Mini environmental instrumentation wafers

Abstract

A system and method for measuring the processing state of a substrate are disclosed. The system may include an instrumentation board 110 comprising a substrate body 114. The instrumentation board 110 may include one or more sensors 112 configured to measure one or more conditions of either the substrate body 114 or the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body 114. The substrate body 114 may include channels connected to one or more sensors 112 within the substrate body 114. Each channel may include an open channel configured to allow the flow of gas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor substrates, and more particularly to systems and methods for characterizing the state to which a substrate is exposed.

Background Art

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 524,701, "MINI ENVIRONMENT(ME) TEST WAFER," filed on July 3, 2023, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), with inventors Giampietro Bieli, Andy Wijaya, Mor Azaria, Tsahi Muyal, Izhar Agam, Adi Pahima, and Yoram Uziel, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Substrates such as wafers may be processed in one or more chambers. For substrate processing, a group of hardware such as a blower, an air filter, a substrate transfer stage, a flow orientation panel, a duct, and a tube is used, and the substrate can be maintained in an ideal operating state.

[0004] The requirements for ultra-clean equipment performance are increasing with each generation in semiconductor manufacturing. Wafers, reticles, and flat panels are transferred to relatively high-risk positions during loading into their respective tools. Starting from the atmospheric state, substrates in some tools may pass through a load lock chamber where the state changes relatively rapidly.

[0005] When using setups with many components and processing steps, the cause of a particular condition (e.g., low yield, high contamination) may not always be clear. Therefore, sensors that measure conditions such as airflow velocity and air pressure are typically placed inside the chamber. These sensors measure the environment as the substrate is moved from its storage position to one or more tool components for processing. However, even these sensors cannot fully capture the conditions to which the wafer is exposed during processing. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0119169 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] There may be a need for a system or method that can more effectively characterize the conditions to which the substrate is exposed during processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Instrumentation boards are disclosed according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In one exemplary embodiment, the instrumentation board may comprise a substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, the instrumentation board may comprise one or more sensors coupled to the substrate body and configured to measure one or more states of at least one of the substrate body or the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, the instrumentation board may comprise a controller that is communication-coupled to one or more sensors and configured to measure sensor data from one or more sensors indicating one or more measured states, and to transmit the sensor data indicating one or more states to a controller of a semiconductor process tool. In another exemplary embodiment, the substrate body may comprise one or more sets of channels within the substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, a first sensor of one or more sensors may be connected to a first set of channels of one or more sets of channels. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the first set of channels may include an open channel configured to allow gas flow. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the first set of channels may be coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and may be fluidly connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

[0009] In another embodiment, at least three of the first set of channels may be non-parallel to each other. In another embodiment, one or more sensors may be located inside the substrate body. In another embodiment, the instrumentation board may further include a second sensor. In another embodiment, the second sensor may include at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the first sensor may include an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the substrate body may include a sealed pressure reference reservoir coupled to the air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the first sensor may include an air velocity sensor.

[0010] Systems according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the system may comprise a semiconductor process tool and an instrumentation substrate. In another exemplary embodiment, the instrumentation substrate may comprise a substrate body, one or more sensors coupled to the substrate body and configured to measure one or more states of at least one of the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body, and a controller communicate-coupled to one or more sensors. In another exemplary embodiment, the controller may be configured to measure sensor data from one or more sensors indicating the measured one or more states, and to transmit the sensor data indicating the one or more states to a controller of the semiconductor process tool. In another exemplary embodiment, the substrate body may comprise one or more sets of channels within the substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, a first sensor of one or more sensors may be connected to a first set of channels of one or more sets of channels. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the first set of channels may include an open channel configured to allow gas flow. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the first set of channels may be coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and may be fluid-connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

[0011] In another embodiment, at least three of the first set of channels may be non-parallel to each other. In another embodiment, one or more sensors may be located inside the substrate body. In another embodiment, the system may further include a second sensor. In another embodiment, the second sensor may include at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the first sensor may include an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the substrate body may include a sealed pressure reference reservoir coupled to the air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the first sensor may include an air velocity sensor. In another embodiment, the controller of the semiconductor process tool may be configured to perform a substrate processing operation configured to simulate at least a portion of a production substrate processing operation, while the substrate processing operation does not necessarily include permanently adding additional layers to the instrumentation substrate by deposition and etching operations. In another embodiment, the controller of the semiconductor process tool may be configured to adjust the process state based on sensor data.

