Defect detection in semiconductor manufacturing assemblies

Abstract

A method for determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly detects defects using internal vibrations of the in-situ assembly. The method may include initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in-situ within a semiconductor processing chamber, receiving a first vibration signal produced by the first test vibration, converting the first vibration signal to a first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal, determining an operational state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on the first frequency domain representation, and performing a corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly in response to the operational state.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present principles relate generally to semiconductor processing of semiconductor substrates. [Background technology]

[0002] During semiconductor manufacturing, some components have an expected lifespan that can be affected by exposure to the hostile environment within the process chamber. For critical components, even the most minor failure can cause a production line shutdown and potentially lead to the failure of other components. If a component has an expected lifespan of 600 hours and the component experiences a catastrophic failure at 500 hours, a manufacturer, erroneously, would err on the side of caution and begin replacing the component at 450 hours, regardless of whether replacement is warranted. While following such a replacement policy ensures that the production line continues to function, it can result in components being replaced well before their actual lifespan is reached, thereby increasing operating costs. The inventors of the present invention have recognized that using such a replacement policy can result in 20% to 30% of a component's actual useful life remaining unused. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have provided a method for accurately determining the health of a process chamber assembly in order to maximize the actual lifespan of the assembly, thereby dramatically reducing manufacturing costs while avoiding catastrophic failure.

[0004] Provided herein is a method for determining the health of a semiconductor process chamber assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In some embodiments, a method for determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly may include initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; converting the first vibration signal into a first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal; determining an operational state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on the first frequency domain representation; and performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly according to the operational state.

[0006] In some embodiments, a method for determining an operating state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly includes detecting a background vibration signal while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; removing the background vibration signal from the first vibration signal to obtain a first filtered vibration signal; transforming the first filtered vibration signal to obtain a first frequency domain representation of the first filtered vibration signal; and initiating a second test vibration within the internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within the semiconductor processing chamber, at an interval after the first test vibration, and receiving a first vibration signal caused by the second test vibration. receiving a second vibration signal filtered by the first filter; removing the background vibration signal from the second vibration signal to obtain a second filtered vibration signal; transforming the second filtered vibration signal to obtain a second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; comparing a first set of peaks in the first frequency domain representation of the first filtered vibration signal with a second set of peaks in the second frequency domain representation of the second filtered vibration signal obtained from the semiconductor manufacturing assembly to determine an operational state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly, where comparing includes comparing peak positions, peak absolute values, and peak widths of the first set of peaks and the second set of peaks; and performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly according to the operational state.

[0007] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a method for determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly to be performed, the method may include initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; converting the first vibration signal to a first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal; determining an operational state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on the first frequency domain representation; and performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly in response to the operational state.

[0008] Other and additional embodiments are disclosed below.

[0009] Embodiments of the present principles, briefly outlined above and discussed in more detail below, can be understood by reference to exemplary embodiments of the present principles as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present principles and, therefore, should not be considered limiting in scope, as the present principles may embrace other embodiments that are equally effective. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an isometric view of a semiconductor process chamber assembly having a defect that affects the useful service life expectancy of the assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a defect metrology system for a semiconductor process chamber assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an in-situ defect metrology system on a semiconductor process chamber assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a top view of a cluster tool, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles. [Figure 5]1 illustrates a method for determining the state of health of a semiconductor process chamber assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 6] 10A-10C show graphs of vibration data, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vibration generator, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an exemplary processing of vibration data acquired from an assembly under test, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; [Figure 9] 1 is an exemplary waterfall plot that may be used to analyze an assembly under test, in accordance with some embodiments of the present principles; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. Elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without additional description.

[0012] The method utilizes vibration data acquired from an in-situ assembly in a semiconductor process chamber to determine the assembly's operational state (health and life expectancy). Accelerometers attached to the assembly, along with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processing of the test vibration data, provide an intelligent method for detecting critical internal assembly defects without assembly removal or destructive testing. The presently-principled method has the advantage of real-time monitoring of the assembly's health state, providing a more precise failure timeline to prevent premature or late replacement of the assembly.

