JP2020205338A - Control system for controlling semiconductor manufacturing device system, and control method of semiconductor manufacturing device system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a control system for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing device system capable of using supply capacity effectively, and to provide a control method of a semiconductor manufacturing device system.SOLUTION: A control system 102 controls a semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 having multiple semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 and configured to manufacture a semiconductor. The control system 102 has a supply capacity data holding part 172 for holding supply capacity data 182 related to the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101, a consumption capacity data holding part 174 for holding the consumption capacity data 180 related to consumption capacity consumed by the multiple semiconductor manufacturing devices 170, and a scheduling section 176 for determining operation schedule of the multiple semiconductor manufacturing devices 170, within a range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101, on the basis of the supply capacity data 182 and the consumption capacity data 180.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a control system for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system and a control method for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system.

There are various types of semiconductor manufacturing devices used to manufacture integrated circuits (circuits in which a large number of transistors are connected) and the like. For example, equipment for forming various material films, equipment for shaping material films using photographic engraving technology, equipment for adding trace impurities, chemical / mechanical polishing equipment (CMP equipment), assembly equipment, inspection equipment, etc. Is. A semiconductor is a material such as silicon. In the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, integrated circuits and the like using such semiconductors are also commonly referred to as "semiconductors". In the following, semiconductor means an integrated circuit or the like.

In order to operate a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, for example, a polishing apparatus, consumable resources (called power or utility) such as ultrapure water, electric power, and cooling water are consumed. In a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system configured to manufacture semiconductors with a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the relationship between the capacity that can be supplied to the system and the consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment is optimized. It may not have been done. That is, the amount of power that can be supplied to the system may be larger than the amount of power that can be consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices, and the efficiency of the system may be low. On the contrary, the amount of power that can be supplied to the system may be less than the amount of power consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices, and it may not be possible to operate the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices at the same time. In some cases, the amount of power that can be supplied to the system is too small to allow the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to operate normally.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-187367 describes that when the amount of rinse water is controlled in a polishing device, rinse water is continuously supplied to each polishing device when each polishing device is in operation, and when each polishing device is not in operation. , It is described that rinse water is intermittently supplied to each polishing device. That is, it is described that the amount of force is increased or decreased according to the operation / non-operation of each polishing device to reduce the amount of force as much as possible. However, effective utilization of the supplyable capacity, for example, a method of improving the semiconductor production amount within the supplyable capacity range, etc. (for example, as many units as possible within the supplyable capacity range). (To operate the semiconductor manufacturing equipment normally) is not described.

JP 2014-187367

One embodiment of the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is a control system for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system capable of effectively utilizing the available capacity, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is to provide a control method for the system.

In order to solve the above problems, in the first embodiment, a control system for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system having a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and configured to manufacture a semiconductor is supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system. A supply capacity data holding unit configured to hold supply capacity data relating to possible capacity, and a consumption capacity data relating to consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices are configured to be retained. Based on the consumption capacity data holding unit, the supply capacity data, and the consumption capacity data, the operation schedule of a plurality of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is determined within the range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system. It adopts a configuration of a control system characterized by having a scheduling unit configured to perform the above.

In the present embodiment, based on the supply capacity data and the consumption capacity data, the operation schedule of a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment is determined within the range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system. You can make effective use of your competence. For example, the production amount of semiconductors can be improved. Conventionally, it has not been performed to determine the operation / non-operation of each device so as to maximize the available capacity, in other words, to schedule the operation / non-operation of each device according to the capacity. It was. In the present embodiment, it is possible to schedule the operation / non-operation of each device and / or the execution / non-execution of a plurality of operations performed by each device in consideration of the capacity of the entire production line or the entire factory.

The supply capacity data regarding the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system includes the flow rate, pressure, electric power, rotation speed, and the like that can be supplied for each factory unit and / or production line unit and / or processing process unit. The operation schedule of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a schedule of operation and non-operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, a schedule regarding which operation is to be performed when there are a plurality of possible operations during operation, and the like. Multiple operations that can be performed during operation include the case where the same process is performed with different operation parameters. Operating parameters include flow rate values, pressure values, power values, rotational speed values, etc. during operation and / or non-operation.

Regarding the utilization of the power of the entire production line or the entire factory, for example, there are the following requirements (that is, restrictions). Not all of these requirements are required at the same time.
-There is an allowable value for each force (electric power, pure water, displacement, etc.) that can be tolerated for each production line.
For example, due to maintenance of a power source, the power source cannot always supply the maximum value that can be supplied as equipment, so that the permissible values of each power (electric power, pure water, displacement, etc.) fluctuate. In addition, the power source may not be able to supply the maximum value that can be supplied as equipment because of the desire for energy-saving operation.
-When changing the operating timing and speed of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment due to the constraint of the permissible value of each force that can be supplied, there is a limit to reducing the power, especially by reducing the operating timing and speed. This is because there is a minimum required production volume for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
-When operating by changing the recipe of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment (that is, the contents of the operating conditions and parameters of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment) due to the constraint of the allowable value of each force that can be supplied, the range of change of the operating conditions and parameters is allowed. There is a range.
-Restrictions when selecting semiconductor manufacturing equipment that can be used for production For example, when there is a constraint that the minimum required production amount required for semiconductor manufacturing equipment is to be observed, semiconductor manufacturing equipment that must be used in semiconductor production The number is decided. When selecting the semiconductor manufacturing equipment to be used, we do not want to use equipment with a low ranking of "equipment that can be used in production". Here, the ranking of "equipment that can be used in production" means the ranking of semiconductor manufacturing equipment (semiconductor manufacturing equipment in good condition) having a good processing result. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment whose processing result is below the standard cannot be used. "Good processing result" means that, in the case of a polishing apparatus, for example, the uniformity of the polished surface of the substrate obtained as a result of polishing is good.

-When multiple semiconductor manufacturing devices connected to a common power source perform operations that use the power at the same time, there is a restriction that the factory power is insufficient and the semiconductor manufacturing devices cannot operate normally. For example, semiconductors. When the manufacturing device is a polishing device, examples of insufficient force may be as follows. Details of these will be described later.
・ Insufficient nitrogen gas (N ₂ ) supplied to the atomizer ・ Insufficient vacuum pressure to adsorb the substrate to the top ring ・ Insufficient supply of pure water (DIW) required for dummy dispense (DDSP)

According to this embodiment, at least one of the above-mentioned plurality of requirements (that is, restrictions) can be satisfied. In the present embodiment, the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is determined according to the amount of force that can be supplied. Since the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be determined so as to increase the production amount (for example, to increase the number of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to be operated) according to the amount of the power that can be supplied, the power can be effectively utilized. In the past, the amount of force was determined according to the operation (operating, non-operating) of the operating semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Therefore, the power was not effectively utilized. Even if there was surplus power, I had no idea to increase the number of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to be operated and increase the production within the range of the power. In the past, we were only thinking about reducing the amount of force.

