A PLASMA PROCESS MONITOR CONTROL SYSTEM

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a system to monitor plasma processes for the control of industrial applications. The system is de signed to act as a fully automated, stand-alone process monitor during printed wiring board and semiconductor production runs, The monitor r outinely performs data collection, analysis, process identification an d error detection/correction without the need for human intervention, The monitor can also be used in research mode to allow process enginee rs to gather additional information about plasma processes, Because pl asma processes have wide application in thin-film growth, the monitor could also be used to better understand and control myriad thin-film m anufacturing processes, Surface interactions, thin-him interfaces? gro wth and stoichiometry are potential areas of impact. The plasma proces s monitor/control system consists of a computer running software devel oped by Sandia National Laboratories, a commercially available spectro photometer equipped with a charge-coupled de tice camera, an input/out put device and a fiber-optic cable. The tool is designed to be a versa tile, multipurpose piece of equipment allowing automated process verif ication and error detection/correction, as well as a research tool, We have used the monitor for gauging the 'state-of-health' of plasma pro cesses, System 1 has been at Texas Instruments in Austin, TX, since Fe bruary 1996, monitoring the health of printed wiring board plasma desm ear and etch-back, System 2 has been at Advanced Micro Devices in Aust in, TX, since July 1996, monitoring integrated circuit multivariate ox ide etch, These systems and possible benefits derived from in situ mon itoring of plasma processes will be discussed, (C) 1998 John Wiley & S ons, Ltd.