[0012] Disclosed here are methods for measuring the state of a substrate according to one or more exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. In one exemplary embodiment, the method may include placing an instrumentation wafer within a semiconductor process tool. In another exemplary embodiment, the method may include measuring one or more states of at least one of the substrate body of the instrumentation wafer or the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body using one or more sensors. In another exemplary embodiment, one or more sensors may be coupled to the substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, the method may include transmitting sensor data indicating one or more states to a controller of the semiconductor process tool. In another exemplary embodiment, the substrate body may have one or more sets of channels within the substrate body. In another exemplary embodiment, a first sensor of one or more sensors may be connected to a first set of channels of one or more sets of channels. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the one or more sets of channels may include an open channel configured to allow gas flow. In another exemplary embodiment, each channel of the first set of channels may be coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and may be fluidly connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

[0013] In another embodiment, the method may further include initiating a substrate processing operation that simulates at least a portion of the production substrate processing operation, but does not involve permanently adding additional layers to the instrumentation substrate by deposition and etching operations. In another embodiment, the substrate processing operation may include enabling the flow of gas to open channels in the instrumentation substrate. In another embodiment, at least three of the first set of channels may be non-parallel to each other. In another embodiment, one or more sensors may be located inside the substrate body. In another embodiment, the instrumentation substrate may further include a second sensor. In another embodiment, the second sensor may include at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the first sensor may include an air pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the instrumentation substrate may further include an accelerometer. In another embodiment, the method may include adjusting the process state based on sensor data.

[0014] It should be understood that both the above general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and descriptive, and do not necessarily limit the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part thereof illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the above general description, are useful in illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0015] Many of the advantages of this disclosure can be better understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of an instrumentation board according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of an instrumentation board, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, which includes a plurality of channels coupled between a sensor and an opening on its surface. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of an instrumentation board in a control processing environment according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] A top view of a instrumentation substrate including an aperture, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] A perspective view of the inside of a chamber including a fixed sensor spaced apart from an instrumentation substrate, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] A process flow diagram showing a method for measuring a substrate processing state, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The present disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail with respect to specific embodiments and their respective specific features. The embodiments described herein are not intended to be limiting in any way and are to be regarded as illustrative. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, reference will be made in detail to the subject matter of the disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Semiconductor wafers are typically manufactured using a variety of steps that repeatedly build the wafer layer by layer. These steps are usually susceptible to the influence of the processing state.

[0019] Optimization of wafer processing is typically carried out by a relatively long process of making measurements with various flow meter and pressure gauge heads placed at specific points in the tool. In such a method, it may become impossible to measure the conditions present on the wafer surface. The environment of the wafer typically changes dramatically when it is moved from its storage location onto the chuck of the tool. And it is unclear where the most risky points are. Also, it is considered difficult to measure the state to which the wafer is exposed during its movement. This is because it is considered unrealistic to fix a sensor near a large, rapidly moving assembly.

[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a system and method for measuring a substrate processing state according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed.

[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to the use of instrumentation substrates equipped with sensors. In an embodiment, air pressure, air velocity, acceleration, humidity, vibration, UV light, and / or similar conditions may be measured by sensors embedded inside the instrumentation substrate. The instrumentation wafer may be configured to be exposed to part (but not necessarily all) of the processes used to process the production wafer. For example, the tool may be configured to move the instrumentation wafer to a processing position within each chamber and activate components within the tool to simulate the processing of the production wafer. In this way, the instrumentation substrate can measure the conditions to which the wafer is exposed during processing. In an embodiment, the instrumentation substrate may comprise a plurality of channels connected to a single corresponding sensor starting from the surface of the substrate. The channels may allow for fluid communication at multiple points on the instrumentation substrate, all of which are for a specific parameter measured by a single sensor. For example, air pressure and air velocity sensors may be coupled to two sets of channels in the instrumentation substrate. Also, multiple sensors may be used on a single substrate and / or various substrates for a variety of measurement tests. Such an approach is believed to be superior to other measurement methods, such as when fixed sensors are coupled to the chamber walls, in fully characterizing the conditions to which the wafer is exposed. The conditions inside the chamber are considered adjustable based on data from one or more instrumentation substrates. Embodiments of the present disclosure may enable a more accurate contamination risk assessment during substrate movement throughout the semiconductor processing tool.

[0022] Adjustments to the semiconductor processing tool can improve the process, such as improving the manufacturing yield of the wafer. Specifically, for example, an advantage is an improvement in optimization adjustment opportunities configured to suppress the reach of particulate and molecular contamination to the wafer surface.

[0023] In embodiments, the instrumentation board may not be fixed in a single position, but rather may be configured to traverse one or more portions of the semiconductor process tool in the same path as the production wafer. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to correlate sensor data received from the instrumentation board to the position of the instrumentation board in the semiconductor process tool based on the timestamp when such sensor data was recorded.

[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an instrumentation board 110 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] In some embodiments, the instrumentation board 110 may comprise a board body 114, a controller 102, a power supply 106, a communication interface 108, and / or one or more sensors 112. For the purposes of this disclosure, the instrumentation board 110 may also be referred to as an instrumentation board assembly, a board device, an instrumentation wafer, an instrumentation wafer board, a sensor wafer, a test wafer, a board monitoring device, an instrumentation board device, a measurement wafer, etc.

[0026] In some embodiments, the instrumentation board 110 may be configured to measure the substrate processing state. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may be used as a test board or instrumentation board to collect data on the conditions to which an actual wafer is exposed during processing. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may be equipped with a power supply 106, such as a battery, which makes the instrumentation board 110 movable, enabling it to be transferred from one station to the next.