In the second embodiment, the consumption power data holding unit has a plurality of different consumption powers for the same manufacturing process of the at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with respect to the consumption capacity data for at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The control system according to the first embodiment is configured to hold data.

In the third embodiment, the scheduling unit is configured to determine the operation schedule for each type of the semiconductor and / or for each facility in which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is housed. The control system described in 2 is adopted. “By facility” means, for example, “by factory” and / or “by production line” and / or “by processing process”.

The fourth embodiment has a consumption capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire the consumption capacity data and output the acquired consumption capacity data to the consumption capacity data holding unit, and has the consumption capacity acquisition unit. The data holding unit adopts the configuration of the control system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, characterized in that the data holding unit is configured to hold the input power consumption data.

There are various possible methods for acquiring consumption capacity data. For example, the consumption capacity acquisition unit can acquire consumption capacity data from a higher-level computer system that manages the entire semiconductor manufacturing equipment system, and / or can measure and acquire consumption capacity data for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A voltmeter, an ammeter, a flow meter, a pressure gauge, or the like can be used as a measuring instrument, and electric power, water amount, gas amount, etc. can be obtained as consumption capacity data.

In the fifth embodiment, when the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus operations are performed according to the operation schedule, the consumption capacity acquisition unit acquires the consumption capacity data, and the system acquires the consumption capacity data. Based on the above, the control system according to the fourth embodiment is adopted, which comprises a data correction unit configured to correct the consumption power data held by the consumption power data holding unit.

In the sixth aspect, the supply capacity data changes according to the operating condition of at least one of the semiconductor manufacturing equipments and / or according to the operating condition of an external device arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system. The control system according to any one of the first to fifth forms is adopted.

The seventh aspect has a supply capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire the supply capacity data and output the acquired supply capacity data to the supply capacity data holding unit, and has the supply capacity acquisition unit. The data holding unit adopts the configuration of the control system according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, characterized in that the data holding unit is configured to hold the input supply capacity data.

The configuration of the control system according to any one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the eighth embodiment includes a control unit configured to control the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the operation schedule. I'm taking it.

In the ninth aspect, in the control method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system configured to have a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a semiconductor, a step of holding supply capacity data regarding the capacity that can be supplied to the system, and The process of holding the consumption capacity data regarding the consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system based on the supply capacity data and the consumption capacity data. Within the range, it adopts a configuration of a control method of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system, which comprises a step of determining an operation schedule of a plurality of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the polishing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first polishing unit. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the cleaning unit. FIG. 3B is a side view of the cleaning unit. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system and a control system. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation flow of the control system. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation schedule as a result of the scheduling unit 176 determining the operation schedules of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding members may be designated by the same reference numerals and duplicate description may be omitted. In addition, the features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other.

As an embodiment of the present invention, a control system for controlling a polishing device system (semiconductor manufacturing device system) configured to have a plurality of polishing devices (semiconductor manufacturing devices) to polish (manufacture) a semiconductor will be described. To do. As an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system having a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus other than the polishing apparatus is also possible. Also, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system may include different types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices is not limited to a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices. That is, when one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is composed of a plurality of units configured to manufacture a semiconductor, the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may mean a plurality of units.

First, the outline of the polishing apparatus will be described.
<Polishing device>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the polishing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus 1000 includes an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 200, a polishing unit 300, a cleaning unit 400, and the like.
To be equipped. Further, the polishing device 1000 includes a control unit 500 for controlling various operations of the EFEM 200, the polishing unit 300, and the cleaning unit 400.

The polishing unit 300 is a polishing unit configured to polish a substrate (wafer). The cleaning unit 400 is a cleaning unit configured to clean the polished substrate. The EFEM200 is configured to transport the substrate in the carrier, which is a container for storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, into the polishing apparatus 1000, and to transport the processed substrate from the polishing apparatus 1000 to the carrier. It is a department. Hereinafter, the EFEM 200, the polishing unit 300, and the cleaning unit 400 will be described.

<EFEM>
The EFEM200 is a unit for passing the substrate before the treatment such as polishing and cleaning to the polishing unit 300 and receiving the substrate after the treatment such as polishing and cleaning from the cleaning unit 400. The EFEM200 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) front load portions 220. A cassette 222 for stocking a substrate is mounted on each of the front load portions 220.

The EFEM 200 includes a rail 230 installed inside the housing 100, and a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) transfer robots 240 arranged on the rail 230. The transfer robot 240 takes out the substrate before the processing such as polishing and cleaning from the cassette 222 and hands it to the polishing unit 300. Further, the transfer robot 240 receives the substrate after the processing such as polishing and cleaning from the cleaning unit 400 and returns it to the cassette 222.

<Polishing unit>
The polishing unit 300 is a unit for polishing a substrate. The polishing unit 300 includes a first polishing unit 300A, a second polishing unit 300B, a third polishing unit 300C, and a fourth polishing unit 300D. The first polishing unit 300A, the second polishing unit 300B, the third polishing unit 300C, and the fourth polishing unit 300D have the same configuration as each other. Therefore, only the first polishing unit 300A will be described below.

The first polishing unit 300A includes a polishing table 320A and a top ring 330A. The polishing table 320A is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown). A polishing pad 310A is attached to the polishing table 320A. The top ring 330A holds the substrate and presses against the polishing pad 310A. The top ring 330A is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown). The substrate is polished by being held by the top ring 330A and pressed against the polishing pad 310A.

Next, a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate will be described. The transport mechanism includes a lifter 370, a first linear transporter 372, a swing transporter 374, a second linear transporter 376, and a temporary stand 378.

The lifter 370 receives the substrate from the transfer robot 240. The first linear transporter 372 transports the substrate received from the lifter 370 between the first transport position TP1, the second transport position TP2, the third transport position TP3, and the fourth transport position TP4. The first polishing unit 300A and the second polishing unit 300B receive the substrate from the first linear transporter 372 and polish it. The first polishing unit 300A and the second polishing unit 300B pass the polished substrate to the first linear transporter 372.

