METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REAL TIME MONITORING OF WAFER ATTRIBUTES IN A PLASMA ETCH PROCESS

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the state of an attribute of a product during the manufacturing process. The invention employs an intelligent system trained in the relationship between the signatures of the manufacturing process and the product attribute as a function of time. In one embodiment the intelligent system comprises two intelligent systems: the first, trained in the relationship between the signatures of the manufacturing process and one or more signatures of the state of the attribute as a function of time; and the second, trained in the relationship between the product-state signatures as a function of time and the product attribute as a function of time. The disclosed apparatus can be an integral part of the manufacturing machinery allowing the process to continue until the exact moment when the desired state is achieved.