Method and system for evaluating a machine tool operating characteristics

US8285414B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ehud Aharoni · Kfar Sava, IL
• Robert J. Baseman · Brewster, US
• Ramona Kei · Hopewell Junction, US
• Oded Margalit · Ramat Gan, IL
• Kevin J. Mackey · Wappingers Falls, US
• Michal Rosen-Zvi · Jerusalem, IL
• Raminderpal Singh · South Burlington, US
• Noam Slonim · Jerusalem, IL
• Hong Lin · Shanghai, CN
• Fateh A. Tipu · Beacon, US
• Adam Ticknor · Poughkeepsie, US
• Timothy M. McCormack · Pleasant Valley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 31, 2009
• Grant date: Oct 9, 2012
• Expiry date: Mar 13, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T409/309408
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and system for evaluating a performance of a semiconductor manufacturing tool while manufacturing microelectronic devices are disclosed. At least one report is generated based on executions of at least one statistical test. The report includes at least one heat map having rows that correspond to sensors, columns that correspond to trace data obtained during recipe steps, and cells at the intersection of the rows and the columns. At least one sensor in the tool obtains trace data of a recipe step while manufacturing at least one microelectronic device. A computing device analyzes the obtained trace data to determine a level of operational significance found in the data and assigns a score to the trace data that indicates a level of operational significance. Then, the computing device places the score in a corresponding cell of the heat map. A user uses the cell for evaluating the tool performance.