Seasoning Optimization by Using Optical Emission Spectroscopy

From a point of view for AEC (Advanced/Autonomous Equipment Control) and APC (Advanced/Autonomous Process Control), it is necessary to catch up the condition from semiconductor manufacturing equipment in more detail and to monitor it more closely. After wet cleaning, it is difficult to determine the optimal number of seasoning wafers for the etch equipment. As a solution for this problem, the “Seasoning Index” that shows the progress of seasonings in the chamber is developed by using OES (Optical Emission Spectroscopy). Then, the Seasoning Optimizer function was implemented to make sure that the seasonings are performed appropriately. Furthermore, the principle of the seasoning process was also investigated. As a result, it was shown that the Seasoning Index, which shows similar behavior with the by-product of the reaction, is also effective as an index showing the seasoning state in the chamber. This case shows one of the application examples of AEC/APC.