KR100303322B1 - unity automatization system and method for the semi-conductor line management - Google Patents

Abstract

1. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Integrated Automation System and Method for Semiconductor Line Management

2. The technical gist of the invention

The present invention implements a manual mode user interface environment, which is composed of a conventional character base using a language tool called VISUAL BASIC, in the form of a graphical user interface. Automatically processes and manages the data obtained during the process process up to progress and the logistics data conveyed in the cargo box and transported in the loading box automatically through one integrated automation system, and the operator can handle the transaction data generated in the line directly. It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated automation system and method for semiconductor line management.

3. Summary of Solution to Invention

The present invention includes a process master unit which directly receives and processes each transaction data generated from a semiconductor line to perform various types of data required for a wafer process process and to manage the data; A history unit that receives and stores transaction data from the process master unit and monitors and manages a wafer progress that has already been performed according to a client's order; An external manufacturing execution unit configured to receive and store data applied from the history unit; A station control unit operating an interface between a separate device for performing a wafer manufacturing process and a host computer, and outputting various types of data about the device to the process master unit; And a conveying unit for performing inter-process conveyance, controlling a wafer conveyance in a line while operating an interface between a conveying equipment and a host computer, and outputting various types of data on the wafer loading to the process master unit. Provides an integrated automation system for

4. Important uses of the invention

The operator inputs log data related to the process status of the wafer lot, various data about the equipment, quantity, remote control, and transport status in one integrated system, and handles the faulty data by direct handling. The line management information can be processed and provided as an option.

Description

Integrated automatization system and method for the semi-conductor line management

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an integrated automation system that manages semiconductor lines by allowing network communication between processes to be smoothly performed in a network communication system for managing semiconductor lines. Operator can input logistics data related to quantity, remote control in progress, return status, etc. into one integrated system to process bad data directly, and process line management information according to client's request and provide it as an optional specification. The present invention relates to an integrated automation system and method for managing a semiconductor line.

In the semiconductor line performing the semiconductor manufacturing process, a network-to-network communication system has been developed and operated that integrates information such as wafer progress, quantity, and management through computational operations.

This inter-network communication system is applied to unmanned factory automation system of semiconductor line that processes each process, minimizing the impurity concentration of wafers with some exclusion of humans, and quickly processing wafers. It can be improved.

However, the semiconductor line management system using the network communication system is configured and operated in the structure of a centralized processing system in the form of a medium, large computer, that is, a host computer and a terminal. Since many programs have been used, there are many functions based on these characters, which makes it inconvenient for users to easily access logistics and data processing.

In order to solve the above problems, a semiconductor line factory automation system has been developed to manage the progress of a wafer by the FCCM method.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when an operator requests information through one of the user interface unit 21, the station control unit 22, and the conveying unit 23, the process master unit (1) may receive data with them. 24 outputs the requested information to an external manufacturing execution system (hereinafter referred to as an external manufacturing execute system (MES)) 25. The external MES unit 25 obtains information from the database (D / B) provided therein and sends the information to a batch queue, and the file created in the batch queue is inputted back to the process master unit 24 to be a file. Is stored as. In addition, after providing information requested by an operator to any one of the user interface unit 21, the station control unit 22, and the transfer unit 23, it is stored in a file.

In addition, when the status query signal of the wafer lot is input to the costizing unit 26 from the client, the costizing unit 26 receives information from a database of the external MES unit 25 and a file of the process master unit 24. It is obtained by monitoring or sent to the external MES unit 25.