[0027] The instrumentation substrate 110 may have any shape, such as a shape suitable for use in semiconductor process tools. For example, the instrumentation substrate 110 may be formed like a wafer. For example, the instrumentation substrate 110 may be formed like a flat circular disk.

[0028] In an embodiment, the instrumentation substrate 110 comprises a substrate body 114 (or body 114). The body 114 may comprise a housing. For example, the body 114 may, but is not limited to, contain a silicon material. The body 114 may have a structure similar to a wafer, reticle, flat panel, or electrical board.

[0029] In one embodiment, the instrumentation board 110 comprises one or more sensors 112. The one or more sensors 112 may be coupled to the main body 114. For example, the sensors 112 may be embedded / enclosed within the main body 114.

[0030] One or more sensors 112 may include any sensors known in the art. For example, one or more sensors may be configured to measure one or more states of at least one of the external environment adjacent to the substrate body 114 or the surface of the substrate body (e.g., air pressure, air velocity, etc.). For example, the external environment states may be air pressure and air velocity, and the state of the substrate body may be acceleration. One or more states may correspond to sensor data that can be measured using one or more sensors 112. The instrumentation board 110 may include sensors 112 for air pressure, air velocity, acceleration, humidity, vibration, ultraviolet light, and / or similar states. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include an air pressure sensor. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include an air velocity sensor. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include an accelerometer. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include a vibration sensor. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include a humidity sensor. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may include a UV light sensor. For example, a third sensor (not shown) may be coupled to a third set of channels 104.

[0031] In this embodiment, the main body 114 comprises one or more channels 104. One or more sensors 112 may be disposed within the main body 114 and coupled to one or more channels 104. For example, one or more channels 104 may enable one or more sensors 112 to measure conditions such as air pressure and / or air velocity near the surface of the main body 114. In this regard, environmental conditions present directly above the surface may be measured by one or more sensors 112 within one or more channels 104.

[0032] The instrumentation board 110 may include one or more controllers 102. In one embodiment, the system 100 includes a controller 102 that is communication-coupled to a sensor 112. For example, the controller 102 may be located on the instrumentation board 110, such as inside the main body 114. The controller 102 can provide the instrumentation board 110 with data acquisition and data storage functions.

[0033] The power supply 106 may include one or more batteries, wired power supplies, etc. The power supply 106 can supply power to any of the various components of the instrumentation board 110. The power supply 106 may be embedded in the main body 114. The power supply 106 can provide a power storage function to the instrumentation board 110.

[0034] The communication interface 108 may include any wired communication protocol (e.g., DSL-based interconnect, cable-based interconnect, T9-based interconnect, USB, etc.) or wireless communication protocol (e.g., GSM, GPRS, CDMA, EV-DO, EDGE, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi protocol, RF, Bluetooth®, IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System), etc.). Another example of the communication interface 108 including a communication protocol is a radio frequency identification (RFID) protocol, open-source radio frequencies, etc. Another example of the communication interface 108 including inductive wireless communication and / or inductive wireless charging. For example, the communication interface 108 may use on / off keying and backscatter modulation for bidirectional data transfer in conjunction with inductive power transmission for battery charging. Thus, the interaction between various devices is determined based on one or more characteristics, including but not limited to cellular signatures, IP addresses, MAC addresses, Bluetooth signatures, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, etc.

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an instrumentation board 110, which includes a plurality of channels 104 coupled between a sensor 112 and an opening 212 on the surface 202 of the instrumentation board 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] The main body 114 may have channels 104 coupled to one or more of the sensors 112. For example, the first sensor 112A may be coupled to a first pair of channels 104A. In this way, the first sensor 112A of one or more sensors 112 may be connected to a first pair of channels 104A of one or more pairs of channels 104. For example, the substrate body 114 may have (or define) one or more pairs of channels 104 within the substrate body 114. For example, the channels 104 may be holes, cavities, etc., defined by the inner surface of the substrate body 114. Examples of one or more channels 104 include, but are not limited to, insertion or embedding tubes, drilled holes, and / or similar objects.

[0037] Each channel 104 may be an "open" channel configured to allow gas flow. For example, channel 104 may be hollow to allow the sensor 112 to measure air pressure and / or air velocity values. Each channel 104 of any set of channels may be in fluid communication with the external environment adjacent to the surface 202 by being coupled to an opening 212 defined by the surface 202 of the substrate body 114. In this way, the sensor 112 can more completely characterize the environment near the surface 202 of the substrate body 114.

[0038] In this embodiment, the channel 104 may be linear. For example, each channel 104 may be aligned with a linear axis / line.

[0039] The angles 208 between a set of channels 104 corresponding to a particular sensor 112 may be non-parallel. For example, at least three of the first set of channels 104A may have non-parallel angles 208 to each other. This allows a single sensor 112 to test measurements at multiple apertures 212 on the surface 202.

[0040] Each channel 104 may be used for a separate measurement (e.g., pressure measurement), while each port of a single sensor 112 may be used for measurement. For example, the sensor 112 may have individual ports coupled to each channel 104. In this way, one sensor 112 may be used for each parameter. For example, each sensor 112 may be coupled to 10 to 20 channels 104 and their respective openings 212.

