JP4697878B2 - Process information management apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a process information management apparatus that manages process information that is information about control of a processing apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a control system that controls a plurality of processing apparatuses that process a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer under centralized management, and has a control system that improves the maintainability of the entire manufacturing system (see Patent Document 1). This control system performs analysis processing of all process data obtained from each processing device, including centralized management of recipes (process condition values) for each processing device and process control of each processing device based on the recipe. This is a system that connects an AGC (advanced group controller) that performs centralized monitoring processing of results and process data, and further processing that reflects analysis / statistical results in a recipe. In the present control system, all process data obtained from each processing device and the analysis result thereof can be monitored, so that the abnormality and deterioration state of the processing device can be discovered in more detail and at an early stage.

  In addition, in a commercially available process information management apparatus (for example, a server apparatus that constitutes a group management system that manages processes of a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses), whether each of one or more steps constituting two recipes is the same Some have a function to display whether they are different.

Furthermore, in recent years, due to the increase in the scale of manufacturing systems for semiconductor wafers and liquid crystal panels, a large number of processing devices that perform processing (process) such as film formation, etching, and thermal oxidation on the target substrate are centrally managed The demand to do is increasing. Specifically, for example, it is necessary to centrally manage several tens of processing devices and control devices.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-16797 (first page, FIG. 1 etc.)

  On the other hand, in order for the processing apparatus to operate properly, it is necessary to check the difference between the recipe in which the operation of the master recipe is guaranteed to some extent and the other recipe on the process information management apparatus side included in the control system. However, in the conventional apparatus, when presenting the difference between the master recipe and other recipes, it is only possible to display whether each of the one or more steps constituting the two recipes is the same or different. There was a problem. Therefore, the user of the process information management apparatus cannot accurately know the meaning of the difference between the two recipes and cannot perform the next action with high accuracy.

  Specifically, for example, in a conventional control system, the recipes of a plurality of control devices that can be compared are that the control device is online at that time and exists on the control device, and It was necessary to be able to access the control device from the process information management device. However, when focusing on recipes that are not subject to comparison, the reason why conventional control systems cannot make comparisons (whether the control device is offline, whether the control device is online but does not have a recipe, or does not have access to the control device, etc.) I did not understand.

  In addition, there are two recipe differences that can be compared and displayed at a time, and several dozens of processing devices and control devices are centrally managed. Recipes that are used by the master recipe and other control devices at a time. I could not know if there was any difference.

  The process information management apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention provides one or more recipes that are information relating to processes held by one or more control apparatuses that respectively control one or more processing apparatuses that perform a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed. A recipe storage unit that is stored in association with each of the one or more control devices and stores a master recipe that is a reference recipe, and information on the difference between the master recipe and the one or more recipes. The recipe difference information acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the one or more recipes, the difference information that is information related to one of the types of information related to the difference, and the difference information acquired by the recipe difference information acquisition unit, It is a process information management device provided with a difference information output unit that outputs every two or more recipes.

  With this configuration, not only two types of information regarding whether or not two or more recipes are the same or different, but also three or more types of information can be obtained, and the user can obtain information between two recipes. Know exactly what the difference means. As a result, the user can perform the next action with high accuracy.

  Further, the process information management device of the second invention further comprises a recipe receiving unit that receives a recipe from the control device with respect to the first invention, and at least a part of the recipe in the recipe storage unit is It is a process information management device which is a recipe received by the recipe receiving unit.

  With this configuration, the process information management apparatus can hold the recipe of the control apparatus that can ensure consistency with the recipe existing in the control apparatus.

  In addition, the process information management device according to the third aspect of the present invention is a control device that stores one or more pieces of control device information, which is information relating to the one or more control devices, with respect to either the first or the second aspect The information storage unit and the recipe difference information acquisition unit store the master recipe and the difference information of one or more recipes corresponding to the one or more control devices indicated by the one or more control device information of the control device information storage unit. , A process information management device acquired for each of the one or more recipes.

  With this configuration, the recipe of the control device registered in advance and the master recipe can be compared. For example, the user can know the state of the control device that is not connected to the network due to trouble or the like.

