CN114378840A - Control method of transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and semiconductor process equipment - Google Patents
Control method of transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and semiconductor process equipment Download PDFInfo
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- CN114378840A CN114378840A CN202111566524.3A CN202111566524A CN114378840A CN 114378840 A CN114378840 A CN 114378840A CN 202111566524 A CN202111566524 A CN 202111566524A CN 114378840 A CN114378840 A CN 114378840A
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
- B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
- B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
- B25J11/0095—Manipulators transporting wafers
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G49/00—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for
- B65G49/05—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles
- B65G49/07—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles for semiconductor wafers Not used, see H01L21/677
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
- H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
Abstract
The embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and the semiconductor process equipment, which are applied to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and the method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps of obtaining a position coordinate of a manipulator at the current moment and an interference area coordinate of each station, respectively judging whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of each station, sending an interlocking start signal corresponding to the station to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment for the station with the overlapped interference area coordinate and the position coordinate, and forbidding a motion mechanism of the station to act. When the robot arm malfunctions, it is not necessary to stop all the moving mechanisms related to the robot arm, and a reduction in the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment can be avoided.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to a control method of a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and the semiconductor process equipment.
Background
A transport system in a semiconductor processing facility typically includes one or more robots and a plurality of stations corresponding to the robots. A robot may transfer wafers (wafers) or FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pod) between stations. The station comprises a motion mechanism, and the position and the state of the object in the station can be adjusted by controlling the motion mechanism, wherein the motion mechanism comprises a lifting mechanism such as an air cylinder, an Elevator (Elevator) and the like.
In order to avoid collision between the manipulator and an object in the station, the control host machine can only control the motion mechanism of the station to act when the manipulator is located at a specific position (such as HOME position). In the prior art, when the controller of the manipulator controls the manipulator to complete a certain action, the controller sends notification information to the control host, and the control host can indirectly determine the position of the manipulator according to the notification information. The method can avoid the collision between the manipulator and the object in the station to a certain extent, but when the notification information is wrong or the manipulator is in fault, the position of the manipulator cannot be determined, the moving mechanisms in all stations related to the manipulator need to be stopped, and the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment can be reduced.
Disclosure of Invention
The technical problem to be solved by the embodiment of the invention is that the production efficiency of semiconductor process equipment is reduced when the notification information sent by the controller is wrong or the mechanical arm fails.
In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention discloses a method for controlling a transmission system in semiconductor processing equipment, where the transmission system includes a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and each station includes a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of the manipulator, and comprises the following steps:
acquiring the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station; the interference area coordinate of the station corresponds to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station;
respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station;
and for the station with the interference area coordinate overlapped with the position coordinate, sending an interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station to the semiconductor process equipment control host, and forbidding the motion mechanism of the station to act.
The second aspect of the embodiment of the invention discloses another control method of a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and each station comprises a motion mechanism; the control method is applied to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment and comprises the following steps:
under the condition of receiving an interlocking starting signal which is sent by a controller of the manipulator and corresponds to one or more work stations, inhibiting the motion mechanism of the one or more work stations from acting;
the station corresponding to the interlocking start signal is a station in which the interference area coordinate determined from the plurality of stations is overlapped with the position coordinate after the controller acquires the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station.
The third aspect of the embodiment of the invention discloses semiconductor process equipment, which comprises a transmission system, a plurality of processing stations and a control system, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of processing stations corresponding to the manipulator, and each processing station comprises a movement mechanism; the semiconductor process equipment further comprises a controller for controlling the host and the manipulator; the controller is configured to perform the method of the first aspect and the control host is configured to perform the method of the second aspect.