[0013] Currently, parts and components fail prematurely without warning, giving semiconductor manufacturers time to react. Without knowing their exact health status, manufacturers replace them early to avoid catastrophic failure. However, replacing assemblies before they fail wastes manufacturers' funds and increases production costs. By providing real-time monitoring capabilities for the life of critical components, an accurate assessment of component health can be established by comparing metrology data over the component's life to determine when to replace the component, rather than determining when to replace it by time or number of production runs to trigger a preventative maintenance replacement. In the method of the present principles, at least one accelerometer is attached to the assembly while it is in situ within a semiconductor process chamber. Vibration pulses are generated within the assembly by an impulse hammer and / or a vibration generator attached to the assembly.

[0014] Vibration signal data is collected by an accelerometer and transferred to a vibration analyzer via wired and / or wireless communication. The vibration analyzer performs an FFT on the raw vibration data from the accelerometer. The vibration analyzer then compares the frequency spectrum peaks between the vibration data samples from the clean new assembly and the aged, soiled assembly. The comparison data can then be used to provide an indication of the remaining life expectancy of the in-situ assembly. The overall process is a fast, efficient, non-destructive process for determining the internal health of the in-situ assembly. In some embodiments, the comparison data may be used within the semiconductor manufacturing line's controller to adjust parameters or even shut down / adjust the production line if assembly failure is significant.

[0015] FIG. 100 uses a lamp assembly 102 as an exemplary process chamber assembly that can be monitored using the method of the present principles. The exemplary process chamber assembly is not intended to be limited to lamp assemblies. In this example, the lamp assembly 102 is shown ex-situ to illustrate the mounting of the accelerometer 204 and vibration generator 202. The lamp assembly 102 has a lamp recess 104 that forms a pattern across one surface of the lamp assembly 102. When the lamp assembly 102 is exposed to chemical vapors in the processing environment of the process chamber, defects such as deformation 106 of the lamp recess 104 or oxidation 108 on the surface 110 and / or interior 112 caused by reaction to the processing environment may occur. For example, the present method can determine internal oxide growth of approximately 1.0 mm or less in thickness. To facilitate detection of such surface and / or internal defects, in some embodiments, multiple accelerometers 204 are symmetrically fixed to the surface 208 of the lamp assembly 102, as shown in diagram 200 of FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the accelerometers can be attached using wax. The material used to mount the accelerometer should have a negligible effect on the accelerometer's reception of test vibration pulses propagating through the assembly under test. In some embodiments, a vibration generator 202 is further secured to the surface 208 to generate vibration pulses that enter the lamp assembly 102 and are then received by the accelerometer 204.

[0016] In some embodiments, the vibration generator 202 may use a plunger 702 having a striking surface 704 as shown in diagram 700 of FIG. 7 . The plunger 702 may be pulled away from the assembly being struck by a solenoid 708 that compresses a spring 706. When power to the solenoid 708 is removed, the spring tension is released, causing the plunger 702 to strike the assembly with the striking surface 704 and then retract, sending a single vibration pulse through the assembly with the single strike. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of vibration generators using various internal mechanisms may be used, and the example shown in FIG. 7 is not intended to be limiting. The vibration analyzer 206 may be in wired or wireless communication with the accelerometer 204 and / or the vibration generator 202. The vibration generator 202 causes a single vibration pulse 210 to be transmitted through the lamp assembly 102 to the accelerometer 204. In some embodiments, accelerometers 204 may be placed near common failure locations rather than symmetrically around the assembly to allow for enhanced data collection at the failure point. In some embodiments, two to six accelerometers may be used. In some embodiments, three to four accelerometers may be used. In some embodiments, vibration generator 202 may be commanded to generate multiple vibration pulses. Vibration analyzer 206 receives vibration data from accelerometers 204, and in some embodiments, vibration analyzer 206 may average the data from multiple vibration pulses before performing FFT processing to generate a single-sided frequency graph for comparison to a graph of a defect-free assembly.

[0017] In diagram 300 of FIG. 3, the lamp assembly 102 is positioned in situ inside a process chamber 310, in an inverted orientation compared to diagram 200 of FIG. 2. For this example, and not by way of limitation, the lamp assembly 102 is positioned in an annealing chamber that includes a pedestal 304 with substrate lift pins 308 that elevate a substrate 306 to allow heating of both sides of the substrate 306. When the lamp assembly 102 is mounted on an overhead standoff 302 within the process chamber 310, the lamp assembly 102 is exposed to in situ background vibrations 312 caused by the process chamber 310 and the environment external to the process chamber. To account for the in situ background vibrations 312, readings are taken from the accelerometer 204 by the vibration analyzer 206 without initiating a vibration pulse from the vibration generator 202. The in situ background vibration data is then subtracted from vibration data taken during a vibration test, such as when a vibration pulse is commanded by the vibration analyzer 206 or by the system controller of the vibration generator 202.

