Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for combining integrated and offline metrology for process control

US6645780B1 · kind B1 · utility

18Cited by
1References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 13, 2001
Grant dateNov 11, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 13, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L22/26
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for combining integrated and offline metrology data for process control. A process operation on a first semiconductor wafer within a first lot of semiconductor wafers is performed. Integrated metrology data from the first semiconductor wafer is acquired, the integrated metrology data comprising inline metrology data. A dynamic time process control based upon the integrated metrology data is performed, the dynamic time process control comprising a wafer-to-wafer feedback loop. A second semiconductor wafer within the first lot is processed based upon the dynamic time process. Offline metrology data from at least one of the first semiconductor wafer and the second semiconductor wafer from the lot is acquired. A constant time process control based upon the offline metrology data and the integrated metrology data is performed, the constant time comprising performing a lot-to-lot feedback process.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.