  Further, the process information management device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the information indicating that the difference information is the same as the master recipe compared to any of the first to third aspects of the invention. The same information, or the difference information which is information indicating that the recipe to be compared with the master recipe is different, or the absence information indicating that there is no recipe to be compared, or the recipe to be compared. Either information of communication disabled information indicating that the corresponding control device cannot communicate with the process information management device or output disabled information which is information indicating that the user cannot obtain the difference information. The recipe difference information acquisition unit compares the contents of the master recipe with the contents of the recipes to be compared with each other to determine whether the two recipes are the same. A difference acquisition unit that determines whether or not the same information or difference information is acquired, a non-existence information acquisition unit that determines that there is no recipe for comparing the difference, and acquires non-existence information; and the control device Whether or not communication is possible, and if communication is impossible, accept communication disable information acquisition means for acquiring communication disable information and user information that is information about a user operating this process information management device, Based on the user information, it is determined whether or not the user cannot obtain the difference information, and when the user cannot obtain the difference information, the output disable information acquisition means for acquiring the output disable information is provided. This is a process information management device.

  With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the difference information of five kinds of detailed recipes. As a result, the user can perform the next action with high accuracy.

  Further, the process information management device of the fifth aspect of the invention relates to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, a receiving unit that receives designation of two or more recipes including a master recipe, and the recipe difference information acquisition unit includes: A process information management device that acquires difference information between a master recipe that has received the designation and one or more recipes that have received the designation of the recipe, excluding the master recipe.

  With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the difference information for the recipe designated by the user.

  According to the process information management device of the present invention, it is possible to obtain not only two types of information regarding whether or not two or more recipes are the same or different, but also three or more types of information. Can accurately know the meaning of the difference between the two recipes.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a process information management apparatus and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.
(Embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a control system in the present embodiment. The control system is a system that controls a manufacturing apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus. The control system includes one or more processing devices 11 (processing device 11 (1) to processing device 11 (n)), one or more control devices 12 (control device 12 (1) to control device 12 (n)), And a process information management device 13.

  The processing apparatus 11 is an apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed. More specifically, the processing apparatus 11 is a manufacturing apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus. The processing apparatus 11 performs various processes on the substrate to be processed such as a film forming process, an etching process, and a thermal oxidation process. The processing apparatus 11 is, for example, a composite process type semiconductor wafer manufacturing apparatus. An example of this semiconductor wafer manufacturing apparatus is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor wafer manufacturing apparatus includes a plurality of (for example, three) process chambers 1 that perform various processes, such as a film forming process, an etching process, and a thermal oxidation process, on a semiconductor wafer. 2, 3, between cassette chambers 4, 5 that accommodate cassettes C 1, C 2 that can accommodate a large number (for example, 50) of wafers W, and between process chambers 1, 2, 3 and cassette chambers 4, 5 And a transfer chamber 6 for transferring the wafer W. The chambers are connected via a gate valve G so as to be freely opened and closed. In the transfer chamber 6, for example, an articulated transfer arm 7 capable of bending and extending and rotating is provided, and the transfer arm 7 transfers the wafer W between the chambers. The cassettes C1 and C2 are turned 90 degrees when taken into the cassette chambers 4 and 5, and the wafer insertion / removal ports of the cassettes C1 and C2 are rotated so as to face the center in the transfer chamber 6, thereby transferring the transfer arms 7 Is installed in a posture in which the wafer W can be taken in and out.

  The control device 12 is a device that controls the processing device 11 and is usually provided corresponding to the processing device 11. The control device 12 stores a recipe (usually a set of process condition values) that is information relating to a predetermined process for the substrate to be processed, and controls the processing device 11 using the recipe. The control device 12 includes, for example, an ECC control unit that is a higher-level control system of each processing device 11 and an MC (machine controller) that is a lower-level control system of each processing device 11. In such a case, the ECC control unit has, for example, a RAP (Remote Agent Process) that is a logical interface unit with the process information management apparatus 13, and various data are exchanged with the process information management apparatus 13 by this RAP. Transmission / reception is performed. The processing device 11 and the control device 12 may be integrated or separated.

  The process information management device 13 is, for example, a server device that constitutes a so-called group management system.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the process information management apparatus 13. The process information management device 13 includes a reception unit 131, a user information storage unit 132, a recipe storage unit 133, a recipe difference information acquisition unit 134, a difference information output unit 135, a control device information storage unit 136, a recipe reception unit 137, and a recipe storage unit. 138 and a detailed output unit 139.

