JP3144369B2 - Production control system and its control method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a production control system and a control method therefor, and more particularly, to a production control system for forming a semiconductor automation line, in which a reconstruction data set function is automated when a work is abnormal, and a control method therefor. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a production control system for a semiconductor automation line, as a procedure for setting a reconstruction data when a work abnormality occurs, the content of the reconstruction is determined by the judgment of an operator corresponding to the abnormality, and the reconstruction work is performed. A procedure is adopted in which data is set in a production system that forms the semiconductor automation line. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a procedure for setting reconstruction data in an example of the above-described conventional reconstruction execution system. The outline of the internal configuration of the work procedure database 1 included in the schematic diagram is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and the outline of the internal configuration of the reconstruction procedure database 15 is shown in FIG. However, in the work procedure database 1 of FIG. 5, only the work procedure master 1-1 of the product name (1) shown in FIG. 3 is extracted and shown for convenience of explanation. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the main points of the reconstruction execution system of the conventional example will be described.

[0003] In the schematic diagram of FIG. 8, measurement data indicating the operation results of semiconductor production in equipment 16 included in a semiconductor production line is sequentially transmitted to an operator 13. Is performed, and the quality of the work result is determined. If the work result is OK as a result of checking the measurement data, the worker 13 issues a product transfer instruction to the work instruction unit 3, and the product is transferred to the work instruction unit 3 and the work procedure database 1. Is transferred to the next step via That is, for example, in FIG.
If it is the work process B in the work procedure master 1-1 and the work result in the work process B is OK, the work process C of the next process is designated in the work procedure database 1, and the product is It is sent to work process C. Also, as a result of checking the measurement data corresponding to the work result, when the worker 13 determines that the work result is NG, the worker 13 issues a product reconstruction instruction and the reconstruction work is performed. Through the procedure input section 18 and the reconstructing procedure setting section 17, the corresponding reconstructing procedure is selected in the reconstructing procedure database 15 according to the instruction. For example, in FIG. 6, assuming that the rebuilding procedure (3) in the rebuilding procedure database 15 is selected corresponding to the NG, in this case, the instruction of the rebuilding procedure (3) is changed to the work procedure. It is transmitted to the database 1.
For example, in the work procedure master 1-1 stored in the work procedure database 1 in FIG. 5, when the work process in which the work abnormality has occurred is the work process C, the work of the next process of the work process C is performed. For the process D, the rebuilding procedure (3) is set in the rebuilding procedure database 15 shown in FIG. Thus, the worker 13
When it is confirmed that the reconstructing procedure data (3) is set correctly in the working procedure master 1-1, the worker 13 sends the reconstructing procedure data via the work instruction unit 3 to the reconstructing procedure data. The corresponding product is sent to the facility 16 of the next process, and the rebuilding work is started.

As described above, in response to a work abnormality in a conventional production line, a worker determines the contents of rework after confirming the contents of the abnormality each time. In a production line in which strict standards are diversified, work abnormalities occur more frequently than in other production lines. For example, there are many strict standards such as the thickness of a grown film corresponding to a silicon wafer, various resistance values, and the line width of a circuit, and there are many problems in dealing with abnormal work.

[0005] Further, as another conventional example, for example, an "individual test method (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-198042)" is disclosed. In this conventional example, in the process of performing an individual test, if abnormalities occur continuously during the test, a retest for the defective product is automatically performed, and based on the result, the product is good or defective. This is a test method of recognizing whether or not the product is good or not, and after the result of the pass / fail is obtained, the test proceeds to the test of the next product.

[0006]

In the above-described conventional production control system for a semiconductor automation line and its control method, the procedure for setting the reconstruction data when a work abnormality occurs includes the processing result after the work in the facilities of the production line. OK or NG can be automatically determined,
It is impossible to automatically respond to NG products thereafter. Also, as in a semiconductor production line, in a production line for a multi-product, multi-process product, the case of determining the processing result is complicated,
Automating the rebuilding procedure is challenging. For this reason, there is a drawback that after the work is completed, the man-hour for constantly checking the measurement data by the worker is indispensable.

When the result of the measurement data is NG, the re-construction procedure data is set by manually registering the re-construction procedure data by an operator. There is a disadvantage that a mistake occurs in the set of construction procedure data.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a production control system for controlling an operation procedure of an automation line for semiconductor manufacturing, comprising: a semiconductor manufacturing facility for forming the semiconductor manufacturing production line; In the process of manufacturing, when a work abnormality occurs in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a reconstruction automatic setting means for automatically setting a reconstruction work procedure for dealing with the work abnormality, and And a communication means for connecting between the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and the automatic reconstruction setting means as at least automatic reconstruction execution means.

