JP2010061505A - Production management device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a production management device and a production management method allowing advance of lots while switching, in real time, optimum lot processing order maximizing facility throughput. <P>SOLUTION: A data collecting section 1 of the production management device 10 collects lot processing information including reference time information and recipe kind information on each lot processing implemented in production equipment 20, and accumulates the collected information in a data accumulating section 2. A matrix preparing section 3 prepares a matrix that records combinations and order of recipes continuously implemented in the production equipment 20, and processing time including recipe switching time, correspondingly based on the lot processing information accumulated in the data accumulating section 2. A processing order determining section 7 computes the sum total of processing time including the recipe switching time on the combinations of all processing orders of the lots to be processed based on the prepared matrix, and determines lot processing order based on the computed sum total. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a production management apparatus and a production management method for managing a production line of a semiconductor device or the like.

  Conventionally, in a production line where multiple production facilities consisting of multiple production facilities that perform the same type of processing are deployed according to the type of processing required for product production, each production facility group is assigned according to a series of processing flows. Production of products by repeating processing using any of the production facilities to which it belongs is used in various industries.

  For example, in a semiconductor device production factory, a production line includes a plurality of production equipment groups that perform various processes such as exposure and development processing, film formation processing, etching processing, and cleaning processing. In this production line for semiconductor devices, each process is generally performed in units of lots composed of a plurality of semiconductor substrates, and a plurality of lots are processed in parallel on the same production line. In addition, it is common that processing of different processes belonging to one processing flow is performed in the same production facility group, and a plurality of types of products are produced according to different processing flows in the same production line. For this reason, when all the production facilities are processing in one production facility group, the situation where a plurality of lots stay in the production facility group waiting for processing occurs. Various production management techniques have been proposed as a technique for determining the processing order of such staying lots.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 described later, in each process constituting the processing flow, an allowable value of the number of in-processes is set for each type of lot to be processed, and the number of in-process items of each type is maintained below the set allowable value. A production management method is disclosed. In the prior art, each process is configured by a plurality of production facilities that perform the same type of processing, and the types that can be processed in each production facility are limited. Further, in one process, the allowable value of the number of work in progress is set for each product type, and the processing priority of the lot in each process is determined in a state not exceeding the allowable value, and the lot is dispatched (assigned). . According to this technique, the stay time of the product in each step (the sum of the processing waiting time and the processing time) is maintained below a specified value. Therefore, lots are dispatched in a state where the stay time is within a specified value in all processes, and the delivery date can be observed.

Further, Patent Document 2 described later discloses a production management technique for improving the operating rate of the production equipment constituting the production line while observing the delivery date. In this technique, the production management device includes a prediction unit that predicts a time when a lot passes each production process and a production amount thereof, and a capacity storage unit that stores the processing capacity of each production facility in each process. The production management device determines the load state of each production facility by collating the prediction result of the prediction means with the processing capacity stored in the capacity storage means. Then, the overload status of each production facility, which is the judgment result, is compared between the production facilities used in each production process, and the processing priority of the lot in each production process is determined under the condition that no downtime occurs in the bottleneck facility. Determine and dispatch the lot. Therefore, the operating rate of other production facilities can be improved without reducing the operating rate of the bottleneck facility that controls the delivery time. Moreover, the delivery date can be observed as a whole.
JP 2003-22119 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-109059

