IP Library Granted Patent US 8,989,477
Granted Patent B2
US 8,989,477 · App. 13/783,624 · Granted Mar 24, 2015

Process monitoring device and process monitoring method in semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Inventors: Yasutoshi Umehara (Tokyo, JP); Motoi Okada (Hokkaido, JP); Shuji Iwanaga (Kumamoto, JP)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
G06T7/001G06T2207/10016G06T2207/30148
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,989,477
App. No.
13/783,624
Granted
Mar 24, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provide is a process monitoring device in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can readily and reliably monitor the process in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The process monitoring device includes a storage unit that stores a normal state moving image data indicating a normal state of the process; an image capturing unit that captures an image of a state of the process to be monitored to acquire a moving image data; an abnormality level calculation unit configured to extract a feature amount for each frame of the moving image data and the normal state moving image data, and calculate an abnormality level based on the extracted feature amount; and a display unit that displays the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit in association with a frame position of the moving image data.

Claims (25)

1. A process monitoring device of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a normal state moving image data including a plurality of image frames and indicating a normal state of a process performed on a substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by cutting out each of the plurality of image frames of the normal state moving image data;

an image capturing unit configured to capture a moving image of a state of the process to be monitored to acquire a moving image data including a plurality of image frames;

an abnormality level calculation unit configured to extract a feature amount for each frame of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit and each frame of the normal state moving image data, and calculate an abnormality level based on a difference between the extracted feature amount of the moving the image data acquired by the image capturing unit and the normal state moving image data; and

a display unit configured to display the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit in association with a frame position of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit, allowing a user to identify a position where an abnormal event is occurred.

2. The process monitoring device in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays a change for each frame of the moving image data of the abnormality level in a graph and designates a position on the graph to display the moving image data corresponding to the designated position on the graph.

3. The process monitoring device in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

a threshold storing unit that stores a threshold value of the abnormality level; and

an abnormality determination unit that compares the threshold value stored in the threshold storing unit with the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit, and if the calculated abnormality level exceeds the threshold value, issues an abnormality occurrence alert.

4. The process monitoring device in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the abnormality level calculation unit calculates the abnormality level from a ST-patch feature.

5. A process monitoring method in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:

storing a normal state moving image data including a plurality of image frames in a storage unit indicating a normal state of a process performed on a substrate by cutting out each of the plurality of image frames of the normal state moving image data;

capturing a moving image of a state of the process to be monitored to acquire a moving image data including a plurality of image frames;

extracting a feature amount for each frame of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit and each frame of the normal state moving image data and calculating an abnormality level based on a difference between the feature amount of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit and the normal state moving image data extracted at the extracting; and

displaying the abnormality level calculated at the extracting in association with a frame position of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit, allowing a user to identify a position where an abnormal event is occurred.

6. The process monitoring method in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the display unit displays a change for each frame of the moving image data of the abnormality level in a graph and designates a position on the graph to display the moving image data corresponding to the designated position on the graph.

7. The process monitoring method in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:

storing a threshold value of the abnormality level; and

issuing an abnormality occurrence alert when the calculated abnormality level exceeds the threshold value after comparing the threshold value stored in the threshold storing unit with the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit.

8. The process monitoring method in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the calculating calculates the abnormality level from a ST-patch feature.

9. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a process monitoring device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a normal state moving image data including a plurality of image frames and indicating a normal state of the process performed on a substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by cutting out each of the plurality of image frames of the normal state moving image data;

an image capturing unit configured to capture a moving image of a state of a process to be monitored to acquire a moving image data including a plurality of image frames;

an abnormality level calculation unit configured to extract a feature amount for each frame of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit and each frame of the normal state moving image data, and calculate an abnormality level based on a difference between the extracted feature amount of the moving image by the image capturing unit and the normal state moving image data; and

a display unit configured to display the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit in association with a frame position of the moving image data acquired by the image capturing unit, allowing a user to identify a position where an abnormal event is occurred.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2013
From: UMEHARA, YASUTOSHI; OKADA, MOTOI; IWANAGA, SHUJI
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 029913/0786 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2012-050379 · Mar 7, 2012 · national
JP 2012-273207 · Dec 14, 2012 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130236088A1 · Sep 12, 2013