JP2001022493A - Methods for automatic generation and deletion of shortcut button, and manufacturing device applying those methods - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need to trace deep layers each time a parameter which is referred to and changed frequently is changed by storing a history of parameter changes and automatically generating a shortcut button for changing a parameter which was changed above a certain frequency. SOLUTION: When a parameter in a database is changed, the parameter ID is acquired (F3-S1) and written to a file called 'log' (F3-S2). This operation is carried out even for other parameters to obtain the log file wherein parameter IDs are saved in the order of a time series of parameter changes. Then a parameter which was changed above the certain frequency is retrieved from the log file and a shortcut button for changing the parameter is generated (F4-S1). After the generation of the shortcut button is completed, the parameter ID of the parameter which the shortcut button has been generated is deleted from the log file (F4-S2).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a manufacturing apparatus having a graphical user interface, and more particularly, to a method for automatically creating and deleting shortcut buttons and a manufacturing apparatus having such a function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A man-machine interface of an operating system (OS) mounted on a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS) is different from a conventional method in which a command is input from a keyboard to a character display terminal. A graphical user interface (GUI) based on the operation of displaying windows corresponding to each application software currently running on the computer and selecting and executing objects on the windows with a mouse or keyboard.
Is the mainstream. In recent years, such a man-machine interface has been incorporated into various manufacturing apparatuses and the like, and has become highly operable.

Generally, in the case of such an interface, objects (menus) are hierarchized for each function and purpose, and a desired operation can be performed by following the hierarchy.

FIG. 1 shows an example. This figure shows a hierarchical structure of a parameter change screen when changing a machine parameter in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. For example, in order to execute the parameter “Load Job / Reticle File in Exposing” in the lower hierarchy in FIG. 1, five levels from the root “top window” are executed. However, for frequently changed parameters, a shortcut button can be created so that the parameter can be directly changed.

[0005]

However, the shortcut button function as described above usually requires a program to register and delete a button in advance for a specific operation to be performed. Could not customize the shortcut buttons, because the function to be created was different or it was not easy to delete the shortcut buttons that were no longer needed.

[0006]

The present inventor has solved the above-mentioned problem by automatically creating and deleting shortcut buttons according to the frequency of change of each parameter. That is, the method for automatically creating a shortcut button according to the present invention is a method for creating a shortcut button for enabling a parameter change screen, which is normally started by performing a plurality of operations, to be started by a single operation in a manufacturing apparatus having a graphical user interface. The method is characterized in that a history of parameter changes is stored, and a shortcut button is automatically created for changing a parameter that has been changed a certain number of times or more.

The method of automatically creating and deleting a shortcut button according to the present invention is characterized in that, even after a shortcut button is automatically created in the above-described automatic shortcut button creating method of the present invention, the history of parameter changes is further stored and maintained for a certain number of times. A feature is that a shortcut button for changing a parameter that has not been changed is automatically deleted. Further, a manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is an application of the above-described method of automatically creating a shortcut button or the method of automatically creating and deleting a shortcut button of the present invention.

The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be any apparatus for manufacturing, but an example is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, a semiconductor exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit will be described. The semiconductor exposure apparatus has a configuration as shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a hierarchical structure of a parameter change window in a semiconductor exposure apparatus. In the figure, there is a parameter “load job / reticle file during exposure” (I) for switching whether or not the job file can be changed during exposure. If you have not created a shortcut button and want to switch the function ON / OFF to change this parameter, from the top window, select "Edit Parameter" → "User Setup Parameter" → "Sequence etc." /
The operation procedure of "Loading a reticle file" must be followed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a function of automatically creating a shortcut button in the main window as shown in FIG. 2A is realized when the parameter (I) is changed five or more times. I do.

<Parameter Change History Saving Process> In order to realize the present invention, first, a history of changed parameters must be saved. FIG. 3 shows the flow of the parameter change history storing process. In F3-S1, when a parameter in the database is changed, the parameter ID
(ID required when the parameter accesses the database). Here, it is assumed that the parameter ID of the parameter (I) is 00234.

In F3-S2, the obtained parameter ID is written to a file called "log". By performing such an operation for other parameters, a log file in which the parameter IDs are stored in chronological order of parameter change as shown in FIG. 6A is obtained. In the next section, a button will be created in the shortcut button creation area when the main window is displayed with reference to this log file.