  However, in the conventional production management technique, consideration is given to delivery date compliance, but no consideration is given to the throughput of production equipment. For example, if the lot delivery date is to be observed, the lot that has been delayed in progress is processed preferentially, and the number of times the lot processing conditions (recipe) are switched increases. As a result, the setup time of the production facility accompanying the recipe switching increases and the throughput of the production facility decreases. For this reason, in a process where a progress-delayed lot has occurred, there is a problem that a delay occurs in the processing of other lots due to a decrease in equipment throughput, and the progress-delayed lot increases.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and by maximizing the equipment throughput, the lots progress while switching the optimal lot dispatch rules in each process so that the delivery date can be observed. An object of the present invention is to provide a production management device and a production management method that can be performed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means. First, the present invention presupposes a production management apparatus that manages a production line in which products are produced using any one of a plurality of types of recipes in the same production facility. The production management apparatus according to the present invention includes a data collection unit, a data storage unit, a matrix creation unit, a processing order determination unit, and a lot processing control unit. The data collection unit collects lot processing information including reference time information and recipe type information for each lot processing performed in the production facility. Here, the reference time information indicates information indicating a reference time for calculating a processing interval between the lot and another lot. As the reference time, for example, a lot processing completion time can be used. The recipe type information refers to information for identifying the recipe type used for the lot processing, such as the recipe ID. The data storage unit stores the lot processing information acquired by the data collection unit. The matrix creation unit is a matrix that records the combination and sequence of recipes that are continuously executed in the production facility and the processing time including the recipe switching time in association with the lot processing information stored in the data storage unit. Create For example, when the reference time information is information indicating the lot processing completion time, the recipe switching time for the subsequent lot is calculated by calculating the difference between the lot processing completion time of the subsequent lot and the lot processing completion time of the preceding lot. The processing time including can be calculated. That is, the processing time of the subsequent lot including the time required for switching between the recipe used for processing the preceding lot and the recipe used for processing the subsequent lot can be obtained. The processing order determination unit calculates the total processing time including the recipe switching time for all combinations of processing orders of the scheduled processing lots based on the created matrix, and determines the processing order of the scheduled processing lots based on the calculated totals. decide. Then, the lot processing control unit instructs the production facility to execute the processing scheduled lot according to the processing order determined by the processing order determining unit.

  In this production management apparatus, the stock of lots staying in each production facility (each process) can be processed with the maximum throughput, and an optimal lot processing order that does not increase the delivery delay lot can be determined in real time.

  From the viewpoint of determining a more appropriate lot processing order in the production management apparatus, it is preferable that the matrix creation unit creates a matrix using the minimum processing time including the recipe switching time for each recipe combination and order. . The matrix creation unit may create the matrix using a processing time including a recipe switching time within a predetermined range set in advance. As a result, it is possible to prevent the matrix from being created using the lot processing information in a situation in which equipment abnormality or the like has occurred and normal processing has not been performed. In addition, the processing order determination unit can determine, for example, the processing order that minimizes the total sum as the processing order of the scheduled processing lot. The production management device may further include a lot arrival detection unit that detects arrival of a lot at a production facility, and the processing order determination unit may determine the processing order every time a new lot arrives. it can.

  On the other hand, in another aspect, the present invention can provide a production management method for managing a production line in which a product is produced using any one of a plurality of types of recipes in the same production facility. That is, the production management method according to the present invention first collects lot processing information including reference time information and recipe type information for each lot processing performed in the production facility. Next, based on the collected lot processing information, the combination and order of two recipes that are successively executed in the production facility are associated with the processing time including the recipe switching time calculated based on the reference time information. Create a matrix to record. Further, based on the created matrix, the sum of the processing times including the recipe switching time is calculated for the combination of all the processing orders of the scheduled processing lots, and the processing order of the scheduled processing lots is determined based on the calculated total. Then, the production facility is instructed to execute the processing scheduled lot according to the determined processing order.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to process a stock of lots retained in each production facility (each process) with a maximum throughput. As a result, it is possible to advance the lot while determining the optimum processing order that does not increase the lot delayed in delivery in real time.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the present invention is embodied as a production management apparatus and a production management method for managing lot processing of production facilities arranged on a production line of semiconductor devices.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a production management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The production management apparatus 10 is communicably connected to a production facility 20 belonging to a production line via a network or the like. The production line includes a plurality of production equipment groups used in each process, and the production equipment group that realizes one process includes a plurality of production equipments that perform the same type of processing. In the figure, only one production facility is shown. Further, in the following, for the sake of explanation, the case where a plurality of lots stay in stock in one production facility 20 is simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the production management apparatus 10 includes a data collection unit 1, a data storage unit 2, a matrix creation unit 3, a threshold value input unit 4, a lot arrival detection unit 5, an inventory recognition unit 6, a processing order determination unit 7, and A lot processing control unit 8 is provided. The data collection unit 1 collects lot processing information of the production facility 20. Here, the lot processing information is performance data indicating a processing status when a lot is processed in the production facility 20. In the present embodiment, the lot processing information includes processing condition type (recipe type) information and reference time information used for the lot. Here, the reference time information is information indicating a reference time for calculating a processing interval between one lot and another lot. In this embodiment, the lot processing completion time is used as the reference time information. The lot processing information collected by the data collection unit 1 is stored in the data storage unit 2.