The automatic reconstructing work setting means includes a work procedure data storing means for storing and preserving a work procedure master including a series of work steps of the semiconductor for each kind of the semiconductor, and a setting means for each kind of the semiconductor. Inspection / experience / knowledge data storage means for pre-storing and holding predetermined inspection / experience / knowledge data including conditions to be performed, work result standard values and reconstruction procedure data; Determine whether or not the work state information transmitted from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment via the communication means, and if the work state information is determined to be possible, instruct the setting of a normal work process of the corresponding type, and If it is determined, the standard verification means for instructing the setting of the corresponding reconstruction procedure data in the inspection experience knowledge data storage means, and for instructing the setting of the reconstruction. When it is determined that the work state information is negative, the inspection / experience / knowledge data set in the inspection experience knowledge data storage means is used as a work process setting reference for reconstruction in response to an instruction from the standard verification means. A re-construction setting means for selecting and setting a work process stored in the work procedure data storage means, and receiving an instruction from the standard verification means when the work state information is determined to be acceptable, While sequentially setting the work process of the corresponding type in the data storage means and giving a work instruction, and when it is determined that the work state information is not received, receiving the instruction of the standard verification means, the rebuilding setting means Work instruction means for setting a work process in the work procedure data storage means to be selectively set and issuing a work instruction may be provided.

The reconstruction setting means may include means for storing the same reconstruction procedure data as the reconstruction procedure data stored in the inspection experience knowledge data storage means.

A production control method according to a second aspect of the present invention is the production control method for controlling an operation procedure of an automated line for semiconductor manufacturing, wherein each time the semiconductor manufacturing work process is completed, measurement data indicating a work result in the work process. Is automatically verified based on a predetermined standard to automatically determine the presence or absence of a work abnormality. If the first step automatically determines that there is no work abnormality, the next work is automatically performed. A second step of shifting to a process, a third step of automatically retrieving the corresponding reconstruction procedure data when the work abnormality is automatically determined in the first step, and the third step Based on your automatic search results,
A fourth step of automatically setting reconstruction data specifying a corresponding reconstruction work process in a predetermined work procedure master; and performing reconstruction work in accordance with the reconstruction data automatically set in the fourth step. The method includes at least a fifth step to be performed and a sixth step to automatically return to the first step after the completion of the rebuilding work. The first to sixth steps are performed throughout the operation period of semiconductor manufacturing.
Is repeatedly performed.

The first step includes a seventh step of transferring measurement data indicating a work result of the work process from the production line to the production control means every time the work process of semiconductor manufacturing is completed. An eighth step of determining on the side of the production control means whether or not the work process of the measurement data is a work process of a standard check; and, in the eighth step, the work process is a work process of a standard check. If it is determined that the process is not a work process, the operator checks the standard of the measurement data and rebuilds it.
A ninth step of judging unnecessary, and a step of automatically performing a standard check on measurement data indicating the work result when it is determined in the eighth step that the work process is a standard check target work process. And if the measurement data is determined to conform to the standard in the tenth step, the process proceeds to the second step, and the measurement data does not conform to the standard. If it is determined that they are the same, the process may proceed to the third step.

[0013]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a system configuration according to an embodiment of the first invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment has a work procedure database 1, an inspection experience knowledge database 2,
A host computer 6 including a work instruction unit 3, a standard check unit 4, and a rebuilding set unit 5; a work procedure input unit 7 for inputting work procedure data to the work procedure database 1;
An inspection experience knowledge data input unit 8 for inputting inspection experience knowledge data into the inspection experience knowledge database 2, and equipment (1) 11
-1,..., Equipment (m) 11-m, and measurement line (1) 12-1,..., Production line 10 formed by measurement line (n) 12-n; And a communication unit 9 for transmitting information to and from the production line 10. Although not abbreviated in FIG. 1, in the reconstruction set unit 5, the instruction of the inspection experience knowledge database 2 is received and the reconstruction work procedure Is included in the rebuilding procedure database 15 (see FIG. 6). Also, in FIG. 1, as in the case of the above-described conventional example, the worker who performs the monitoring control of the production control system is shown as “worker 13”.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of data in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the work procedure database 1 as in the conventional example. 4 shows the internal configuration of the inspection experience knowledge database 2 unique to the present invention. Also, FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of one Embodiment of 2nd invention.