The invention has the following advantages: in the embodiment of the invention, the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station are obtained, whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of each station is judged respectively, and for the station with the overlapped interference area coordinate and the position coordinate, an interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station is sent to a control host machine in semiconductor process equipment, and the motion mechanism of the station is forbidden to act. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention can determine whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station by comparing the position coordinate of the manipulator with the interference area coordinate of the station, and when the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station is determined, the control host only prohibits the moving mechanism in the stations from acting, so that the collision between the manipulator and objects in the stations can be avoided. Therefore, when the robot malfunctions or the notification information is erroneous, it is not necessary to stop the moving mechanisms in all the stations associated with the robot, and it is possible to avoid lowering the production efficiency of the semiconductor processing apparatus.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transport system in semiconductor processing equipment according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus provided in this embodiment;
fig. 3 shows a schematic coordinate diagram of a manipulator provided in this embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a target workstation determining process provided by the present embodiment;
fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transfer system in semiconductor processing equipment according to the present embodiment.
Detailed Description
In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description.
Referring to fig. 1, a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in semiconductor processing equipment according to the present embodiment is provided, where the method may include the following steps:
Wherein, the interference area coordinate of the station corresponds to the movable range of the moving mechanism of the station.
In this embodiment, a transmission system in a semiconductor processing apparatus includes a robot and a plurality of stations corresponding to the robot, the stations including a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of a manipulator. The controller is connected with the driving mechanism of the manipulator, and can send a control command to the driving mechanism to control the action of the manipulator, so that the manipulator can transfer the wafer or the wafer box and other objects among a plurality of stations in the semiconductor process equipment. As shown in fig. 2, fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus provided in this embodiment, the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a station a, a station B, a station C, a station D, and a station E, and a first robot 201 and a second robot 202, the first robot 201 is configured to transfer objects in the station a and the station B to the station C and the station D, and the second robot 202 is configured to transfer objects in the station C and the station D to the station E. Taking a vertical furnace as an example, the station a and the station B may be load ports (loadports), the station C and the station D may be wafer transfer stations in an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), and a wafer boat is disposed in the station E. The load port is used for placing a wafer box for loading wafers, and a plurality of wafers can be accommodated in the wafer box. The first robot 201 can grab the wafer cassettes from the station a and the station B, and then place the grabbed wafer cassettes into the station C or the station D, and the second robot 202 can grab the wafers from the wafer cassettes at the station C and the station D, and place the wafers into the wafer boat at the station E. The above is merely an illustrative example, and the specific structure and type of the semiconductor processing equipment may be set according to the requirement, which is not limited by the embodiment.
In practical application, a user can preset the coordinates of the interference area of the station according to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station, and input the coordinates into the preset position in the controller for storage. The moving range of the moving mechanism can comprise the moving range of the moving mechanism and the moving range of the object driven by the moving mechanism, and the interference area coordinate of the station consists of the maximum coordinate and/or the minimum coordinate of the moving mechanism of the station in each coordinate direction. Taking the station D in fig. 2 as an example, the user can set the interference area coordinate of the station D according to the moving range of the moving mechanism and the object driven by the moving mechanism in the station D. As shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 shows a schematic coordinate diagram of a manipulator provided by this embodiment, in fig. 3, the position coordinate of the first manipulator and the coordinate of the interference area of the station D are located in the same coordinate system, and the origin of the coordinate system is the same as the origin of the coordinate systemAs the origin of coordinates of the first robot 201, the coordinates include an X axis and an a axis perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction, and a