Recipe management system

Details Recipe management system Recipe management system

2002-10-21

2004-05-11

Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Product assembly or manufacturing

C700S096000, C700S110000, C707S793000, C717S170000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06735493

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to recipe management systems for semiconductor fabrication processes, and more particularly to recipe management systems for comparing recipe versions for semiconductor processing tools utilized in the semiconductor fabrication process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recipe management systems are used in a semiconductor fabrication process to manage recipe correction and to prevent process engineers from running incorrect and non-approved recipes. A prior art recipe management system is described hereafter in connection with the fabrication system diagram of FIG.
1
. The fabrication system
10
includes a database
12
connected to a Recipe Management System (RMS) server
14
. The database includes a plurality of master recipe bodies for select tools used in the semiconductor process, including etch tools, deposition tools such as the Applied Material P5000 Mark II tool, and photolithography tools, such as a track tool
18
. As should be known to those familiar with manufacturing integrated circuits, track tools have three main purposes in the process: (1) coating photoresist on a wafer; (2) baking the wafer; and (3) developing a circuit pattern on the wafer. Recipes for scanner and stepper photolithography tools are typically not stored in database
12
.
RMS server
14
is shown connected to Industrial PC (IPC)
16
. IPC
16
includes a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) software package including a Tool Control System (TCS) for implementing task flow control for operating a tool such as track
18
. Track
18
is shown as part of an inline tool physically combining at least two pieces of equipment, such as track
18
and stepper
20
. IPC
16
communicates with track
18
using the Semiconductor Equipment Communications Standard (SECS) via low speed RS-232 serial lines. IPC
16
receives a recipe from the database
12
through RMS server
14
. IPC
16
then uses the recipe to directly control the track
18
by issuing SECS commands. RMS server
14
is connected to database
12
and IPC
16
via an Ethernet connection.
A process recipe is sometimes modified by a process engineer at the IPC
16
for, for example, experimental test runs of processing tools. During actual process runs, however, it should be confirmed that the recipe that is being used by the IPC
16
to control the track tool
18
conforms to a master recipe in the database
12
, which has been approved for use in a specific fabrication process. In order to accomplish this, the recipe currently resident at the IPC
16
is uploaded to the RMS server
14
. The corresponding master recipe is also retrieved by the RMS sever
14
from the database
12
. The bodies, i.e., the contents, of these recipes are then compared by the RMS server
14
. If a match occurs, a message is sent to the IPC
16
indicating that the recipe is approved for use and the track tool is operated in the fabrication process. If a match does not occur, a mismatch message is sent to the IPC
16
indicating the need to retrieve an approved recipe from the database
12
.
The RMS server
14
also handles recipe version management. A new version of a recipe stored in database
12
may be created at IPC
16
, uploaded to RMS server
14
and stored as a new version of the corresponding recipe in database
12
, thereby becoming an approved recipe.
Also shown in system
10
of
FIG. 1
is Unix server
24
. Unix server
24
includes a plurality of recipes for semiconductor exposure tools such as steppers and scanners. These recipes are also called job files. As one of ordinary skill will recognize, a stepper is an optical-based system that projects the pattern of a reticle onto a small area on the surface of the wafer. The projected image forms the processing pattern for one chip. The wafer is stepped in the X and Y directions to repeat the imaging for other chips. A scanner is also an exposure tool, only with a larger lens that the stepper.
Although shown connected to only one host
22
, Unix server
24
is typically connected to a plurality of hosts. Each host
22
is connected to and associated with a single stepper
20
or scanner. Unix server
24
and host
22
are both industrial workstations, but the Unix server
24
stores master recipe files for steppers
20
and scanners, which are communicate with hosts
22
. A typical recipe for a scanner or stepper will include X and Y coordinate information as well as other process parameters, such as light energy and focus information.
The host
22
provides a job file to the stepper
20
or scanner during a fabrication process for control of the stepper
20
or scanner. The host
22
and stepper
20
communicate through an Ethernet connection. Unix server
24
downloads an approved scanner or stepper recipe to host
22
for use in the process over a TCP/IP network using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Communications of job files between the Unix server
24
and host
22
are one way as indicated in
FIG. 1. A
process engineer can use host
22
to modify recipes if desired, such as for testing purposes.
Several problems exist with the system
10
of
FIG. 1
, particularly with respect to steppers
20
and scanners. The stepper and scanner tools typically become the bottle neck of the fabrication process when recipe file corruption occurs or mismatches occur between recipes in the Unix server
24
and the host
22
. Despite this concern, the system
10
as shown in
FIG. 1
does not have the ability to compare the recipe resident at host
22
and the recipe at Unix server
24
to determine whether a recipe file has been modified at the host
22
. For one reason, recipe body communication between the Unix server
24
and the host
22
is not two way, i.e., the host software does not support exporting the recipe body back to the Unix server
24
.
One solution available for ASML brand steppers and scanners available from ASML Co. of Tempe. Ariz. is a software utility installed on the host
22
. The utility supports the SECS protocol and allows the Unix server.
24
to respond to a SECS command issued by the host
22
. The host
22
issues a SECS command to the Unix sever
24
requesting modification time information for a selected recipe. The host
22
then compares the time information provided by the Unix server
24
for the recipe with the time information associated with the corresponding recipe resident at the host
22
. If the time information does not match, the host
22
knows that it does not have the recipe that is resident at the Unix server
24
, which must then be downloaded to the host
22
. This add-on solution is not very attractive for several reasons. First, the software utility is very expensive, as much as $6,700 per host installation. Second, RS232 serial interface hardware must be added to and between host
22
and server
24
. Further, the solution only compares modification times associated with a reipe and not recipe bodies or contents. The solution, therefore, lacks the ability to identify for a process engineer the specific changes that have been made to the recipe.
Therefore, there remains a need for a new, cost effective and robust method of ensuring that recipes being processed by scanners and steppers conform to released master recipes. To that end, there remains a need for a new method and system for comparing recipes for scanner and stepper tools utilized in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A recipe management system is provided including a processor configured to receive a first job file for a processing tool through a network, said first job file including a master job file for said processing tool. The processor also receives a second job file through the network from a host processor associated with the processing tool. The processor compares the first and second job files, wherein the processor determines whether the first and second job files differ.
A semiconductor manufacturing method is also provided. A first job file including a master job file for a processing tool is received thr

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