The swing transporter 374 transfers the substrate between the first linear transporter 372 and the second linear transporter 376. The second linear transporter 376 transports the substrate received from the swing transporter 374 between the fifth transport position TP5, the sixth transport position TP6, and the seventh transport position TP7. The third polishing unit 300C and the fourth polishing unit 300D receive the substrate from the second linear transporter 376 and polish it. The third polishing unit 300C and the fourth polishing unit 300D pass the polished substrate to the second linear transporter 376. The substrate that has been polished by the polishing unit 300 is placed on the temporary storage table 378 by the swing transporter 374.

<Washing unit>
The cleaning unit 400 is a unit for cleaning and drying the substrate that has been polished by the polishing unit 300. The cleaning unit 400 includes a first cleaning chamber 410, a first transport chamber 420, a second cleaning chamber 430, a second transport chamber 440, and a drying chamber 450.

The substrate placed on the temporary storage table 378 is transported to the first cleaning chamber 410 or the second cleaning chamber 430 via the first transport chamber 420. The substrate is cleaned in the first cleaning chamber 410 or the second cleaning chamber 430. The substrate cleaned in the first cleaning chamber 410 or the second cleaning chamber 430 is transported to the drying chamber 450 via the second transport chamber 440. The substrate is dried in the drying chamber 450. The dried substrate is taken out from the drying chamber 450 by the transfer robot 240 and returned to the cassette 222.

<Detailed configuration of the first polishing unit>
Next, the details of the first polishing unit 300A will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first polishing unit 300A. The first polishing unit 300A includes a polishing liquid supply nozzle 340A for supplying a polishing liquid or a dressing liquid to the polishing pad 310A. The polishing liquid is, for example, a slurry. The dressing liquid is, for example, pure water. Further, the first polishing unit 300A includes a dresser 350A for conditioning the polishing pad 310A. Further, the first polishing unit 300A includes an atomizer 360A for injecting a liquid or a mixed fluid of a liquid and a gas toward the polishing pad 310A. The liquid is, for example, pure water. The gas is, for example, nitrogen gas.

The top ring 330A is supported by a top ring shaft 332A. The top ring 330A is rotated about the axis of the top ring shaft 332A by a drive unit (not shown) as shown by an arrow AB. The polishing table 320A is supported by the table shaft 322A. The polishing table 320A is rotated about the axis of the table shaft 322A by a drive unit (not shown) as shown by an arrow AC.

The substrate WF is held by vacuum suction on the surface of the top ring 330A facing the polishing pad 310A. At the time of polishing, the polishing liquid is supplied from the polishing liquid supply nozzle 340A to the polishing surface of the polishing pad 310A. Further, at the time of polishing, the polishing table 320A and the top ring 330A are rotationally driven. The substrate WF is polished by being pressed against the polished surface of the polishing pad 310A by the top ring 330A.

<Detailed configuration of cleaning unit>
Next, the details of the cleaning unit 400 will be described. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the cleaning unit 400. FIG. 3B is a side view of the cleaning unit 400.

In the first transfer chamber 420, a support shaft 424 extending in the vertical direction and a first transfer robot 422 movably supported by the support shaft 424 are arranged. The first transfer robot 422
It can be moved in the vertical direction along the support shaft 424 by a drive mechanism such as a motor. The first transfer robot 422 receives the substrate WF placed on the temporary storage table 378. The first transfer robot 422 transfers the substrate WF received from the temporary storage table 378 to the first cleaning chamber 410 or the second cleaning chamber 430.

In the first cleaning chamber 410, the upper primary cleaning module 412A and the lower primary cleaning module 412B are arranged along the vertical direction. Similarly, in the second cleaning chamber 430, the upper secondary cleaning module 432A and the lower secondary cleaning module 432B are arranged along the vertical direction. The upper primary cleaning module 412A, the lower primary cleaning module 412B, the upper secondary cleaning module 432A, and the lower secondary cleaning module 432B are cleaning machines that clean the substrate using a cleaning liquid. A temporary board 434 is provided between the upper secondary cleaning module 432A and the lower secondary cleaning module 432B.

The first transfer robot 422 is placed between the temporary storage table 378, the upper primary cleaning module 412A, the lower primary cleaning module 412B, the temporary storage table 434, the upper secondary cleaning module 432A, and the lower secondary cleaning module 432B. The substrate WF can be conveyed. The first transfer robot 422 has an upper hand and a lower hand. Since the slurry is attached to the substrate before cleaning, the first transfer robot 422 uses the lower hand when conveying the substrate before cleaning. On the other hand, the first transfer robot 422 uses the upper hand when transferring the washed substrate.

In the second transfer chamber 440, a support shaft 444 extending in the vertical direction and a second transfer robot 442 movably supported by the support shaft 444 are arranged. The second transfer robot 442 can be moved in the vertical direction along the support shaft 444 by a drive mechanism such as a motor. The second transfer robot 442 receives the substrate WF from the second cleaning chamber 430 and conveys it to the drying chamber 450.

In the drying chamber 450, the upper drying module 452A and the lower drying module 452B are arranged along the vertical direction. The upper drying module 452A includes a drying unit 456A for drying the substrate WF, and a fan filter unit 454A for supplying clean air to the drying unit 456A. The lower drying module 452B includes a drying unit 456B for drying the substrate WF, and a fan filter unit 454B for supplying clean air to the drying unit 456B.

The second transfer robot 442 can transfer the substrate WF between the upper secondary cleaning module 432A, the lower secondary cleaning module 432B, the temporary stand 434, the upper drying module 452A, and the lower drying module 452B. it can. Since the second transfer robot 442 transfers the washed substrate, it has only one hand.

The substrate WF is dried from the drying chamber 450 by the upper hand of the transfer robot 240 shown in FIG. 1 after being dried by the upper drying module 452A or the lower drying module 452B. The transfer robot 240 returns the substrate WF taken out from the drying chamber 450 to the cassette 222.

Next, an example of the force amount control system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a polishing apparatus according to the present embodiment for explaining a force control system. In this figure, for the sake of simplification of the description, only the control system of the exhaust amount and the pure water amount is shown among the power amounts to be controlled. Other forces are controlled in a similar manner.

