Abstract: In a production line, a cluster tool having a plurality of substantially identical process modules and a metrology tool includes a control unit that allows one to receive, store and process information that indicates in which process module which substrates have been processed and which selects, on the basis of the process information, which substrate has to be subjected to a measurement. Advantageously, the substrates are selected so that each process module is represented by a corresponding substrate to be measured in order to reliably monitor the process quality of each process module.

Abstract: In a production line, a cluster tool having a plurality of substantially identical process modules and a metrology tool comprise a control unit that allows one to receive, store and process information that indicates in which process module which substrates have been processed and which selects, on the basis of the process information, which substrate has to be subjected to a measurement. Advantageously, the substrates are selected so that each process module is represented by a corresponding substrate to be measured in order to reliably monitor the process quality of each process module.

Abstract: A method and a system is provided to automatically manage wafers in a semiconductor device production facility. Wafers to be processed in a clean room are automatically identified, tracked and sorted on a single wafer basis. By means of a wafer attribute information, including the unique position data and the entirety of a specific treatment to which the wafer is subjected, the processing of each wafer is controlled without the necessity to place wafers of respective lots in a single wafer cassette.