Substrate Measurement Feedback for Recipe Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In manufacturing systems, unexpected changes in conditions can lead to errors and defective substrates if the process recipe is not adjusted accordingly, but it is challenging for operators to identify which operations of the recipe need modification.
Innovation Solution
A substrate measurement subsystem that receives an indication of a substrate being processed, determines its positional data, identifies portions to be measured based on the process recipe, obtains measurements using sensing components, and transmits these measurements to a system controller to determine if the process recipe needs modification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the process recipe is modified to account for changed manufacturing conditions, then substrate quality is improved, but it becomes difficult for operators to identify which operations need modification
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where measurement data from the substrate is automatically compared against target values, and the system identifies which process recipe operations should be modified based on this comparison. This eliminates the need for operators to manually determine which operations need adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement subsystem performs self-service by automatically determining positional data, identifying portions to measure, obtaining measurements, and transmitting data to the system controller for automatic recipe modification analysis, reducing operator involvement in complex decision-making.
2Reliability
If manual monitoring of manufacturing conditions is performed, then process changes can be detected, but it is difficult to identify which specific recipe operations should be modified
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback by continuously measuring substrate properties and comparing them to expected values, then automatically determining which process recipe operations caused deviations and should be modified, preserving complete information about recipe adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system controller acts as an intermediary between the measurement subsystem and the process recipe, automatically analyzing measurement data and determining which specific operations should be modified, thereby preventing loss of information about recipe changes.
3Manufacturing precision
If comprehensive measurements of the substrate are performed, then manufacturing precision is improved, but measurement time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by determining positional data of the substrate and identifying specific portions to measure based on the process recipe and positional information, rather than measuring the entire substrate uniformly, thus reducing measurement time while maintaining precision where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial action by measuring only the specific portions of the substrate that are relevant to the process recipe and manufacturing conditions, rather than performing comprehensive measurements of the entire substrate, reducing time loss while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for a substrate measurement subsystem is provided. An indication is received that a substrate being processed at a manufacturing system has been loaded into a substrate measurement subsystem. First positional data of the substrate within the substrate measurement subsystem is determined. One or more portions of the substrate to be measured by one or more sensing components of the substrate measurement subsystem are determined based on the first positional data of the substrate and a process recipe for the substrate. Measurements of each of the determined portions of the substrate are obtained by one or more sensing components of the substrate measurement subsystem. The obtained measurements of each of the determined portions of the substrate are transmitted to a system controller.