In FIG. 4, a first polishing unit 300A among a plurality of polishing units 300, a first cleaning chamber 410 among a plurality of cleaning chambers, and a cassette 222 (222a, 222b, ...) Accommodating a substrate WF are provided. It is equipped with an EFM 200 that conveys the substrate WF to and from the outside. The first polishing unit 300A, the first cleaning chamber 410, and the EFM 200 are partitioned in a state of being separated from each other as a room airtightly partitioned from the external surrounding environment of the polishing apparatus 1000, such as a clean room.

The first polishing unit 300A and the first cleaning chamber 410 are individually communicated with the exhaust ducts 106 and 107, respectively, and the exhaust ducts 106 and 107 are common exhausts (not shown) via the exhaust flow rate adjusting valves 108 and 109. It is connected to a line and the common exhaust line is connected to an exhaust system (not shown). An exhaust duct may also be connected to the EFM 200.

The exhaust duct 106 and the exhaust flow rate adjusting valve 108 are provided in the first polishing unit 300A so that even if mist or polishing powder of the polishing liquid is generated in the first polishing unit 300A and scattered in the air, it does not flow out to the outside. The internal pressure is controlled to be lower than the external pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure), here negative pressure. The exhaust duct 107 and the exhaust flow rate adjusting valve 109 change the pressure inside the first cleaning chamber 410 from the external pressure (here, atmospheric pressure) so that the organic solvent and acidic cleaning liquid vaporized in the first cleaning chamber 410 do not flow out to the outside. It is controlled to low pressure, here negative pressure.

Similarly, the first polishing unit 300A and the first cleaning chamber 410 each have a rinse water supply pipe 111 for supplying rinse water of pure water for cleaning or ultrapure water (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as ultrapure water). 112 is connected. The rinse water supply pipes 111 and 112 are connected to a common supply line (not shown) via rinse water flow rate adjusting valves 113 and 114 for adjusting the flow rate and opening / closing, and communicate with the rinse water supply source. The rinse water supply pipe 111 is an atomizer 360A, and may mix nitrogen gas and pure water and supply them to the polishing table 320A.

Further, cooling water pipes 121 are arranged in the table shaft 322A and the polishing table 320A, for example, in a spiral shape or a lattice shape, and the surface temperature of the polishing table 320A is controlled by the cooling water flowing through the cooling water pipe 121. A cooling water flow rate adjusting valve 122 is provided in the cooling water pipe 121 to adjust the flow rate and opening / closing of the cooling water flowing in the table shaft 322A and the polishing table 320A.

A supply port 11a of the atomizer 360A is provided on the polishing pad 310A, and inner rinse water or the like is continuously or intermittently supplied onto the polishing pad 310A. Further, the exhaust duct 106 described above is connected to the ceiling surface of the first polishing unit 300A. A pressure converter 124 is arranged in the first polishing unit 300A as a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the first polishing unit 300A, and the pressure in the first polishing unit 300A is higher than the pressure in the external atmosphere (for example, atmospheric pressure). Detects how low the pressure is (negative pressure). In some cases, a transfer robot (not shown) that handles the substrate WF before and after polishing may be arranged in the first polishing unit 300A.

A pair of cleaning sponge rollers 126 and 127 are arranged vertically opposed to each other in the first cleaning chamber 410 as cleaning means for cleaning the substrate WF polished by the first polishing unit 300A, and these are used for cleaning. The substrate W is sandwiched between the sponge rollers 126 and 127 and washed while being conveyed. Rinse water supply pipes 112 (with reference numerals 112a and 112b) are arranged in the vicinity of each cleaning sponge roller 126 and 127, and ultrapure water is supplied to each cleaning sponge roller 126 and 127 to provide a substrate WF. To wash.

A first transfer robot 422 for loading and unloading the substrate WF into the first cleaning chamber 410 is provided. A pressure converter 129 is also arranged in the first cleaning chamber 410 as a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the first cleaning chamber 410, and the pressure in the first cleaning chamber 410 is higher than the pressure in the external atmosphere (for example, atmospheric pressure). Detects how low the pressure is (negative pressure).

The control unit 500 described above is arranged outside the first polishing unit 300A, the first cleaning chamber 410, and the EFM 200. The detection signals of the pressure converters 124 and 129 that detect the pressure in the first polishing unit 300A and the first cleaning chamber 410 are input to the control unit 500. The control unit 500 controls the flow rate and opening / closing of the exhaust flow rate adjusting valves 108 and 109 of the exhaust ducts 106 and 107 based on the detected pressure in the first polishing unit 300A and the first cleaning chamber 410. Further, the rinse water flow rate adjusting valves 113 and 114 and the cooling water flow rate adjusting valve 122 are electrically connected to the control unit 500 to control their flow rates and opening / closing, respectively.

In the polishing apparatus 1000 for polishing the substrate W, in order to prevent the polishing pad 310A and the cleaning sponge rollers 126 and 127 from drying and to maintain a wet state while the polishing apparatus 1000 is stopped, the control unit is in standby mode of the polishing apparatus 1000. The 500 intermittently opens the rinse water flow rate adjusting valves 113 and 114. The control unit 500 opens, for example, every 30 minutes for 20 seconds to supply inner rinse water from the rinse water supply pipes 111, 112a, 112b to the polishing pad 310A and the cleaning sponge rollers 126, 127 to prevent drying.

At that time, the control unit 500 opens the rinse water flow rate adjusting valve 113 to the polishing pad 310A to supply rinse water, for example, 1 L / min, and the cleaning sponge rollers 126 and 127 are provided with the rinse water flow rate adjusting valve 114. The valve 114 is opened to supply rinse water, for example, 0.6 L / min. As a result, the control unit 500 achieves prevention of drying and maintenance of a wet state.

Further, the control unit 500 individually identifies the pressure signal in the first polishing unit 300A and the pressure signal in the first cleaning chamber 410 input from the pressure converters 124 and 129. Then, the pressure signal in the first polishing unit 300A and each pressure in the first cleaning chamber 410 detected by the pressure converters 124 and 129 are the pressures of the external atmosphere, for example, -30 Pa (Pascal) to -12. It is determined whether or not the pressure is in the range of 5 Pa lower. The control unit 500 maintains a low pressure in which the pressure signal in the first polishing unit 300A and the pressure in the first cleaning chamber 410 have a pressure difference in the range of -30 Pa (Pascal) to -12.5 Pa, more preferably than atmospheric pressure. Control to be done.

