Patent ID: 6587744
Filing Date: 2003-07-01
Classification: G05B,Y02P

Abstract:
A run-to-run control system for controlling manufacturing processes, comprising:a plurality of processing tools; a plurality of metrology tools for monitoring operation of said processing tools each metrology tool adapted to obtain metrology data from a corresponding processing tool; and a supervising station, said supervising station comprising: an interface for receiving metrology data from each of said metrology tools; a memory; a plurality of variable parameter tables, one for each of said processing tools, stored in said memory, said variable parameter tables collectively associated with a manufacturing process or recipe, each variable parameter table being downloaded to a respective processing tool prior to operation of the respective processing tool; and at least one model structure relating received metrology data received from a prior metrology tool to a target set-point for a subsequent processing tool, and another model structure adapted to control operation of the subsequent processing tool in a feed-back control loop, wherein one or more variables of a subsequent variable parameter tables associated with the subsequent processing tool are modified in response to application of said received metrology data according to said at least one model structure.