critical dimension measurement on the corresponding wafer using the corresponding measurement recipe. That is, the marking unit 11 is used to implement the above step S6.

[0094] The verification unit 12 is configured to: verify each wafer to be measured at the current station of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM. The verification includes determining whether there is a wafer marked with a measurement mark among the wafers to be measured, and determining whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer marked with the measurement mark has an overlap or the same measurement position with the current measurement recipe. That is, the verification unit 11 is used to implement the above steps S2 to S3.

[0095] The inbound control unit 13 is configured to prevent the wafers that fail the verification from being loaded into the loading / unloading port of the CDSEM (Critical Dimension Measurement Equipment) and allow at least one wafer that passes the verification to be loaded into the inbound measurement equipment (i.e., allow the wafer to be loaded into the loading / unloading port of the CDSEM). Thus, the CDSEM can use the current measurement recipe to perform critical dimension measurements on the wafers that are allowed to be loaded into the inbound measurement equipment and have passed the verification. In other words, the inbound control unit 13 is used to implement the above-described step S5.

[0096] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 5 The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measuring machine also includes at least one of the following (1) to (5):

[0097] (1) The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a measurement recipe establishment unit 14, which is configured to provide a corresponding measurement recipe for each wafer to be measured at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM, so that the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM can use the required measurement recipe to perform critical dimension measurement on the corresponding wafer that is allowed to enter the station and has passed the verification.

[0098] (2) The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a measurement value feedback unit 17, which is configured to feed back the measurement results of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM to other related systems (such as etching machine, lithography machine exposure equipment, etc.).

[0099] (3) The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a whitelist setting unit 15, which is configured to: set a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not controlled by the CDSEM of the critical dimension measurement machine; the verification unit 12 is further configured to: determine whether the historical measurement recipes associated with the wafer that has been marked with measurement marks and the current measurement recipe are in the measurement recipe whitelist. If either or both of the historical measurement recipes and the current measurement recipes are in the measurement recipe whitelist, the wafer that has been marked with measurement marks passes the verification; otherwise, the wafer that has been marked with measurement marks fails the verification. Thus, a measurement recipe whitelist function is provided so that the measurement recipes in the measurement recipe whitelist are not controlled by the wafer measurement marks, in order to meet some special application situations that require repeated measurement using the same measurement recipe.

[0100] (4) The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a mark deletion unit 16, which is configured to: automatically delete the measurement mark of the wafer when the wafer marked with the corresponding measurement mark is dispatched from the site of the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM due to special needs such as wafer rework or entering the next site, and / or when the corresponding wafer has undergone the critical dimension measurement but the measurement fails, so as to prevent the recording of too many measurement marks and reduce the system storage burden.

[0101] (5) The dispatch control system 1 of the key dimension measuring machine is integrated with the advanced process control system, real-time dispatch system and other related systems in the automated dispatch system.

[0102] Alternatively, please refer to Figures 2 to 5 The dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measuring machine also includes at least one of the following (1) to (6):

[0103] (1) The wafers that arrive at the site of the critical dimension measurement instrument CDSEM include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.

[0104] (2) The marking unit 11 is further configured to: when marking the corresponding wafer with the corresponding measurement mark, record the measurement formula associated with the measurement mark in the manufacturing execution system (MES), for example, in the wafer tag, so that the measurement mark can be deleted as needed.

[0105] (3) The normal automatic dispatching process at the CDSEM site of the critical dimension measurement machine includes a queuing stage, a reservation stage, a loading stage, a measurement stage, and a loading stage. In the loading stage, the marking unit 11 marks the corresponding wafer with a measurement mark associated with the corresponding measurement formula; and / or, the verification unit 12 performs the verification on the corresponding wafer at any time point from the queuing stage to the loading stage.

[0106] (4) The dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit (not shown), which is configured to: select a portion of wafers from the wafer batch currently arriving at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine as the wafers to be measured, and / or select a portion of wafers from all the wafers verified by the verification unit from the wafers to be measured, so as to load them onto the critical dimension measurement machine for critical dimension measurement.

