Semiconductor Process Data Display for Faster Lot Failure Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, identifying the cause of differences between lots of substrates processed in semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses is difficult, requiring extensive data collection and analysis, which prolongs the time to address failures.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that selectively displays process data on a lot-by-lot basis and a substrate-by-substrate basis, allowing users to quickly identify and analyze the cause of failures by highlighting relevant process conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the user collects and analyzes data in units of wafers to determine the cause of differences between lots, then the accuracy of failure cause identification is improved, but the time required to overcome the failure increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large volume of wafer-level process data into manageable graphical representations showing process conditions for each wafer in a lot. By visually segmenting the data into discrete wafer records with their respective process conditions, the system enables rapid identification of abnormal wafers without requiring manual collection and analysis of all underlying data points.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary organization and visualization of process data before the user needs to analyze it. By pre-processing the data into a graphical format that displays process conditions for each wafer, the system eliminates the need for users to manually collect and prepare data, allowing immediate analysis when a failure is detected.
2Ease of operation
If detailed process data is displayed for every substrate to enable quick failure analysis, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential process condition information needed for failure analysis and displays it in a simplified graphical format. Instead of presenting all raw process data, the system extracts key process conditions for each wafer and presents them in an easily comparable visual format, reducing the complexity of data presentation while maintaining analytical effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified graphical copies of the process data that represent the essential information without requiring users to interact with the full complexity of the underlying data structures. These graphical representations serve as accessible copies that enable rapid analysis while the complex data processing occurs automatically in the background.
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.