Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

Details Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

1999-01-08

2002-01-01

Grant, William (Department: 2121)

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Product assembly or manufacturing

C700S097000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06336056

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device development information integrating system and particularly to one that creates and edits conditions for automated systems in semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation. The invention relates, more particularly, to a semiconductor device development information integrating system that integrates databases of design and manufacture information for setting conditions, for automated systems, to eliminate manual information interchange.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Semiconductor device design and manufacture processes are separated by the delivery of photomasks, and the automation in both have been advanced, individually. The reason for this is that the automated systems for semiconductor device design and for semiconductor device manufacture have been specialized, and the former and the latter have been generally dealt with by different vendors. Hence, information modes often differ from each other. Even vendors who deal with both may be unfamiliar with both automations. This may cause difficulties in utilizing shared information.
Recently in semiconductor device manufacture section, there has been almost attained paperless process management tables in clean rooms. On the other hand, the integration of electronic data for information interchange between semiconductor device manufacture and design sections is slow.
A description will be given of a method of information interchange among the respective sections in conventional semiconductor device development. FIGS.
16
(
a
) and
16
(
b
) illustrate a mode of information interchange among design, manufacture and evaluation sections in conventional semiconductor device development. In FIG.
16
(
a
), there are shown a database
1
b
that stores information created at the design section, a database
2
b
that stores information created at the manufacture section, and a database
3
b
that stores information created at the evaluation section.
Referring to FIG.
16
(
b
), an engineering workstation (EWS)
10
in the design section has a graphic terminal
10
a,
a memory
10
b
and a submemory
10
c.
A server
400
in the design section has a memory
400
a
and a submemory
400
b.
An EWS
20
in the manufacture section has a graphic terminal
20
a,
a memory
20
b
and a submemory
20
c.
A server
500
in the manufacture section has a memory
500
a
and a submemory
500
b.
Normally the semiconductor device development section has such a development support system as described. The development of semiconductor devices is carried out utilizing the development support system in the following manner.
The design information created at the design section is stored in the database
1
b
implemented on the server
400
. In the design section, as required, information requisite for semiconductor device design, such as alignment creations, photomask type, i.e., normal or reverse, capacitance values, resistance values and current values, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from the EWS
10
.
Manufacture information created at the manufacture section is stored in the database
2
b
implemented on the server
500
. In the manufacture section, as required, information requisite for the semiconductor device manufacture, such as systems to be used, mask names, coordinates to be set on the systems, processing time and lot names, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from using the EWS
20
.
Manufacture information created at the evaluation section is stored in the database
3
b
implemented on a server (not shown). In the evaluation section, as required, information requisite for the semiconductor device evaluation, such as chip names, pads, coordinate values of test element groups (TEGs), measurements of monitor TEGs during manufacture and design specifications, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from an EWS (not shown).
It should be noted that the databases
1
b,
2
b
and
3
b
have no data link with one another. Therefore, in a case where the design section requires information possessed by the manufacture and evaluation sections, such information is printed out and then input by manual operation, thereby performing information interchange. Alternatively, the information interchange by electronic data necessitates volumes, e.g., floppy disks, as a media.
FIG. 17
shows a development process in a conventional semiconductor device development section. In step S
1
a,
information needed in design, such as resistances, capacitances, FETs, substrates, is acquired through papers or electronic data existing separately, thereby obtaining manufacture information. In step S
2
, electric design is executed using the manufacture information obtained in step Sla. In step S
3
, mask data design is executed. In step S
4
, the mask making is executed. In step S
5
a,
the design information on chip sizes, mask names, mask arriving dates, specific data areas and target performances, is acquired from papers or a separate electronic data. In step S
6
, the mask manufacture is executed using the design information obtained in step S
5
a.
The information interchange in the semiconductor device design section of the prior art system is performed in the aforementioned manner. More specifically, in the design process of the semiconductor device development, the electric design is executed by simulators, whereas the setting of conditions for the simulators requires information from the manufacture and evaluation sections. Such information is, however, not integrated with the information of the design section. Hence, fragmental information on each semiconductor device type must be described on papers or converted into volumes or the like, followed by the respective manual setting.
As discussed above, although most of the information possessed by the design section of the semiconductor device development is electronic data, the problem attendant to interfaces persists. Thus it is necessary that the information which has been converted into papers or volumes be delivered to the manufacture section to set the data by manual operation, i.e., manual input work.
Consequently, a mere interface of the information calls for the manual work, causing a hindrance to cost reduction in semiconductor device manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device development information integrating system that realizes noticeable automation and labor saving in semiconductor device manufacture by integrating databases storing design and manufacture information.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific embodiment are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system comprises a semiconductor device information management system that stores and manages (i) electronic data of photomask specifications created in a semiconductor device design process and (ii) electronic data of manufacture process steps created in a semiconductor device manufacture process, as integrated semiconductor device information integrated into at lease one database; a semiconductor device design electronic terminal that issues a request to said management system to call and display said integrated semiconductor device information and, based on which information, creates and edits design data; a semiconductor device manufacture electronic terminal that issues a request to said management system to call and display said integrated semicondu

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