JP2001116680A - Environment monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an environment monitoring system capable of immediately taking a measure by detecting these when dusting and abnormality are caused in the vicinity of a carrying object. SOLUTION: An environment monitoring system is provided with a particle sensor 12 for detecting dust in a clean environment, a carrying robot 20 being provided with the particle sensor 12 and carrying a material and a product along a carrying passage, a position sensor 13 for detecting a position of the particle sensor 12 and a centralized control computer 11 for monitoring output of the particle sensor 12 together with positional information from the position sensor 13 and time information from a clock 11a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing process,
For example, in the process of manufacturing substrates such as wafers and photomasks, when carrying out operations such as transporting materials and products by using a transport robot or the like in an ultra-clean environment, the environment is subject to cleanliness (cleanness). The present invention relates to an environment monitoring system for monitoring the environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, cleanliness in a clean environment has only been measured when a clean room is installed. In some cases, a plurality of sensors are arranged in a clean room, and the cleanliness is measured at each point.

[0003]

However, drawing patterns in recent years are remarkably miniaturized, and in the conventional countermeasures against dust, there is a high possibility that the glass substrate or the like is fatally affected, and the yield rate is reduced. In addition, although the transfer is carried out with the transfer robot minimizing dust generation, if the surrounding environment deteriorates due to the failure of the air conditioning equipment or the transfer robot, no judgment can be made until the yield decreases in the inspection process, Also, it was difficult to specify the position.

In order to solve this problem, an apparatus for monitoring a cleanliness environment has been proposed. However, in order to monitor the entire production line, it is necessary to install a large number of sensors at a plurality of locations. There is a problem that the equipment becomes expensive and an installation space is required, which leads to an increase in manufacturing cost. In addition, it does not accurately reflect the cleanliness in the vicinity of a conveyed object (such as a work) during conveyance. The same can be said for not only dust generation but also fields such as the influence of light on a photosensitive resist and gas contamination on a chemically amplified resist.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an environment monitoring system that can detect dust and abnormalities in the vicinity of a conveyed object and can immediately take countermeasures.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a foreign matter / abnormality detecting means (12) for detecting foreign matter or abnormality in a clean environment, and the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means (12).
Moving means (20) for moving the abnormality detecting means along the conveying path of the conveyed material including the material and / or product;
Position detection means (13) for detecting the position of the abnormality detection means
And a monitoring means (11) for monitoring the output of the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means together with the position of the position detecting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the first aspect, the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means is a particle sensor for detecting the size and / or the number of dust in the clean environment. An environmental monitoring system characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the first aspect, the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means is an optical sensor for detecting light leakage in the clean environment. It is an environmental monitoring system.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the first aspect, the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means is a gas sensor for detecting gas leakage in the clean environment. It is a monitoring system.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the environment monitoring system according to the first aspect, wherein the moving means is also used as a transfer robot for transferring the conveyed object.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the first aspect, the monitoring means generates an alarm when an output of the foreign matter / abnormality detection means exceeds a predetermined reference value. An environmental monitoring system characterized by the following.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the environment monitoring system according to the first aspect, the monitoring unit is configured to control the transfer of the transfer robot when an output of the foreign object / abnormality detection unit exceeds a predetermined reference value. An environment monitoring system characterized by changing a route.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the first aspect, the monitoring means includes: the foreign matter / abnormality detection means at a position where the foreign matter / abnormality detection means is moved by the moving means in the clean environment. Tabulating the distribution of anomalies,
An environmental monitoring system characterized by the following.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the environmental monitoring system according to the eighth aspect, the monitoring means totalizes the distribution of the foreign matter / abnormality together with time information. It is.

[0015]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
The present invention will be described in more detail by way of embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of an environment monitoring system according to the present invention. The monitoring system 10 controls the entire system including the transfer robot 20 and other manufacturing apparatuses (not shown), and a central control computer 11 that can obtain time information from a clock 11a, and a particle that detects dust in a work environment. Sensor 12, a position sensor 13 for detecting the position of the particle sensor 12, and an operator P
And an operation terminal 14 such as a personal computer operated by the user, which are connected by a network 15. In this embodiment, the position sensor 13 obtains the position information from the positioning driver of the transfer robot 20 and does not use a special sensor, so that a simpler monitoring system can be provided.

The particle sensor 12 is a sensor for detecting the size and the number of dusts, and may be of any type such as a laser type or an ultrasonic type. Also,
The particle sensor 12 is attached to a transfer robot 20 which also serves as a moving means, in order to detect dust generation near a transfer path which is a position affecting the product, and moves by itself to monitor a plurality of points. Thereby, the distribution of dust can be totaled.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting position of the particle sensor of the environment monitoring system according to the present embodiment. The transfer robot 20 operates in an ultra-clean environment.
A traveling rail 21; and a base portion 22 traveling on the traveling rail 21.
A robot hand 23 rotatably and telescopically attached to the base portion 22; and a substrate mounting portion 24 for mounting a substrate to be transferred to the robot hand 23.