  The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 includes a difference acquisition unit 1341, a non-existence information acquisition unit 1342, a communication impossibility information acquisition unit 1343, and an output impossibility information acquisition unit 1344.

  The accepting unit 131 accepts user instructions and user information. An instruction is a recipe designation instruction that designates two or more recipes including a master recipe, a difference information output instruction that is an instruction to output difference information, and an output that indicates that there is a difference between two or more recipes. In addition, a detailed output instruction, which is an instruction for further knowing details of the difference, is provided. The recipe designation instruction may have one recipe identifier. In such a case, the recipe designation instruction designates one or more control device recipes and master recipes having the same recipe identifier. The recipe designation instruction may have two or more recipe identifiers. In such a case, the recipe designation instruction designates two or more recipes identified by two or more recipe identifiers included in the recipe designation instruction. The user information is information for identifying the user, and is, for example, a user ID or a combination of a user ID and a password. The detailed output instruction includes, for example, an instruction for a master recipe and one recipe. In such a case, the detailed output instruction is an instruction to output details of the difference between the master recipe and the one recipe. The input means such as an instruction may be anything such as a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, or a menu screen. In addition, the instruction may be transmitted from an external device. In such a case, the receiving unit 131 includes a receiving unit. The accepting unit 131 can be realized by a device driver for input means such as a numeric keypad or a keyboard, control software for a menu screen, communication means, and the like.

  The user information storage unit 132 stores at least temporarily the user information received by the receiving unit 131. The user information storage unit 132 is preferably a volatile recording medium such as a RAM, but can also be realized by a non-volatile recording medium such as a hard disk.

  The recipe storage unit 133 stores a master recipe and one or more recipes (recipes that are not master recipes). A recipe is information relating to a process held by one or more control devices 12 that control a processing device 11 that performs a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed. Here, the recipe is a kind of process information. The process information may be an instruction sequence for controlling a process other than the recipe. Recipes are stored in the recipe storage unit 133 in association with the control device 12. The master recipe may be information associated with one control device 12 or may be virtual information. The master recipe may not be fixed. The user may be able to specify a master recipe. The recipe storage unit 133 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium.

