Methods for controlling the surface profiles of wafers sliced from an ingot with a wire saw include measuring an amount of displacement of a sidewall of a frame of the wire saw. The sidewall is connected to a bearing of a wire guide supporting a wire web in the wire saw. Based on the measured amount of displacement of the sidewall, a pressure profile for adjusting a position of the sidewall is determined by a computing device. Pressure is applied to the sidewall using a displacement device according to the determined pressure profile to control the position of the sidewall.

A lithographic process is performed on a plurality of semiconductor substrates. The method includes selecting one or more of the substrates as one or more sample substrates. Metrology steps are performed only on the selected one or more sample substrates. Based on metrology results of the selected one or more sample substrates, corrections are defined for use in controlling processing of the substrates or of future substrates. The selection of the one or more sample substrates is based at least partly on statistical analysis of object data measured in relation to the substrates. The same object data or other data can be used for grouping substrates into groups. Selecting of one or more sample substrates can include selecting substrates that are identified by the statistical analysis as most representative of the substrates in their group and/or include elimination of one or more substrates that are identified as unrepresentative.

A transfer method transfers a substrate between a transfer unit configured to hold and transfer the substrate and a substrate stage serving as a transfer destination or a transfer source of the substrate. The transfer method includes: acquiring positional information of the transfer unit and positional information of the substrate stage; determining whether or not there is a risk for the substrate to contact with the substrate stage, based on the acquired positional information of the transfer unit and positional information of the substrate stage; and when determined that there is a risk for the substrate to contact with the substrate stage, notifying the risk according to the determination at the determining.

An information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor, wherein the instructions stored in the memory are executed by the processor to acquire information containing first process data indicating a result of a substrate process in a first recipe and second process data indicating a result of a substrate process in a second recipe different from the first recipe, and control a display on a display apparatus based on the acquired information, and wherein control is performed to display, on the display apparatus, a first screen displaying a first data group in which the first process data is arranged chronologically and a second data group in which the second process data is arranged chronologically, the first screen displaying the first data group in a region and the second data group in another region.

A workpiece processing apparatus includes: a first rotational distance information storage unit that stores multiple pieces of first rotational distance information, each of which is information having, in association with each other, a rotational angle, and first distance information regarding a distance from a rotation center to an edge of a circular workpiece corresponding to the rotational angle, in a case where the workpiece is rotated; an acquiring unit that acquires information for positioning the workpiece, information for specifying an orientation of the workpiece, and information regarding a defective portion at the edge of the workpiece, using the multiple pieces of first rotational distance information stored in the first rotational distance information storage unit; and an output unit that outputs the information for positioning the workpiece, the information for specifying the orientation of the workpiece, and the information regarding the defective portion, which are acquired by the acquiring unit.

There is provided a system that includes a review tool configured to review at least part of potential defects of an examined object, and assign each of the at least part of the potential defects with a multiplicity of attribute values. The system also includes a computer-based classifier configured to classify, based on the attribute values as assigned, the at least part of potential defects into a set of classes, the set comprising at least a first major class, a second major class and a first minor class, the classifier trained based on a training set comprising a multiplicity of training defects with assigned attribute values, the training defects classified into the set of classes.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a device management controller including a parts management control part configured to monitor the state of parts constituting the apparatus, a device state monitoring control part configured to monitor integrity of device data obtained from an operation state of the parts constituting the apparatus, and a data matching control part configured to monitor facility data provided from a factory facility to the apparatus. The device management controller is configured to derive information evaluating the operation state of the apparatus based on a plurality of monitoring result data selected from a group consisting of maintenance timing monitoring result data acquired by the parts management control part, device state monitoring result data acquired by the device state monitoring control part, and utility monitoring result data acquired by the data matching control part.

A system includes sensors, an interface and a controller. The interface receives feedback signals from the sensors. At least some of the sensors are disposed in an electrostatic chuck. The feedback signals are indicative respectively of fields of a heating plate of the electrostatic chuck. The controller, based on the fields and sets of calibration values, estimates values of a first field respectively for multiple points on a substrate. Each of the sets of calibration values corresponds respectively to one of multiple actuators. The calibration values, in each of the sets of calibration values, define amounts of contribution provided by a respective one of the actuators to the first field for the points. The controller changes physical states of the actuators based on the estimated values of the first field of the points to provide a predetermined temperature distribution profile across the electrostatic chuck.

A wireless substrate-like sensor for teaching transfer coordinates to a robotic substrate handling system is provided. The sensor includes a base portion sized and shaped like a substrate handled by the robotic substrate handling system. An electronics housing is coupled to the base portion. A power module is disposed within the electronics housing and configured to power components of the sensor. At least one edge camera is disposed near an edge of the base portion. The at least one edge camera has a field of view that images an alignment feature of the object within the field of view of the at least one edge camera of the wireless substrate-like sensor. A controller is disposed within the electronics housing and is coupled to the at least one edge camera. The controller is configured to obtain an image from the at least one edge camera and determine a location of the alignment feature and provide the determined location to the robotic substrate handling system.

Systems and methods are provided for implementing a crystal oscillator to monitor and control semiconductor fabrication processes. More specifically, a method is provided for that includes performing at least one semiconductor fabrication process on a material of an integrated circuit (IC) disposed within a processing chamber. The method further includes monitoring by at least one electronic oscillator disposed within the processing chamber for the presence or absence of a predetermined substance generated by the at least one semiconductor fabrication process. The method further includes controlling the at least one semiconductor fabrication process based on the presence or absence of the predetermined substance detected by the at least one electronic oscillator.