Method and system for analyzing plasma data

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of identifying is automatically performed by said computer in response to appropriate input.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein said computer includes a display, said method further comprising: automatically displaying said data; and automatically displaying said automatically calibrated data.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3, wherein each of said data and said automatically calibrated data include relative intensity data and corresponding electromagnetic wavelength data and wherein each said step of automatically displaying comprises plotting said relative intensity data against said corresponding electromagnetic wavelength data.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 wherein said step of automatically calibrating comprises creating a scale for said corresponding electromagnetic wavelength data.

Claim 7

The method of claim 5 wherein said step of creating comprises incorporating linear regression.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4, wherein said step of plotting comprises creating a plot and wherein said method further comprises creating an exploded view of a portion of said plot.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 wherein said step of indicating comprises indicating to said computer said gaseous specie to be assumed present in response to a prompt therefor from said computer.

Claim 10

The method of claim 1, wherein said data includes relative intensity data and wherein said step of indicating comprises indicating to said computer a gaseous specie expected to have high relative intensity data in comparison to the other of said relative intensity data corresponding to the other of said plurality of gaseous species.

Claim 11

The method of claim 1, wherein said computer includes a memory storing known plasma data for a predetermined plurality of gaseous species and wherein said step of automatically calibrating comprises correlating said data to said known plasma data for said indicated gaseous specie.

Claim 12

The method of claim 10, wherein said data includes a plurality of sets of data and wherein said step of correlating comprises correlating a predetermined number of said plurality of sets of data to said known plasma data for said indicated gaseous specie.

Claim 13

The method of claim 2 wherein said step of identifying comprises automatically identifying via said computer said plurality of gaseous species.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 further comprising automatically determining via said computer a configuration for said identified plurality of gaseous species.

Claim 15

The method of claim 13 further comprising automatically determining via said computer a probability that a given gaseous species in said configuration is actually present.

Claim 16

The method of claim 14 further comprising automatically determining via said computer a confidence interval for said probability.

Claim 17

The method of claim 1, wherein said data includes a plurality of sets of data and wherein said step of identifying comprises associating a predetermined number of peak sets of data with said at least one of said plurality of gaseous species.

Claim 18

The method of claim 1, wherein said data includes optical emission spectroscopy data, said optical emission spectroscopy data including relative intensity data and corresponding visible light wavelength data, and wherein said step of inputting said data comprises inputting said relative intensity data and said corresponding visible light wavelength data.

Claim 19

The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating to said computer at least one gaseous specie to be identified, wherein said step of identifying comprises automatically identifying via said computer said at least one gaseous specie.

Claim 20

The method of claim 18, wherein said step of automatically identifying comprises automatically identifying via said computer said at least one gaseous specie based on assumed parameters, said method further comprising modifying said assumed parameters based on results of said step of identifying such that a subsequent result of said step of automatically identifying is improved.

Claim 21

The method of claim 19, wherein said computer includes a memory storing for each of a predetermined plurality of gaseous species a plurality of sets of known plasma data, each of said plurality of sets of known plasma data including a known relative intensity value and a corresponding known electromagnetic wavelength, wherein said data includes a plurality of sets of data, each of said plurality of sets of data including a raw relative intensity value and a corresponding raw electromagnetic wavelength, and wherein said step of automatically identifying comprises: (a) determining whether a given known electromagnetic wavelength is within a range of electromagnetic wavelengths present in said plurality of sets of data; (b) modifying a relative probability that said given known electromagnetic wavelength will be present in said plurality of sets of data if said given known electromagnetic wavelength is determined in step (a) to be within said range, wherein said relative probability includes a numerator and a denominator; (c) determining whether said given known electromagnetic wavelength has previously been associated with a given raw relative intensity value in said plurality of sets of data corresponding to said at least one gaseous specie to be identified if said relative probability has been modified in step (b); (d) modifying said numerator if said given known electromagnetic wavelength is determined in step (c) to have previously been associated with said given raw relative intensity value; (e) determining whether said denominator is greater than a predetermined number indicating insufficient information to modify a raw relative intensity value associated with said at least one gaseous specie to be identified; and (f) modifying said raw relative intensity value of step (e) if said denominator is determined in step (e) to be greater than said predetermined number.

Claim 22

The method of claim 20 wherein step (f) comprises modifying said raw relative intensity value F according to the following equation: F=(p2-0.5244)/0. 018847, wherein p2=log c ((p1×1.10825)/(1-p1)), p1=n/d, n=said numerator, and d=said denominator.

Claim 23

The method of claim 20 wherein said at least one gaseous specie to be identified includes at least two gaseous species, said method further comprising: (g) repeating steps (a) through (f) for each of said at least two gaseous species.

Claim 24

The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a change in a characteristic of said at least one of said plurality of gaseous species over time.

Claim 27

The method of claim 24, wherein said plasma process is performed based on a plurality of plasma process parameters, said method further comprising: altering at least one of said plasma process parameters based on said step of identifying; and performing said plasma process based on said altered at least one plasma process parameter.

Claim 28

The method of claim 24 further comprising indicating to said computer at least one gaseous species to be identified, wherein said step of identifying comprises identifying said at least one gaseous species.

Claim 29

The method of claim 26, wherein said step of identifying comprises identifying said at least one gaseous species based on assumed parameters, said method further comprising modifying said assumed parameters based on results of said step of identifying such that a subsequent result of said step of identifying is improved.

Claim 30

The method of claim 24 further comprising determining a change in a characteristic of said at least one of said plurality of gaseous species over time.

Claim 33

The system of claim 29 further comprising means for displaying said data and said calibrated data.

Claim 34

The system of claim 30 wherein said displaying means comprises means for graphically displaying said data and said calibrated data.

Claim 35

The system of claim 29 further comprising means for prompting said analyst for said gaseous specie to be assumed present.

Claim 36

The system of claim 29 further comprising a memory for storing known plasma data for a predetermined plurality of gaseous species.

Claim 37

The system of claim 33 wherein said automatic calibration means comprises means for correlating said data to said known plasma data.

Claim 38

The system of claim 34 further comprising means for determining a probability that a given identified gaseous specie is actually present.

Claim 39

The system of claim 29 wherein said automatic identification means comprises means for selectively identifying at least one gaseous specie.

Claim 40

The system of claim 36 further comprising means for improving automatic identification of said at least one gaseous specie based on past automatic identifications.

Claim 41

The system of claim 29 further comprising means for determining a change in a characteristic of said at least one of said plurality of gaseous species over time.