  The matrix creation unit 3 creates an inter-recipe matrix based on the lot processing information stored in the data storage unit 2 as described in detail below. When creating the matrix between recipes, the threshold value input unit 4 inputs a threshold value serving as a reference for excluding abnormal values from the lot processing information to the matrix creation unit 3. The processing order determination unit 7 determines the lot processing order based on the inter-recipe matrix created by the matrix creation unit 3 and the inventory information indicating the in-process inventory status at the time of determining the lot processing order. Inventory information is acquired from the inventory recognition unit 6. The lot processing control unit 8 instructs the production facility 20 to execute the lot processing in the determined lot processing order.

  Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the lot processing control unit 8 also has a function of monitoring the operation status of the production facility 20 (detection of processing start, processing completion, etc.). When the processing control unit 8 detects the completion of the lot processing, the lot processing information for the lot for which processing has been completed is acquired through the lot processing control unit 8. Further, the inventory recognizing unit 6 acquires inventory information at that time in response to the arrival of a new lot detected by the lot arrival detecting unit 5 and the start of lot processing detected by the lot processing control unit 8. Here, the inventory information is data indicating the number of inventory of the production facility 20 and the recipe type used for processing each inventory lot. For example, the inventory recognizing unit 6 acquires the number of lots mounted in the carry-in / carry-out port of the production facility 20 through the lot processing control unit 8 as the number of stocks, and along with the lot carry-in to the carry-in / carry-out port, the lot progress of the production line The recipe ID notified to the production facility 20 from a production execution system (MES: Manufacturing Execution System) or the like that manages the process is acquired as a recipe type. Note that the inventory recognition unit 6 may acquire the inventory quantity and recipe type directly from the MES.

  The production management apparatus 10 having the above configuration determines the lot processing order that maximizes the equipment throughput as the optimal processing order based on the matrix between recipes. The data collection unit 1, matrix creation unit 3, inventory recognition unit 6, processing order determination unit 7, and lot processing control unit 8 include, for example, a dedicated arithmetic circuit, a processor and a RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (ROM). It can be realized by hardware provided with a memory such as Read Only Memory) and software stored in the memory and operating on the processor. The data storage unit 2 can be realized by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and the threshold value input unit 4 can be realized by an arbitrary input device such as a keyboard. The arrival detection unit 5 can be realized by a detection device such as an optical sensor, for example.

  Here, the necessity to consider the throughput of the production facility 20 will be briefly described based on a specific example. FIG. 2 shows a production facility for performing a heat treatment of a semiconductor substrate (wafer) using a hot plate kept at a constant temperature, and two lots successively according to one of two kinds of recipes (recipe A and recipe B). It is a figure which shows the total processing time when is processed. In the example shown in FIG. 2, recipe A is a process with a hot plate temperature of 130 ° C. and a processing time of 60 seconds. Recipe B is processing with a hot plate temperature of 90 ° C. and a processing time of 60 seconds. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the production facility is in a state where processing can be started immediately in either recipe A or recipe B, and processing of the preceding lot is immediately started. Each lot is composed of a plurality of wafers. Here, it is assumed that the processing of all the wafers is completed in the above processing time (60 seconds).