[0018] In some embodiments, the vibration analyzer 206 may communicate with a system controller 314 that interfaces with the process chamber 310. The system controller 314 generally includes a central processing unit (CPU) 316, memory 318, and support circuits 320. The CPU 316 may be any form of general-purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial environment. The support circuits 320 are conventionally coupled to the CPU 316 and may include cache, clock circuits, input / output subsystems, power supplies, etc. Software routines, such as the methods described herein, may be stored in the memory 318 and, when executed by the CPU 316, may transform the CPU 316 into a special-purpose computer (system controller 314). The software routines may also be stored and / or executed by a second controller (not shown) located at a remote location.

[0019] Communication between the vibration analyzer 206 and the system controller 314 allows the system controller 314 to receive health or operational status data and / or status notifications from the vibration analyzer 206 regarding the lamp assembly 102. The vibration analyzer 206 may determine a "go" or "no-go" status, or the number of runtime hours before replacement is required, etc., which are sent to the system controller 314. The system controller 314 can cause the process chamber 310 to stop processing based on the status or remaining runtime, etc. The system controller 314 may further use the remaining runtime to modify chamber processing, such as using a different recipe or profile based on information from the vibration analyzer 206 to extend the life of the lamp assembly 102.

[0020] For example, the lamp assembly 102 may be further enhanced by being placed in situ in a process chamber, such as, but not limited to, the process chamber 414E that is part of the integrated tool 400 described below with respect to FIG. 4 . In such an environment, the dark vibration may be significant (much greater than in a stand-alone process chamber). In some embodiments, the vibration analyzer 206 may take several readings of the dark vibration via the accelerometer 204 over a given amount of time or process interval to average the dark vibration. In some embodiments, the vibration analyzer 206 may take readings of the dark vibration at a particular point in the process flow used by the integrated tool 400. The vibration test pulses initiated by the vibration analyzer 206 may then be initiated at the same particular point or points in the process flow to enable more accurate removal of the dark vibration.

[0021] An advantage of using integrated tool 400 is that there is no vacuum break between chambers, and therefore no need for degassing and pre-cleaning of substrates prior to processing or deposition in the chambers. Integrated tool 400 includes a vacuum-tight processing platform 401, a factory interface 404, and a system controller 402. Processing platform 401 comprises multiple processing chambers, such as 414A, 413B, 414C, 414D, 414E, and 414F, operably coupled to a vacuum substrate transfer chamber (transfer chambers 403A and 403B). Factory interface 404 is operably coupled to transfer chamber 403A by one or more load lock chambers (two load lock chambers, such as 406A and 406B, shown in FIG. 4).

[0022] In some embodiments, the factory interface 404 includes at least one docking station 407 and at least one factory interface robot 438 to facilitate the transfer of semiconductor substrates. The docking station 407 is configured to receive one or more front-opening unified pods (FOUPs). Four FOUPs, such as 405A, 405B, 405C, and 405D, are shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4. The factory interface robot 438 is configured to transfer substrates from the factory interface 404 to the processing platform 401 through load lock chambers, such as 406A and 406B. Each of the load lock chambers 406A and 406B has a first port coupled to the factory interface 404 and a second port coupled to the transfer chamber 403A.

[0023] The load lock chambers 406A and 406B are coupled to a pressure control system (not shown) that pumps and vents the load lock chambers 406A and 406B to facilitate transfer of substrates between the vacuum environment of the transfer chamber 403A and the substantially ambient (e.g., atmospheric) environment of the factory interface 404. The transfer chambers 403A and 403B have vacuum robots 442A and 442B disposed therein. The vacuum robot 442A can transfer substrates 421 between the load lock chambers 406A and 406B, the processing chambers 414A and 414F, and the cooling station 440 or pre-cleaning station 442. The vacuum robot 442B can transfer substrates 421 between the cooling station 440 or pre-cleaning station 442, and the processing chambers 414B, 414C, 414D, and 414E.

