Predictive maintenance for plasma tools
Michael Klick
CEO
Plasmetrex GmbH
Abstract
Plasma processes are widely used in the semiconductor industry, they are completely distinct from mechanical manufacturing. Plasma processes are running in vacuum chambers and there are opened every month or quarter for maintenance. Each maintenance measure at a production chamber causes costs in the order of some 10 k€. Therefore, the prediction of the right time for maintenance can reduce manufacturing costs dramatically.
On the other hand, plasma processes are usually treated as black box due to their complexity. All important process parameter as uniformity, rate, selectivity, and stability depend of the plasma’s parameters as flux of ions and reactive species. Thus, the main peculiarity of plasma processes can be compressed is one sentence: ‘The plasma is the tool’.
Beyond this we have to take into account that plasmas can run in different modes, can oscillate, cause breakdowns at the chamber wall and depend on the state of the chamber wall. In particular the chamber wall changes its surface properties by the deposition of byproducts. So the only realistic approach for the predictive maintenance for plasma tools must be based on the plasma’s properties.
It will be shown how plasma parameter can describe plasma and so also the effective chamber state, chamber differences and show undesired instabilities as arcing and wear of chamber parts. The early detection of changes and undesired effects are here the key for predictive maintenance.
Examples show the early detection of process faults, real-time process characterization, and preconditions and methods for chamber matching.
Biography
Objective:
CEO, Plasmetrex GmbH
Education:
Ph.D. in Plasma Physics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University
Greifswald, 1992
Dipl.-Ing., Technology of Electronic Devices, 1987
Grants and Fellowships:
Lecturer at Ruhr University Bochum since 2010: Plasma technology for semiconductor, MEMS, and PV applications
Research and manufacturing skills:
Plasma etch process development
Nonlinear Modeling of industrial RF Plasmas
Development of Plasma Sensor Systems for Etch and Deposition
20 years experience in joined projects with semiconductor fabs