Recipe Control Correction Coefficients for Semiconductor Film Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, film deposition processes become inconsistent due to changing conditions within the reactor chamber, especially when multiple wafers are processed, leading to offsets in deposition times and other parameters, resulting in suboptimal results.
Innovation Solution
Implementing correction coefficients that adjust processing parameters such as film deposition time, temperature, and gas flow rate based on the number of processed wafers, allowing for dynamic control and continuous adaptation of recipe settings to maintain consistent results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fixed recipe parameters are used for film deposition on multiple wafers, then the process is simple and easy to control, but the film deposition results become inconsistent due to changing reactor chamber conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the recipe parameters dynamic instead of fixed. The deposition time is automatically adjusted based on the wafer sequence number, with later wafers receiving longer deposition times to compensate for changing reactor chamber conditions. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining consistent film deposition results while incorporating adaptive control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the deposition time parameter based on the wafer sequence number. Specifically, the deposition time is extended for wafers processed later in the sequence to compensate for the deteriorating reactor chamber conditions. This parameter change approach allows the system to maintain manufacturing precision while managing the complexity through systematic parameter adjustment.
2Manufacturing precision
If the deposition time is extended for later wafers to compensate for changing conditions, then film deposition consistency is maintained, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by extending the deposition time only for specific wafers (those processed later in the sequence) rather than uniformly increasing time for all wafers. The extension is targeted and proportional to the wafer sequence number, thereby maintaining film deposition uniformity while minimizing the total processing time increase.
3Reliability
If cleaning is performed after a fixed number of wafers, then the reactor chamber is maintained, but the deposition conditions change and affect subsequent wafers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-setting the extended deposition times for wafers that will be affected by cleaning operations. The system anticipates the cleaning events and adjusts the deposition parameters in advance for the subsequent wafers, thereby maintaining deposition precision while preserving the cleaning schedule for reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An operation method of a recipe control process in which multiple processing targets are processed continuously in a processing apparatus using recipes that specify a set of control parameters specifying the processing conditions of processing targets. The method comprises the steps of: (I) specifying correction coefficients to correct at least one of the parameters' values for each processing target, separately from the recipes, and (II) performing the recipe control process for multiple processing targets and applying the correction coefficients to each processing target to adjust the parameters' values.