US 12,451,380 B2
Semiconductor fabrication using process control parameter matrix
Sivakumar Dhandapani, San Jose, CA (US); and Jun Qian, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 20, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/137,009.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/562,997, filed on Sep. 25, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2019/0096722 A1, Mar. 28, 2019
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); B24B 37/005 (2012.01); B24B 37/20 (2012.01); B24B 37/32 (2012.01); H01L 21/321 (2006.01); H01L 21/66 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67253 (2013.01) [B24B 37/005 (2013.01); B24B 37/20 (2013.01); B24B 37/32 (2013.01); H01L 21/3212 (2013.01); H01L 22/12 (2013.01); H01L 22/20 (2013.01); H01L 22/26 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing substrates, comprising:
subjecting each respective first substrate of a first plurality of substrates to a process that modifies a thickness of an outer layer of the respective first substrate;
for each respective first substrate, recording values of a plurality of control parameter values for a plurality of control parameters and a plurality of state parameter values for a plurality of state parameters;
generating a plurality of groups of the plurality of control parameter values and the plurality of state parameter values;
for each respective first substrate, measuring a removal profile of the outer layer during or after the process with a monitoring system, thus generating a plurality of measured removal profiles;
generating a column vector comprising the plurality of control parameter values and the plurality of state parameter values;
generating a matrix, the matrix and the column vector partially determining a calculated removal profile, wherein generating the matrix comprises finding matrix values that best fit the plurality of groups of the plurality of control parameter values and the plurality of state parameter values to the plurality of measured removal profiles;
for each respective second substrate of a second plurality of substrates, determining a target removal profile and a plurality of state parameter values;
for each respective second substrate, calculating respective control parameter values to use when polishing the respective second substrate, wherein calculating uses the matrix and the column vector; and
subjecting each respective second substrate to the process using the respective control parameter values and the state parameter values.