Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10699968-B2
Application number	US-201213408293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2012
Priority date	Mar 11, 2011
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a treatment chamber treating a treated film of a wafer using a desired chemical fluid; a film thickness measurement unit measuring an initial film thickness of the treated film before treatment and a final film thickness of the treated film after treatment; and a main body controlling unit calculating a treatment speed of the chemical fluid from the initial film thickness, the final film thickness, and a chemical fluid treatment time taken from the initial film thickness to the final film thickness to calculate a chemical fluid treatment time for a wafer to be treated next from the calculated treatment speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a treatment chamber for treatment of a treated film of a first wafer with a chemical fluid; and
a circuit board configured to:
measure a plurality of initial film thickness values of the treated film in a plurality of spots on a top surface of the first wafer;
calculate an initial film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of initial film thickness values;
measure a plurality of final film thickness values of the treated film in the plurality of spots on the top surface of the first wafer;
calculate a final film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of final film thickness values;
calculate a first treatment speed of the chemical fluid based on the initial film thickness, the final film thickness, and a first chemical fluid treatment time taken to change a film thickness from the initial film thickness to the final film thickness;
determine a standby time period that is a first time period between a first chemical fluid treatment of the first wafer and a second chemical fluid treatment of a second wafer;
determine a change in an etching rate of the chemical fluid based on the standby time period;
calculate a second treatment speed of the chemical fluid by correction of the first treatment speed based on the change in the etching rate of the chemical fluid and the determination of the standby time period; and
calculate a second chemical fluid treatment time for the second wafer to be treated, based on the calculated second treatment speed.

2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit board is further configured to hold data of a variation curve that shows a variation rate of the calculated second treatment speed of the chemical fluid with lapse of time.

3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the standby time period further corresponds to a second time period between a third chemical fluid treatment of a Pth lot, where P is a natural number, and a fourth chemical fluid treatment of a (P+1)th lot, and
the change in the etching rate of the chemical fluid, due to volatilization of the chemical fluid, after the treatment of the first wafer and before the treatment of the second wafer is based on the standby time period.

4. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a treatment chamber for treatment of a treated film of a first wafer based on a wet etch process with a chemical fluid;
a circuit board configured to:
measure a plurality of initial film thickness values of the treated film in a plurality of spots on a top surface of the first wafer;
calculate an initial film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of initial film thickness values;
measure a plurality of final film thickness values of the treated film in the plurality of spots on the top surface of the first wafer;
calculate a final film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of final film thickness values;
calculate a first treatment speed of the chemical fluid based on the initial film thickness and the final film thickness;
determine a standby time period that is a first time period between a first chemical fluid treatment of the first wafer and a second chemical fluid treatment of a second wafer;
determine a change in an etching rate of the chemical fluid based on the standby time period;
calculate a second treatment speed of the chemical fluid by correction of the first treatment speed based on the change in the etching rate of the chemical fluid and the determination of the standby time period; and
calculate a chemical fluid treatment time for the second wafer to be treated, based on the calculated second treatment speed.

5. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a treatment chamber for treatment of a treated film of a first wafer with a chemical fluid;
a circuit board configured to:
measure a plurality of initial film thickness values of the treated film in a plurality of spots on a top surface of the first wafer based on a device pattern on the first wafer;
calculate an initial film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of initial film thickness values;
measure a plurality of final film thickness values of the treated film in the plurality of spots on the top surface of the first wafer based on the device pattern on the first wafer;
calculate a final film thickness based on an average value of the measured plurality of final film thickness values;
calculate a first treatment speed of the chemical fluid from the initial film thickness, the final film thickness, and a first chemical fluid treatment time taken from the initial film thickness to the final film thickness;
determine a standby time period that is a first time period between a first chemical fluid treatment of the first wafer and a second chemical fluid treatment of a second wafer;
determine a change in an etching rate of the chemical fluid based on the standby time period;
calculate a second treatment speed of the chemical fluid by correction of the first treatment speed based on the change in the etching rate of the chemical fluid and the determination of the standby time period; and
calculate a second chemical fluid treatment time for the second wafer to be treated, based on the calculated second treatment speed.

6. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circuit board is further configured to measure the plurality of initial film thickness values and the plurality of final film thickness values based on the device pattern on the first wafer.

7. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the circuit board is further configured to determine formation of the device pattern on the first wafer, based on a measurement of a first reflection angle of light reflected from a surface of the treated film and a comparison of the measured first reflection angle with a second reflection angle of the reflected light affected by at least one of a concavity on the surface of the treated film or a convexity on the surface of the treated film.

8. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the circuit board is further configured to determine formation of the device pattern on the first wafer based on a statistical process on a plurality of numerical data items, and
at least one of the plurality of initial film thickness values of the treated film before the treatment or the plurality of final film thickness values of the treated film after the treatment comprises the plurality of numerical data items.

9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the circuit board is further configured to determine formation of the device pattern on the first wafer, based on a measurement of a first reflection angle of light reflected from a surface of the treated film and a comparison of the measured first reflection angle with a second reflection angle of the reflected light affected by at least one of a concavity on the surface of the treated film or a convexity on the surface of the treated film.

10. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the circuit board is further configured to determine formation of the device pattern on the first wafer, based on a measurement of a first reflection angle of light reflected from a surface of the treated film and a comparison of the measured first reflection angle with a second reflection angle of the reflected light affected by at least one of a concavity on the surface of the treated film or

Assignees

• Takeya Yukari
• Iwamoto Hayato
• Hagimoto Yoshiya
• Motooka Eizo
• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Takeya Yukari
• Iwamoto Hayato
• Hagimoto Yoshiya
• Motooka Eizo

Classifications

• H10P74/23

  characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes · CPC title

• H10P74/203 Primary

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• B24B53/017

  Devices or means for dressing, cleaning or otherwise conditioning lapping tools · CPC title

• B24B37/005

  Control means for lapping machines or devices · CPC title

• B24B57/02

  for feeding of fluid, sprayed, pulverised, or liquefied grinding, polishing or lapping agents · CPC title