[0107] (5) When at least one wafer in a wafer lot has been successfully measured by the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM, and the wafer lot fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine CDSEM again, when the verification unit 12 verifies that there is a wafer in the wafer lot that has failed the verification, the entry control unit 13 will block the entire wafer lot so that the wafer lot skips the critical dimension measurement step.

[0108] (6) In the special case where at least one wafer in a wafer lot has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement by the CDSEM (Critical Dimension Measurement Equipment), and the wafer lot still needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement, after the wafer lot arrives at the CDSEM again, the verification unit 12 selects a suitable wafer from all wafers in the wafer lot or from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, to perform the next critical dimension measurement; or, the dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit (not shown), which, after the wafer lot arrives at the CDSEM again, reselects wafers from the wafer lot according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement and / or new wafer selection rules, to replace at least one wafer from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer to be measured can pass the verification by the verification unit, and then perform the next critical dimension measurement. The marking unit 11 marks each wafer for the next critical dimension measurement with a new measurement mark related to the current measurement formula. The marking unit 11 can mark the wafer when the next critical dimension measurement begins, at any suitable time during the next critical dimension measurement process, or after the next critical dimension measurement is completed.

[0109] It should be understood that the marking unit 11, verification unit 12, inbound control unit 13, measurement recipe establishment unit 14, whitelist setting unit 15, mark deletion unit 16, measurement value feedback unit 17, and wafer selection unit (not shown) in the dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention can be combined into one device, or any one of these units can be split into multiple devices, or at least part of the function of one unit can be combined with at least part of the function of another unit and implemented in one device, or at least part of the function of one or two units can be combined with at least part of the function of the critical dimension measurement machine's control system such as EQP controller, EAP system, APC system, RTD system, or MES system and implemented in one device. For example, the verification unit 12 is integrated into the MES system, the inbound control unit 13 is integrated into the RTD system, and the MES system calls the RTD system to control wafers that fail verification.

[0110] Furthermore, at least one of the marking unit 11, verification unit 12, station entry control unit 13, measurement recipe establishment unit 14, whitelist setting unit 15, mark deletion unit 16, measurement value feedback unit 17, and chip selection unit (not shown) in the dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention can be at least partially implemented as hardware circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), systems on chips, systems on substrates, systems on packages, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or can be implemented in hardware or firmware in any other reasonable manner of integrating or packaging circuits, or in a suitable combination of software, hardware, and firmware implementations.

[0111] Alternatively, at least one of the marking unit 11, verification unit 12, station entry control unit 13, measurement formula establishment unit 14, whitelist setting unit 15, mark deletion unit 16, measurement value feedback unit 17, and piece selection unit (not shown) in the dispatch control system 1 of the critical dimension measuring machine of the present invention can be at least partially implemented as a computer program module. When the program is run by a computer, it can perform the functions of the corresponding module and can be upgraded by software.

[0112] In summary, the dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine of the present invention can mark the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement recipe when the critical dimension measurement machine performs critical dimension measurement on the wafer using the corresponding measurement recipe. This allows for the verification of each wafer to be measured that newly arrives at the station to determine whether there are wafers marked with measurement marks, and whether there is any overlap or identical measurement position between the historical measurement recipe associated with the marked wafer and the current measurement recipe. This avoids the situation where the same measurement position (e.g., the exposure shot of the photolithography process) of the same wafer is measured by the same measurement recipe when the same wafer enters the CDSEM station multiple times. This also avoids the problem of critical dimension value abnormalities caused by the CDSEM measuring the same measurement position of the wafer multiple times. As a result, the accuracy of the next delivery energy of the relevant wafer processing process calculated by the advanced process control system based on critical dimension value abnormalities is improved.

[0113] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the dispatch control method for a critical dimension measuring machine as described in the present invention.