Next, the configuration of the control system for controlling the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 having a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170s and being configured to manufacture semiconductors will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system and a control system. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 can be a case where there is only one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 or a case where there are a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170s. Further, the control system 102 can be arranged as a part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, for example, in the control unit 500 described. Further, the control system 102 can be arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 as an external device of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. Further, one control system 102 may control a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 below is a control system in which one control system 102 controls a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is not limited to the above-mentioned polishing apparatus 1000. Any semiconductor manufacturing device 170 may be used as long as it is a device related to semiconductor manufacturing. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is, for example, an exposure apparatus, a dry etching apparatus, a CVD apparatus, or the like.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 includes a control system 102 and a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170s. The plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170s are arranged on the plurality of manufacturing lines 104-1, 104-2, ..., 104-N. Each of the production lines 104-1, 104-2, ..., 104-N is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus such as an exposure apparatus, a dry etching apparatus, and a CV.
A plurality of D devices, polishing devices 1000, and the like are arranged.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, one control system 102 controls the entire semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101. As another embodiment, the control system 102 may be arranged for each production line 104. Further, the control system 102 may be arranged in a computer installed outside the factory where the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 is arranged. As a computer installed outside the factory, a cloud or the like is also possible. When a computer installed outside the factory is used, the computer is connected to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 by communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is provided with a number indicating a serial number of the manufacturing line 104 and a serial number in the manufacturing line 104 as "N-2". In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the same number of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 are provided in each of the manufacturing lines 104-1, 104-2, ..., 104-N. However, the number of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 in each manufacturing line 104 may be different for each manufacturing line 104.

The control system 102 includes a supply capacity data holding unit 172 configured to hold supply capacity data relating to the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 101, and the consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170s. Within the range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 based on the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 configured to hold the consumption capacity data and the supply capacity data and the consumption capacity data. It has a scheduling unit 176 configured to determine the operation schedule of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170.

The retained supply capacity data is data indicating the supply capacity with respect to the capacity that can be supplied for the entire factory, for each production line 104, or for each manufacturing process. Specifically, the supply capacity data includes the total amount of pure water (DIW: DE-IONIZED WATER) that can be supplied (l / h), the total amount of gas that can be supplied (l / h), and the compressed air that can be supplied (CDA). : Compressed Dry Air) total amount (l / h), total amount of power that can be supplied (kw / h), total amount of chemicals that can be supplied (l / h), total amount of slurry that can be supplied (l / h), processing The total amount of possible wastewater (l / h), the total amount of exhaust that can be treated (l / h), the total amount of exhaust speed of the vacuum device that can be supplied to maintain the vacuum (l / min), and the like. Here, "l" is "liter", "h" is "hour", and "min" is "minute". The supply capacity data is not limited to the case where all of these data are included, and may include a part of these data. Further, the supply capacity data may include data other than these.

When there are multiple types of power such as gas and chemicals, the supply capacity data is retained for each type. For example, examples of the gas include nitrogen gas (N ₂ ) and oxygen gas (O ₂ ). Regarding the exhaust speed of the vacuum device, there are a low vacuum exhaust speed, a high vacuum exhaust speed, and the like.

The consumption capacity data is data indicating the power consumed for manufacturing the semiconductor for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. Specifically, the consumption capacity data includes the amount of pure water (l / h), the amount of gas (l / h), the amount of compressed air (l / h), the amount of electric power (kw / h), and the amount of chemicals. Amount (l / h), amount of slurry (l / h), amount of drainage (l / h), amount of exhaust (l / h), exhaust speed of vacuum equipment required to maintain vacuum (l / h) min) etc. The consumption capacity data is not limited to the case where all of these data are included, and may include a part of these data. Further, the consumption capacity data may include data other than these.

Further, the consumption capacity data can be set for each of a plurality of processing operations of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 whose operation schedule is desired to be determined. For example, when it is desired to determine the operation schedule of each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 and when it is desired to determine the operation schedule for each of a plurality of processing operations performed by the individual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, the consumption capacity data is different. When it is desired to determine the operation schedule of the individual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, the maximum force among the plurality of operations performed by the individual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 may be used as the consumption capacity data. When it is desired to determine the operation schedule for each of a plurality of processing operations performed by the individual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, the power consumed for each of the plurality of processing operations may be used as the consumption power data. When the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is a polishing apparatus, the plurality of processing operations of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 include a substrate polishing process, a cleaning process, a drying process, a transport process, and the like.

The consumption capacity data holding unit 174 holds a plurality of different consumption capacity data for the same processing operation (manufacturing process) of at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 with respect to the consumption capacity data for at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. You may. That is, the consumption capacity data of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 depends on which production line 104 the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is arranged in, or what kind of semiconductor manufacturing process the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is used in, and the like. May hold a plurality of different consumption capacity data for the same processing operation for the same semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170.

Scheduling unit 176 determines the operation schedule for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 and / or for each manufacturing line 104 and / or for each type of semiconductor and / or for each facility in which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is housed. can do. Here, determining the operation schedule for each production line 104 means, for example, determining the operation schedule for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 included in the designated production line 104.

The control system 102 acquires the consumption capacity data from the individual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, and outputs the acquired consumption capacity data 180 to the consumption capacity data holding unit 174. The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178. Has. The consumption power data holding unit 174 holds the input consumption power data 180. The consumption capacity data 180 can be accumulated for each production line 104, for example. The consumption capacity data 180 is, for example, tabular data.

The consumption capacity data 180 includes, for example, operating status data and power usage data. The operation status data is the progress status data of the lot to be processed for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 and the processing recipe. The operation status data is output to the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 from the control unit provided for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170.

The force usage data is measured in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, for example, for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 by a measuring instrument (not shown) provided for each type of data. For example, the amount of pure water (l / h), the amount of gas (l / h), and the amount of compressed air (l / h) are measured by an ammeter, and the amount of electric power (kw / h) is measured by a voltmeter and / or current. Measured by a meter. The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 inputs the power usage data sent from the measuring instrument and outputs it to the consumption capacity data holding unit 174.

The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 may acquire the consumption capacity data 180 when the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 is performed according to the operation schedule determined by the scheduling unit 176. The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 has a function of a data correction unit configured to correct the consumption capacity data 180 held by the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 based on the acquired consumption capacity data 180. You may. A data correction unit may be provided separately from the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178.