[0024] In some embodiments, processing chambers 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E, and 414F are coupled to transfer chambers 403A and 403B. Processing chambers 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E, and 414F may include, for example, annealing chambers, pre-cleaning chambers, ALD process chambers, PVD process chambers, remote plasma chambers, CVD chambers, etc. In some embodiments, one or more optional service chambers (shown as 416A and 416B) may be coupled to transfer chamber 403A. Service chambers 416A and 416B may be configured to perform other substrate processes, such as degassing and argon treatment.

[0025] The system controller 402 controls the operation of the tool 400 using direct control of the process chambers 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E, and 414F, or alternatively, by controlling the process chambers 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E, and 414F and computers (or controllers) associated with the tool 400. In operation, the system controller 402 enables data collection and feedback from each chamber and system to optimize the performance of the tool 400. The system controller 402 generally includes a central processing unit (CPU) 430, memory 434, and support circuits 432. The CPU 430 may be any form of general-purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial environment. The support circuits 432 are conventionally coupled to the CPU 430 and may include cache, clock circuits, input / output subsystems, power supplies, etc. Software routines, such as the methods described herein, may be stored in memory 434 and, when executed by CPU 430, may transform CPU 430 into a special purpose computer (system controller) 402. Software routines may also be stored and / or executed by a second controller (not shown) located remotely from tool 400.

[0026] A method 500 for determining the operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly according to some embodiments is shown in FIG. 5 . In some embodiments, particularly in some embodiments in which the process chamber is exposed to a significant amount of background vibration noise, before or after performing a vibration test of the in-situ assembly, background vibration data related to the background noise is collected in optional block 502 using one or more accelerometers associated with the in-situ assembly (assembly under test). In block 504, a vibration pulse is generated within the in-situ assembly. In some embodiments, the vibration pulse may be initiated by a vibration generator attached to the in-situ assembly. The vibration pulse may also be initiated automatically, such as at various time intervals or after processing a given number of substrates. The vibration pulse may also be initiated automatically when the expected life of the in-situ assembly is previously predicted by performance and / or maintenance data to determine the operational state of the in-situ assembly.

[0027] At block 506, vibration data from the vibration pulse traveling through the internal structure of the in-situ assembly is received by at least one accelerometer attached to the in-situ assembly. In some embodiments, the accelerometer may be a 9-axis accelerometer or the like. In some embodiments, multiple accelerometers are placed symmetrically around the periphery of the in-situ assembly or near locations where significant defects are likely to form. In some embodiments, a vibration analyzer may be used to receive the vibration data from the accelerometers. The vibration data received from the accelerometers may be used to generate a graph, such as graph 600A shown in FIG. 6 , which illustrates the amplitude of the vibration data over time. In some embodiments that acquire dark vibration data, at optional block 508, the dark vibration data is removed from the vibration data acquired by the accelerometers after the test vibration pulse is initiated to more accurately represent the actual test vibration data.

[0028] In some embodiments, at optional block 510, the in-situ assembly may be tested multiple times by sending vibration pulses and receiving data from the accelerometer multiple times. To generate a more accurate set of vibration data for analysis, at optional block 512, the vibration data received during each test may be averaged with the remaining test data. At block 514, the vibration data is transformed using an FFT process to generate a two-sided frequency domain representation of the vibration data. At block 516, the two-sided frequency domain representation of the vibration data is converted to a one-sided frequency domain representation. This processing of the vibration data is indicated by arrow 602 in FIG. 6 , which generates graph 600B of one-sided frequency domain vibration data for analysis. Peak location (frequency) 604, peak amplitude 606, and / or peak width 608 (peak frequency spread) may be used to determine the operational (health) state of the in-situ assembly.

[0029] At block 518, the graph generated by the vibration data after the test is compared with the graph of the baseline vibration data. In some embodiments, the baseline vibration data may be derived from testing the in-situ assembly when the assembly (e.g., a known good assembly without defects) is first installed, with no processing time for the assembly. The baseline vibration data may also be generated based on ex-situ data extrapolated to a known process chamber environment (e.g., where the effect of the process chamber on the vibration data of the ex-situ tested assembly is known in advance). At block 520, the health or operational status of the in-situ assembly is determined based on the comparison data between the reference graph data and the test graph data of the in-situ assembly. For example, peak position shifts, peak width changes, and / or peak amplitude changes between the graphs may be noted, which may indicate a particular defect based on historical or predicted data and / or may also indicate the severity of a particular defect. The comparison data may provide health or operational status data not only for defect types, but also for, for example, the number of runtime hours or number of substrates before failure of the in-situ assembly.

