Light source apparatus and data processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841684-B2
Application number	US-201514629282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Aug 23, 2012
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A light source apparatus according to an embodiment may be used for an exposure apparatus which exposes a plurality of wafers by repeating a wafer exposure for exposing a total exposure area of each wafer. The wafer exposure may include a sequential execution of scanning exposures in which each divided area defined by dividing the total exposure area of each wafer is scanned by pulsed light. The apparatus may comprise: a light source controller configured to execute a control for outputting the pulsed light based on a luminescence trigger signal received from the exposure apparatus; a detector configured to detect a characteristic of the pulsed light; and a data collection processor configured to collect at least a piece of data in data included in a pulse light data group related to the pulsed light detected by the detector and a control data group related to the control, and execute a mapping process of mapping the collected data by at least one of scanning exposure basis and wafer exposure basis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light source apparatus configured for an exposure apparatus which exposes a plurality of wafers by repeating a wafer exposure for exposing a total exposure area of each wafer, the wafer exposure including a sequential execution of scanning exposures in which each divided area defined by dividing the total exposure area of each wafer is scanned by pulsed light, the apparatus comprising:
a light source controller configured to execute a control for outputting the pulsed light based on a luminescence trigger signal received from the exposure apparatus;
a detector configured to detect a characteristic of the pulsed light; and
a data collection processor configured to collect at least a piece of data in data included in a pulse light data group related to the pulsed light detected by the detector and a control data group related to the control, and to execute a mapping process of mapping the data collected for each pulse of the pulsed light of each scanning exposure for at least one wafer, each pulse of the pulsed light of a particular scanning exposure exposing a same area of the divided area, the mapping process mapping the data collected for each pulse of the pulsed light with respect to each pulse of a total number of pulses of the pulsed light for exposure of the at least one wafer,
the data collection processor being configured to execute a process of collecting the mapped data by each item and transmit the data collected by each item to a monitor device, the item being for the particular scanning exposure for the at least one wafer, the monitor device being configured to monitor a state of a semiconductor production equipment that includes the exposure apparatus by providing an ability to analyze the mapped data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the data collection processor includes
a storage configured to store at least the piece of data, and
an arithmetic processor configured to execute the mapping process.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data collection processor is installed in the light source controller.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data collection processor executes a process of associating a wafer ID defined at the exposure apparatus with one of the data on which the mapping process is executed and the data on which the process of collecting by each item is executed.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mapping process includes a process of determining that the pulsed light is one of a starting pulse or an ending pulse of the wafer exposure based on a reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mapping process includes a process of determining that the pulsed light is an ending pulse of the wafer exposure based on the number of times of the scanning exposures.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the light source apparatus is configured for the exposure apparatus which executes an adjustment oscillation of outputting the pulsed light without exposing the wafer before the wafer exposure,
the mapping process includes a process of distinguishing the adjustment oscillation and a start of the wafer exposure based on the pulse number of the pulsed lights.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the mapping process includes a process of determining that the pulsed light is a starting pulse of the wafer exposure based on a reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the mapping process
determines, when the reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals is equal to or greater than a first specific term, that the pulsed light is one of a starting pulse or an ending pulse of the wafer exposure,
determines, when the reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals is within a range of a second specific term, that the pulsed light is a starting pulse of the scanning exposure, and
determines, when the reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals is equal to or smaller than a third specific term, that the pulsed light is pulsed light during the scanning exposure.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pulse light data group includes at least one of pulse energy, a wavelength and a spectrum width.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control data group includes a set value of a charge voltage set to a charger.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the pulsed light is a pulse laser beam, and
the light source apparatus is structured as a laser apparatus outputting the pulse laser beam.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the pulsed light is EUV light, and
the light source apparatus is structured as an EUV light generation apparatus outputting the EUV light.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitor device comprises one of a fault detection and classification system and a manufacturing execution system.

15. A data processing method configured for an exposure apparatus which exposes a plurality of wafers by repeating a wafer exposure for exposing a total exposure area of each wafer, the wafer exposure including a sequential execution of scanning exposures in which each divided area defined by dividing the total exposure area of each wafer is scanned by pulsed light, the method including:
executing a control for outputting the pulsed light based on a luminescence trigger signal received from the exposure apparatus;
detecting a characteristic of the pulsed light;
executing a data collection process of collecting at least a piece of data in data included in a pulse light data group related to the pulsed light detected by the detector and a control data group related to the control;
executing a mapping process of mapping the data collected for each pulse of the pulsed light of each scanning exposure for at least one wafer, each pulse of the pulsed light of a particular scanning exposure being of a same area of the divided area, by mapping the data collected with respect to each pulse of a total number of pulses of the pulsed light for exposure of the at least one wafer; and
executing a data transmission process,
the data collection process including a process of collecting the mapped data by each item, the item being for the particular scanning exposure for the at least one wafer,
the data transmission process including transmitting the data collected by each item to a monitor device, the monitor device being configured to monitor a state of a semiconductor production equipment that includes the exposure apparatus by providing an ability to analyze the mapped data.

16. The method according to claim 15 , further including executing a process of associating a wafer ID defined at the exposure apparatus with one of the data on which the mapping process is executed and the data on which the process of collecting by each item is executed.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the mapping process includes a process of determining that the pulsed light is one of a starting pulse or an ending pulse of the wafer exposure based on a reception interval of the luminescence trigger signals.

18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the mapping process includes a process of determining that the pulsed light is an ending pulse of the wafer exposure based on the number of times of the scanning exposures.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the mapping process includes a

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Tanaka Hiroshi
• Kurosu Akihiko
• Masuda Hiroyuki
• Ochiai Hideyuki
• Wakabayashi Osamu
• Moriya Masato

Classifications

• G03F7/70058

  Mask illumination systems · CPC title

• H10P74/238

  comprising acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection or in-situ thickness measurement · CPC title

• H10P74/20

  characterised by the properties tested or measured, e.g. structural or electrical properties · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

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

• H10P72/0436

  mainly by radiation · CPC title