Z axis in the vertical direction, and in fig. 2, the symbol a + represents a positive direction in the a axis direction, the symbol Z + represents a positive direction in the Z axis direction, and the symbol X + represents a positive direction in the X axis direction. The first robot can move up and down in the Z-axis direction, move back and forth in the X-axis direction, and expand or contract in the a-axis direction. For example, if the motion mechanism in the station D drives the wafer in the station D to move, the maximum coordinate that the wafer or the motion mechanism can reach in the Z-axis direction is ZN-TOPThe minimum coordinate is ZN-BIMZ can be included in the interference region coordinate of the station DN-TOPAnd ZN-BIM. Similarly, in the direction of the A axis, the maximum coordinate that the wafer or the motion mechanism can reach is AN-TOPThe minimum coordinate is AN-BIMThe interference area coordinate of the station D can be set to include AN-TOPAnd AN-BIM(ii) a The maximum coordinate that can be reached by the wafer or the motion mechanism in the X-axis direction is XN-TOPThe minimum coordinate is XN-BIMThe coordinate of the interference area of the station D can be set to include XN-TOPAnd XN-BIM. Further, the coordinate of the interference area of the station D can be set to be D ═ ZN-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP；AN-BIM＜A1＜AN-TOP；XN-BIM＜X1＜XN-TOPDenotes any one of coordinate points within the interference zone coordinates of station D, Z1, A1, X1, and Z1 ranges from ZN-BIMAnd ZN-TOPA1 is in the range of AN-BIMAnd AN-TOPIn between, X1 is in the range of XN-BIMAnd XN-TOPIn the meantime. Alternatively, since station D is located to the left of the first robot 201 in fig. 2, the first robot can only be present to the right of station D, when the robot has a coordinate on the a-axis that is less than aN-TOPIn the meantime, the manipulator can enter the range of motion of the motion mechanism in the station D, and thus the coordinate of the interference area of the station D can be set to be D ═ ZN-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP；A1＜AN-TOP；XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOP}. Conversely, when the manipulator is only present on the left side of the station, it may be provided thatA1 > A in the coordinates of the interference regionN-TOP. Similarly, the interference area coordinate of each station corresponding to the first manipulator and the interference area coordinate of each station corresponding to the second manipulator may be set. In each coordinate direction, the coordinate of the interference area may be slightly larger than the maximum coordinate that can be reached by the object and slightly smaller than the minimum coordinate that can be reached by the object.
The position coordinate of the manipulator may be a default coordinate of the manipulator during the movement process, and may be a coordinate of a forefront end of fingers of the manipulator. The position coordinates of the robot arm may be expressed as (Z2, a2, X2).
In this embodiment, the controller records the coordinate position of the robot in real time during the operation of the robot, so that the current position coordinates (Z2, a2, X2) of the robot can be acquired at any time, and the interference area coordinates of all stations related to the robot, which are stored in advance, can be acquired. The position coordinates at the current moment are the position coordinates at each time point in the actual movement process of the manipulator. Taking the first manipulator as an example, the first manipulator picks the wafer cassette from the station a and the station B and then puts the wafer cassette into the station C and the station D, the first manipulator only operates the objects in the station a, the station B, the station C and the station D, and the controller can acquire the position coordinates of the first manipulator and acquire the interference area coordinates of the station a, the station B, the station C and the station D corresponding to the first manipulator from the preset position. Similarly, the controller may also acquire the position coordinates of the second manipulator, and acquire the interference area coordinates of the station C, the station D, and the station E corresponding to the second manipulator from the preset position.
It should be noted that, the above is only an exemplary example, and the specific form of the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate may be set according to the requirement, which is not limited by the embodiment. When the first manipulator and the second manipulator are controlled by one controller, the controller can respectively acquire the position coordinates of the first manipulator and the position coordinates of the second manipulator and acquire the interference area coordinates of a plurality of stations corresponding to each manipulator. One controller may be provided for the first manipulator and one controller may be provided for the second manipulator, each controller acquiring position coordinates of the corresponding manipulator and interference area coordinates of the plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator.
And 102, respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station.
When the interference area coordinate of the station is overlapped with the position coordinate of the manipulator, the moving range of the moving mechanism for enabling the manipulator to enter the station is represented. For the sake of distinction, the present embodiment designates a station where the interference area coordinate overlaps with the position coordinate of the robot arm as a first target station.