The supply capacity data 182 may be changed according to the operating condition of at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 and / or according to the operating condition of an external device arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101. For example, when the supply capacity data 182 is set for each production line 104, when a part of the plurality of production lines 104 is stopped, the surplus capacity is distributed to the operating production line 104. Can be done. In order to execute this, the supply capacity data 182 corresponding to the operating production line 104 is changed, and the surplus capacity is distributed to the operating production line 104.

Even when the operating status of the external device arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 changes, the supply capacity data 182 of the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 is changed accordingly and supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101. The force can be increased or decreased.

The control system 102 may have a supply capacity acquisition unit 184 that acquires the supply capacity data 182 and outputs the acquired supply capacity data 182 to the supply capacity data holding unit 172. The supply capacity data holding unit 172 holds the input supply capacity data 182. The supply capacity acquisition unit 184 receives the supply capacity data 182 from the host computer 186 inside and / or outside the factory provided outside the control system 102. The host computer 186 may be in the cloud.

The control system 102 has a command unit 188 (control unit) that controls the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 according to the operation schedule determined by the scheduling unit 176. When the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 has a control unit inside, for example, when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 has the control unit 500 described above, the command unit 188 sends a command to the control unit 500 to control the operation. .. The command is, for example, tabular data representing an operation schedule. The command includes information indicating whether or not the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 can operate / not operate, the operation start permission time for the operations 1 to N, and the respective operations of the operations 1 to N for the plurality of operations 1 to N performed by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. Includes settings for multiple operating parameters.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention can also be performed using the following software and / or system. For example, each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 includes a main controller that controls each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 (for example, a control unit 500 of the polishing apparatus 1000) and each unit of each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 (EFEM200, polishing unit in the case of the polishing apparatus). It may have a plurality of unit controllers for controlling the operation of each of the 300, the cleaning unit 400, etc.). The main controller and the unit controller each have a CPU, a memory, a recording medium, and software stored in the recording medium for operating each unit.

The control system 102 includes a CPU, a memory, a recording medium, software recorded on the recording medium, and the like. The control system 102 controls the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101, and performs signal transmission / reception, information recording, and calculation for that purpose. The software is updatable. The software does not have to be updatable. The supply capacity data holding unit 172 and the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 have a storage device, and the storage device includes a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, and the like. The supply capacity data holding unit 172 and the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 may be provided in a cloud or the like.

Next, the operation of the control system 102 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation flow of the control system 102. The control system 102 repeats the steps shown in FIG. 6A, that is, the factory request confirmation 190, the device group data collection 192, the allowable operation index 194, the operation command 196, and the device group data collection 198. The factory request confirmation 190 is a step in which the supply capacity acquisition unit 184 receives a request (constraint) for the power from the factory and confirms the request. In the device group data collection 192, the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the consumption capacity data from the individual semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 101, and holds the acquired consumption capacity data 180 as the consumption capacity data. This is a step of outputting to unit 174.

In the permissible operation index 194, the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 is performed within the range of the capacity that the scheduling unit 176 can supply to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 based on the supply capacity data 182 and the consumption capacity data 180. This is the step to determine the schedule. The operation command 196 is a step in which the command unit 188 controls the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 according to the operation schedule determined by the scheduling unit 176.

In the device group data collection 198, the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the consumption capacity data 180 from the individual semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 101, and uses the acquired consumption capacity data 180 as the consumption capacity data. This is a step of outputting to the holding unit 174. The difference between the device group data collection 198 and the device group data collection 192 is that in the device group data collection 198, the consumption capacity data 180 after controlling the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 according to the operation schedule is acquired and consumed. It is to update the capacity data 180. The step of collecting device group data 198 may be omitted, and the process may return to the factory request confirmation 190.

Next, each step of the factory request confirmation 190, the device group data collection 192, the allowable operation index 194, the operation command 196, and the device group data collection 198 will be further described with reference to FIG. 6 (b). FIG. 6B embodies the contents of each step shown in FIG. 6A. In the factory request confirmation 190, the supply capacity acquisition unit 184 receives the latest request (constraint condition) for the power from the factory (latest request acquisition step 202), and holds it in the supply capacity data holding unit 172.

In the device group data collection 192, the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the consumption capacity data 180 from the individual semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 101. The consumption capacity data 180 includes, for example, operating status data and power usage data as described above. The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the operation status data, outputs the acquired operation status data to the consumption capacity data holding unit 174, and the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 holds the data (operation status). Acquisition step 204).

The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the power usage data, outputs the acquired power usage data to the consumption capacity data holding unit 174, and the consumption capacity data holding unit 174 holds the data ( Force usage acquisition step 206).

In the permissible operation index 194, the scheduling unit 176 operates the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 within the range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 based on the supply capacity data 182 and the consumption capacity data 180. The schedule is determined (allowable operation indexing step 208). In the permissible operation index 194, the scheduling unit 176 also calculates the surplus capacity of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system 101 based on the supply capacity data 182 and the consumption capacity data 180 (power reserve calculation step 210).

The calculated surplus capacity data is data indicating the surplus capacity of the capacity that can be supplied for the entire factory, for each production line 104, or for each manufacturing process. Specifically, the remaining capacity data includes the total amount of pure water (DIW) (l / h), the total amount of gas (l / h), the total amount of compressed air (CDA) (l / h), and the total amount of electric power (kw / h). ), Total amount of chemicals (l / h), total amount of slurry (l / h), total amount of drainage (l / h), total amount of exhaust (l / h), exhaust of vacuum equipment possible to maintain vacuum The total amount of speed (l / min), etc.

The permissible operation indexing step 208 will be further described. In the permissible operation index 194, the scheduling unit 176 uses the supplyable power and the consumption power data 180 calculated for the entire factory or each production line, and uses the power of the entire factory or the production line for a plurality of devices. Combine actions. That is, the scheduling unit 176 uses the available power and the consumption power data 180 to operate a plurality of devices that may be combined (that is, to operate a plurality of devices that may be operated at the same time, or to operate the devices at the same time. Do not select the operation of multiple devices).

Constraints when calculating the combination include force, manufacturing procedure, ..., And the like. Under these constraints, the scheduling unit 176 determines the operation schedule. The polishing apparatus 1000 will be described as an example. When the end time of the processing of the substrate being processed is known from the transfer time of each operation of the polishing apparatus 1000 (including the processing time, which is stored in the device operation data 180), the scheduling unit 176 then transfers the substrate. I know the time to do it. When the start time of each of the following operations is determined by the transport time of each operation of the polishing apparatus 1000, the scheduling unit 176 can determine the end time of each operation. In this way, the scheduling unit 176 can determine the start time and end time of each of the following operations. The scheduling unit 176 prioritizes each operation of each device and prevents the operations using the same force from overlapping. Since it may affect the manufacturing process (ie, the quality of the semiconductor), the priority of operations to be performed continuously is high.