  As shown in FIG. 2, when two lots are processed in succession by either recipe A or recipe B, there are four recipe combinations and sequences that can be executed. That is, when both the preceding lot 16 and the subsequent lot 17 are processed by the recipe A (FIG. 2A), when both the preceding lot 16 and the subsequent lot 17 are processed by the recipe B (FIG. 2B), When the preceding lot 16 is processed by the recipe A and the subsequent lot 17 is processed by the recipe B (FIG. 2C), when the preceding lot 16 is processed by the recipe B and the subsequent lot 17 is processed by the recipe A There are four ways (FIG. 2D).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), when two lots 16 and 17 are processed together by either recipe A or recipe B, as soon as the processing of the preceding lot 16 is completed, Processing can be started. Therefore, the total processing time is 60 seconds × 2 = 120 seconds regardless of the lot processing order.

  On the other hand, when the recipe switching occurs between the preceding lot 16 and the succeeding lot 17, the processing of the succeeding lot 17 is started until the recipe switching is completed even if the processing of the preceding lot 16 is completed. I can't. In the example of FIG. 2, when changing the recipe from Recipe A to Recipe B, it is necessary to lower the hot plate temperature from 130 ° C. to 90 ° C. (hot plate temperature drop 18 in FIG. 2) (hot plate temperature drop 18). When the recipe is switched from Recipe B to Recipe A, it is necessary to increase the hot plate temperature from 90 ° C. to 130 ° C. (hot plate temperature rise 19 in FIG. 2). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, the total processing time is increased by the time required for recipe switching. In addition, the time required for recipe switching varies depending on the recipe before switching and the recipe after switching, so the total processing time differs depending on the order of recipes. For example, in FIG. 2, the hot plate temperature drop 18 from 130 ° C. to 90 ° C. takes 180 seconds, and the hot plate temperature rise 19 from 90 ° C. to 130 ° C. takes 60 seconds. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the total processing time when the preceding lot 16 is processed by the recipe A and the subsequent lot 17 is processed by the recipe B is 60 seconds × 2 + 180 seconds = 300 seconds. Is processed by recipe B, and the subsequent lot 17 is processed by recipe A, the total processing time is 60 seconds × 2 + 60 seconds = 180 seconds. Thus, it can be seen that the facility throughput varies greatly depending on the lot processing order.

  The reason why the hot plate raising / lowering time is different between when the temperature is raised and when the temperature is lowered is that the temperature is raised by heating and the temperature is lowered by natural cooling. In particular, since the temperature lowering near 100 ° C. requires time for natural cooling, the temperature lowering time tends to be longer than the temperature rising time. Such a problem can be solved if the heating / cooling time of the hot plate can be made the same, but it is not realistic because it leads to complicated equipment and increased cost.

  Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the total processing time in the case of the production facility which has a some processing unit when the number of the processing units used according to a recipe differs. In the example shown in FIG. 3, recipe C is a process that uses only the first unit (processing time 60 seconds) of the production facility. Moreover, the recipe D continues to implement the process in the second unit (processing time 60 seconds) of the production facility after performing the processing in the first unit (processing time 60 seconds) of the production facility. In the example of FIG. 3, both the first and second units process a wafer by single wafer processing. Also, the first lot consisting of four wafers is processed by recipe C, and the second lot consisting of four wafers is processed by recipe D. In this case, the second lot is processed after the processing of the first lot is completed (FIG. 3A), or the second lot is processed after the completion of the second lot processing (FIG. 3B). Processing order is possible. Here, it is assumed that the production facility is in a state where processing of the first lot or processing of the second lot can be started immediately.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when processing is performed in the order of the first lot and the second lot (recipe C, recipe D), the total processing time is 540 seconds. On the other hand, when processing is performed in the order of the second lot and the first lot (in the order of recipe D and recipe C), the total processing time is 480 seconds. That is, the processing is completed 60 seconds earlier than when processing in the order of the first lot and the second lot. In the latter case, the processing in the first unit for the first wafer in the first lot (recipe C) is being processed in the second unit for the fourth wafer in the second lot (recipe D). It is because it is implemented. Therefore, the throughput varies greatly depending on the lot processing order.