In this embodiment, after acquiring the position coordinate of the manipulator and the interference area coordinate of the station corresponding to the manipulator, the controller may compare the position coordinate of the manipulator with the interference area coordinate of each station, respectively determine whether the position coordinate of the manipulator overlaps with the interference area coordinate of each station, and determine the interference area coordinate overlapping with the position coordinate of the manipulator from the interference area coordinate, where the station to which the interference area coordinate belongs is the first target station into which the manipulator enters.
Optionally, step 102 may comprise:
for any station, in any coordinate direction, if the coordinate data of the position coordinate corresponding to the coordinate direction is located in an interval between the maximum coordinate and the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is greater than or equal to the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is less than or equal to the maximum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, determining that the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate.
In this embodiment, the interference area coordinates of the workstation are composed of the maximum coordinates and/or the minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the workstation in each coordinate direction. In connection with the above example, the interference area coordinates of the workstation are composed of the maximum coordinates and the minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the workstation in each coordinate direction. The controller may compare the position coordinates of the first robot with the interference area coordinates of each station, the coordinates of the position coordinates, after acquiring the position coordinates (Z2, a2, X2) of the first robot and the pre-stored interference area coordinates of the station a, the station B, the station C, and the station D, respectivelyData i.e. Z2, a2 and X2. For example, for station D, the position coordinates (Z2, a2, X2) may be compared to the interference zone coordinates D of station D { Z ═ ZN-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP；AN-BIM＜A1＜AN-TOP；XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOPIf Z2 is greater than ZN-BIMAnd is less than ZN-TOPThen Z2 is determined to be located at ZN-BIMAnd ZN-TOPIn the interval in between, Z2 overlaps with Z1. Similarly, if A2 is greater than AN-BIMAnd is less than AN-TOPThen determine that A2 is located at AN-BIMAnd AN-TOPIn the interval between A2 and A1, if X2 is greater than XN-BIMAnd is less than XN-TOPThen X2 is determined to be at XN-BIMAnd XN-TOPIn the interval in between, X2 overlaps with X1. Or, when D ═ ZN-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP；A1＜AN-TOP；XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOPWhen it is equal to or greater than A, if A2 is smaller than AN-TOPThen a2 is determined to overlap a 1. When the controller compares the position coordinate of the first manipulator with the coordinate of the interference area of the station D, the controller can determine the moving range of the first manipulator entering the moving mechanism of the station D by taking the station D as a first target station as long as the position coordinate is overlapped with the coordinate data of the coordinate of the interference area of the station D on any coordinate axis of a Z axis, an X axis and an A axis, namely the position coordinate is determined to be overlapped with the coordinate of the interference area of the station D. As shown in fig. 3, since the first robot enters the range of motion of the motion mechanism in the station D, if the motion mechanism in the station D is actuated, the motion mechanism and the wafer in the station D may collide with the first robot, and damage the motion mechanism, the wafer, and the first robot. Likewise, it can be determined whether the first robot enters the movable ranges corresponding to the station a, the station B, and the station C.
It should be noted that, the method for determining the overlap of the position coordinate and the interference region coordinate may be set according to a specific form of the position coordinate and the interference region coordinate, and this embodiment does not limit this.
And 103, sending an interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment for the station with the overlapped interference area coordinate and the position coordinate, and forbidding the motion mechanism of the station to act.
The control host, such as a computer in a semiconductor processing apparatus, can control the actions of various components in the semiconductor processing apparatus to perform a processing on a wafer in the semiconductor processing apparatus.
In this embodiment, after determining that the position coordinate of the manipulator overlaps with the interference area coordinate of the first target station, the controller may send an interlock starting signal corresponding to the first target station to the control host, so that the control host starts the interlock between the first target station and the manipulator, and prohibits the movement mechanism in the first target station from operating. With reference to the above example, after the position coordinates of the first manipulator overlap the interference area coordinates of the station D, the controller may send an interlock initiation signal corresponding to the station D to the control host. Correspondingly, after the control host receives the interlocking starting signal sent by the controller, if the motion mechanism in the station D is acting, a stopping instruction can be sent to the motion mechanism in the station D to stop the motion mechanism in the station D, so that the motion mechanism and the object in the station D stop moving, and the collision with the first manipulator is avoided. And if the moving mechanism in the station D is in a stop state, forbidding sending an action instruction to the moving mechanism in the station D, and avoiding the action of the moving mechanism. The specific method for prohibiting the motion mechanism in the first target station from acting by the control host may be set according to the requirement, and this embodiment does not limit this.
