Concurrent deployment of run by run controller using SCC framework

The Run by Run (RbR) Controller is a model-based control system which provides a framework for controlling semiconductor manufacturing processes subject to disturbances such as shifts and drifts as a normal part of their operation. The RbR Controller has been applied successfully to a technically matured epitaxy process at AT&T Microelectronics, Allentown, PA, and has demonstrated major improvements over the results from standard process control methods in the fab. However, the development of the process models for model-based controller can be time consuming and expensive if done on-site, interrupting the production. To overcome this problem, the RbR Controller is being deployed concurrently on the chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process in development at Fairchild Research Center at National Semiconductor Corporation (NSC). The concurrent deployment of the RbR Controller during the CMP development phase includes development of the process model, testing RbR control of the process, and establishing equipment-Controller computer interfaces.