  The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 is information on the difference between the master recipe and one or more recipes (recipes that are not master recipes), and the difference information that is information on the difference between one of the three or more types of information regarding the difference, Acquire for each recipe of 1 or more. Also, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 obtains 1 or more recipe difference information corresponding to the master recipe and one or more control devices 12 indicated by one or more control device information in the control device information storage unit 136 described later. It is suitable to acquire for each of the above recipes. The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 detects one or more control devices connected to the network, and is information regarding the difference between the master recipe and the recipe of the one or more control devices. The difference information, which is information regarding one difference, may be acquired for each of one or more recipes. The difference information can take three or more values. Three or more types of values are the same information (for example, value “0”) indicating that the recipes to be compared are the same, and difference information (information indicating that the recipes to be compared are different ( For example, the value “1”), non-existence information indicating that there is no recipe to be compared (eg, value “2”), and the control device 12 corresponding to the recipe to be compared cannot communicate with the process information management device 13. Either communication disabled information (for example, value “3”) indicating that the user is in a state, or output disabled information (for example, value “4”) that is information indicating that the user cannot obtain the difference information. Information. The difference information usually includes the same information and difference information. Three or more types of difference information are the same information, difference information, and one or more other difference information. The other one or more pieces of difference information are non-existence information, for example. The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 normally acquires the difference information between the master recipe that the reception unit 131 has received designation and one or more recipes that have received the designation, excluding the master recipe. In addition, the determination method of whether two recipes are the same or different is not ask | required. The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 usually compares all the details (contents) of one or more steps of each of the two recipes to determine whether the two recipes are exactly the same, Even if one of the process condition values is different, the difference information is set as the difference information (the recipe is different). In addition, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 compares the attribute values (update date and time, updater, etc.) of the two recipes without comparing the contents of the recipes. The information may be difference information. When different information is obtained by comparing attribute values, the processing speed can be increased. The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The difference acquisition means 1341 compares the contents of the master recipe with the contents of the recipe to be compared with the master recipe, determines whether the two recipes are the same or different, and determines the same information (for example, the value “ 0 ”) or difference information (eg, value“ 1 ”). Note that a recipe usually has one or more steps. A step is a set of process condition values for controlling the processing apparatus 11. The difference acquisition unit 1341 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the difference acquisition unit 1341 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The absence information acquisition unit 1342 determines that there is no recipe to be compared, and acquires the absence information. For example, when the receiving unit 131 receives a recipe designation instruction, the absence information acquisition unit 1342 determines whether a recipe corresponding to a recipe identifier that identifies a recipe included in the recipe designation instruction exists in the recipe storage unit 133. If it is determined that it does not exist in the recipe storage unit 133, non-existence information (for example, value “2”) is obtained. The absence information acquisition unit 1342 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the absence information acquisition unit 1342 is normally realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The communication disabling information acquisition unit 1343 determines whether communication with the control device 12 is possible, and acquires communication disabling information when communication is not possible. The case where communication with the control device 12 is not possible is when the control device 12 is shut down or when the control device 12 is not connected to the network. Since it is possible to determine whether communication is possible or not by a known technique, a detailed description is omitted. The communication impossibility information acquisition unit 1343 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the communication impossibility information acquisition unit 1343 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  Whether the user of the process information management apparatus 13 cannot obtain the difference information by using the user information received by the receiving unit 131 and stored in the user information storage unit 132. If the user cannot determine the difference information and obtains the difference information, the output disable information is acquired. The output impossible information acquisition unit 1344 stores, for example, one or more pieces of user information that can obtain the difference information, and is stored in the user information storage unit 132 in the one or more pieces of stored user information. Whether the user information is present or not, if the user information does not exist, the difference information is set as non-outputable information (for example, the value “4”). Further, the output impossibility information acquisition unit 1344 stores, for example, one or more pieces of user information that can obtain different information for each recipe or control device, and obtains different information for a specified recipe or control device. A user who can determine whether or not he / she can use the stored user information and the received user information and the user identified by the received user information cannot obtain the difference information. If it is determined that the difference information is output non-output information. The output impossibility information acquisition means 1344 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the non-outputable information obtaining unit 1344 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The difference information output unit 135 outputs the difference information acquired by the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 for each recipe. The output mode of difference information is not ask | required. An example of the output mode of the difference information will be described later. Here, the output is a concept including display on a display, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, accumulation in a recording medium, and the like. The difference information output unit 135 may or may not include an output device such as a display. The difference information output unit 135 can be implemented by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  The control device information storage unit 136 stores one or more pieces of control device information that is information related to one or more control devices 12. The control device information is, for example, an ID for identifying the control device 12 or a name of the control device 12. The control device information storage unit 136 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium.

  The recipe receiving unit 137 receives a recipe from the control device 12. For example, the recipe receiving unit 137 receives a recipe from the control device 12 at a timing when the recipe is updated in each control device 12. In such a case, the control device 12 receives a recipe update when a recipe update reception unit that receives a recipe update, a recipe update unit that updates a recipe, a recipe update detection unit that detects a recipe update, or a recipe update detection unit detects a recipe update. And a recipe transmission unit for transmitting the recipe to the process information management apparatus. Moreover, it cannot be overemphasized that the control apparatus 12 comprises the control part which controls a processing apparatus based on a recipe. However, the recipe receiving unit 137 may periodically communicate with the control device 12 to acquire a recipe. That is, the timing at which the recipe receiving unit 137 receives the recipe is not limited. The recipe receiving unit 137 is usually realized by a wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by a means for receiving a broadcast.

  The recipe storage unit 138 stores the recipe received by the recipe receiving unit 137 in the recipe storage unit 133. The recipe storage unit 138 normally stores the recipe received by the recipe receiving unit 137 in the recipe storage unit 133 in association with the control device 12 that has transmitted the recipe. Accumulation of recipes associated with the control device 12 is, for example, accumulating control device information for identifying the control device 12 and a recipe as a pair. The recipe storage unit 138 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the recipe storage unit 138 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The detail output unit 139 acquires and outputs step difference information that is information regarding a difference between one or more steps that is detailed information of the designated recipe. The mode of outputting step difference information does not matter. The processing procedure of the detail output unit 139 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. Here, the output is a concept including display on a display, printing on a printer, transmission to an external device, storage on a recording medium, and the like. The detailed output unit 139 may be considered as including or not including an output device such as a display. The detailed output unit 139 can be implemented by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  Next, the operation of the process information management apparatus will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  (Step S401) The receiving unit 131 determines whether an input has been received. If an input is accepted, the process goes to step S402, and if no input is accepted, the process goes to step S411.