After the control host receives the interlocking starting signal corresponding to the first target station, other mechanical hands can be forbidden to enter the moving range of the moving mechanism of the first target station. For example, after determining that the station D corresponding to the first manipulator is the first target station, the controller may send a manipulator identifier corresponding to the first manipulator while sending an interlock start signal of the station D to the control host. At this time, the control host computer may determine that the first target station corresponds to the first manipulator according to the manipulator identifier, and determine that the first manipulator is in the station D. Meanwhile, if the second manipulator carries out grabbing actions and needs to grab the wafer in the station D, the control host can prohibit the second manipulator from grabbing the wafer in the station D, so that the second manipulator is prevented from entering the station D and colliding with the first manipulator.
Optionally, the method may further include:
and for the station with the coordinate of the interference area not overlapped with the position coordinate, sending an interlock release signal corresponding to the station to the control host computer, and allowing the motion mechanism of the station to act.
In this embodiment, the controller may also determine, from among the plurality of stations, a station where the interference region coordinate does not overlap with the position coordinate of the robot arm, that is, a station where the robot arm does not enter. For the sake of distinction, a station whose interference area coordinate does not overlap with the position coordinate of the robot is named a second target station in the present embodiment. In connection with the above example, during the comparison of station D, if the controller determines that Z2 < ZN-BIMOr Z2 > ZN-TOPThen Z2 is determined not to overlap with Z1, similarly if X2 < XN-BIMOr X2 > XN-TOPThen X2 is determined not to overlap X1, if A2 < AN-BIMOr A2 > AN-TOPThen it is determined that a2 does not overlap with a 1. Or, when D ═ ZN-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP；A1＜AN-TOP；XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOPWhen A2 is greater than AN-TOPThen a2 is determined to overlap a 1. The controller determines that the position coordinates of the first robot do not overlap the interference region coordinates of the station D when it is determined that Z2 does not overlap Z1, a2 does not overlap a1, and X2 does not overlap X1, and at this time it may be determined that the first robot does not enter the movable range of the moving mechanism in the station D, and the station D may be regarded as the second target station. Similarly, the coordinates of the interference area of the first manipulator and other stations can be compared to determine other second target stations. After determining the second target station, the controller may send an interlock release signal to the control host computer, so that the control host computer releases the interlock between the first manipulator and the second target station. At this time, the control host can continue to control the motion mechanism in the second target station to act.
In one embodiment, the interlock start signal and the interlock release signal may be opposite signals for the same workstation, for example, the interlock start signal may be 1, and the interlock release signal may be 0. The specific forms of the interlock initiation signal and the interlock release signal may be set according to the requirements, and this embodiment does not limit this.
In practical applications, the manipulator mainly has a target workpiece (GET) taking action, a target workpiece (PUT) placing action, a target station (MAP) scanning action, and a HOME position (HOME) returning action. When the controller controls the manipulator to complete a certain action, the controller sends notification information to the control host, and the control host indirectly determines whether the manipulator is separated from the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station according to the notification information so as to determine whether to control the moving mechanism of the station to act. When the robot arm malfunctions, the controller may transmit notification information, but the position of the robot arm is not determined due to the robot arm malfunction. The control host machine cannot determine the specific position of the manipulator, so that in order to avoid collision between the manipulator and an object in the station, the motion mechanisms in all stations corresponding to the manipulator need to be stopped. At this time, according to the process requirements, the wafer in the station may need to immediately enter the next process, and directly stopping the moving mechanism in the station may cause the wafer not to enter the next process in time, thereby damaging the wafer. Also, stopping the moving mechanisms of all the associated stations may cause flow interruption, which reduces the production efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment. Meanwhile, the number of the notification messages is large due to more actions of the manipulator, so that the notification messages are easy to make mistakes, and when the notification messages are wrong, the control host can make wrong judgment, so that the possibility of collision between the manipulator and an object in a station exists.
