The quest to create robust control solutions for Photolithography processes is an ongoing matter. Over the past few decades several threaded and non-threaded Run-to-Run (RtR) control solutions have been introduced addressing various specific Lithography process control requirements. With continually shrinking semiconductor technology nodes, greater interdependencies are being observed between processes requiring more complex control solutions that rely on increasing process context. With higher product mixes, associated metrology costs add to this growing complexity in using existing control solutions effectively. A new dynamic RtR control solution approach in GLOBALFOUNDRIES high mix manufacturing environment offering coverage to all Lithography process steps in Fab8 has been architected and implemented. This approach not only addresses the issues caused in most commonly used ‘Threaded’ and ‘Non-Threaded’ control approaches in Lithography but also offers a dynamic thread definition implementation approach.
KEYWORDS: Metrology, Semiconducting wafers, Critical dimension metrology, Transmission electron microscopy, Etching, Process control, Reactive ion etching, Data modeling, High volume manufacturing
Metrology tools are increasingly challenged by the continuing decrease in the device dimensions, combined with complex disruptive materials and architectures. These demands are not being met appropriately by existing/forthcoming metrology techniques individually. Hybrid Metrology (HM) – the practice to combine measurements from multiple toolset types in order to enable or improve the measurement of one or more critical parameters – is being incorporated by the industry to resolve these challenges. Continuing our previous work we now take the HM from the lab into the fab. This paper presents the first-in-industry implementation of HM within a High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) environment. Advanced 3D applications are the first to use HM: 20nm Contact etch and 14nm FinFET poly etch. The concept and main components of this Phase-1 Host-based implementation are discussed. We show examples of communication protocols/standards that have been specially constructed for HM for sharing data between the metrology tools and fab host in GLOBALFOUNDRIES, as well as the HM recipe setup and HVM results. Finally we discuss our vision and phased progression/roadmap for Phase-2 HM implementation to fully reap the benefits of hybridization.
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