  As described above, in a production facility that processes products by switching a plurality of types of recipes, the facility throughput varies greatly depending on the execution order of recipes. That is, the time required for processing the subsequent lot (processing time including recipe switching time) varies greatly depending on the combination of the recipe type of the preceding lot and the recipe type of the subsequent lot. In the present embodiment, the production facility can be operated at the maximum throughput by creating a matrix between recipes.

  The production management apparatus 10 determines the lot processing order as follows. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a lot processing order determination process executed in the production management apparatus 10. The processing order determination process is appropriately executed when inventory is generated in the production apparatus 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, first, the data collection unit 1 collects the actual data (lot processing information) of the lot processing performed in the production facility 20, and stores the collected actual data in the data storage unit 2 (step S1). Here, the data collection unit 1 collects the process completion time and recipe type of each lot process from each production facility 20.

  Next, the matrix creation unit 3 calculates, based on the combination and order of the recipe types, and the reference time information for the two lot processes that are successively performed from the actual data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 2. A matrix (matrix between recipes) that associates the processing time including the recipe switching time is created (steps S2 and S3). As described above, in the present embodiment, the processing completion time is used as the reference time information, and the processing completion interval is used as the processing time including the recipe switching time. Here, the processing completion interval is the time from the processing completion time of the previously processed lot to the processing completion time of the subsequent lot. That is, when recipe switching occurs between the processing of the preceding lot and the processing of the subsequent lot, the processing completion interval includes the time required for switching the recipe.

  For example, the matrix creation unit 3 receives the processing completion time and recipe ID of the latest lot from the data storage unit 2, and the processing completion time and recipe of the lot that has been processed immediately before the latest lot (second lot from the end). Read the ID. Then, a process completion interval is calculated, and the process completion interval is set as an element of the matrix between recipes corresponding to the combination and order of recipe IDs used for each lot process. The matrix creation unit 3 also processes the process completion time and the recipe ID of the second lot from the last, the process completion time of the lot that has been processed immediately before the second lot from the last (third lot from the last), and The recipe ID is read out, and the processing completion interval is calculated as an element of the matrix between recipes corresponding to the combination and order of the recipe ID used for the processing of each lot. By repeating the calculation of the processing completion interval, the matrix creation unit 3 calculates all elements of the inter-recipe matrix.

  In addition, the matrix preparation part 3 selects a minimum value as an element of a matrix between recipes, when several process completion intervals are calculated about the same recipe combination and order. This makes it possible to exclude the processing completion interval calculated for processing under the situation where processing of the subsequent lot cannot be started immediately when processing of the preceding lot is completed, such as when there is no inventory lot, from the elements of the matrix between recipes. it can. Further, by excluding the processing completion interval including the waiting time as described above, an optimal lot dispatch can be realized as will be described later. That is, it is possible to process the stock staying in the production facility 20 more quickly.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inter-recipe matrix obtained for a production facility that executes four types of recipes (recipe E, recipe F, recipe G, and recipe H). In FIG. 5, the column direction of the inter-recipe matrix 50 corresponds to the recipe used for the processing of the preceding lot (1st lot), and the row direction corresponds to the recipe used for the processing of the subsequent lot (2nd lot). The inter-recipe matrix 50 indicates that the minimum value of the processing completion interval when the preceding lot is processed by the recipe E and the subsequent lot is processed by the recipe G is 11 minutes 7 seconds, for example. Further, it is shown that the minimum value of the processing completion interval when both the preceding lot and the succeeding lot are processed by the recipe H is 5 minutes 45 seconds. As described above, each element of the inter-recipe matrix 50 indicates when the 2nd lot is completed after the processing of the 1st lot is completed.

  As will be described later, the matrix creation unit 3 creates an inter-recipe matrix at the timing when the lot processing control unit 8 detects the completion of processing in the production facility 20 and the data collection unit 1 acquires lot processing information related to the processing. To do. Thereby, the latest lot processing information is reflected in real time in the inter-recipe matrix, and a highly accurate inter-recipe matrix can be created. At this time, if the matrix creation unit 3 has already created the matrix between recipes, it is not necessary to perform the calculation again for all the data stored in the data storage unit 2, and the newly acquired lot processing information Only the elements of the matrix calculated based on the above should be updated according to the above-mentioned conditions.