[0030] At block 522, a status notification and / or an operational status report, etc., may be provided. In some embodiments, information is provided to the operator, such as, but not limited to, a display associated with the process chamber and / or an audible signal or warning to alert the operator. In some embodiments, the status notification may include a corrective action. For example, in some embodiments, the operational status information may be passed to a system controller, etc., to enable the system controller to respond by implementing corrective action accordingly. At optional block 524, the notification status (e.g., go, no-go, etc.) and / or operational status (95% of life used, 5% of life remaining, etc.) may be used to modify processing of the process chamber in which the in-situ assembly is installed. For example, the system controller may stop processing based on a “no-go” status or if there is less than 1% of life remaining, etc. In some embodiments, the system controller can modify the process to further extend the life of the in-situ assembly, for example, when the assembly is a heating unit, the temperature level can be increased more slowly to a temperature that allows for a longer expected life (while still meeting process requirements, etc., although possibly at the expense of reduced throughput due to the slower temperature increase).

[0031] Method 500 can be used on in-situ assemblies made of metal, ceramic, and / or quartz. For example, ceramics, when new, have higher frequency peaks due to their higher density. Over time, ceramics may become less dense, thereby resulting in peaks at lower frequencies (peak position shifts) compared to new quartz assemblies. Quartz containing defects, such as inclusions and other imperfections, will also have a different FFT profile than a defect-free quartz assembly. Metals exhibiting oxidation and / or deformation will also have a different FFT profile than defect-free metals.

[0032] 8 illustrates exemplary processing of raw vibration data 806 acquired from an assembly under test, according to some embodiments. The raw vibration data graph 800A has an X-axis 802 of the time domain and a Y-axis 804 of absolute g-force. The raw vibration data in response to a vibration pulse initiated on the assembly under test is acquired by an accelerometer and then transmitted to a vibration analyzer. The raw vibration data is processed to convert from the time domain to the frequency domain by a discrete Fourier transform (FFT), such as by using Equation 1 below.

[0033]

number

[0034] The frequency domain data is then converted from a bilateral data set to a unilateral data set, and the amplitude is then converted to decibels, such as by using Equation 2 below.

number

[0035] The data is plotted on a frequency domain graph 800B with an X-axis 808 of frequency versus a Y-axis 810 of decibels. Peaks can then be analyzed and compared to spectra across samples. A particular peak 812, shown in the expanded view 800C of FIG. 8, can be analyzed against reference data (i.e., a known good specimen of the assembly under test, etc.). For example, at a given point, the test data 820 may be compared to the good, clean assembly data 814 to compare a first width 818 of the good, clean assembly data 814 with a second width 816 of the test data 820 for the particular peak 812. As shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments, a waterfall plot 900 may be used to analyze an assembly under test according to some embodiments. The X-axis 902 represents frequency, the Y-axis 904 represents time, and the Z-axis 906 represents absolute g-force on a logarithmic scale. The waterfall plot 900 can be monitored in real time for changes in peak parameters (e.g., peak position shift over time, peak width change over time, etc.), and those changes can then be used for notifications and / or changes to current processes, etc. based on the health / operational state of the assembly indicated by the waterfall plot 900.

[0036] Embodiments according to the present principles may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored using one or more computer-readable media, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A computer-readable medium may include a mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing platform or a “virtual machine” running on one or more computing platforms). For example, a computer-readable medium may include any suitable form of volatile or non-volatile memory. In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0037] While the forgoing is directed to embodiments of the present principles, other and additional embodiments of the present principles may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.