Referring to the function of the external MES unit 25 in the conventional FCCM scheme configured as described above in more detail as follows.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the external MES unit 25 transmits various types of transaction data such as wafer lot, process, transfer, and inventory through a cell control management (CCM) 31. Server (W / S) 32, and the W / S server 32 is a centralized method for handling normal and error of transaction data collected through a database and communicating to the equipment side. Since the external MES unit of the above structure uses a message box, which is a message transmission method in a network system, there is a possibility that data processing is delayed or not executed when an event occurs on the sequential information input of a wafer lot. In addition, since transaction data is difficult to be delivered in real time, there is a problem that information updating is impossible. In addition, unlike the Graphic User Interface (GUI) method in the Windows environment, the FCCM method has a manual mode user interface environment (Manual mode User Interface), so there is a lot of data handling and the dependency on the external MES unit is increased. However, since the processing function of the external MES unit is increased, the work is inconvenient, and the work speed is slow, and the error occurrence probability is high.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by using a language tool called VISUAL BASIC by implementing a manual mode user interface environment, which is composed of a conventional character base in the form of a graphical user interface, In addition, the system automatically processes and manages the data obtained during the process from the progress of the barrier metal process to the next process of the metal wiring, and the logistics data conveyed in the cargo box through the integrated automation system. It is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated automation system and method for semiconductor line management that can directly handle and process transaction data generated in a worker.

In addition, the present invention, when an event occurs in the sequential information input of the wafer lot, can be inspected through the history system, and the action can be made to match the data generated by the event, and the current wafer progress or quantity Another object is to provide an integrated automation system and method for semiconductor line management that can optionally report the history to the client's needs.

In addition, the present invention provides an integrated automation system and method for semiconductor line management that can solve the cleaning of the 300mm large-diameter wafers and the product segmentation, improve the production yield of large-diameter wafers, and reduce manpower There is another purpose in providing.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing an FCCM structure according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the external MES unit in the conventional FCCM structure.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment configuration of an integrated automation system for semiconductor line management according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a flow chart for implementing an integrated automation method for semiconductor line management in accordance with the present invention.

5 is a flowchart of a costizing system which is an essential part of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1: process master part 2: history part

3: station controller 4: carrier

5: External MES Part 6: Cost Mizing Part

7: User interface section 8: Graphical user interface section

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a process master unit for receiving and processing each transaction data generated in the semiconductor line to directly handle and manage various data required for the wafer process; A history unit that receives and stores transaction data from the process master unit and monitors and manages a wafer progress that has already been performed according to a client's order; An external manufacturing execution unit configured to receive and store data applied from the history unit; A station control unit operating an interface between a separate device for performing a wafer manufacturing process and a host computer, and outputting various types of data about the device to the process master unit; And a conveying unit for performing inter-process conveyance, controlling a wafer conveyance in a line while operating an interface between a conveying equipment and a host computer, and outputting various types of data on the wafer loading to the process master unit. Provides an integrated automation system for

In addition, the present invention includes a first step of inputting the transaction data generated in the semiconductor line to the process master unit; A second step of determining whether the transaction data input to the process master unit is a work instruction command or data to be returned to any one of the user interface unit, the station control unit, and the transfer unit; A third step of performing data processing and command processing in the process master unit in case of a work instruction command or return data in the second step; otherwise, processing and storing data in a database of the process master unit; A fourth step of receiving data required by a history unit from among data input to the process master and processing and storing transaction data in a history database; Comprising a fifth step of receiving the data required by the external MES unit from the data input to the history unit after performing the fourth step, and processing and storing the transaction data in the external MES unit database; Provide a method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The integrated automation system and method for semiconductor line management according to the present invention are implemented so that an operator can easily grasp the current wafer progress and take action by using a single communication system. Therefore, the present invention has a structure designed according to the server and the client environment.

2, the process master unit 1, the history unit 2, the station control unit 3, the transfer unit 4, the external MES unit 5 and the costizing unit (as shown in FIG. 6) and a user interface unit 7, wherein each of the systems includes a process capable of processing various transaction data, and according to the configuration, wafer lot, process, conveyance, inventory and logistics data. It is a distributed system structure that allows the operator to process by hand handling and process the generated transaction data and provide it as an option according to the request of the client.

The detailed configuration of each system is as follows.

First, the process master unit 1 is provided with a plurality of servers according to the client environment to determine the progress of the wafer, various inventory in the line, production amount, processing time, etc., or to process the transaction generated in the line itself, It is operated to bring down the transaction data to the history section.