  (Step S402) The reception unit 131 determines whether or not the input received in step S401 is user information. If it is user information, go to Step S403, and if it is not user information, go to Step S404.

  (Step S403) The reception unit 131 accumulates the user information received in step S401 in the user information storage unit 132. Note that authentication processing may be performed using user information by means not shown. Since the authentication process is a known technique, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  (Step S404) The accepting unit 131 determines whether or not the input accepted in step S401 is a recipe designation instruction. If it is a recipe designation instruction, go to step S405, and if it is not a recipe designation instruction, go to step S407.

  (Step S405) The output means (not shown) acquires the recipe identifier included in the recipe designation instruction and temporarily stores it.

  (Step S406) The output unit (not shown) changes the display of the recipe identifier identified by the recipe identifier acquired in step S405, for example. For example, the output means (not shown) displays the display of the recipe identifier acquired in step S405 in a conspicuous manner as compared with other recipe identifiers (focusing the recipe identifier). It is assumed that a list of two or more recipe identifiers is displayed before the recipe designation instruction is input. Further, for example, the output unit (not shown) is a recipe identified by the recipe identifier acquired in step S405, reads one or more recipe identifiers corresponding to one or more registered control device information, and outputs the one or more recipe identifiers. A list of recipe identifiers may be output.

  (Step S407) The reception unit 131 determines whether or not the input received in step S401 is a difference information output instruction. If it is a difference information output instruction, the process proceeds to step S408, and if it is not a difference information output instruction, the process proceeds to step S409.

  (Step S408) The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 and the difference information output unit 135 perform difference information output processing. The difference information output process will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S409) The accepting unit 131 determines whether or not the input accepted in step S401 is a detailed output instruction. If it is a detailed output instruction, the process goes to step S410, and if it is not a detailed output instruction, the process returns to step S401.

  (Step S410) The detail output unit 139 performs detail output processing. The detailed output process will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S411) The recipe receiving unit 137 determines whether or not a recipe has been received from the control device 12. If a recipe is received, the process goes to step S412. If no recipe is received, the process returns to step S401.

  (Step S412) The recipe storage unit 138 stores the recipe received in step S411 in the recipe storage unit 133. The recipe storage unit 138 normally stores a recipe in association with control device information that identifies the control device 12 that has received the recipe.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, for example, when user information is received, authentication processing is performed, and authentication is permitted, the user information is temporarily stored, and one or more control device information is stored from the control device information storage unit 136. The recipe identifier and master recipe identifier corresponding to the read one or more pieces of control device information may be output in a list format. The recipe designation instruction has two or more recipe identifiers out of two or more recipe identifiers (including master recipe identifiers) output in the list format. That is, the user may specify two or more recipe identifiers with a mouse or the like among the two or more recipe identifiers output in the list format.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the process ends when the power is turned off or the process ends.

  Next, the difference information output process in step S408 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S501) The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 performs an initial process. In the initial process, for example, control apparatus information holding a recipe identified by the recipe identifier acquired in step S405 is stored in the control apparatus information. This is a process of reading from the unit 136. The initial process includes a process of substituting 1 for the counter i. When the recipe identifier is not acquired in step S405, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 may read all recipes in the control device information storage unit 136.

  (Step S502) The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines whether or not there is an i-th recipe (i-th control device information recipe) that is to be determined to be different from the master recipe. If the i-th recipe exists, the process goes to step S503, and if the i-th recipe does not exist, the process goes to step S524.

  (Step S <b> 503) The output impossible information acquisition unit 1344 reads user information from the user information storage unit 132.

  (Step S504) The output impossibility information acquisition unit 1344 uses the user information read in Step S503 to determine whether or not the user identified by the user information can access the i-th recipe. .

  (Step S505) If the determination in step S504 is accessible, go to step S508, otherwise go to step S506.

  (Step S506) The output impossibility information acquisition means 1344 uses the difference information as output impossibility information. Specifically, the output impossibility information acquisition unit 1344 substitutes output impossibility information for a variable “difference information”, for example.