Claims

1. 1. A method for determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly, comprising: initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; transforming the first vibration signal into a first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal; determining the operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on the first frequency domain representation; performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly in response to the operational condition; A method comprising:

2. receiving at least one vibration signal using a plurality of accelerometers symmetrically spaced about a surface of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. Averaging the vibration signals acquired by each of the plurality of accelerometers before converting the vibration signals into a frequency domain representation. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

4. automatically initiating the first test vibration based on a time interval or based on a number of substrates processed in the semiconductor processing chamber. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

5. detecting a background vibration signal before initiating the first test vibration; removing the background vibration signal from the first vibration signal before converting the first vibration signal into the first frequency domain representation; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

6. providing notification of the operational condition to a controller of the semiconductor processing chamber as the corrective action; automatically determining whether to continue processing the substrate or to stop processing the substrate by the controller; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

7. initiating a second test vibration within the internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly at a time interval after the first test vibration; receiving a second vibration signal caused by the second test vibration; transforming the second vibration signal into a second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; comparing a first set of peaks in the first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal to a second set of peaks in the second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; determining the operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on a comparison of the first set of peaks with the second set of peaks; and The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the interval is based on an amount of time or the interval is based on a number of substrates processed by the semiconductor processing chamber.

9. comparing peak positions, peak magnitudes, and peak widths of the first set of peaks and the second set of peaks to determine, at least in part, the operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly; The method of claim 7 further comprising:

10. converting the first frequency domain representation from a two-sided representation to a one-sided representation of the first vibration signal; converting the second frequency domain representation from a two-sided representation to a one-sided representation of the second vibration signal before comparing the first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal with the second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; The method of claim 7 further comprising:

11. 1. A method for determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly, comprising: detecting a background vibration signal while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; removing the background vibration signal from the first vibration signal to obtain a first filtered vibration signal; transforming the first filtered vibration signal to obtain a first frequency domain representation of the first filtered vibration signal; initiating a second test vibration within the internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly at an interval after the first test vibration while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within the semiconductor processing chamber; receiving a second vibration signal caused by the second test vibration; removing the background vibration signal from the second vibration signal to obtain a second filtered vibration signal; transforming the second filtered vibration signal to obtain a second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; comparing a first set of peaks in the first frequency domain representation of the first filtered vibration signal with a second set of peaks in the second frequency domain representation of the second filtered vibration signal acquired from the semiconductor manufacturing assembly to determine the operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly, wherein comparing includes comparing peak positions, peak absolute values, and peak widths of the first set of peaks and the second set of peaks; performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly in response to the operational condition; A method comprising:

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the interval is based on an amount of time or the interval is based on a number of substrates processed by the semiconductor processing chamber.

13. receiving vibration signals using a plurality of accelerometers symmetrically spaced about a surface of said semiconductor manufacturing assembly; The method of claim 11 further comprising:

14. Averaging the vibration signals acquired by each of the plurality of accelerometers before converting the vibration signals into a frequency domain representation.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first test vibration and the second test vibration occur automatically.

16. Automatically initiating the first test vibration or the second test vibration based on a time interval or based on the number of substrates processed in the semiconductor processing chamber.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

17. converting the first frequency domain representation from a two-sided representation to a one-sided representation of the first vibration signal; converting the second frequency domain representation from a two-sided representation to a one-sided representation of the second vibration signal before comparing the first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal with the second frequency domain representation of the second vibration signal; The method of claim 11 further comprising:

18. providing the operational status notification to a controller of the semiconductor processing chamber; automatically determining by the controller whether to continue processing the substrate or to stop processing the substrate as the corrective action; The method of claim 11 further comprising:

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a method of determining an operational state of a semiconductor manufacturing assembly, the method comprising: initiating a first test vibration within an internal structure of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly while the semiconductor manufacturing assembly is in situ within a semiconductor processing chamber; receiving a first vibration signal caused by the first test vibration; transforming the first vibration signal into a first frequency domain representation of the first vibration signal; determining the operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing assembly based on the first frequency domain representation; performing corrective action on the semiconductor manufacturing assembly in response to the operational condition; 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

20. At least one of a, b, c or d, i.e. (a) determining the operating state using a peak position, a peak magnitude, and a peak width of a peak in the first frequency domain representation; or (b) detecting a background vibration signal before initiating the first test vibration; removing the background vibration signal from the first vibration signal before transforming the first vibration signal into the first frequency domain representation; or (c) converting the first frequency domain representation from a two-sided representation to a one-sided representation of the first vibration signal; or (d) providing notification of said operating condition to a controller of said semiconductor processing chamber; and automatically determining, by the controller, whether to continue processing the substrate or to stop processing the substrate as the corrective action.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising at least one of:

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