Among the servers of the process master unit 1, a lot schedule server (LSS) for generating wafer lots for each process by a set-up property and a user directly inputs data or An operator interface server (OIS) that manages the progress of the lot, a cell management server (CMS) that centrally manages various transaction data and transmits transaction data to the history section, and data properties The Data Management Server (DMS), which sets up or monitors and manages the progress data, the Automatic Schedule Module (ASM) responsible for lot scheduling, and the creation of individual and batch lots. A cell schedule controller (CSC) in charge is provided. In addition, a database (D / B) is constructed in the process master unit in which various transaction data generated in association with each wafer process is input so that search and update can be efficiently performed as necessary.

The process master unit (1) having a plurality of servers as described above comprises the steps of inputting process progress data of a user to a computer, exporting a wafer lot from a stocker, and importing a process scheduled lot into the equipment; Importing the process-progressed lot into the equipment, selecting a process recipe for performing the process of the process-progressed lot, exporting the lot in process from the equipment, and processing progress WIP (Work In Process), Wafer Movement, Cycle Time, Bad Wafer Processing, Yield, etc. generated in the line, such as inputting the completed process into the computer, and returning the cassette containing the lot to the equipment for the next process. It is a system that can comprehensively manage and manage itself.

The history unit 2 receives and stores transaction data from the process master unit 1, and monitors and manages wafer progress that has already been performed according to a client's order. A history information server (HIS) for performing monitoring on the data, a data gathering server (DGS) for collecting and managing transaction data according to a process progress state authorized by the process master unit, and the history And a history server maintenance process (HMP) for processing and managing bad data among data extracted from the information server. In addition, the history unit 2 is a history database (D / B) is built so that the search and update is performed by inputting the transaction data.

The history unit 2 equipped with such a server performs a work in process (WIP) management function to manage the current state of the lot in the process, and after the progress of the barrier metal process until the metal wiring process The performed data can be identified by the client at a glance so that it can be referred to in the next process.

The external MES unit 5 is a system separate from the present system, and receives and stores data applied from the history unit 2 to hold the overall work flow data through the process master unit 1, A database (D / B) has been established in which Work Stream (W / S) data processed according to the requirements can be input, and search and update are performed.

The data held in the external MES unit 5 is processed by the costizing unit 6 according to the client's requirements, and monitored and reported according to the option specification.

The costizing unit 6 includes an engineering data analysis function so that the data required by the client can be easily displayed in various types such as a chart or a graph.

The station control unit 3 operates an interface between individual equipment for performing a wafer manufacturing process and a host computer, and outputs various data about the equipment to the process master unit 1.

In addition, the station controller 3 transmits and receives data to and from each of the deposition apparatus, the etching apparatus, the ion implanter, and the optical apparatus, which are individual apparatuses for performing a wafer process, and manages and manages various data for each individual apparatus. Equipment Interface Server (EIS) delivered to the process master unit (1), Equipment Server (EQS) in charge of the communication with the equipment by the spec system and the binary transacted in each of the equipment An Equipment Control Server (ECS) for converting data into semiconductor protocol messages and outputting them to the process master unit.

The transfer unit 4 performs the inter-process transfer, controls the stacking of the wafers that are performed while operating the interface between the transfer equipment and the host computer, and outputs various data on the wafer stacks to the process master unit 1. It is a conveying system. The transport unit 4 includes a Stocker Control Server (SCS) that manages data in the interbay and the interbay, and an intrabay control server that manages the transport and data in the intrabay. (Intrabay Control Server; ICS), the Transport Interface Server (TIS), which is an intermediate processor that performs functions such as the transport status and return command in the line, and the data inquiry on the lot, and the stalker control server A transport management server (TMS) is managed.

On the other hand, the conveying section 4 and the user interface section 7 is provided with a graphical user interface section 8, respectively, so that work instructions and necessary information can be input.