  (Step S507) The recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 increments the counter i by 1, and returns to step S502.

  (Step S508) The communication impossibility information acquiring unit 1343 acquires control device information corresponding to the i-th recipe.

  (Step S509) The communication impossibility information obtaining unit 1343 obtains the communication state between the control device identified by the control device information and the process information management device 13 using the control device information obtained in Step S508. The communication impossibility information obtaining unit 1343 obtains a communication state between the control device and the process information management device 13 by issuing a command “ping IP address” and obtaining a return value, for example.

  (Step S510) The communication impossibility information acquiring unit 1343 determines whether or not the communication state acquired in Step S509 (for example, the return value in Step S509) is a communication disabled state. If the communication is not possible, the process goes to step S511. If the communication is not possible, the process goes to step S512.

  (Step S511) The communication impossibility information acquisition means 1343 sets the difference information as communication impossibility information. Specifically, the communication impossibility information acquisition unit 1343 assigns communication impossibility information to a variable “difference information”, for example. Go to step S507.

  (Step S512) The absence information acquisition unit 1342 reads the i-th recipe.

  (Step S513) The non-existence information acquisition unit 1342 determines whether or not the i-th recipe exists. If the i-th recipe exists, go to step S515, otherwise go to step S514.

  (Step S514) The absence information acquisition unit 1342 sets the difference information as the absence information. Specifically, the non-existence information acquisition unit 1342 assigns non-existence information to a variable “difference information”, for example. Go to step S507.

  (Step S515) The difference acquisition unit 1341 reads the master recipe from the recipe storage unit 133. The master recipe identifier for identifying the master recipe is included in the recipe designation instruction.

  (Step S516) The difference acquisition means 1341 substitutes 1 for the counter j.

  (Step S517) The difference acquisition unit 1341 determines whether or not the j-th step exists in the i-th recipe. If the jth step exists, the process goes to step S518, and if the jth step does not exist, the process goes to step S522.

  (Step S518) The difference acquisition unit 1341 reads the information of the j-th step in the i-th recipe and the information of the step of the master recipe corresponding to the step (having the same step identifier), and the two Compare step information. If there is no master recipe step corresponding to the j-th step, the comparison result in step S519 is not the same.

  (Step S519) The difference acquisition unit 1341 determines whether or not the comparison results in Step S518 are the same. If they are the same, go to step S520, otherwise go to step S521

  (Step S520) The difference acquisition means 1341 increments the counter j by 1, and returns to Step S517.

  (Step S521) The difference acquisition unit 1341 uses the difference information as difference information. Specifically, the difference acquisition unit 1341 assigns difference information to a variable “difference information”, for example. Go to step S507.

  (Step S522) The difference acquisition unit 1341 determines whether there is a step in which the difference is not compared in the i-th recipe or the master recipe. If there is a step where the difference is not compared, the process goes to step S521, and if there is no step where the difference is not compared, the process goes to step S523.

  (Step S523) The difference acquisition unit 1341 sets the difference information as the same information. Specifically, the difference acquisition unit 1341 assigns the same information to the variable “difference information”, for example. Go to step S507.

  (Step S524) The difference information output unit 135 outputs the master recipe and the difference information of one or more compared recipes in association with the one or more recipes. Return to upper function.

  In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the output mode of the difference information of a recipe is not ask | required. Moreover, the processing procedure in the case of acquiring five types of difference information is not restricted to the above-mentioned processing procedure.

  Next, the detailed output process of step S410 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S601) The detailed output unit 139 assigns 1 to the counter i.

  (Step S602) The detailed output unit 139 determines whether the instructed recipe has an i-th step. If the i-th step is present, the process proceeds to step S603. If the i-th step is not present, the process returns to the upper function.

  (Step S603) The detailed output unit 139 reads information on the i-th step of the instructed recipe and the step of the master recipe corresponding to the step.

  (Step S604) The detailed output unit 139 determines whether or not the information in both steps is the same. If both are the same, go to step S605, otherwise go to step S606.

  (Step S605) The detailed output unit 139 outputs in a manner indicating that the i-th step of the instructed recipe is the same as the step of the master recipe. Go to step S607.