[0114] The readable storage medium can be a tangible device capable of holding and storing instructions used by an instruction execution device, such as, but not limited to, electrical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of the readable storage medium (a non-exhaustive list) include: portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multifunction disc (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanical encoding devices, such as punch cards or recessed protrusions storing instructions thereon, and any suitable combination thereof. The computer program described herein can be downloaded from the readable storage medium to various computing / processing devices, or downloaded via a network, such as the Internet, local area network, wide area network, and / or wireless network, to an external computer or external storage device. The network may include copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmission, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. Each computing / processing device's network adapter card or network interface receives the computer program from the network and forwards it for storage in a readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device. The computer program used to perform the operations of this invention can be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, status setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar languages. The computer program can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuits, such as programmable logic circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs), are personalized by utilizing state information from a computer program. These electronic circuits can execute computer-readable program instructions, thereby realizing various aspects of the present invention.

[0115] Various aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by a computer program. These computer programs can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, they create means for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. These computer programs can also be stored in a readable storage medium that causes a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other device to operate in a particular manner; thus, the readable storage medium storing the computer program comprises an article of manufacture including instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0116] A computer program may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby causing the computer program executing on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to perform the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of a flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0117] The above description is only a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dispatch control method of a critical dimension measuring machine, characterized by, Includes the following steps: Verify each wafer to be measured at the current station of the critical dimension measurement machine. The verification includes determining whether there are wafers marked with measurement marks among the wafers to be measured, and determining whether there is any overlap or the same measurement position between the historical measurement formula associated with the wafer marked with measurement marks and the current measurement formula. Each wafer to be measured that fails the verification is blocked from entering the station for measurement. Using the current measurement formula, critical dimensions are measured on at least one of the wafers to be measured that has passed the calibration, and each of the wafers to be measured is marked with a new measurement mark related to the current measurement formula.

2. The control method of claim 1, wherein The wafers arriving at the site of the critical dimension measurement machine include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing.

3. The dispatch control method for the critical dimension measuring machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When marking the corresponding wafers with the appropriate measurement marks, the measurement formula associated with the measurement marks is also recorded in the manufacturing execution system.

4. The control method of claim 1, wherein Also includes: At least the critical dimensional measurements of any abnormalities should be recorded in the advanced process control system.

5. The control method of claim 1, wherein The normal automatic dispatching process at the critical dimension measurement machine station includes the queuing stage, the reservation stage, the loading stage, the measurement stage, and the loading-out stage. In the loading stage, the corresponding wafers are marked with measurement marks associated with the corresponding measurement formula. And / or, at any point in time between the queuing phase and the loading phase, the corresponding wafer is subjected to the verification.

6. The control method of claim 1-5, wherein It also includes at least one of the following (1) to (5): (1) Set a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not subject to the control of the critical dimension measurement equipment; the verification also includes: determining whether the historical measurement recipes associated with the wafer that has been marked with measurement and the current measurement recipe are in the whitelist of measurement recipes. If either or both of the historical measurement recipes and the current measurement recipes are in the whitelist of measurement recipes, the wafer that has been marked with measurement passes the verification; otherwise, the wafer that has been marked with measurement fails the verification. (2) When each wafer marked with the corresponding measurement mark needs to be reworked or sent to the next process, and / or when the corresponding wafer has undergone the critical dimension measurement but the measurement fails, the measurement mark of the wafer is automatically deleted. (3) Select a portion of the wafers from the current batch of wafers arriving at the site of the critical dimension measurement machine according to the corresponding wafer selection rules as the wafers to be measured for each wafer. (4) When at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully passed the critical dimension measurement of the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine again, if it is found that there is a wafer to be measured in the wafer batch that has not passed the verification, the entire wafer batch is blocked so that the wafer batch skips the critical dimension measurement step. (5) If at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch still needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, a suitable wafer is selected from all wafers in the wafer batch or from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, using the verification, to perform the next critical dimension measurement; or, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, the wafer batch is reselected according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement and / or the new wafer selection rules, to replace at least one wafer from the wafers to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer to be measured can pass the verification, and then perform the next critical dimension measurement.