In summary, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current time and the interference area coordinate of each station are obtained, whether the position coordinate overlaps with the interference area coordinate of each station is respectively determined, and for the station with the interference area coordinate overlapping with the position coordinate, an interlock enabling signal corresponding to the station is sent to the control host in the semiconductor processing equipment, so as to prohibit the motion mechanism of the station from operating. Therefore, whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station or not can be determined by comparing the position coordinate of the manipulator with the interference area coordinate of the station, and when the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station, the control host only prohibits the moving mechanism in the stations from acting, so that the manipulator can be prevented from colliding with objects in the stations. Therefore, when the robot malfunctions or the notification information is erroneous, it is not necessary to stop the moving mechanisms in all the stations associated with the robot, and it is possible to avoid lowering the production efficiency of the semiconductor processing apparatus. Meanwhile, when the manipulator breaks down and stays at a certain station, the moving mechanisms in other stations do not need to be stopped, wafers in other stations can continue to enter the next step of process treatment, and the wafers can be prevented from being damaged. And, send interlock start signal to the station, compare with sending notice information after each action of manipulator, interlock signal's quantity is less, and is simple moreover, is difficult for makeing mistakes, can reduce the probability that manipulator and the object in the station collided.
Optionally, step 102 may comprise:
and sequentially judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station or not from the station with the highest priority according to the priority sequence of the stations.
In one embodiment, for a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, the controller may sequentially compare the interference region coordinate of each station with the position coordinate of the manipulator from the station with the highest priority according to the priority of the stations. As shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a target workstation determining process provided by this embodiment, a user may configure a workstation number for each workstation, the smaller the workstation number is, the higher the priority of the workstation is, and meanwhile, for the workstation to which each workstation number belongs, a corresponding interference area coordinate is set, and the workstation number and the corresponding interference area coordinate are input in advance. In fig. 4, the symbol N indicates a workstation number, and a smaller N indicates a higher priority of the workstation, and 1 indicates a workstation number of the workstation having the highest priority. After receiving the interference area coordinate input by the user, the controller can firstly acquire the position coordinate of the manipulator in the process of controlling the action of the manipulator, then compares the interference area coordinate of the workstation with the position coordinate of the manipulator from the workstation with the maximum priority, and if the interference area coordinate of the workstation is overlapped with the position coordinate of the manipulator, the workstation is taken as a first target workstation and a corresponding interlocking starting signal is generated. And on the contrary, if the interference area coordinate of the station is not overlapped with the position coordinate of the manipulator, the station is taken as a second target station, and a corresponding interlock release signal is generated. After the interlock signal of each station corresponding to the manipulator is obtained, the interlock signals of all the stations can be output to the control host, and the interlock release signal and the interlock starting signal are collectively called as the interlock signals. The controller can circularly execute the steps of acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator, comparing and determining the first target station and the second target station and generating and outputting the interlocking signal in the process of controlling the action of the manipulator until receiving the stop command and stopping the action of the manipulator.
In practical application, a user can set a priority for each station according to the importance of the station, and the controller can preferentially compare the interference area coordinate of the station with a higher priority with the position coordinate of the manipulator according to the priority of the station so as to output an interlocking start signal after determining whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station with the higher priority as soon as possible, so that the control host stops the moving mechanism in the station, and the probability of collision is reduced.
