Semiconductor Process Display Switching for Faster Lot Failure Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, identifying and analyzing the cause of failures in apparatuses is time-consuming, as existing methods require users to collect and analyze data at the wafer level to determine differences between lots, making it difficult to promptly address issues.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that acquires and displays process information on both a lot-by-lot and substrate-by-substrate basis, allowing users to selectively view process data and conditions, facilitating quicker identification of failure causes by highlighting differences in process conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If process data is displayed only on a lot-by-lot basis, then it is easy to identify differences between lots, but it is difficult to instantly determine the cause of the difference
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into two distinct views: a lot-by-lot summary view for identifying differences between lots, and a substrate-by-substrate detailed view for analyzing specific causes. This segmentation allows users to switch between aggregation levels as needed for different stages of failure analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a dimensional switch between lot-level aggregation and substrate-level detail. By introducing this additional dimension of detail control, the system enables users to navigate between summary and detailed views without losing access to either level of information.
2Measurement precision
If users collect and analyze wafer-level data to determine failure causes, then accurate cause identification is possible, but it takes a significant amount of time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary organization and preparation of substrate-level data in advance, structuring it so that when a lot difference is identified, the detailed substrate data is already ready for immediate display and analysis, eliminating the need for time-consuming data collection at the moment of failure detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system dynamically adapts to user needs by allowing switching between lot-level and substrate-level views. This dynamic flexibility enables users to start with high-level overview and drill down to detailed analysis only when and where needed, optimizing the balance between speed and precision.
3Loss of information
If detailed substrate-level data is always displayed, then complete information is available, but it is difficult to instantly identify lot differences
Solution Approach 1:
Different levels of detail are applied locally to different display contexts. The lot-by-lot view provides aggregated information for quick comparison, while the substrate-by-substrate view provides detailed information for specific analysis. Each view has the appropriate level of detail for its specific purpose.
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If statistical processing is performed on process results, then failures can be easily identified, but the underlying causes remain hidden
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses lot-level statistical data as an intermediary layer between raw substrate data and failure identification. This intermediary view helps identify which lots have failures, while the ability to access underlying substrate data allows for subsequent cause analysis without losing the benefits of statistical processing.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire process information about a substrate process, the process information including process data and a process condition, and a display control unit configured to control a display on a display apparatus based on the process information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the display control unit selectively displays, on the display apparatus, a first screen that displays the process data of a lot including a plurality of substrates on a lot-by-lot basis and a second screen that displays the process data of a first lot on a substrate-by-substrate basis, the first lot being a lot designated by a user from the lot displayed on the first screen.