7. A dispatch control system for a critical dimension measuring machine, characterized in that, include: A marking unit is configured to mark the wafer with a measurement mark associated with the measurement formula when the critical dimension measurement machine performs or completes critical dimension measurement on the corresponding wafer using the corresponding measurement formula. The verification unit is configured to: verify each wafer to be measured at the current station of the critical dimension measurement machine, the verification including determining whether there is a wafer marked with a measurement mark among the wafers to be measured, and determining whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer marked with a measurement mark has an overlap or the same measurement position with the current measurement recipe. The inbound control unit is configured to prevent the wafers to be measured that fail the verification from entering the inbound measurement unit, and to allow at least one wafer to be measured that passes the verification to enter the inbound measurement unit, so that the critical dimension measurement machine can perform critical dimension measurement using the current measurement recipe.

8. The dispatch control system for the critical dimension measuring machine as described in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following (1) to (5): (1) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a measurement recipe establishment unit, which is configured to provide a corresponding measurement recipe for each wafer to be measured at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine. (2) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measuring machine also includes a measurement value feedback unit, which is configured to: feed back the measurement results of the critical dimension measuring machine to other related systems. (3) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a whitelist setting unit, which is configured to: set a whitelist of measurement recipes that are not subject to the control of the critical dimension measurement machine; the verification unit is further configured to: determine whether the historical measurement recipe associated with the wafer that has been marked with measurement and the current measurement recipe are in the measurement recipe whitelist; if either or both of the historical measurement recipe and the current measurement recipe are in the measurement recipe whitelist, then the wafer that has been marked with measurement passes the verification; otherwise, the wafer that has been marked with measurement fails the verification. (4) The dispatch control system of the critical dimension measurement machine also includes a mark deletion unit, which is configured to: automatically delete the measurement mark of the wafer when each wafer marked with the corresponding measurement mark needs to be reworked or sent to the next process, and / or when the critical dimension measurement of the corresponding wafer is performed but the measurement fails. (5) The dispatch control system of the key dimension measuring machine is integrated with the advanced process control system and the real-time dispatch system in the automated dispatch system.

9. The control system for assigning control of a critical dimension measurement station according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, It also includes at least one of the following (1) to (6): (1) The wafers arriving at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine include at least one of the following: wafers after exposure and development, wafers after etching, wafers after ion implantation, wafers after film deposition or growth, and wafers after chemical mechanical polishing. (2) The marking unit is further configured to: when marking the corresponding wafer with the corresponding measurement mark, record the measurement formula associated with the measurement mark in the manufacturing execution system; (3) The normal automatic dispatching process at the critical dimension measurement station includes a queuing stage, a reservation stage, a loading stage, a measurement stage, and a loading stage. In the loading stage, the marking unit marks the corresponding wafer with a measurement mark associated with the corresponding measurement formula; and / or, the verification unit performs the verification on the corresponding wafer at any time point from the queuing stage to the loading stage. (4) The dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit, which is configured to: select a portion of wafers from the wafer batch currently arriving at the station of the critical dimension measurement machine as the wafers to be measured, and / or select a portion of wafers from all the wafers to be measured that have passed the verification by the verification unit, so as to load them onto the critical dimension measurement machine for critical dimension measurement. (5) When at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully passed the critical dimension measurement of the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch fails to reach the critical dimension measurement machine again, when the verification unit verifies that there is a wafer to be measured in the wafer batch that has not passed the verification, the inbound control unit will block the entire wafer batch so that the wafer batch skips the critical dimension measurement step. (6) In the special case where at least one wafer in a wafer batch has successfully undergone the previous critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, and the wafer batch still needs to undergo the next critical dimension measurement on the critical dimension measurement machine, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, the verification unit selects a suitable wafer from all wafers in the wafer batch or from each wafer to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, to perform the next critical dimension measurement; or, the dispatch control system further includes a wafer selection unit, which, after the wafer batch arrives at the critical dimension measurement machine again, reselects wafers in the wafer batch according to the record of the previous critical dimension measurement and / or new wafer selection rules, to replace at least one wafer among each wafer to be measured corresponding to the previous critical dimension measurement, so that the reselected at least one wafer to be measured can pass the verification of the verification unit, and then perform the next critical dimension measurement.

10. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The readable storage medium is used to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the dispatch control method for the critical dimension measuring machine as described in any one of claims 1-6.