[0041] Surface 202 may include any surface of the substrate body 114. For example, surface 202 may be an outer surface that measures the external environment in close proximity to the substrate body 114. For example, surface 202 may include the top surface as shown in the figure. For example, surface 202 may include the bottom surface. Surface 202 may include at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface. Surface 202 may include both the top surface and the bottom surface.

[0042] Sensor 112 may be configured to measure the state at any frequency. For example, sensor 112 may be configured to measure the state at 10 to 50 Hz.

[0043] The sensor 112 may be placed inside the substrate body 114, such as by being enclosed inside the substrate body 114 within the cavity.

[0044] For example, the first sensor 112A may include (or be) an air pressure sensor configured to measure air pressure from one or more openings 212. For example, the first sensor 112A may be an air velocity sensor configured to measure air velocity from one or more openings 212.

[0045] An air velocity sensor may be an air velocity sensor configured to measure air velocity from one or more openings 212, such as a second sensor 112B that is different from the first sensor 112A. The second sensor may be coupled to a different (second) channel 104B.

[0046] An air pressure sensor (for example, the first sensor 112A) may be coupled to a sealed pressure reference reservoir 206. The sealed pressure reference reservoir 206 may be configured to provide a reference pressure for differential pressure measurements. For example, the reference pressure may be used for calibration. The pressure reference reservoir 206 may include a cavity sealed in the substrate body 114.

[0047] In some embodiments, both an air pressure sensor 112 and an air velocity sensor 112 may be used. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the channels 104 corresponding to the two different sensors may intersect when viewed from the side, but do not necessarily have to. In this way, each sensor 112 may use the channel 104 to acquire sensor data near the entire surface 202.

[0048] The instrumentation board 110 may have a total thickness of 210. In one embodiment, the total thickness 210 of the instrumentation board 110 is 0.1 to 20 millimeters. In another embodiment, the total thickness 210 of the instrumentation board 110 is 1 to 5 millimeters.

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an instrumentation substrate 110 in a semiconductor process tool 300 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] The tool 300 may include a controller 322. The controller 322 may include one or more processors 326 and a memory device 324 (or memory). For example, one or more processors 326 may be configured to execute a set of program instructions held in the memory 324. For example, the program instructions may be configured such that the controller 322 is configured to measure sensor data from the sensor 112 and / or transmit one or more signals (for example, signals containing sensor data) indicating the measurement status to an external device (for example, the controller 322). The controllers 102 and 322 may be located in any position and may communicate with each other wirelessly or via a wired connection. For example, the controller 102 may be located in the instrumentation board 110, and the controller 322 may be located externally to perform additional processing of sensor data. For example, the controller 322 may be located on the semiconductor process tool 300.

[0051] In embodiments, the semiconductor process tool 300 (or tool 300) may include a controlled processing environment such as one or more state-controlled chambers 312, 314. In embodiments, the system 100 may comprise the tool 300. For example, the tool 300 may be configured to perform one or more operations configured to simulate substrate processing and to collect sensor data during these operations in cooperation with the instrumentation substrate 110. For example, the tool 300 may be configured to perform pseudo-substrate processing operations on the instrumentation substrate 110, in which other steps are performed to collect at least some sensor data regarding the state to which the instrumentation substrate 110 is exposed, rather than deposition and etching (and other structural deformation). The pseudo-substrate processing operations may be configured to simulate at least some aspects of production substrate processing operations, provided that the pseudo-substrate processing operations do not permanently add additional layers to the instrumentation substrate 110 by deposition and etching operations. For example, the tool 300 may be configured to move the instrumentation substrate 110 between positions within each chamber 312, 314. For example, these positions may include a storage position and at least one position below the deposition or etching component 304. The storage position may include, for example, a position where the wafer is stored before being moved by the substrate handler 320. As an addition or alternative, another position may be a cleaning position configured to clean the substrate. As an addition or alternative, yet another position may be a chuck position where the instrumentation substrate 110 is moved and mounted on the chuck 306. For example, the substrate handler 320 may be configured by the controller 322 of the tool 300 to move the instrumentation substrate 110 onto the chuck 306. Also, a startable component 302, such as an air pump, may be configured to be started at the same time.

[0052] Examples of start-up components include, but are not limited to, blowers, air filters, substrate moving stages, flow orientation panels, adjustable ducts, tubes, and / or similar items.

[0053] In the embodiment, one or more components are configured to generate and / or regulate the airflow 310. For example, the airflow 310 may be used for precise control of the conditions inside the chambers 312, 314. For example, parameters such as the number of particulate matter in the airflow 310 or the humidity in the airflow 310 may be controlled by component 302.

[0054] In one embodiment, the controller 322 of the tool 300 may be configured to adjust the process state based on sensor data. For example, the parameters of the startable component 302 described above may be adjusted. For example, humidity may be adjusted.

