Patent · US Active

Method of fault detection for material process system

US7972483B2 · kind B2 · utility

9Cited by
8References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 31, 2002
Grant dateJul 5, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 14, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/31116
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for material processing utilizing a material processing system to perform a process. The method performs a process (510), measures a scan of data (520), and transforms the data scan (530) into a signature (540) including at least one spatial component. The scan of data (530) can include a process performance parameter such as an etch rate, an etch selectivity, a deposition rate, a film property, etc. The signature (540) can be stored (550), and compared with either a previously acquired signature or with an ideal signature (560). If at least one spatial component substantially deviates from the reference spatial component, then a process fault has potentially occurred. If the cumulative deviation of all spatial components or a select group of components substantially deviates from a reference set of spatial components, then a process fault has potentially occurred.

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