  By the way, when a facility abnormality or the like occurs in the production facility 20, the processing completion interval may become extremely short. For example, the production facility 20 is stopped due to a transportation trouble, and the production facility 20 is returned to a normal state by removing the lot being transported from the transportation system and resetting the lot to the production facility 20. In this case, the processing completion time of the lot is a time from when the previous lot processing is completed to when the production facility 20 returns to a normal state. Such abnormal values need to be excluded from the elements of the inter-recipe matrix. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the matrix creation unit 3 creates a matrix between recipes using a processing completion interval within a predetermined range set in advance through the threshold value input unit 4. Here, an area larger than the threshold value input from the threshold value input unit 4 is set as the predetermined range. That is, when the calculated minimum value of the processing completion interval is smaller than the set threshold value, the matrix creation unit 3 determines that the processing completion interval is an abnormal value and excludes it from the matrix of the inter-recipe matrix (Steps S4 Yes, S5). . In addition, when the element corresponding to the combination and order of recipe types excluded as an abnormal value cannot be acquired by other data stored in the data storage unit 2, an element of the matrix between recipes is lost. In order to avoid such a situation, the matrix creation unit 3 uses a threshold value as an element when the element cannot be acquired by other data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 2. As the threshold value, for example, an ideal total processing time (actual processing time for carrying out predetermined processing on a wafer + transport time in the production facility 20) when lot processing is started immediately without switching recipes is used. Can be used. The threshold value may be a single value, but is preferably set for each recipe type of the subsequent lot.

  Note that it is not essential to use a threshold value as a method for eliminating abnormal values. For example, the data collection unit 1 is configured to acquire a flag indicating the presence or absence of equipment abnormality as actual data, and the matrix creation unit 3 A configuration in which the inter-recipe matrix is created by excluding the record data indicating that the flag is abnormal may be employed.

  When the creation of the matrix between recipes by the matrix creation unit 3 is completed, the matrix creation unit 3 inputs the created matrix between recipes to the processing order determination unit 7. At this time, the processing order determination unit 7 acquires from the stock recognition unit 6 the number of stocks remaining in the production facility 20 at that time and the recipe type used for processing each lot. As described above, the inventory recognizing unit 6 is a timing at which the number of inventory fluctuates, such as the timing at which the lot arrival detection unit 5 detects the arrival of the lot, the timing at which the lot processing control unit 8 detects the start of the lot processing, etc. The inventory information is acquired. The processing order determination unit 7 that has acquired the stock quantity and the recipe type calculates the sum of the processing completion intervals for all possible lot processing orders based on the matrix between recipes and the acquired stock quantity and recipe type (step S4No, S6).

For example, the matrix creation unit 3 creates a matrix 50 between recipes as shown in FIG. A case where it is recognized that the processing is performed by the recipe H) will be described. In this case, the total lot processing order that can be assumed is ₄ P ₄ = 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24. The processing order determination unit 7 calculates the sum of processing completion intervals for the 24 lot processing orders. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a table indicating the results calculated by the processing order determination unit 7. In the table 60 shown in FIG. 6, totals corresponding to 24 lot processing orders are shown in the right end column. In this case, when processing is performed in the order of recipe E, recipe F, recipe G, and recipe H (No. 1 in table 60), according to the inter-recipe matrix 50, the total processing completion interval is 9 minutes 12 seconds. +6 minutes 58 seconds +9 minutes 36 seconds = 25 minutes 46 seconds. Further, when processing is performed in the processing order of Recipe F, Recipe H, Recipe E, and Recipe G (No. 11 in Table 60), the sum of processing completion intervals is 12 minutes 34 seconds + 9 minutes 4 seconds + 11 minutes 7 seconds = 32 Minutes 45 seconds. When processing is performed in the order of Recipe H, Recipe G, Recipe F, Recipe E (No. 24 in Table 60), the total processing completion interval is 10 minutes 34 seconds + 5 minutes 23 seconds + 4 minutes 56 seconds = 20 minutes 53 seconds.