As the output of the permissible operation indexing step 208, the scheduling unit 176 is used for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170.
Operation 1 Operation permission time Operation information Operation parameter 1 Operation parameter 2 ・ ・ ・ Operation parameter N
Operation 2 Operation permission time Operation information Operation parameter 1 Operation parameter 2 ・ ・ ・ Operation parameter N
・ ・ ・
Operation N Operation permission time Operation information Operation parameter 1 Operation parameter 2 ・ ・ ・ Operation parameter N
Is output to the power reduction plan 212. Here, the number of operations possessed by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170, that is, the number of operations 1, ..., And the number of operations N differs for each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. The operation information is the operation timing of each operation and the operation parameters (flow rate, pressure, motor shaft operation speed, etc.), and these are referred to as operation parameter 1, operation parameter 2, ..., Operation parameter N.

The "output of the allowable operation index" is a "combination of operations of a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170" within the range of the force, for example, "the device 1 is made to perform the operation 1 and at the same time, the device 3 is made to perform the operation 5. ... ".

Scheduling when multiple semiconductor manufacturing devices connected to a common power source perform operations that use the power at the same time, and if there is a constraint that the semiconductor manufacturing equipment cannot operate normally due to insufficient factory power. The unit 176 determines the allowable operation as follows according to the cause of the insufficient force. In the following, a polishing apparatus will be described as an example.
(1) When the phenomenon of insufficient force to be solved is gas shortage, for example, nitrogen gas shortage in the polishing device 1000, it is considered that the timing of supplying nitrogen gas to the atomizer 360A overlaps in the plurality of polishing devices 1000. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 shifts the HP reset timing between the devices as a power reduction plan. This is because if the timings of H and P are the same, the timings of the dummy dispense (DDSP) overlap, that is, the timings of supplying nitrogen gas to the atomizer overlap.

Here, "HP reset" is an abbreviation for home position reset. The status of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 is determined by the SEMI standard, which is a standard document for semiconductor manufacturing equipment established by the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry group SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International). Immediately after the power of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 is turned on, The state in which the failure is canceled after the failure occurs, immediately after the maintenance is completed, etc. are called "SettingUp". The state in which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 can be operated is called "Ready". The home position reset is a predetermined operation for shifting the state of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 from "SettingUp" to "Ready". Each device moves to the home position for each module (unit) and starts idle operation. Further, the control unit 500 performs operations such as performing communication for confirming the state of the polishing end point detecting device, the abrasive liquid supply device, and the like connected to the control unit 500 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170. Dummy dispense starts when the home position reset is completed and the idle state is reached. The home position may be reset from the Ready state.

(2) When the phenomenon of insufficient power to be solved is insufficient drainage capacity, it is considered that the cause is the cleaning of the substrate WF and the top ring 330 at a large flow rate performed by the polishing unit 300. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 shifts the operation timing that consumes a large amount of DIW as a power reduction plan.
(3) If the phenomenon of insufficient power to be solved is insufficient drainage capacity, there are other processes other than (2) that use a large amount of DIW. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 reduces the DIW supply flow rate in the operation of consuming a large amount of DIW in the other process as a power reduction plan. However, reducing the DIW supply flow rate affects the process (semiconductor quality), so whether or not to implement the power reduction plan depends on the power that can be supplied obtained in the factory requirement confirmation 190.

(4) When the phenomenon of insufficient power to be solved is insufficient power, it is considered that the polishing timings overlap. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 shifts the polishing timing between the polishing devices 1000 or between the polishing units as a power reduction plan. Specifically, the scheduling unit so that the rotation timing of the polishing table 320 in the most power-consuming and loaded state (that is, during polishing) does not overlap between the polishing devices 1000 or between the polishing units. 176 determines the operation schedule.

(5) When the phenomenon of insufficient force to be resolved is insufficient in the amount of chemical solution supplied, it is considered that the timing of the cleaning treatment between the polishing devices 1000 overlaps. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 shifts the timing of the cleaning process as a power reduction plan.

(6) When the phenomenon of insufficient force to be solved is insufficient in the amount of slurry supplied, it is considered that the timing of the polishing process between the polishing devices 1000 overlaps. Therefore, the scheduling unit 176 shifts the timing of the polishing process as a power reduction plan. As a method of shifting the timing in (5) and (6), the speed of the transport device such as the linear transporter 372 is adjusted, or the substrate WF is made to stand by in the processing end unit, and the unit is used with respect to the next substrate WF. It is possible to delay the processing start time of the operation.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the allowable operation indexing step 208 performed by the scheduling unit 176 in the allowable operation indexing 194 will be further described. In this figure, the scheduling unit 176 determines the operation schedule of a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 within the range of the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing device system 101 based on the supply capacity data 182 and the consumption capacity data 180. It is a figure which shows the operation schedule of the result. Only the operation schedule for one polishing apparatus 1000 out of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 is shown as an example. The scheduling unit 176 outputs the same operation schedule for the other semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 170 to the consumption capacity data holding unit 174. The consumption capacity data holding unit 174 holds the operation schedule as the power reduction plan 212.

The reason why the operation schedule is called a force reduction plan here is that when the force is insufficient, the operation schedule determined within the supplied force is considered to be a force reduction plan. If the power is not insufficient, the operation schedule determined within the supplied power may be a power reduction plan or a power increase plan.

This figure is a diagram showing an operation schedule for one polishing apparatus 1000 when processing four substrates WF1 to WF4. The number of substrates may be more or less than four. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents time (s), and the vertical axis represents the identification names of the four substrates WF1 to WF4.

In this figure, “RD” indicates an operation of transporting the substrate WF by a transport mechanism such as a robot. “TA”, “TB”, “TC”, and “TD” indicate polishing operations in the first polishing unit 300A, the second polishing unit 300B, the third polishing unit 300C, and the fourth polishing unit 300D, respectively. “C1A”, “C2A”, and “C3A” indicate a cleaning operation and a drying operation in the upper primary cleaning module 412A, the upper secondary cleaning module 432A, and the upper drying module 452A, respectively. “C1B”, “C2B”, and “C3B” indicate a cleaning operation and a drying operation in the lower primary cleaning module 412B, the lower secondary cleaning module 432B, and the lower drying module 452B, respectively.