[0055] Tool 300 may be any semiconductor process tool suitable for any purpose related to the substrate, but is not necessarily limited to such purposes. For example, tool 300 may comprise one or more chambers 312, 314. Tool 300 may be configured for one or more processing steps of the substrate, such as cleaning, inspection, layer deposition, etching, and / or similar steps.

[0056] The tool may include an air outlet 308 configured to remove air from the chamber 314. For example, the air outlet 308 may include a vacuum pump.

[0057] Figure 4 is a top view of an instrumentation board 110 including an opening 212 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] An aperture 212 from a single sensor 112 or two or more sensors may extend along two or more axes of the surface 202 to capture sensor data across two or more dimensions. For example, the aperture 212 may extend along two orthogonal axes, which may be referred to as the X and Y directions.

[0059] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view of the inside of a chamber 312, which includes a fixed sensor 502 spaced apart from the instrumentation board 110, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] The fixed sensor 502 is located relatively far from the instrumentation board 110. The wafer surface may be exposed to different airflow, pressure, and turbulence than the fixed sensor 502. The above distance may correspond to differences in measured values. Data from the fixed sensor alone may be insufficient to suppress the increase in particulate and molecular contamination due to misunderstanding and characterization of events occurring near the wafer surface.

[0061] In this embodiment, the system 100 may still include one or more fixed sensors 502. However, the fixed sensors 502 alone may not necessarily provide all of the sensor data used by the system 100.

[0062] Figure 6 is a process flow diagram showing a method 600 for measuring the substrate processing state according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. However, embodiments and enabling techniques described herein in relation to system 100 should be interpreted as extending to method 600. Furthermore, within this specification, all or part of the steps of method 600 may be implemented by system 100 and / or instrumentation board 110. However, it should be further recognized that method 600 is not limited to system 100 or instrumentation board 110, and additional or alternative system-level embodiments may perform all or part of the steps of method 600.

[0063] In step 602, the instrumentation board 110 is placed within the semiconductor process tool 300. For example, the instrumentation board 110 may be placed by one or more board handlers 320 and may be moved between positions within the semiconductor process tool 300.

[0064] In an optional step, a board processing operation is initiated and executed by using the instrumentation board 110. For example, a board processing operation may be configured to simulate at least some aspects of a (production) board processing operation. For example, a board processing operation may include, but is not limited to, the initiation of one or more startable components 302, 304, 320 of the tool (e.g., supplying power to them). For example, a board processing operation may include using one or more board handlers 320 configured to move the instrumentation board 110 to multiple positions (including between chambers 312, 314). For example, a board processing operation may include turning on startable components 302, 304 such as purging components (e.g., air pumps and vacuum components 308, etc., configured to generate and / or remove airflow), processing components (e.g., deposition components), and / or similar components. Note that initiating a component does not necessarily mean that all functions of the component are used. For example, the arithmetic processor, transport components, lighting, some moving components, and / or similar components may be activated, while some functions, such as actual layer deposition and / or layer etching, may not be activated at all. In this way, the instrumentation substrate 110 does not necessarily undergo structural changes. In other words, layers are not necessarily manufactured on the instrumentation substrate 110. Thus, the substrate processing operation does not have to include the permanent addition of additional layers to the instrumentation substrate by deposition and etching operations. However, as mentioned above, the processing state can be more accurately simulated by activating one or more operations that do not involve structural changes. If one or more steps involving structural changes are excluded, the remaining steps as described above may be referred to as pseudo-processing operations or structurally unchanged operations, but this is not necessarily required. For example, the controller 322 of tool 300 (e.g., a tool configured to perform deposition) may be configured to exclude one or more operations involving structural changes. In embodiments, structurally unchanged operations may include other steps such as scanning the substrate.

[0065] In the embodiment, the substrate processing operation (e.g., a simulated substrate processing operation) includes enabling the flow of gas to at least one open channel 104 of the instrumentation substrate 110. For example, the operation may cause a change in the state of air pressure or air velocity, allowing the movement of small amounts of gas particles in at least one channel 104 to be measured. For example, the movement of the instrumentation substrate 110 or the operation of a component such as an air pump may cause a slight difference in the gas movement in chambers 312, 314 that can be measured by the channel 104. Differences in air pressure and / or air velocity may correlate with differences in the contamination to which the instrumentation substrate 110 is exposed.

[0066] In step 604, sensor data is measured by one or more sensors 112 on the instrumentation board 110. The sensors 112 may be configured to measure a state and generate sensor data corresponding to that state. For example, the sensors 112 may be special sensors configured to measure one or more parameters such as air velocity, air pressure, and humidity. The sensor data may correspond to the state to which the instrumentation board 110 is exposed. Furthermore, several parameters / states may be measured on or near the surface 202 by using channels 104 and apertures 212, etc., as shown in Figure 2.