  As described above, when the sum of processing completion intervals is calculated for all possible lot processing orders, the processing order determination unit 7 selects an optimal dispatch order. Here, in order to maximize the equipment throughput, the processing order determination unit 7 determines the processing order that minimizes the sum of the processing completion intervals as the optimal dispatch order (step S7). FIG. 7 is a graph showing the sum of processing completion intervals in the case shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 24 (order of recipe H, recipe G, recipe F, and recipe E) is determined as the optimum dispatch order. In the case of FIG. 6 and FIG. 11 and the minimum No. It can be seen that there is a difference of 11 minutes and 52 seconds from 24. Even if the processing order determination unit 7 selects a processing order in which the total sum of the processing completion intervals is not the processing order that minimizes the total sum of the processing completion intervals, an effect of improving the equipment throughput can be obtained. Needless to say.

  When a plurality of lots using the same recipe type are included as stock lots, one of the plurality of lots is assigned to the corresponding recipe type in the optimal dispatch order determined by the above-described method. At this time, a priority may be set for a lot using the same recipe. When the priority is set, the assignment is performed according to the priority.

  The processing order determination unit 7 that has determined the optimal dispatch order inputs the dispatch order to the lot processing control unit 8. The lot processing control unit 8 causes the production apparatus 20 to execute lot processing in accordance with the input dispatch order (step S8). As a result, the production facility 20 processes the lots in the processing order that maximizes the throughput.

  When the lot processing control unit 8 detects the start of the lot processing in the production facility 20, the lot processing control unit 8 notifies the stock recognition unit 6 to that effect. The inventory recognition unit 6 updates the inventory information in consideration of the notified information. In this case, since the lot processing proceeds according to the processing order determined by the processing order determination unit 7 and the stock only decreases, the processing order determined by the processing order determination unit 7 is not necessary. Therefore, the inventory recognizing unit 6 updates only the inventory information (inventory number and recipe type) held by itself and does not notify other units.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the lot arrival detection unit 5 detects the arrival of a new lot after the start of lot processing at the production facility 20 (Yes in step S <b> 9), the lot arrival detection unit 5 notifies the inventory recognition unit to that effect. 6 is notified. At this time, the inventory recognition unit 6 newly acquires inventory information at that time through the lot processing control unit 8 (step S10). In this case, depending on the recipe type used for processing the newly arrived lot, the processing order previously determined by the processing order determination unit 7 may not be optimal. Therefore, the inventory recognizing unit 6 notifies the processing order determining unit 7 that the inventory information has been changed. The processing order determination unit 7 that has received the notification acquires the updated inventory information from the inventory recognition unit 6, calculates the sum of processing completion intervals for all lot processing orders that can be assumed at that time, and performs optimal dispatch. The order is determined and input to the lot processing control unit 8 (steps S6 and S7). The lot processing control unit 8 causes the production apparatus 20 to execute lot processing in accordance with the newly input dispatch order (step S8). In this way, when a new lot arrives, the processing order determination unit 7 re-determines the processing order, so that the dispatch order that can maximize the equipment throughput can be determined in real time. When the lot arrival detection unit 5 does not detect the arrival of a new lot (No at Steps S9 and S11), the production facility 20 continues the lot processing in the dispatch order already instructed by the lot processing control unit 8.

  On the other hand, when the lot processing control unit 8 detects the completion of the lot processing in the production facility 20, if all the lot processing in the dispatch order instructed to the production facility 20 is not completed, the fact is collected. Notify the unit 1 (step S11 Yes, S12 No). At this time, the data collection unit 1 acquires lot processing information of the lot for which the processing has been completed through the lot processing control unit 8 (step S1). In this case, the matrix between recipes is updated based on the data acquired by the data collection unit 1, and the processing order determination unit 7 re-determines the processing order. Thereby, the latest lot processing information is reflected as an element of the matrix between recipes. At this time, when there is no change in each element of the inter-recipe matrix, the processing order determination unit 7 may be configured not to re-determine the processing order.

