Evaluation of an Advanced Process Control Solution to detect Wafer Positioning Issues within the Hot and Cold Plate Modules of a Lithography Track

摘要

To run the various steps of the process, multiple robot arm transfers within the Hot and Cold Plate modules which directly influence the critical dimension of the production wafers were performed on the lithography track. Wafer positioning inside these modules was found to be one of the key parameters to obtain the best critical dimensional uniformity across the wafer. With the currently realized track monitoring and conventional Statistical Process Control (SPC), potential process drifts or errors within these modules can only be detected from wafers measured during the post process control of product parameters. To catch all potential non-conformal production wafers directly at the tool, minimize equipment downtime and identify the root cause of maintenance issues, the real-time control of tool and process parameters is required. This paper presents the results of the evaluation of an Advanced Process Control (APC) solution used to detect in realtime mode any wafer positioning issues within the Hot and Cold Plate modules of a lithography track based on the monitoring of the plate temperature profile during wafer processing. After an explanation of the methodology used to collect the data from the tool, an initial phase of analysis of the temperature profile of the different Hot Plate modules was carried out. The monitoring of the temperature range was identified as the key parameter for the detection of wafer positioning issues where the temperature profile depends on the number of resistive heating elements, temperature settings and process conditions of the Hot Plate. The wafer tilt was simulated to compare the temperature profile to standard process conditions and in turn determine the detection capability. For the Cold Plate module, it was necessary to know the time between the end of the hot step and the start of the following cold step in order to detect a real tilt issue.