  (Step S606) The detailed output unit 139 outputs in a manner indicating that the i-th step of the designated recipe is different from the step of the master recipe.

  (Step S607) The detail output unit 139 increments the counter i by 1. The process returns to step S602.

  In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the aspect which outputs the difference in step is not ask | required.

  Further, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 6, the master recipe for determining the difference is designated by the recipe designation instruction, but it may not be designated. In such a case, a master recipe is determined in advance corresponding to the recipe.

  The specific operation of the process information management apparatus in this embodiment will be described below. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a control system including a process information management device. This control system includes a process information management device 13, a client terminal 101, control devices (E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6), and processing devices (P1 to P6) corresponding to the control devices. In this control system, the control device E3 is not currently connected to the network.

  In addition, the recipe storage unit 133 of the process information management apparatus 13 holds a recipe management table shown in FIG. The recipe management table has attributes such as “ID”, “recipe identifier”, “control device information”, “recipe group”, “editor”, “update date / time”, and “version”. “ID” is information for identifying a record and exists for record management in the table. “Recipe identifier” is a recipe name. “Control device information” is the name of the control device in which the recipe is used. One recipe is specified by “recipe identifier” and “control device information”. “Recipe group” is an attribute value of a recipe and indicates a group. “Editor” indicates information for identifying the person who last edited the recipe, “Update date / time” indicates the date / time when the recipe was last updated, and “Version” indicates the version number of the recipe. Although not shown, the recipe storage unit 133 stores the substance of the recipe specified by the “recipe identifier” and the “control device information”. Also, the recipe is composed of one or more steps.

  FIG. 9 is a control device information management table stored in the control device information storage unit 136. The control device information management table has attributes of “ID” and “control device information”. “Control device information” is the name of the control device in which the recipe is used. The control device information stored in the control device information storage unit 136 may be considered as the attribute value “control device information” in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a user authentication information management table held by the output disable information acquisition unit 1344. The user authentication information management table is used when determining permission / non-permission of login of the process information management device 13 of the user. The user authentication information management table is used to determine a recipe corresponding to a control device accessible by the user. The user authentication information management table has attributes of “ID”, “user identifier”, “password”, and “control device information”. “User identifier” is a user name. The “password” is used together with the “user identifier” to determine whether or not to permit login to the process information management apparatus 13 (authentication process). The “control device information” is control device information corresponding to a recipe that can be output by the user identified by the “user identifier”. The “control device information” can be said to be information indicating a recipe that can be output by the user identified by the “user identifier”, or information about a control device corresponding to the recipe that can be output.

  In this situation, it is assumed that the user of the client terminal 101 substitutes the user identifier “Tanaka” and the password “0912” and attempts to log in to the process information management apparatus 13.

  Next, the receiving unit 131 of the process information management apparatus 13 receives user information (user identifier “Tanaka”, password “0912”).

  Next, the process information management apparatus 13 performs authentication processing by means not shown, determines that authentication is permitted, and permits login from the client terminal 101 to the process information management apparatus 13. This is because user information (user identifier “Tanaka”, password “0912”) is managed from the information in FIG. Then, the process information management apparatus 13 temporarily stores user information (user identifier “Tanaka”, password “0912”) in the user information storage unit 132.

  Next, the process information management device 13 reads the “recipe identifier” in the recipe management table of FIG. 8 and performs a unique process to obtain one or more recipe identifiers that do not overlap. Then, the process information management apparatus 13 outputs a recipe list having one or more recipe identifiers that do not overlap to the client terminal 101, and the client terminal 101 displays the recipe list as shown in FIG.

  Next, it is assumed that the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” designates the recipe identifier “RCP1” with the mouse from the client terminal 101 and presses the “different information output” button.

  Next, the reception unit 131 of the process information management apparatus 13 receives a difference information output instruction having the recipe identifier “RCP1”.

  Next, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 displays a record including the control device information indicated by “control device information” in the control device information storage unit 136, which is a recipe identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1”. 8 is retrieved from the recipe management table, and the temporary table of FIG. 12 is obtained.

  In the temporary table of FIG. 12, it is assumed that the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 knows that the recipe corresponding to the record of “ID = 1” is the master recipe. It goes without saying that the master recipe may be specified by the user.

  Next, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 sequentially compares the master recipe and the recipe corresponding to the records “ID = 2” to “ID = 7”.