The production control function of the production control system for forming the semiconductor automation line is controlled by the host computer 6, and from the host computer 6 via the communication unit 9, the equipment (1) 11-1. , ……
..., equipment (m) 11-m, and measuring instrument (1) 12-
1,..., Various operation instructions are issued to the production line 10 formed by the measuring devices (n) 12-n. Normally, after the work by each of the above-described facilities and each measuring device in the production line 10 is performed, as described in the description of the conventional example, measurement data indicating whether or not the work was normally performed. Is measured, and it is required as a necessary condition to check whether or not the measurement data falls within a numerical value within a predetermined standard. In the following, the first and second inventions will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 described above.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of data when performing rebuilding in the first embodiment of the first invention as described above. Note that, in FIG.
One piece of equipment included in 0 is extracted, and the flow of data corresponding to OK and NG of the work result corresponding to the equipment is described, and the code of the equipment is set to 16. First, work on a semiconductor product is performed in the facility 16, and after the work is completed (Step 101: see FIG. 7, the same applies hereinafter), measurement data indicating the work result is transmitted from the production line 10 via the communication unit 9. The information is sequentially transmitted to the standard check unit 4 (step 102). Next, it is determined whether or not the work process of the measurement data is a work process of a standard check target (step 103). If it is determined in step 103 that the work process is not a work process subject to the standard check, the worker performs a standard check on the measurement data to determine whether reconstruction is necessary or not (step 104). The process moves to the next operation step (step 106). Also, in step 103,
When it is determined that the work process is a work process subject to the standard check, conventionally, the measurement data is transmitted to the worker 13, and the worker 13 determines OK / NG of the work result. In contrast, according to the present invention, by adding the function of the standard check unit 4 to the production control system, OK / NG of the work result is automatically determined by the standard check unit 4 (step 10).
5).

The criterion for determining the work result by the standard check unit 4 is based on the data contents of the inspection experience knowledge database 2, and these data are based on various conditions and work result standard values defined for each type of semiconductor product. In the reconstruction procedure data (Note: reconstruction procedure data included in the reconstruction procedure database 15 / see FIG. 6), the standard value of the work result with respect to the condition of the product name of the known semiconductor product and the result are NG. Is the data formed as a set of the reconstructing procedure data in the case of. These data are input to the inspection experience knowledge data input unit 8 (see FIG. 1).
Is artificially input in advance. FIG. 4 shows the internal configuration of the inspection experience knowledge database 2, which stores conditions, standard values, and reconstruction procedures for each product name.

In the determination result of the standard check of the measured data by the standard check unit 4 in step 105, if the work result is OK, the work instruction unit 3 is notified.
Although an instruction to automatically advance the semiconductor product to the next process is issued (step 106), if the work result is NG, the work instruction unit 3 sends the reconstruction data for the product according to the instruction of the standard check unit 4. Is automatically searched (step 107), and the reconstruction setting unit 5 is operated by the instruction via the automatic reconstruction procedure instructing unit 17 and the reconstruction procedure setting unit 18 of the functions included in the host computer 6.
Reconstruction procedure database 15 included in (see FIG. 1)
(Refer to FIG. 6: not shown inside the rebuilding set unit 5 in FIG. 1), the corresponding rebuilding procedure is automatically selected. As an example, the name of a semiconductor product (1)
Assuming that the rebuilding procedure (2) is selected in response to the NG, the instruction of the rebuilding procedure (2) is transmitted to the work procedure database 1 via the rebuilding set unit 5.
Is transmitted to In this case, in the work procedure master 1-1 of the item name (1) stored in the work procedure database 1 in FIG. The rebuilding procedure database 15 shown in FIG.
Is automatically set additionally (step 108). Further, along with the additional set of the rebuilding procedure, an instruction for executing the rebuilding work is immediately transmitted to the corresponding equipment 16 via the communication unit 9 (see FIG. 1) via the work instructing unit 3, and the rebuilding procedure is performed. (Step 109). Then, after the completion of the rebuilding, the flow returns to step 102 again.
The measurement data corresponding to the work in the next work process is sequentially transmitted to the standard check unit, and the procedure from step 102 is repeatedly executed. This production control operation is the same for other semiconductor products and other various equipment included in the production line 10. In the present embodiment, the operator 13 performs the standard check as described above. It is monitored whether the process is performed.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, conventionally, the state of a product after work is determined by checking the measured data by an operator to determine whether or not the measured data is within standard values. In contrast to deciding whether or not to carry out reconstruction, by registering data on known reconstruction cases in the production control system, referring to the registered data By automatically setting the rebuilding procedure, there is an effect that the rebuilding set time can be significantly shortened and an artificial rebuilding set mistake can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of information in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a work procedure database included in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an inspection experience knowledge database included in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial configuration diagram of a work procedure database included in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a rebuilding procedure database included in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to an embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of information in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1 work procedure database 2 inspection experience knowledge database 3 work instruction section 4 standard check section 5 reconstruction setting section 6 host computer 7 work procedure input section 8 inspection experience knowledge data input section 9 communication section 10 production line 11-1 to 11-m Equipment (1) to Equipment (m) 12-1 to 12-n Measuring instrument (1) to Measuring instrument (n) 13 Worker 14 Standard check section 15 Reconstruction procedure database 16 Equipment 17 Automatic reconstruction procedure instructing section 18 Re Construction procedure setting section 19 Reconstruction work procedure input section