[0067] In step 606, sensor data indicating one or more states is transmitted to the controller 322 of the semiconductor process tool 300. For example, the controller 102 may be configured to transmit sensor data to the controller 322 and / or any intermediate controller, device, network, and / or similar. For example, it may be configured to instruct the transmission of a transmit signal. For example, the controller 102 inside the instrumentation board 110 may be configured to transmit a wireless or wired transmit signal indicating a state (e.g., including and / or derived from a state), with instructions stored in memory (not shown). Thus, the sensor data may be transmitted to one or more other components or systems and used for one or more purposes. For example, the controller 102 may be communication-coupled to the controller 322 of the tool 300 and configured to send transmit signals to the controller 322.

[0068] As an optional step, the system may include adjusting parameters based on sensor data. The system 100 may include a semiconductor process tool 300. For example, the semiconductor process tool 300 may be configured to receive a transmission signal and to adjust the process state based on the transmission signal. For example, the transmission signal may be used to adjust the parameters of the semiconductor process tool 300. For example, the parameters of a filter, air pump, vacuum device, processing component 304, and / or similar components may be adjusted. The adjustments may result in various benefits, such as improved yield. For example, if the air pressure measured near the surface 202 of the instrumentation board 110 exceeds a threshold, the system 100 may be configured to reduce the air pressure. For example, the parameters of the vacuum pump may be adjusted. Parameters of the system 100 that are adjusted in this way include, but are not limited to, timing, electrical activation or deactivation of components, target values ​​of sensor values ​​(e.g., target measurement of air pressure), reordering of processing steps, changing the number of processing steps performed, and / or similar parameters.

[0069] As an optional step, the system may include using an instrumentation board 110 selected from a variety of instrumentation boards 110. For example, a set of mechanical instrumentation boards 110 may be used to obtain various types of measurement results. The variety of instrumentation boards include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: an air pressure / air velocity instrumentation board 110 configured to measure both air pressure and air velocity; a thermometer instrumentation board 110 configured to measure temperature; a UV instrumentation board 110 configured to measure ultraviolet (UV) light; and a vibration instrumentation board 110 including an accelerometer configured to measure vibration. For example, the variety of instrumentation boards may include at least two of the instrumentation boards 110 listed above. For example, the variety of instrumentation boards may include all of the instrumentation boards 110 listed above. The controller 322 of the tool 300 may be configured to sequentially measure conditions based on a plurality of instrumentation boards 110.

[0070] As an optional step, preventive maintenance based on sensor data may be included. For example, the method or controller 322 may be further configured to make a preventive maintenance decision based on sensor data. For example, if a pressure reading rises above a threshold over time, the controller 322 may be configured to send one or more signals, including an alert indicating that maintenance should be performed based on sensor data. The threshold may be set to a value before the treatment condition deviates from specifications.

[0071] An optional step may be to characterize the tool 300 based on sensor data. For example, a new prototype tool may be characterized by using one or more instrumentation boards 110.

[0072] Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, various components according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure will be described in more detail.

[0073] Similar to the controller 322 in Figure 3, the controller 102 in Figure 1 may comprise one or more processors (not shown) and memory devices (not shown) (or memory). Such one or more processors and memory of the controller 102 may include any limitations of the processor 326 and memory 324 in Figure 3. For example, one or more processors may be configured to execute a set of program instructions held in memory. For example, the program instructions may be configured to configure the controller 102 to measure sensor data from sensor 112 and / or transmit one or more signals based on the sensor data. The controllers 102, 322 may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly or wired.

[0074] One or more processors 326 of the controller 322 may include any processor or processing element known in the art. For the purposes of this disclosure, the terms “processor” or “processing element” may be broadly defined to include any device having one or more processing or logic elements (e.g., one or more microprocessor devices, one or more application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs)). In this sense, one or more processors 326 may include any device configured to execute algorithms and / or instructions (e.g., program instructions stored in memory). In embodiments, one or more processors 326 may be embodied as a desktop computer, a mainframe computer system, a workstation, an image computer, a parallel processor, a networked computer, or any other computer system configured to execute a program configured to operate system 100 or a program configured to work with system 100, as described throughout this disclosure. Furthermore, various subsystems of system 100 may include processors or logic elements suitable for performing at least some of the steps described herein. Therefore, the above description should be interpreted as illustrative only, and not as a limitation on embodiments of the disclosure. Furthermore, the steps described throughout this disclosure may be performed by a single controller or by multiple controllers. Also, controller 322 may include one or more controllers housed in a common housing or multiple housings. Thus, any controller or combination of controllers may be packaged separately as modules suitable for integration into system 100.Furthermore, the controller 322 may analyze or process data received from one or more sensors 112 and supply the data to additional components within or outside the system 100.

[0075] Furthermore, the memory device 324 may include any storage medium known in the art and suitable for storing program instructions executable by one or more associated processors 326. For example, the memory device 324 may include a non-temporary memory medium. Another example of the memory device 324 may include, but is not limited to, read-only memory, random-access memory, magnetic or optical memory devices (e.g., disks), magnetic tape, solid-state devices, etc. Furthermore, the memory device 324 may be housed together with one or more processors 326 in a common controller housing.

[0076] In this regard, the controller 322 may perform any of the following processing steps.

