Wafer bath imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12488452-B2
Application number	US-202117349538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2021
Priority date	Jun 16, 2021
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

An exemplary method of monitoring a bath process includes processing a first wafer by submerging the first wafer within a bath solution; capturing a video of the bath solution containing the first wafer during a first time interval; analyzing the video based on intensity of light captured in a frame of the video; and based on analyzing the video, determining a first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of monitoring a bath process, the method comprising:
processing a first wafer by submerging the first wafer within a bath solution; capturing a video of the bath solution containing the first wafer during a first time interval, wherein the first wafer remains stationary in the bath solution; analyzing the video based on intensity of light captured in a frame of the video, wherein analyzing the video comprises dividing each frame of the video being analyzed into an array of pixels based on a sensor size of a camera capturing the video, and calculating a pixel intensity of light for each of the array of pixels; and based on analyzing the video, determining a first metric of the bath solution and a second metric of the bath solution during the first time interval, wherein determining the first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval comprises determining the first metric based on the pixel intensity of light for each of the array of pixels, the second metric being based on a directionality of the intensity of light captured in each frame of the video being analyzed.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the video comprises selecting a region of the video to be analyzed and analyzing the same region in further frames of the video following the frame.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metric is determined dynamically during the processing of the first wafer.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metric is determined after processing the first wafer.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metric of the bath solution is based on a number of pixels above an intensity threshold.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metric of the bath solution comprises a bubble count of bubbles in the bath solution.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a fault in processing the first wafer.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the fault comprises identifying that the first metric of the bath solution changes during the first time interval.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the fault comprises
determining a second metric of the bath solution during the processing of a second wafer, and determining the first metric is different from the second metric.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing a process for the bath solution during a second time interval for processing the first wafer in the bath solution.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the first metric of the bath solution with a second metric of another bath solution of a different processing tool; and matching the first metric of the bath solution with the second metric of another bath solution by adjusting a process parameter of the bath solution.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing a process for the bath solution during a second time interval for processing a second wafer.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the video comprises determining a uniformity of the bath solution during the first time interval based on the intensity of light captured in each frame of the video being analyzed.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
correlating the first metric of the bath solution with a process metric for a processing tool holding the bath solution.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing an audio of the bath solution during the first time interval; analyzing the audio based on an intensity of the audio; and based on analyzing the audio, determining an audio-based metric of the bath solution during the first time interval.

16 . A method of monitoring a bath process, the method comprising:
processing a first wafer by submerging the first wafer within a bath solution; capturing a video of the bath solution containing the first wafer during a first time interval, wherein the first wafer remains stationary in the bath solution; analyzing the video based on intensity of light captured in a frame of the video, wherein analyzing the video comprises
spatially dividing each frame of the video being analyzed into a plurality of zones, each zone of the plurality of zones comprising a contiguous group of physically adjacent pixels; and
calculating a zonal intensity of light in each of the plurality of zones; and
based on analyzing the video, determining a first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval, wherein determining the first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval comprises determining the first metric based on the zonal intensity of light in each of the plurality of zones.

17 . A method of monitoring a bath process, the method comprising:
processing a first wafer by submerging the first wafer within a bath solution; capturing a video of the bath solution containing the first wafer during a first time interval, wherein the first wafer remains stationary in the bath solution; analyzing the video based on intensity of light captured in a frame of the video, wherein analyzing the video comprises determining a background intensity of light captured for each frame being analyzed and subtracting the background intensity of light for the frame being analyzed from the intensity of light captured in the respective frame of the video being analyzed; and based on analyzing the video, determining a first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein analyzing the video comprises
dividing each frame of the video being analyzed into a one dimensional array of regions, and calculating a regional intensity of light for each of the array of regions, wherein determining the first metric of the bath solution during the first time interval comprises determining the first metric based on the regional intensity of light for each of the array of regions.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Estrella Joel
• Simms Ihsan
• Carcasi Michael
• Hooge Joshua
• Marumoto Hiroshi

Classifications

• H10P72/0604 Primary

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

• H10P72/0416

  with the semiconductor substrates being dipped in baths or vessels · CPC title

• G06V20/46

  Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames · CPC title

• G06V10/60

  relating to illumination properties, e.g. using a reflectance or lighting model · CPC title

• G06V10/22

  by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition · CPC title