  The lot processing control unit 8 detects the completion of the lot processing in the production facility 20, and if all the lot processing in the dispatch order instructed to the production facility 20 has been completed (there is no inventory), the processing is performed. The order determination process ends (step S12 Yes).

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to process a stock of lots remaining in a production facility with a maximum throughput. As a result, it is possible to proceed with the lot processing while determining in real time the optimum processing order that does not increase the delivery delay lot. In addition, the throughput of a process in which a large amount of inventory has accumulated due to equipment troubles can be maximized, and the delivery date can be observed.

  The embodiment described above does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and various modifications and applications other than those already described are possible without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. . For example, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the processing order of all stock lots can be arbitrarily determined, but the processing order of some stock lots may be specified. Even in this case, the equipment throughput can be maximized by applying the above-described method to all possible processing orders.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the dispatch in a single production facility, this invention is applicable also to the production facility group which consists of several production facilities which comprise one process. By applying the above method in each production facility, the throughput of each production facility can be maximized.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the size (number of wafers) of each stock lot is constant has been described, but the size of each stock lot may be different. When the lot sizes are different, for example, the lot processing information includes the lot size, and the same effect can be obtained by using the matrix between recipes calculated for each lot size.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has an effect that dispatch capable of maximizing facility throughput can be performed in real time in a production line for producing products such as semiconductor devices, and is useful as a production management device and a production management method.

The block diagram which shows the production management apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention Diagram showing an example of the relationship between lot processing order and equipment throughput The figure which shows the other example of the relationship between a lot processing order and equipment throughput The flowchart which shows the process order determination process in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the matrix between recipes in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of all the lot processing orders in one Embodiment of this invention The figure which shows an example of the sum total of the process completion interval in one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Data collection part 2 Data storage part 3 Matrix preparation part 4 Threshold input part 5 Lot arrival detection part 6 Inventory recognition part 7 Processing order determination part 8 Lot process control part 10 Production management apparatus 20 Production equipment

Claims (6)

In a production management device that manages a production line in which products are produced using any of a plurality of types of recipes in the same production facility,
A data collection unit that collects lot processing information including reference time information and recipe type information for each lot processing performed in the production facility;
A data storage unit for storing lot processing information acquired by the data collection unit;
Based on the lot processing information stored in the data storage unit, a processing time including a combination and order of two recipes that are continuously executed in the production facility, and a recipe switching time calculated based on the reference time information A matrix creation unit for creating a matrix for recording
Based on the matrix created by the matrix creation unit, the total processing time including the recipe switching time is calculated for the combination of all processing orders of the processing scheduled lots, and the processing order of the processing scheduled lots is calculated based on the calculated total. A processing order determination unit to determine;
A lot processing control unit for instructing production equipment to execute processing of the scheduled processing lot according to the processing order determined by the processing order determination unit;
A production management device characterized by comprising:   The production management device according to claim 1, wherein the matrix creating unit creates the matrix by using a minimum processing time including a recipe switching time for each combination and order of recipes.   The production management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the matrix creation unit creates the matrix using a processing time including a recipe switching time within a predetermined range set in advance.   The production management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing order determination unit determines a processing order that minimizes the sum as a processing order of the processing-scheduled lot. A lot arrival detection unit for detecting the arrival of the lot to the production facility;
5. The production management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing order determination unit determines a processing order of the scheduled processing lot every time a new lot arrives. In a production management method for managing a production line in which products are produced using one of a plurality of types of recipes in the same production facility,
Collecting lot processing information including reference time information and recipe type information for each lot processing performed in the production facility;
Based on the collected lot processing information, the combination and order of two recipes that are successively executed in the production facility are associated with the processing time including the recipe switching time calculated based on the reference time information. Creating a matrix to record,
Calculating a sum of processing times including a recipe switching time for a combination of all processing orders of a scheduled processing lot based on the created matrix, and determining a processing order of the scheduled processing lot based on the calculated total; ,
Instructing production equipment to execute processing of the scheduled processing lot according to the determined processing order;
A production management method comprising:

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