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A production control system for controlling an operation procedure of an automation line for semiconductor manufacturing, comprising: a semiconductor manufacturing facility forming the semiconductor manufacturing production line; and a work abnormality occurring in the semiconductor manufacturing facility in a semiconductor manufacturing process. Sometimes, a re-construction automatic setting means for automatically setting a re-construction work procedure for dealing with the work abnormality, and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment and the re-construction And a communication means for connecting to the automatic setting means, and at least a re-construction automatic execution means. 2. A work procedure data storage means for storing and holding in advance a work procedure master including a series of work processes of the semiconductor for each kind of semiconductor, and a setting means for each kind of semiconductor. Inspection experience / knowledge data storage means for previously storing and holding predetermined inspection / experience / knowledge data including specified conditions, work result standard values, and reconstruction procedure data; Determine whether or not the work state information transmitted from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment via the communication means, and if the work state information is determined to be possible, instruct the setting of a normal work process of the corresponding type, and If judged, the standard verification means for instructing the setting of the corresponding reconstruction procedure data in the inspection experience knowledge data storage means, and for instructing the setting of the reconstruction, When it is determined that the work state information is not acceptable, the inspection / experience / knowledge data set in the inspection experience knowledge data storage means is used as a work process setting reference for reconstruction in response to an instruction from the standard verification means. A re-construction setting means for selecting and setting a work process stored in the work procedure data storage means; and receiving an instruction from the standard verification means when the work state information is determined to be acceptable, While sequentially setting the work process of the corresponding type in the data storage means and giving a work instruction, and when it is determined that the work state information is not received, receiving the instruction of the standard verification means, the rebuilding setting means 2. The production control system according to claim 1, further comprising: a work instruction unit configured to set a work process in the work procedure data storage unit to be selected and set and issue a work instruction. 3. The reconstructing procedure setting means includes means for storing the same reconstructing procedure data as the reconstructing procedure data stored in the inspection experience knowledge data storing means. Production control system. 4. A production control method for controlling an operation procedure of an automated line for semiconductor manufacturing, wherein each time the operation process of the semiconductor manufacturing is completed, measurement data indicating a work result in the operation process is automatically set based on a predetermined standard. A first step of verifying and automatically determining the presence or absence of a work abnormality; and a second step of automatically shifting to the next work process when the first step automatically determines that there is no work abnormality. A third step of automatically retrieving the corresponding reconstruction procedure data when it is automatically determined that there is a work abnormality in the first step, based on an automatic search result of the third step, A fourth step of automatically setting reconstruction data designating a corresponding reconstruction work process in a predetermined work procedure master; and automatically setting in the fourth step A fifth step of performing a rebuilding operation in accordance with the obtained rebuilding data; and a sixth step of automatically returning to the first step after the completion of the rebuilding operation. A production control method, wherein the first to sixth steps are repeated throughout the operation period. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first step is a step of transferring measurement data indicating a work result of the work process from a production line to a production control unit every time the work process of semiconductor manufacturing is completed; An eighth step of determining on the side of the production control means whether or not the work process of the measurement data is a work process of a standard check; and, in the eighth step, the work process of which the work process is a standard check target. If it is determined that the process is not a process, a ninth step in which the operator performs a standard check on the measurement data to determine whether reconstruction is necessary or unnecessary, and And a tenth step of automatically performing a standard check on the measurement data indicating the operation result when it is determined that the process is a process. In step 0, when it is determined that the measurement data conforms to the standard, the process proceeds to the second step. When it is determined that the measurement data does not conform to the standard, the third step is performed. 5. The production control method according to claim 4, further comprising: