Systems and associated methods for tuning processing tools

1. A method for tuning process parameters of a process tool such that the wafers processed by the process tool exhibit desired process monitor items, the method comprising:

defining behavior constraint criteria and sensitivity adjustment criteria;

generating a set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations using process monitor item data associated with wafers processed by the process tool, sensitivity data associated with a sensitivity of the process monitor items to each process parameter, the behavior constraint criteria, and the sensitivity adjustment criteria, wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

applying a discount of the sensitivity adjustment criteria to a set of process parameter values for each process parameter to generate a discounted set of process parameter values for each process parameter, wherein the discounted set of process parameter values has a reduced number of process parameter values; and

generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations using the discounted set of process parameter values;

generating a set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations from the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations; and

configuring the process tool according to one of the optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein N process parameters are associated with the process tool, the method further including selecting a number (n) of the N process parameters for tuning such that the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes various tool tuning combinations for the n process parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

generating a first number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations;

generating a second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the first number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the second number is larger than the first number; and

generating a third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the third number is smaller than the second number.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations further includes generating a fourth number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the fourth number is smaller than the third number.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the generating the fourth number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

applying the sensitivity adjustment criteria to the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations to determine the possible tool tuning process parameter combinations that minimize a value of a weighted minimization function of the sensitivity adjustment criteria,

wherein the weighted minimization function defines weights of changes in the process parameter values for the process parameters against changes in the process monitor item data for the process monitor items.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the generating the first number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes using the process monitor item data and the sensitivity data to generate the set of process parameter values for each process parameter.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the generating the second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes, for each process parameter, performing a growing process to expand each set of process parameter values.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the generating the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

determining that the second number is larger than a predefined number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations; and

performing a trimming process to at least one set of the process parameter values until a number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations is less than or equal to the predefined number.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the behavior constraint criteria defines an optimization object function; and

the generating the set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations from the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes determining the tool tuning process parameter combinations that minimize a value of the optimization object function.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the defining the behavior constraint criteria includes:

defining correlations between the process parameters that constrain tuning of the process parameters;

defining correlations between the process monitor items that constrain tuning of the process parameters; and

defining correlations between the process parameters and the process monitor items that constrain tuning of the process parameters.

11. The method of claim 1 further including processing wafers with the process tool configured according to the one of the optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations.

12. A method comprising:

processing wafers with a process tool; and

determining that process monitor item data associated with the wafers processed by the process tool are not within specification;

tuning a process parameter tool set of the process tool, wherein the tuning includes:

defining behavior constraint criteria and sensitivity adjustment criteria;

generating a set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations using the process monitor item data associated with the wafers processed by the process tool, sensitivity data associated with a sensitivity of the process monitor items to each process parameter, the behavior constraint criteria, and the sensitivity adjustment criteria, wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

generating a first number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations by minimizing a value of a weighted minimization function of the sensitivity adjustment criteria, wherein the weighted minimization function defines weights of changes in process parameter values for the process parameters against changes in the process monitor item data for the process monitor items;

generating a second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the first number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the second number is larger than the first number, wherein the generating the second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

for each process parameter, performing a growing process to expand each set of process parameter values by including quartiles of the set of process parameter values;

generating a set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations from the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations;

configuring the process tool according to one of the optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations; and

repeating the processing wafers and the determining that the process monitor item data associated with the wafers processed by the process tool are not within specification until the process monitor item data associated with the wafers processed by the process tool are within specification.

13. The method of claim 12 further including performing maintenance on the process tool before the processing and determining whether the process monitor item data associated with the wafers processed by the process tool are within specification.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

generating a third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the second number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the third number is smaller than the second number; and

generating a fourth number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations from the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations, wherein the fourth number is smaller than the third number.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes sorting the fourth number of possible tool tuning process combinations.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the generating the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes performing a trimming process to at least one set of the process parameter values; and

the generating the fourth number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes applying the sensitivity adjustment criteria to the third number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the behavior constraint criteria defines an optimization object function; and

the generating the set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations from the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes evaluating the fourth number of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations to determine the tool tuning process parameter combinations that minimize a value of the optimization object function.

18. The method of claim 12 further including, after releasing the process tool for production, processing wafers with the process tool.

19. An integrated circuit manufacturing system comprising:

a process tool configured to perform a process on wafers; and

a process tool tuning system configured to determine a process parameter tool set for the process tool, wherein the process tool tuning system includes a tool tuning solution module configured to:

generate a set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations using process monitor item data associated with wafers processed by the process tool, sensitivity data associated with a sensitivity of the process monitor items to each process parameter, predefined behavior constraint criteria, and predefined sensitivity adjustment criteria, wherein the generating the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations includes:

performing a trimming process to the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations values until a size of the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations is less than or equal to a predefined number, wherein the performing the trimming process includes:

determining a process parameter having the most process parameter values; and

removing a process parameter value for the process parameter; and

generate a set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations from the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations.

20. The integrated circuit manufacturing system of claim 19 , wherein the tool tuning solution module includes:

an engineering based knowledge module that defines the behavior constraint criteria;

a combination calculator module configured to generate the set of possible tool tuning process parameter combinations;

a statistical optimizer module configured to generate the set of optimal tool tuning process parameter combinations; and

a robust buffer module configured to define the sensitivity adjustment criteria.