It should be noted that symbol N in fig. 4 may only indicate the station number of the station, and is not related to the priority, and after the controller acquires the position coordinate of the manipulator each time, the controller may sequentially compare the interference region coordinate of each station and the position coordinate of the manipulator according to the station number of each station, determine the first target station and the second target station, generate the interlock start signal of the first target station and the interlock release signal of the second target station, and after the interlock signals of all stations corresponding to the manipulator are generated, send the interlock signals of all stations to the control host.
Optionally, the method may further include:
and under the condition of receiving a stop signal which is sent by the control host and corresponds to the current station, stopping judging whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of the current station.
The current station is a station which is determined by the control host and needs to be stopped, and can also be called a third target station. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 2, the station C and the station D are two parallel stations, and when the control host determines that the station D is faulty, the control host may stop the station D and perform the process flow through the station C alone, where the station D is the third target station. At this moment, the control host can send a stop signal corresponding to the station D to the controller, and after the controller receives the stop signal corresponding to the station D and acquires the position coordinate of the first manipulator each time, the interference area coordinate of the station D and the position coordinate of the manipulator are not compared, so that the comparison quantity is reduced, and the operation efficiency of the controller is improved.
Referring to fig. 5, a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment, which is applied to a control host in semiconductor process equipment, may specifically include the following steps:
under the condition of receiving an interlocking starting signal which is sent by a controller of the manipulator and corresponds to one or more stations, inhibiting the motion mechanism of the one or more stations from acting;
under the condition of receiving an interlock release signal which is sent by a controller and corresponds to one or more stations, allowing the movement mechanism of the one or more stations to act;
the station corresponding to the interlocking start signal is a station in which the interference area coordinate and the position coordinate are overlapped, which are determined from the multiple stations, after the controller acquires the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station. The station corresponding to the interlock release signal is a station in which the interference area coordinate determined from the plurality of stations does not overlap with the position coordinate after the controller acquires the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate of each station.
As shown in fig. 5, the N stations in fig. 5 represent any one station in the semiconductor processing equipment, and when the control host controls the movement mechanism of each station to operate, if the interlock start signal corresponding to a certain station sent by the controller is received, the movement mechanism in the station is prohibited from operating, whereas when the interlock start signal corresponding to a certain station is not received (i.e., the interlock release signal is received), the movement mechanism in the station is permitted to operate.
Optionally, after receiving the interlock initiation signal, the method may further include:
and under the condition of receiving the interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station, if the interlocking removing signal corresponding to the station is not received within the preset time, outputting an alarm signal indicating that the manipulator is abnormal.
In one embodiment, when the control host receives an interlock starting signal corresponding to a certain station, if an interlock release signal corresponding to the station is not received within a preset time period, it can be determined that the manipulator is always located within a moving range of a moving mechanism of the station, and at this time, a manipulator fault can be determined, and an alarm signal indicating the manipulator fault can be output to prompt a user of the manipulator fault. In connection with the above example, the preset time period is, for example, 10 seconds, and the preset time period corresponds to the normal stay time period of the manipulator in the station D. After the control host receives the interlocking start signal of the station D, the motion mechanism in the station D is forbidden to act, meanwhile, a timer can be started to start timing, when the timing time reaches 10 seconds, if the interlocking release signal corresponding to the station D is still not received, the time that the first mechanical arm stays in the station D is longer than the normal time, at the moment, alarm information can be output, and the fault of the mechanical arm of a user is prompted.
Optionally, the method may further include:
and under the condition that the interlocking starting signal and the interlocking releasing signal are not received, the movement mechanisms of all the stations are forbidden to act.
In one embodiment, when the control host does not receive the interlock starting signal and the interlock releasing signal corresponding to any workstation, the controller can be determined to be in fault, and the moving mechanisms in all workstations need to be stopped. In combination with the above example, when the controller controls the motion of the manipulator, the controller continuously compares the position coordinate of the manipulator with the interference area coordinate of the station, and outputs an interlock signal corresponding to the station. When the control host does not receive any interlocking signal, the controller is in failure or the communication between the controller and the control host is interrupted, and at the moment, because the manipulator is not determined in which station, in order to avoid collision, the motion mechanisms in all stations can be forbidden to act.