[0077] Referring again to Figure 3, in this specification, one or more components of system 100 may be communication-coupled to various other components of system 100 in any manner known in the art. For example, one or more processors 326 may be communication-coupled to each other or to other components by wired (e.g., copper wire, fiber optic cable, etc.) or wireless connection (e.g., RF coupling, IR coupling, WiMAX, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.). As another example, a controller 322 may be communication-coupled to one or more components of tool 300 by any wired or wireless connection known in the art.

[0078] In embodiments, one or more processors 326 may include one or more processing elements known in the art. In this sense, one or more processors 326 may include any microprocessor-type device configured to execute software algorithms and / or instructions. In embodiments, one or more processors 326 may consist of a desktop computer, a mainframe computer system, a workstation, an image computer, a parallel processor, or other computer systems (e.g., networked computers) configured to run programs configured to operate system 100, as described throughout this disclosure. It is recognized that the steps described throughout this disclosure may be performed by a single computer system or by multiple computer systems. Furthermore, it is recognized that the steps described throughout this disclosure may be performed by any one or more of the one or more processors 326. Generally, the term “processor” can be broadly defined to include any device having one or more processing elements that execute program instructions from memory 324. Furthermore, various subsystems of System 100 may include processors or logic elements suitable for performing at least some of the steps described throughout this disclosure. Therefore, the above description should be construed as illustrative only and not as a limitation on this disclosure.

[0079] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and accompanying descriptions described herein are provided as illustrative examples to clarify concepts, and that various configurations are possible. Consequently, for use herein, the specific examples and accompanying descriptions are intended to represent their respective more general sets. In general, the use of any specific example should be intended to represent its set, and should not be perceived as limiting due to the exclusion of specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects.

[0080] As is obvious to those skilled in the art, various means (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) can be used to achieve the processes, systems, and / or other technologies described herein, and the preferred means will vary depending on the context in which the processes, systems, and / or other technologies are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are of paramount importance, they may choose primarily hardware and / or firmware means. Or, if flexibility is of paramount importance, the implementer may choose primarily software implementations. Or, the implementer may choose any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Thus, there are multiple possible means to achieve the processes, devices, and / or other technologies described herein, and the means used are choices that depend on the context in which the means are deployed and the implementer's specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability), and none of these are inherently superior to others, as each means is subject to change.

[0081] The above description is presented so that those skilled in the art may construct and use the invention in the context of a particular use and its requirements. Various modifications of the embodiments described will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles set forth herein may also be applicable to other embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described, but rather to provide the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0082] With regard to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can perform plural-to-singular and / or singular-to-plural conversions as appropriate to the context and / or use. For clarity, various singular / plural substitutions are not explicitly listed herein.

[0083] All methods described herein may include storing the results of one or more steps of an embodiment of the method in memory. These results may include any of the results described herein and may be stored in any manner known in the art. The memory may include any memory described herein or any other suitable storage medium known in the art. After storage, the results can be accessed from memory, used by any embodiment of the method or system described herein, formatted for display to a user, used by another software module, method, or system, etc. Furthermore, the results can be stored "permanently," "semi-permanently," "temporarily," or for any period of time. For example, the memory may be random-access memory (RAM), and the results may not necessarily persist in memory indefinitely.

[0084] Furthermore, each of the embodiments of the above-described methods may include any other steps of any other methods described herein. Also, each of the embodiments of the above-described methods may be carried out by any of the systems described herein.

[0085] The subject matter described herein may include different components that are included in or connected to other components. The architectures described herein are illustrative only, and it should be understood that many other architectures can be implemented to achieve the same function. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same function is an effective “association” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components described herein combined to achieve a particular function, whether in architecture or as intermediate components, can be considered to be “associated” with each other to achieve the desired function. Similarly, any two components that are associated in this way can be considered to be “connected” or “joined” with each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be associated in this way can be considered to be “joinable” with each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of joinability include, but are not limited to, physically connectable and / or physically interacting components, wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components, and / or logically interactable and / or logically interacting components.

[0086] Furthermore, it will be understood that the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein, and in particular in the appended claims (for example, in the body of the appended claims), are generally intended to be “open” terms (for example, “including” is interpreted as “including, but not limited to,” “having” as “having at least,” “include” as “including, but not limited to,” and so on). Those skilled in the art will further understand that, with respect to introduced claim language, if a particular number is intended, such intent is explicitly stated in the claim, and if such wording is absent, such intent does not exist. For example, for the sake of understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim language. However, the use of such expressions shall not be interpreted as implying that any particular claim containing such introduced claim language is limited to the invention containing only such language, by the introduction of the claim language with the indefinite article "a" or "an". This is also true when the same claim contains the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (for example, "a" and / or "an" should generally be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim language. Furthermore, even if a specific number is explicitly stated with respect to introduced claim language, a person skilled in the art will recognize that such language should generally be interpreted as meaning at least the stated number (for example, the phrase "two recitations" without other modifiers usually means at least two recitations or two or more recitations).Furthermore, when conventional expressions similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, and the like" are used, such configurations are generally intended to be understood by those skilled in the art (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, a system having only A, a system having only B, a system having only C, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and / or a system having A, B, and C). Where conventional expressions such as "at least one of A, B, or C, and the like" are used, such constructions are generally intended to be understood by those skilled in the art (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, a system having only A, a system having only B, a system having only C, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and / or a system having A, B, and C). Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any discourse and / or discourse that presents two or more alternative terms should be understood in this specification, the claims, or the drawings to take into account the possibility of including one of those terms, either of those terms, or both. For example, the expression "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A," "B," or "A and B."

