What is PROCESS MATCHING?

Matching process results wafer to wafer and chamber to chamber has never been more difficult and costly in today's semiconductor manufacturing market. The primary reason - smaller technology nodes, with tightly balanced process recipe requirements are hitting up against the tool's normal window of process variation. These chamber "micro-variations" end up wreaking havoc on yield (bin and scrap) and can take a long time to troubleshoot with traditional manually-intensive chamber matching approaches.

Process Matching solutions identify and remove micro-variations that exist during wafer processing through an in-depth in situ understanding of the wafer processing environment. It is only through a granular understanding of the chamber environment during wafer processing for each and every wafer that chamber micro-variations can be properly identified, analyzed and systematically removed.

Pivotal's Answer to Process Matching - Process Match™ Technology

Pivotal takes the art out of chamber and process matching through its suite of patented in situ sensors and algorithms, its deep process know-how and expertise, and its robust turnkey control and fault detection applications.

Process Match™ suite of patented in situ sensor and algorithm technology "an eye into the chamber that no one else has" Process know-how to quickly fingerprint performance and identify micro-variation sources Process Match™ portfolio of turnkey, automated control and fault-detection solutions

1. Process Match™ Suite of In Situ Sensors

Process Match™ sensors measure key process inputs at a granular in situ level...

...Providing a Distinctive Eye into the Wafer Processing Environment  Gas Flow Monitor · Measure flow rate of gas delivered into chamber DURING wafer processing · measurement error <0.5%  Remote Plasma Sensor · Gas composition analysis at an atomic level · Critical for understanding sources of micro-variation within process chamber  RF Sensor · Ensure RF delivery is performing consistently with no aberrations in electrical properties

2. Process Know How & Experience

Philosophy of serving as an extension to the process and equipment engineering teams to quickly solve process matching issues and deploy automated solutions Multi-disciplinary team, global footprint Deep experience in etch and deposition manufacturing environments Logic DRAM/Flash, Foundry - 200mm & 300mm All leading toolset, e.g., - AMAT - TEL - LAM - Novellus - Kokusai

3. Process Match™ Turnkey Automated Control Solutions

Software engineering capabilities focused on deploying turnkey solutions that have strong up time performance Robust linux application platform with over 20 years of continuous development improvement Compatible with all major semi communication standards Able to integrate into any custom automation environment for - Automated tool control - Tool interdiction - E-mail / page alerts

Pivotal Systems, 4637 Chabot Drive, Pleasanton, CA 94588 info@pivotalsys.com