The embodiment also provides semiconductor process equipment which comprises a transmission system, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and each station comprises a motion mechanism; the controller is configured to perform the method performed by the controller as described above, and the control host is configured to perform the method performed by the control host as described above.
The embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments are referred to each other.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications of these embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the embodiments of the invention.
Finally, it should also be noted that, herein, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or mobile device that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or mobile device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or mobile device that comprises the element.
The above detailed description is provided for the control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment and the semiconductor process equipment provided in the embodiment of the present invention, and a specific example is applied in the present document to explain the principle and the implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, and the description of the above embodiment is only used to help understanding the method and the core idea of the embodiment of the present invention; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the embodiment of the present invention, there may be a change in the specific implementation and application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the embodiment of the present invention.
Claims (10)
1. The control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment is characterized in that the transmission system comprises a mechanical arm and a plurality of stations corresponding to the mechanical arm, and the stations comprise a motion mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of the manipulator, and comprises the following steps:
acquiring the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station; the interference area coordinate of the station corresponds to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station;
respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station;
and for the station with the interference area coordinate overlapped with the position coordinate, sending an interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station to a control host machine in the semiconductor process equipment, and forbidding the motion mechanism of the station to act.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
and for the station of which the interference area coordinate is not overlapped with the position coordinate, sending an interlock release signal corresponding to the station to the control host computer, and allowing the motion mechanism of the station to act.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said separately determining whether the position coordinates overlap interference zone coordinates of each of the stations comprises:
and sequentially judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station or not from the station with the highest priority according to the priority sequence of the stations.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
and under the condition of receiving a stop signal which is sent by the control host and corresponds to the current station, stopping judging whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of the current station.
5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the interference area coordinates of the workstation consist of the maximum and/or minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the workstation in each coordinate direction;
the respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station comprises the following steps:
for any one station, in any one coordinate direction, if the coordinate data of the position coordinate corresponding to the coordinate direction is located in an interval between the maximum coordinate and the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is greater than or equal to the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is less than or equal to the maximum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, determining that the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate are overlapped.
6. The control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment is characterized in that the transmission system comprises a mechanical arm and a plurality of stations corresponding to the mechanical arm, and the stations comprise a motion mechanism; the control method is applied to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment and comprises the following steps:
under the condition of receiving an interlocking starting signal which is sent by a controller of the manipulator and corresponds to one or more work stations, inhibiting the motion mechanism of the one or more work stations from acting;
the station corresponding to the interlocking start signal is a station in which the interference area coordinate determined from the plurality of stations is overlapped with the position coordinate after the controller acquires the position coordinate of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinate of each station.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
under the condition of receiving an interlock release signal which is sent by the controller and corresponds to one or more work stations, allowing the motion mechanism of the one or more work stations to act;
the station corresponding to the interlock release signal is the station which is determined from the plurality of stations and has the interference area coordinate not overlapped with the position coordinate after the controller acquires the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate of each station.
8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
and under the condition of receiving the interlocking starting signal corresponding to the station, if the interlocking releasing signal corresponding to the station is not received within a preset time length, outputting an alarm signal indicating that the manipulator is abnormal.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
and under the condition that the interlocking starting signal and the interlocking releasing signal are not received, the movement mechanisms of all the stations are forbidden to act.
10. The semiconductor processing equipment is characterized by comprising a transmission system, a processing system and a control system, wherein the transmission system comprises a mechanical arm and a plurality of stations corresponding to the mechanical arm, and the stations comprise a motion mechanism;
the semiconductor processing tool further comprises a controller configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-5 and a control mainframe configured to perform the method of any of claims 6-9.
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| DE19625637A1 (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 1998-01-02 | Brink Carsten Dipl Ing Ten | Robot operating method for multi-robot operation e.g. in deep sea applications |
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