Method and apparatus for wafer-to-wafer control with partial measurement data

Claim 3

The method described in claim 1 , wherein acquiring inline metrology data related to said first process of said semiconductor wafer acquiring metrology data using an integrated metrology tool.

Claim 4

The method described in claim 1 , wherein performing a partial measurement data acquisition process based upon said inline metrology data further comprises: performing a wafer-route planning process to determine a manufacturing process flow; calculating a period of time available for acquiring inline metrology data while maintaining a manufacturing process flow based upon said wafer-route planning process; calculating said number of wafers to be sampled based upon said period of time; and determining said number of wafer sites for data acquisition based upon at least one of said calculated number of wafers to be sampled and said calculated period of time.

Claim 5

The method described in claim 1 , wherein performing said feedback adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feedback correction parameter of said process based upon said determined error to reduce said error of said process.

Claim 6

The method described in claim 4 , further comprising performing said process comprised of said feedback correction parameter on a subsequent semiconductor wafer.

Claim 7

The method described in claim 4 , further comprising performing a wafer-to-wafer feedback correction based upon said feedback correction parameter.

Claim 8

The method described in claim 1 , wherein performing said feed-forward adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feed-forward correction parameter of said process based upon said determination to reduce an effect of said error.

Claim 9

The method described in claim 7 , further comprising performing a subsequent process comprised of said feed-forward parameter on said semiconductor wafer.

Claim 10

The method described in claim 7 , further comprising performing a wafer-to-wafer feed-forward correction based upon said feed-forward correction parameter.

Claim 13

The method described in claim 10 , wherein performing said feedback adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feedback correction parameter of said process based upon said determined error to reduce said error of said process.

Claim 14

The method described in claim 11 , further comprising performing said process comprised of said feedback correction parameter on a subsequent semiconductor wafer.

Claim 15

The method described in claim 10 , wherein performing said feed-forward adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feed-forward correction parameter of said process based upon said determination to reduce an effect of said error.

Claim 16

The method described in claim 13 , further comprising performing a subsequent process comprised of said feed-forward parameter on said semiconductor wafer.

Claim 19

The system of claim 15 , further comprising: a computer system operatively coupled with said feed-forward unit, said computer system to perform at least one calculation of a compensation factor for performing said feed-forward operation; a manufacturing model operatively coupled with said computer system, said manufacturing model to generate and modify at least one control input parameter signal; a machine interface operatively coupled with said manufacturing model, said machine interface being capable of receiving process recipes from said manufacturing model; a processing tool capable of processing semiconductor wafers and operatively coupled with said machine interface, said first processing tool to receive at least one control input parameter signal from said machine interface; and an integrated metrology tool integrated with said processing tool, said integrated metrology tool to acquire said inline metrology data and sending said inline metrology data to said inline metrology data storage unit; a wafer sample calculation unit operatively coupled to said feedback/feed-forward unit, said wafer sample calculation unit to determine said number of wafers to be sampled for inline metrology data acquisition; and a site number calculation unit operatively coupled to said feedback/feed-forward unit, said site number calculation unit to determine said number of wafer sites to be analyzed.

Claim 20

The system of claim 16 , wherein said computer system is capable of generating modification data for modifying at least one parameter in said manufacturing model in response to said feedback/feed-forward operation.

Claim 23

A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method, comprising: performing a process on a semiconductor wafer; acquiring inline metrology data related to said process of said semiconductor wafer; performing a partial measurement data acquisition process based upon said inline metrology data, said partial measurement data acquisition process comprising determining a time period for acquiring said inline metrology data, determining a number of wafers to be sampled based upon said time period, and determining a number of wafer sites for data acquisition; and performing at least one of a feedback adjustment on a second semiconductor wafer and a feed-forward adjustment relating to a subsequent processing of said first semiconductor wafer based upon said partial measurement data acquisition process.

Claim 24

A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method, comprising: performing a process on a semiconductor wafer; acquiring inline metrology data related to said process of said semiconductor wafer; performing a partial measurement data acquisition process based upon said inline metrology data, said partial measurement data acquisition process comprising determining a time period for acquiring said inline metrology data, determining a number of wafers to be sampled based upon said time period, and determining a number of wafer sites for data acquisition; and performing at least one of a feedback adjustment on a second semiconductor wafer and a feed-forward adjustment relating to a subsequent processing of said first semiconductor wafer based upon said partial measurement data acquisition process.

Claim 25

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 19 , wherein acquiring inline metrology data related to said first process of said semiconductor wafer acquiring metrology data using an integrated metrology tool.

Claim 26

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 19 , wherein performing a partial measurement data acquisition process based upon said inline metrology data further comprises: performing a wafer-route planning process to determine a manufacturing process flow; calculating a period of time available for acquiring inline metrology data while maintaining a manufacturing process flow based upon said wafer-route planning process; calculating said number of wafers to be sampled based upon said period of time; and determining said number of wafer sites for data acquisition based upon at least one of said calculated number of wafers to be sampled and said calculated period of time.

Claim 27

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 19 , wherein performing said feedback adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feedback correction parameter of said process based upon said determined error to reduce said error of said process.

Claim 28

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 22 , further comprising performing said process on a subsequent semiconductor wafer based upon said feedback correction.

Claim 29

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 22 , further comprising performing a wafer-to-wafer feedback correction based upon said feedback correction parameter.

Claim 30

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 19 , wherein performing said feed-forward adjustment further comprises: determining a weight of said inline metrology data based upon said number of wafers to be sampled and said number of wafer sites; determining an error of said process based upon said weight of said inline metrology data; and determining a feed-forward correction parameter of said process based upon said determination to reduce an effect of said error.

Claim 31

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 25 , further comprising performing a subsequent process on said semiconductor wafer based upon said feed-forward correction.

Claim 32

The computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method described in claim 25 , further comprising performing a wafer-to-wafer feed-forward correction based upon said feed-forward correction parameter.