Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating and controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process having a plurality of process steps in a process flow is described. The method comprises retrieving measurements of process step parameters from a process measurement database. The process step parameters comprise at least one of process step measurement data, process step context data or process step control data. The process step parameters are subsequently associated with one or more of the process steps.

Abstract: A method operates a continuous annealing line for the processing of a rolled good, in particular a metal strip. A property of the rolled good in relation to a point or a section of the rolled good is fed to a computer-aided model as an input variable. The point or the section of the rolled good is located before or in the continuous annealing line. For the purpose of precise control of the continuous annealing process, at least one material property of the rolled good after the continuous annealing process is simulated by the computer-aided model and compared with a specified target value. If the simulated material property deviates from the target value, at least one process variable of the continuous annealing process is controlled as long as the point or the section of the rolled good is located before or in the continuous annealing line.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating and controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process having a plurality of process steps in a process flow is described. The method comprises retrieving measurements of process step parameters from a process measurement database. The process step parameters comprise at least one of process step measurement data, process step context data or process step control data. The process step parameters are subsequently associated with one or more of the process steps.

Abstract: The unevennesses of a chuck are measured at various positions and are stored, as discrepancies from an idealized plane, in a databank. The measured discrepancies are used to calculate corrections for the predetermined settings for the focus distance and/or the tilt of the chuck. These corrections are in each case used differently for adjusting the respective exposure of the exposure areas.

Abstract: Exposure positions of exposure fields of semiconductor wafers are subsequently corrected individually in order to compensate for processes affecting the locational position of alignment marks and/or oblique measurement structures. Measurement structures are formed preferably in the frame region of product wafers comprising electrical circuits to be formed and their locational positions before and after the effect of the process that has an effect are compared individually for purpose of determining the positional displacement for each relevant exposure field. From this there is determined either directly a “shot”-fine correction value for the individual exposure or at least one nonlinear function for the correction in dependence on the position of the measurement structures on the wafer. The corrections are applied to the exposure fields after alignment to the alignment marks overformed by the process in dependence on their position on the wafer.