In this embodiment, the particle sensor 1
Numeral 2 is provided near the product installation section 24 of the robot hand 23 of the transfer robot 20, and monitors the state of dust near the substrate installation section 24 or on the substrate surface A.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the environment monitoring system according to the present invention. The particle sensor 12 is constantly operating and measures foreign matter information X such as the diameter and the number of dust. When the foreign object information X is detected (S101), the central control computer 11, which is a host computer, receives the position information (position where dust is detected) Y of the conveyed object from the positioning driver of the transfer robot 20, and receives the position information Y ( S102) and time information Z (S10
3) is also input to the central control computer 11.

The central control computer 11 sets a threshold value (X0) relating to dust in advance, and when the foreign object information X exceeds the threshold value X0 (S104), the operation terminal 14
Is issued (S105), and the operator P is notified.

The central control computer 11 determines whether or not the transfer route can be changed from an area with a large amount of foreign matter to an area with a small amount of foreign matter (S106). A change is instructed (S107).

Finally, the foreign substance information X (S101), the position information Y (S102), the time information Z (S103) and the like are totaled (S108), and the processing is terminated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation of changing the route of the environment monitoring system according to the present embodiment. This production line is provided with a clean room 31 in the preceding process, two systems of clean rooms 32A and 32B in the present process, and a clean room 33 in the next process. The transported material is transported from the clean room 31 to the clean rooms 32A and 32B by two routes (A) and (B).

Transfer robots 20A and 20B are disposed in the clean rooms 32A and 32B, respectively, and the transfer robots 20A and 20B are respectively provided with particle sensors 12A and 12B.
Is equipped. In addition, clean rooms 32A, 32
In B, processing devices 42A and 42B are arranged.

Now, if the instruction to change the transport route is met in S107 of FIG. 3, the route is automatically changed from the transport route (A) in which the foreign matter is detected to the transport route (B). . Then, confirmation and cleaning of the contaminated portion in the clean room 32A are performed. Therefore, it is possible to take measures before the yield deteriorates.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, as a measure against dust generation, the particle sensor 1 is attached to the robot hand 23 of the transfer robot 20 used to transfer the product.
2, the degree of cleanliness in the vicinity of the product is always measured, and the size and amount of the measured dust, together with the measurement place, measurement time, etc., are controlled via the network 15 by the central control computer 11 and the operator P. The information is transmitted to the work terminal 14. Therefore, since the generation of dust contamination during transportation can be managed, even if the periphery of the transportation route is contaminated, the yield can be prevented from deteriorating by quick feedback.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, which are also within the scope of the present invention. (1) The sensor installed in the robot hand is not only a particle sensor, but also a sensor that interferes with the product, for example, is weak (exposed to light) such as ultraviolet light.
When transporting products (resist coated substrates, etc.)
When an illuminometer (optical sensor) is installed, or when gas is generated in an etching process or the like, a gas sensor can be installed to measure the influence on the product during transportation.

(2) In S105, an example of generating an alarm has been described, but the manufacturing system may be temporarily stopped. (3) In S107, an example in which the transport path is changed has been described. However, the output of a cleaning device such as a fan may be increased, or an automatic cleaning device (cleaning robot) may be operated.

(4) In particular, without issuing an alarm or the like,
Aggregation for each location and each time may be used to improve the work site. (5) The device for attaching the particle sensor or the like is not limited to the robot hand, but may be attached to a transfer vehicle (AGV), a belt conveyor, or the like as long as the product is likely to generate dust and moves.

(6) A plurality of particle sensors and the like may be mounted on the same plane or at positions having different heights.

[0031]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, when a foreign substance or abnormality occurs near a conveyed object, the foreign substance or abnormality is detected and obtained together with position information and time information, and a countermeasure is immediately taken. There is an effect that can be taken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of an environment monitoring system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting position of a particle sensor of the environment monitoring system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the embodiment of the environment monitoring system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a path change of the environment monitoring system according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Monitoring system 11 Central control computer 12 Particle sensor 13 Position sensor 14 Operation terminal 15 Network 20 Transport robot 21 Running rail 22 Base unit 23 Robot hand 24 Board installation unit 31, 32A, 32B, 33 Clean room 42A, 42B Processing device

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. Foreign matter / abnormality detecting means for detecting foreign matter / abnormality in a clean environment; moving means for moving the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means along a transport path of a conveyed material containing materials and / or products; An environment monitoring system, comprising: a position detecting means for detecting a position of the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means; and a monitoring means for monitoring an output of the foreign matter / abnormality detecting means together with a position of the position detecting means. 2. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter / abnormality detecting means is a particle sensor for detecting a size and / or a number of dusts in said clean environment. Environmental monitoring system. 3. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter / abnormality detection means is an optical sensor for detecting light leakage in said clean environment. 4. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said foreign matter / abnormality detection means is a gas sensor for detecting gas leakage in said clean environment. 5. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said moving means is also used as a transfer robot for transferring said goods. 6. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring means generates an alarm when an output of said foreign matter / abnormality detection means exceeds a predetermined reference value. Environmental monitoring system. 7. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit changes a transfer route of the transfer robot when an output of the foreign object / abnormality detection unit exceeds a predetermined reference value. , Characterized by an environmental monitoring system. 8. The environment monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit counts the distribution of the foreign matter / abnormality at a position where the foreign matter / abnormality detecting unit has been moved by the moving unit in the clean environment. Environmental monitoring system. 9. The environment monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said monitoring means counts the distribution of the foreign matter / abnormality together with time information.