An integrated automation method for semiconductor line management according to the present invention, which is classified according to a server and a client environment as described above, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, when data is generated in each of the user interface unit 7, the station control unit 3, and the transfer unit 4 in the semiconductor line, the process master unit 1 generates the transaction data. (S101, S102).

After performing the step S102, the process master unit (1) input the transaction data is a work instruction command or should be returned to any one of the user interface unit 7, the station control unit 3, the conveying unit (4) If it is determined to be data, if yes, data processing and command processing are performed, and if no, data is processed and stored in the D / B of the process master system (S103, S104, S105).

Next, it is determined whether the data input to the process master is the data required by the history unit 2, and if yes, the data is received from the history unit 2, and the transaction data is stored in the history D / B. Process and store (S106, S107).

Next, it is determined whether the data inputted into the history unit 2 is the data required by the external MES unit 5, and if yes, the data is received from the external MES unit 5, and the external MES unit The transaction data is processed and stored in the D / B (S108, S109).

After the data processing and the command processing are completed in S104, or when NO is determined in the determination steps S106 and S108, the S101 waits for data generation in each of the user interface unit, the station control unit, and the transfer unit. Perform (S110).

On the other hand, the wafer progress status, the various inventory in the line, the production amount, the process time information, etc. that the process master unit (1), the history unit (2), the external MES unit (5) transactions through a series of processes as described above When there is a request from an external client while the D / B provided to each of them is input, the costizing unit 6 obtains the information held by the system from the D / B and processes it into information required by the client. After that, it is updated and sent to the external MES unit 5, or monitored and reported.

A process performed by the costizing unit 6 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5.

First, when the request information required by the client is input to the costizing unit 6, whether the data stored in the D / B of the process master unit 1, the data stored in the D / B of the history unit 2, It is sequentially determined whether the data is stored in the D / B of the MES unit 5 (S201, S202, S203, S204), and if there is no request data in each of the systems, the data is stored in the costizing unit 6. After returning an error, waiting for data generation, step S201 is performed again (S205 and S206).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the data information existing in the process master D / B, history D / B, external MES unit D / B in each of the determination process, receive the data according to the client's request and provide it to the client, or The data is processed and then updated and provided to the client (S207).

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and various substitutions, modifications, and changes are possible within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be apparent to those who have knowledge.

As described above, according to the present invention, first, the data obtained during the process and the logistics data conveyed in the stocker through the central transport automatically manages the line through one integrated operation system, and various data according to the client's request By processing the process, the current wafer progress and quantity can be provided as options, and the operator can directly handle all the data related to the semiconductor line to correct the defect data.

In addition, since the process master unit, the history unit, the station control unit, the transfer unit, the external MES unit, and the costizing unit are provided with processes capable of processing various transaction data, each process can perform a work stream job. As it is a client server environment and a graphical user interface environment, it is not only able to process transaction data in real time, but also has other effects to easily and at a glance receive data such as process progress, return status, and inventory according to client's request. Have

In addition, since transaction data is processed in real time, not only can the user's work be quickly performed, but also the reliability of the work can be achieved. Knowing and self-processing or putting it on line can be done quickly, which has another effect of improving production yield.

In addition, by fully automating the semiconductor line, it is possible to reliably carry out cleaning of the 300mm large-diameter wafers by carrying weight or product segmentation, and improve the production yield of large-diameter wafers, as well as reduce manpower. Has

Claims (12)