[0087] Many of the advantages of this disclosure and its associated benefits are to be understood from the above description, and it will be clear that various modifications are possible in terms of the form, configuration, and arrangement of the components without deviating from the subject matter of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its important advantages. The described forms are merely illustrative, and it is the intent of the following claims to encompass and include such modifications. Furthermore, it is understood that the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. The main circuit board and One or more sensors coupled to the substrate body and configured to measure at least one of the external environments adjacent to the substrate body or its surface, One or more of the above sensors are connected via communication, Measuring sensor data from one or more sensors that indicate one or more of the measured states, The sensor data indicating one or more states is transmitted to the controller of the semiconductor process tool, A controller configured to perform the following actions: Equipped with, The substrate body is provided with one or more sets of channels within the substrate body, and the first sensor among the one or more sensors is connected to the first set of channels among the one or more sets of channels. Each channel in the first set of channels includes an open channel configured to allow gas flow, An instrumentation substrate characterized in that each channel of the first set of channels is coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and is fluidly connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

2. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, characterized in that at least three of the first set of channels are non-parallel to each other.

3. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, characterized in that one or more sensors are arranged inside the main body of the board.

4. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor.

5. An instrumentation board according to claim 4, characterized in that the second sensor includes at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor.

6. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor includes an air pressure sensor.

7. An instrumentation board according to claim 6, characterized in that the board body comprises a sealed pressure reference reservoir coupled to the air pressure sensor.

8. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor includes an air velocity sensor.

9. An instrumentation board according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface includes at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface.

10. Semiconductor process tools, It is an instrumentation board, The main circuit board and One or more sensors coupled to the substrate body and configured to measure at least one of the external environments adjacent to the substrate body or its surface, One or more of the above sensors are connected via communication, Measuring sensor data from one or more sensors that indicate one or more of the measured states, The sensor data indicating one or more states is transmitted to the controller of the semiconductor process tool. A controller configured to perform the following actions: An instrumentation board equipped with, Equipped with, The substrate body is provided with one or more sets of channels within the substrate body, and the first sensor among the one or more sensors is connected to the first set of channels among the one or more sets of channels. Each channel in the first set of channels includes an open channel configured to allow gas flow, A system characterized in that each channel of the first set of channels is coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and is fluidly connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that at least three of the first set of channels are non-parallel to each other.

12. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that one or more sensors are arranged inside the main body of the substrate.

13. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a second sensor.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the second sensor includes at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor.

15. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the first sensor includes an air pressure sensor.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that the substrate body comprises a sealed pressure reference reservoir coupled to the air pressure sensor.

17. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the first sensor includes an air velocity sensor.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the controller of the semiconductor process tool is configured to perform a substrate processing operation which simulates at least a part of a production substrate processing operation, wherein the substrate processing operation does not include permanently adding an additional layer to the instrumentation substrate by deposition and etching operations.

19. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the controller of the semiconductor process tool is configured to adjust the process state based on the sensor data.

20. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the surface includes at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface.

21. A method for measuring the processing state of a substrate, Placing the instrumentation wafer within the semiconductor process tool, The measurement involves measuring one or more states of the substrate body of the instrumentation wafer or the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body using one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors are coupled to the substrate body, and the measurement is performed. The sensor data indicating one or more states is transmitted to the controller of the semiconductor process tool, Includes, The substrate body includes one or more sets of channels within the substrate body, a first sensor among the one or more sensors is connected to a first set of channels among the one or more sets of channels, and each of the one or more sets of channels includes an open channel configured to allow gas flow. A method characterized in that each channel of the first set of channels is coupled to an opening defined by the surface of the substrate body and is fluidly connected to the external environment adjacent to the surface of the substrate body.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising initiating a substrate processing operation, wherein the substrate processing operation is configured to simulate at least a part of a production substrate processing operation, while the substrate processing operation does not involve permanently adding an additional layer to the instrumentation substrate by deposition and etching operations, and the substrate processing operation includes enabling the flow of gas to open channels of the instrumentation substrate.

23. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that at least three of the first set of channels are non-parallel to each other.

24. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that one or more sensors are arranged inside the substrate body.

25. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the instrumentation board further comprises a second sensor.

26. A method according to claim 25, characterized in that the second sensor includes at least one of an air velocity sensor or an air pressure sensor.

27. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the first sensor includes an air pressure sensor.

28. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the instrumentation board further comprises an accelerometer.

29. A method according to claim 21, further comprising adjusting the process state based on the sensor data.

30. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the surface includes at least one of the top surface or the bottom surface.

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