Patent ID: 7039556

Claim:
A system for analyzing fabrication processes, the system comprising: an input for accessing fabrication information, where the fabrication information includes at least one independent variable that is associated with substrate location information, and at least one dependent variable that is associated with at least one of the fabrication processes, wherein the independent variable includes at least one of time frame during which substrates were processed from which the fabrication information was gathered, equipment on which the substrates were processed, recipes used for processing the substrates, and fabrication conditions associated with the substrates, wherein the dependent variable includes at least one of measured physical characteristics of substrates from which the fabrication information was gathered, measured electrical characteristics of the substrates, and defect inspection data of the substrates, means for selecting desired portions of the fabrication information based on at least one of the independent variable and the dependent variable, means for producing a substrate profile based on the desired portions of the fabrication information, means for adjusting the substrate profile, including at least one of adjusting a resolution of the substrate profile, smoothing contours of the substrate profile, adjusting a coordinate system of the substrate profile, and adjusting the substrate profile based on simulations of the fabrication processes, and means for automatically and graphically comparing the substrate profile to a database of historical substrate profiles, where the historical substrate profiles have known associated fabrication conditions.