A process master unit which receives each transaction data generated from the semiconductor line and directly handles and manages various data required for the wafer process process; A history unit that receives and stores transaction data from the process master unit and monitors and manages a wafer progress that has already been performed according to a client's order; An external manufacturing execution unit configured to receive and store data applied from the history unit; A station control unit operating an interface between a separate device for performing a wafer manufacturing process and a host computer, and outputting various types of data about the device to the process master unit; And A conveying unit which performs inter-process conveyance, controls the conveyance of wafers in a line while operating an interface between a conveying equipment and a host computer, and outputs various data on the wafer loading to the process master unit. Integrated automation system for semiconductor line management, including. The method of claim 1, Integrated automation for semiconductor line management further includes a costizing unit for acquiring and processing transaction data stored in the process master unit, history unit, and external manufacturing execution unit according to the client's request, and providing the processed data to the client according to option specifications. system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The process master unit A lot schedule server (LSS) for generating a wafer lot for each process by a set-up property; An operator interface server (OIS) for directly inputting data or managing the progress of a lot; A cell management server (CMS) that performs central management on various transaction data and transmits transaction data to the history unit; A Data Management Server (DMS) for setting up data properties or monitoring and managing progress data; Automatic Schedule Module (ASM) responsible for lot scheduling; And Cell Schedule Controller (CSC) responsible for creating individual and batch lots. Integrated automation system for semiconductor line management, including. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The history section A history information server that manages lot progress history data and performs implementation monitoring on lot progress; A data gathering server configured to collect and manage transaction data according to a process progress state authorized by the process master unit; And Heath server maintenance process for processing and managing bad data among the data output from the history information server Integrated automation system for semiconductor line management, including. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The station control unit An equipment interface server for transmitting and receiving data to and from each individual device for performing a wafer process and managing various data for each individual device; Equipment server in charge of communication with the equipment by the spec system; And Equipment control server for converting the binary data transacted in the respective equipment to a semiconductor protocol message to output to the process master unit Integrated automation system for semiconductor line management, including. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The process master unit, the history unit, and the external manufacturing execution unit each have a database configured to efficiently input and retrieve each transaction data generated in relation to each wafer process so as to efficiently search or update as necessary. Integrated automation system for line management. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The conveying unit A stocker control server for managing data in the interbay conveyance and loading bin; An intrabay control server that manages the return and data in the intrabay; A transport interface server that performs functions such as a transport status and a transport command in a line, and data inquiry about a lot; Integrated automation system for semiconductor line management including a transport management server for managing the stocker control server collectively. A first step of inputting transaction data generated in the semiconductor line to the process master unit; A second step of determining whether the transaction data input to the process master unit is a work instruction command or data to be returned to any one of the user interface unit, the station control unit, and the transfer unit; A third step of performing data processing and command processing in the process master unit in case of a work instruction command or return data in the second step; otherwise, processing and storing data in a database of the process master unit; A fourth step of receiving data required by a history unit from among data input to the process master and processing and storing transaction data in a history database; A fifth step of receiving data required by an external manufacturing execution unit (MES) from among data input to the history unit after performing the fourth step, and processing and storing transaction data in the external manufacturing execution unit database; Integrated automation method for semiconductor line management comprising a. The method of claim 8, After the data processing and the command processing are completed in the third step or when the data is not necessary for the history part of the fourth step and when the data is not necessary for the external manufacturing execution part of the fifth step, the generation of data in the semiconductor line is waited for. And a sixth step of performing the first step again. The method according to claim 8 or 9, If the request of the external client is made while the transaction progress status, various inventory in the line, production quantity, process time information, etc. are input to the database provided in the process master unit, history unit, and external manufacturing execution unit, A seventh step of acquiring and retaining the information held in the respective databases; Integrated automation method for semiconductor line management further comprising. The method of claim 10, The seventh step may further include a tenth step of processing and updating the information requested by the client and then updating the semiconductor line. The method of claim 10, The costizing unit in the seventh step An eleventh step of sequentially determining whether data stored in the database of the process master unit 1, data stored in the database of the history unit, or data stored in the database of the external MES unit is inputted as client order information is input thereto; A twelfth step of returning a data error to the costizing unit when all the order information of the client does not exist in each database in each determination step of the eleventh step; A thirteenth step of waiting for data generation after performing the twelfth step and performing the eleventh step again; And Step 14, when the information required by the client exists in each database in the determination process of the eleventh step, receiving and providing data corresponding to the request of the client Integrated automation method for semiconductor line management comprising a.