<Shortcut Button Creation Processing> Window for performing basic operations when the operator operates the semiconductor exposure apparatus (hereinafter, “main window”)
A shortcut button creation area, and create a shortcut button in that area. This process is performed at the timing when the main window is created.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the shortcut button creation processing. In F4-S1, a parameter that has been changed a fixed number of times or more is searched from the log file (FIG. 6A), and a shortcut button for changing the parameter is created. Details of this processing will be described with reference to FIG.

In F5-S1, five or more parameter IDs are searched from the log file. In F5-S2, information on five or more parameters found from the log file is acquired from the database. The parameter information is necessary for button creation, such as button labels and parameter values. In F5-S3, F5-
Based on the parameter information acquired in S2, a parameter change button for changing the value of the parameter is created in a shortcut button creation area on the main window (FIG. 2 (1)).

After the creation of the shortcut button is completed in F4-S1, the parameter ID of the parameter for which the shortcut button was created is deleted from the log file in F4-S2. By this series of processing, the log file becomes as shown in FIG.
A shortcut button as shown in (1) is created.

Second Embodiment In the case of the first embodiment, shortcut buttons are only created, so that unnecessary buttons cannot be deleted. Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the shortcut button automatic addition processing of the first embodiment, a function of automatically deleting shortcut buttons for which parameter change has not been performed for a certain number of times (period) has been added. The timing at which the shortcut button is deleted is also when the main window is created, as in the case of the shortcut button creation.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the shortcut area automatic updating process. FIG. 8 shows a log file and a parameter ID storage file of a parameter for which a shortcut has been created in this embodiment.

In F7-S1, a shortcut button is created with reference to the log file. This processing is performed in the first embodiment.
5 is the same as that of FIG. F7-S2
Then, the parameter IDs are acquired one by one from the parameter ID storage file (FIG. 8A) (hereinafter, the shortcut file) of the parameter for which the shortcut has been created. All parameter IDs obtained from this file
When the subsequent processing (F7-S4 to F7-S7) ends, the shortcut area automatic update processing ends (F7-S3). Now, suppose that the parameter ID = 00234 of the parameter (I) is acquired from the shortcut file (1) in F7-S2. F7-S
In step 4, the latest change of the parameter (I) is searched from the log file, and the number of times other parameters have been changed since then is counted. In the case of FIG. 8, the count obtained from the log file is 10. In F7-S5, it is determined whether or not the count obtained in F7-S4 is 10 or more. If the count is 10 or more, the process proceeds to a process F7-S6 for deleting a shortcut button. If the number is less than 10, the process returns to F7-S2, and the parameter ID of the shortcut button created parameter is acquired again from the shortcut file. In FIG. 8, parameter ID = 0
Since the parameter of 0234 is count = 10, the process proceeds to the next F7-S6. In F7-S6, the shortcut button already created in the shortcut button creation area is deleted. In F7-S7, the parameter ID = 00234 is deleted from the shortcut file (1).

With the above processing, the shortcut file becomes as shown in FIG.
It becomes like (2).

[0022]

According to the present invention, since a shortcut button is created for a parameter which is referenced and changed many times,
It is not necessary to follow a deep hierarchy each time to change a parameter that is referenced and changed many times.

Further, according to the method for automatically creating and deleting shortcut buttons of the present invention and the manufacturing apparatus to which these methods are applied, the operation of registering and deleting shortcut buttons in response to parameter changes is performed automatically in accordance with the parameter change frequency. , So that only necessary items are always registered.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a hierarchical structure of a parameter change screen in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a main window in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a parameter change history saving process in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a shortcut button creation process in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a shortcut button creation process (A in FIG. 4);
It is a detailed flowchart of 2).

FIG. 6 is a log file for storing a parameter change history according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a shortcut area update process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows a log file for storing a parameter change history and a shortcut file for storing IDs of shortcut-created parameters according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to the first and second embodiments.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for creating a shortcut button for enabling a parameter change screen, which is normally started by performing a plurality of operations, to be started by a single operation in a manufacturing apparatus having a graphical user interface. Is a method for automatically creating a shortcut button, which stores a history of parameter changes and automatically creates a shortcut button for changing a parameter that has been changed a certain number of times or more. 2. Even after a shortcut button is automatically created in claim 1, the history of parameter changes is further kept, and shortcut buttons for changing parameters that have not been changed more than a certain number of times are automatically deleted. Shortcut button automatic creation and deletion method characterized by doing. 3. A manufacturing apparatus to which the method according to claim 1 or 2 is applied.