Each period indicated by a code such as "RD", "TA", "TB" indicates a period during which each operation indicated by a code such as "RD", "TA", "TB" is performed. For example, for the “TA” of the substrate WF4, the polishing operation in the first polishing unit 300A starts at time 214, and the polishing operation ends at time 216.

The first "RD1" of the operation schedule of each of the substrates WF1 to WF4 indicates that the substrate WF was taken out from the cassette 222 by the robot and carried into the polishing apparatus 1000. The final "RD2" is the operation of returning the substrate WF to the cassette 222. The width of each operation indicates the length of processing (operation) time. In this figure, a blank part where there is no description indicating an operation such as “RD” indicates a waiting time for the operation. Basically, it is desirable that the substrate WF that has entered the polishing apparatus 1000 is processed without waiting time and returns to 222. However, there are cases where production is possible even if a waiting time is intentionally generated by referring to the constraints on the total amount of capacity.

The force required for each operation is stored in the consumption power data 180. In the consumption capacity data 180, a transfer recipe showing a transfer method such as a transfer route of the substrate WF is also stored. The time required to process the substrate WF is known from the processing route of the substrate shown in the transport recipe. The order of processing of the substrates WF1 to WF4 is the order of substrate WF1, substrate WF2, substrate WF3, and substrate WF4.

Since there are parts that cannot be operated at the same time due to the restrictions of the transport mechanism, the second and subsequent boards WF determine the start time of the transport operation so that the operations do not conflict with each other and the waiting time is minimized. When determining the start time of the transport operation, the scheduling unit 176 determines the operation schedule so that the sum of the forces of each operation does not exceed the sum of the forces of each force shown in the supply capacity data 182. Regarding the priority, the processing of the substrate WF, which is to perform the manufacturing process relatively downstream at that time, is prioritized. This is because it is considered that giving priority to the manufacturing process corresponding to the downstream usually improves the quality of the substrate WF. The priority between manufacturing processes may be specified as data in advance.

Further, the polishing device 1000 that is prioritized among the polishing devices 1000 is the polishing device 1000 that is processing the priority lot. The information on whether or not the lot is a priority lot is acquired in the above-mentioned operation status acquisition step 204 and is held in the consumption capacity data 180. The user can change the priority order via the host computer 186 or the scheduling unit 176 depending on the process and the production status.

Next, the operation after the scheduling unit 176 determines the operation schedule will be described. In the operation command 196 of FIG. 6, the command unit 188 controls the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 according to the operation schedule determined by the scheduling unit 176 and stored in the force reduction proposal 212 (operation command step 218).

After that, in the device group data collection 198, the consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 acquires the consumption capacity data 180 from the individual semiconductor manufacturing equipment 170 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 101, and consumes the acquired power consumption data 180. It is output to the competence data holding unit 174. In the device group data collection 198, the consumption power acquisition unit 178 acquires the consumption power data 180 after controlling the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices 170 according to the operation schedule (current power usage acquisition step 224). The consumption capacity acquisition unit 178 updates the consumption capacity data 180. The scheduling unit 176 may revise the power reduction plan 212 based on the updated consumption capacity data 180 (power reduction plan correction step 226). The effect of the power reduction plan can be measured by the device group data collection 198. After the step of collecting device group data 198 is completed, the process returns to the factory request confirmation 190.

Although examples of the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes an equivalent thereof. In addition, any combination or omission of the claims and the components described in the specification is possible within the range in which at least a part of the above-mentioned problems can be solved or at least a part of the effect is exhibited. Is.

WF ... Substrate 16 ... Polishing pad 101 ... Semiconductor manufacturing equipment system 102 ... Control system 170 ... Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 172 ... Supply capacity data holding unit 174 ... Consuming capacity data holding unit 176 ... Scheduling unit 178 ... Consuming capacity acquisition unit 180 … Device operation data 180… Consumed capacity data 182… Supply capacity data 184… Supply capacity acquisition unit 194… Allowable operation index 196… Operation command 202… Latest request acquisition step 204… Operation status acquisition step 206… Power usage Acquisition step 208 ... Allowable operation indexing step 210 ... Force reserve calculation step 212 ... Force reduction plan 500 ... Control unit 1000 ... Polishing device

Claims (9)

In a control system for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system configured to manufacture a semiconductor having a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipments.
A supply capacity data holding unit configured to hold supply capacity data relating to the capacity that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system, and a supply capacity data holding unit.
A consumption capacity data holding unit configured to hold consumption capacity data relating to consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices, and a consumption capacity data holding unit.
A scheduling unit configured to determine an operation schedule of a plurality of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus within a range of the capabilities that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system based on the supply capacity data and the consumption capacity data. A control system characterized by having and. The consumption capacity data holding unit holds a plurality of different consumption capacity data for the same manufacturing process of the at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with respect to the consumption capacity data for at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the control system is configured as described above. The scheduling unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the scheduling unit is configured to determine the operation schedule for each type of the semiconductor and / or for each facility in which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is housed. Control system. It has a consumption capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire the consumption capacity data and output the acquired consumption capacity data to the consumption capacity data holding unit.
The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the consumption capacity data holding unit is configured to hold the input consumption power data. When a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus operations are performed according to the operation schedule, the consumption capacity acquisition unit acquires the consumption capacity data.
The control system is characterized by having a data correction unit configured to correct the consumption power data held by the consumption power data holding unit based on the acquired power consumption data. The control system according to claim 4. The supply capacity data is characterized in that it changes according to the operating status of at least one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and / or according to the operating status of an external device arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus system. The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. It has a supply capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire the supply capacity data and output the acquired supply capacity data to the supply capacity data holding unit.
The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the supply capacity data holding unit is configured to hold the input supply capacity data. The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a control unit configured to control the operation of the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the operation schedule. In a control method of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system configured to have a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to manufacture a semiconductor,
A process of holding supply capacity data regarding the capacity that can be supplied to the system, and
A process of holding consumption capacity data relating to consumption capacity consumed by the plurality of semiconductor manufacturing devices, and
It is characterized by having a step of determining an operation schedule of a plurality of the semiconductor manufacturing equipments within a range of the powers that can be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing equipment system based on the supply capacity data and the consumption capacity data. A control method for a semiconductor manufacturing equipment system.

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