Data capture and transformation to support data analysis and machine learning for substrate manufacturing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12387134-B2
Application number	US-202017429687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2020
Priority date	Feb 14, 2019
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

A data collection system for semiconductor manufacturing includes: T substrate processing tools, where each of the T substrate processing tools includes: N processing chambers, where each of the N processing chambers includes a processing chamber controller configured to receive a plurality of different types of data during operating of the corresponding one of the N processing chambers, where the plurality of different types of data have different formats, where the processing chamber controller is further configured to format the plurality of different types of data into formatted data, and where T and N are integers; and a data diagnostic services computer configured to: receive and store the formatted data as categories in a common file having a table-like data structure including rows with contextual data; and in response to a request, generate an output file including a subset of the data from the common file.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data collection system for semiconductor manufacturing, comprising:
T substrate processing tools, wherein each of the T substrate processing tools includes:
N processing chambers, wherein each of the N processing chambers includes a processing chamber controller configured to receive a plurality of different types of data during operating of the corresponding one of the N processing chambers,
wherein the plurality of different types of data have different formats,
wherein the processing chamber controller is further configured to format the plurality of different types of data into formatted data, and
wherein T and N are integers; and
a data diagnostic services computer configured to:
receive and store the formatted data as categories in a common file having a table-like data structure including rows with contextual data; and
in response to a request, generate an output file including a subset of the data from the common file.

2. The data collection system of claim 1 , wherein:
the contextual data includes a material identification field and a time field; and
the plurality of different types of data comprise at least three or more data types selected from a group consisting of recipes, hardware calibration, process fine-tuning, optical emission spectroscopy, high speed data, and variable traces.

3. The data collection system of claim 2 , wherein the data diagnostic services computer is configured to generate the output file based on at least one of:
a subset of the categories;
a subset of the material identification field; and
a subset of the time field.

4. The data collection system of claim 1 , wherein the common file has a three-level hierarchy including file, group and category.

5. The data collection system of claim 1 , wherein the common file has a technical data management solution (TDMS) format.

6. The data collection system of claim 5 , wherein data is stored in the common file in binary format.

7. The data collection system of claim 1 , further comprising a machine learning computer configured to communicate with the diagnostics data services computer and to perform machine learning on data in the output file.

8. The data collection system of claim 1 , wherein the processing chamber controller includes:
a data generating object configured to transmit the plurality of different data types;
a data dispatcher configured to receive the plurality of different data types from the data generating object;
a plurality of data sinks, wherein each of the plurality of data sinks is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of different data types from the data dispatcher;
a plurality of data formatters, wherein each of the plurality of data formatters is configured to receive the corresponding one of the plurality of different data types from the data sink and to output the formatted data back to the corresponding one of plurality of data sinks; and
a data interface manager configured to forward the formatted data from the plurality of data sinks to the data diagnostics services computer.

9. The data collection system of claim 1 , wherein the data diagnostic services computer includes:
a data manager configured to receive the formatted data from the processing chamber controller; and
a data store configured to store and control access to the common file.

10. The data collection system of claim 9 , further comprising a data adapter configured to receive the request and to generate the output file.

11. The data collection system of claim 10 , wherein the data adapter is further configured to adapt the output file to one of a plurality of data transporters.

12. The data collection system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of data transporters include at least one of a file transfer protocol (FTP) transporter, a machine learning transporter, and an archive transporter.

13. The data collection system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a host server including a file selector configured to select R portions of data from R output files of R of the T substrate processing tools, wherein R is an integer greater than one and less than or equal to T; and
a machine learning computer configured to combine and perform machine learning on data in the R output files.

14. A data collection method for semiconductor manufacturing, comprising:
receiving a plurality of different types of data during operating of ones of N processing chambers of T substrate processing tools,
wherein T and N are integers greater than zero, and
wherein the plurality of different types of data have different formats;
formatting the plurality of different types of data into formatted data;
storing the formatted data as categories in a common file having a table-like data structure including rows with contextual data; and
in response to a request, generating an output file including a subset of th the data from the common file.

15. The data collection method of claim 14 , wherein:
the contextual data includes a material identification field and a time field; and
the plurality of different types of data comprise at least three or more data types selected from a group consisting of recipes, hardware calibration, process fine-tuning, optical emission spectroscopy, high speed data, and variable traces.

16. The data collection method of claim 15 , wherein generating the output file includes generating the output file based on at least one of:
a subset of the categories;
a subset of the material identification field; and
a subset of the time field.

17. The data collection method of claim 14 , wherein the common file has a three-level hierarchy including file, group and category.

18. The data collection method of claim 14 , wherein the common file has a technical data management solution (TDMS) format.

19. The data collection method of claim 18 , wherein the data is stored in the common file in binary format.

20. The data collection method of claim 14 further comprising performing machine learning on data in the output file.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Huang Chung-Ho
• Wong Vincent
• Ballintine Paul Ronald
• Chan Henry
• Grinschgl Nicolas
• Jensen John A
• Weetman Chad Russell
• Unterguggenberger Rainer

Classifications

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10P72/0604 Primary

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0451

  Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations · CPC title

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title