Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – With measuring or testing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-07
2003-09-16
Niebling, John F. (Department: 2812)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
With measuring or testing
C204S400000, C438S015000, C256S048000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06620636
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2001-069136, filed on Mar. 12, 2001, and the disclosure of such application is herein incorporated by reference to the extent permitted by law.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a semiconductor manufacturing method and apparatus. Particularly, the present invention is related to an apparatus and method for forming a semiconductor circuit over a semiconductor wafer while executing a semiconductor manufacturing process of the semiconductor wafer.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a semiconductor circuit is manufactured by slicing a semiconductor wafer as individual chips. Such semiconductor wafer would have a plurality of circuit patterns of identical shape formed thereon by utilizing thin film technology such as vapor deposition technology, sputtering, etc.
An example of conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performing such process is shown in FIG.
3
.
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
100
includes wafer mounting sections
102
a
and
102
b
having containers
101
a
and
101
b
for containing semiconductor wafers, process chambers
103
a
and
103
b
for performing manufacturing process of the semiconductor wafer, and a conveying section
104
for conveying the semiconductor wafer between the wafer mounting sections and the process chambers.
The wafer mounting sections
102
a
and
102
b
are provided with hermetic containers
101
a
and
101
b
having a configuration in which a plurality of semiconductor wafer can be mounted therein, therefore permitting conveying the wafers without exposing them to external environment.
The process chambers
103
a
and
103
b
may include semiconductor processes such as: forming semiconductor circuit patterns over the semiconductor wafer by means of vapor deposition, sputtering or other thin film forming technologies; forming resist patterns corresponding to the semiconductor circuit pattern; etching the semiconductor wafer having the resist pattern formed thereon, etc.
The wafer conveying section
104
has a conveying robot
105
for conveying the semiconductor wafers between the wafer mounting sections (
102
a
and
102
b
) and the process chambers (
103
a
and
103
b
).
In such semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
100
, the containers
101
a
and
101
b
containing semiconductor wafers are mounted on the wafer mounting section
102
a
and
102
b,
the semiconductor wafers are taken out of the containers
101
a
and
101
b
by the conveying robot
105
of the wafer conveying section
104
and transferred to the processing chambers
103
a
and
103
b,
passing through the wafer conveying
104
. In addition, the semiconductor manufacturing processes are performed against the semiconductor wafers supplied to the processing chamber
103
a
and
103
b.
As a result, it is possible to form a plurality of semiconductor circuit patterns of identical or similar configuration over the semiconductor wafer and, by slicing the semiconductor wafer after forming the plurality of semiconductor circuit patterns as individual semiconductor chips, it is possible to manufacture a plurality of semiconductor circuits as a lot.
In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
100
mentioned above, the semiconductor wafer is inspected upon being transferred to an inspection apparatus, in order to assuring quality and yield rate, after the semiconductor manufacturing process is finished. In addition, before executing an actual production of the semiconductor, the conditions of the process are verified with one up to a few pieces of semiconductor wafers previously processed.
However, there is a drawback in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which the manufacturing time is relatively extensive, as the semiconductor wafer cannot be transferred to the inspection apparatus unless the semiconductor manufacturing process are performed for all semiconductor wafers contained within the above-mentioned containers
101
a
and
101
b.
This is particularly critical for sampling inspection, as a few pieces of semiconductor wafer have to be taken out randomly from the containers
101
a
and
101
b
and such sampling can be done only after the manufacturing process is completed for all semiconductor wafers in the containers. Thus, such configuration constitutes a limiting factor for the productivity of the process.
In view of such problems, it has been conventional practice to have the inspection apparatus in line, i.e., to introduce the inspection apparatus along with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in the manufacturing system, or to establish monitoring by introducing an inspection unit in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus itself.
Nevertheless, having the inspection apparatus in line is not cost-effective, when considering that the inspection process easily receives influence from external factors such as vibration and the inspection is performed by sampling of only a few pieces, thus performance of the process is compromised. On the other hand, the monitoring has not yet achieved a level of technological development enough to perform inspection of a production in large scale.
Moreover, there are many processes in the inspection of a semiconductor wafer that still required visual check by an inspector, such as verification of a surface of the wafer, thus it is still common practice to execute inspection after semiconductor manufacturing processes of all semiconductor wafers are finished.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above-mentioned situation of the prior art. It is preferable according to the present invention, to provide a semiconductor manufacturing method and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that allows reduction of production time and improvement of quality and yield rate by permitting realizing inspection of a semiconductor wafer while executing the semiconductor manufacturing process.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing method for forming a semiconductor circuit on a semiconductor wafer while performing semiconductor manufacturing process on the semiconductor wafer, such method including: mounting a plurality of the semiconductor wafers on a mounting position on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; removing a semiconductor wafer among the plurality of semiconductor wafers from a position different from the mounting position of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus while a semiconductor manufacturing process is performed for each of the plurality of semiconductor wafers, the removed semiconductor wafer being a semiconductor wafer to which the semiconductor manufacturing process is finished; inspecting the removed semiconductor wafer; returning the removed semiconductor wafer to the position different from the mounting position on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, if the removed semiconductor wafer is evaluated as good in the inspecting step; returning the removed semiconductor wafer to the mounting position on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, together with other semiconductor wafers having finished the semiconductor manufacturing process.
As described above, according to the semiconductor manufacturing method of the present invention, by removing a semiconductor wafer among the plurality of semiconductor wafers to which the semiconductor manufacturing process is finished, from a position different from the mounting position of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, it is possible to execute the semiconductor manufacturing process for the remaining plurality of semiconductor wafers while inspection is done to the removed semiconductor wafer.
In addition, by returning the inspected semiconductor wafer from a position which is different from the mounting position of the plurality of semiconductor wafers on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and then returning the semiconductor wafer along with th
Luk Olivia
Niebling John F.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Sony Corporation
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