  First, the recipe processing corresponding to the record of “ID = 2” is performed. That is, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines that the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” is associated with the recipe corresponding to the control device identified by the control device information “E1” included in the record “ID = 2”. Determine whether access is possible. That is, it is determined from the user authentication information management table of FIG. 10 whether or not there is a record in which the user identifier “Tanaka” and the control device information “E1” are paired. Here, in FIG. 10, since there is a record in which the user identifier “Tanaka” and the control device information “E1” are paired, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines the control device identified by the control device information “E1”. It is determined that the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” can access the corresponding recipe.

  Next, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines whether or not communication with the control device identified by the control device information “E1” is possible. Here, it is the situation of FIG. 7, and the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines that communication is possible.

  Next, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines whether the recipe entity (for example, file) identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1” and the control device information “E1” exists in the recipe storage unit 133. . Here, it is assumed that the entity of the recipe identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1” and the control device information “E1” exists.

  Next, the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 stores the master recipe entity (for example, file), the recipe identifier “RCP1”, and the recipe entity (for example, file) identified by the control device information “E1”, as a recipe storage unit. Read from 133. And it is judged whether all the steps of two recipes are the same. Here, it is assumed that the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 determines that the contents of the two recipes (files) are exactly the same. Then, the difference acquisition means 1341 substitutes “identical information (for example,“ 0 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E1 ”. Note that the process of determining whether two recipes (usually each recipe is made up of one or more files) can be performed by a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the recipe processing corresponding to the record of “ID = 3” is performed. Here, similarly to the above, the difference acquisition unit 1341 substitutes “identical information (for example,“ 0 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E2 ”. .

  Next, it is the process of the recipe corresponding to the record of “ID = 4”. Here, the control device identified by the control device information “E3” can be accessed by the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka”, but the control device identified by the control device information “E3” is shown in FIG. However, the communication impossibility information obtaining unit 1343 detects that the communication is not connected to the network. Then, the communication disabling information acquisition unit 1343 substitutes “communication disabling information (for example,“ 3 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E3 ”. Note that detection of whether or not the device is connected to the network can be performed by a known technique, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, it is a process of the recipe corresponding to the record of “ID = 5”. Here, the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” is accessible to the control device identified by the control device information “E4”, and the control device identified by the control device information “E4” is connected to the network. Suppose that Further, it is assumed that the recipe identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1” and the control device information “E4” exists in the recipe storage unit 133. However, the difference acquisition unit 1341 determines that the recipe identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1” and the control device information “E4” is different from the master recipe. It is assumed that the difference acquisition unit 1341 acquires the difference between the contents of the two recipes and determines that the two recipes are different because there is a difference. In such a situation, the difference acquisition unit 1341 substitutes “difference information (for example,“ 1 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E4 ”.

  Next, it is the process of the recipe corresponding to the record of “ID = 6”. Here, the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” is accessible to the control device identified by the control device information “E5”, and the control device identified by the control device information “E5” is connected to the network. Suppose that However, it is assumed that the recipe identified by the recipe identifier “RCP1” and the control device information “E5” does not exist in the recipe storage unit 133. In such a situation, the absence information acquisition unit 1342 determines that there is no recipe to be compared, and acquires the absence information. That is, the absence information acquisition unit 1342 substitutes “absence information (for example,“ 2 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E5 ”.

  Next, the recipe processing corresponding to the record of “ID = 7” is performed. Here, since the user identified by the user identifier “Tanaka” cannot access the control device identified by the control device information “E6” as shown in FIG. To get. Then, the output disable information acquisition unit 1344 substitutes “output disable information (for example,“ 4 ”) into the difference information corresponding to the recipe identified by the recipe identifier“ RCP1 ”and the control device information“ E6 ”.

  Next, the difference information output unit 135 outputs the difference information acquired by the recipe difference information acquisition unit 134 for each recipe. An output example of the difference information output unit 135 is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 13, “Master” is output in the “Result” column of the master recipe. In FIG. 13, in the “Result” column, “Same” is displayed when the difference information is the same information, “Differential” when the difference information is the difference information, and “Not Found” when the difference information is the non-existence information. "Offline" is output when the difference information is communication disabled information, and "Disable" is output when the difference information is output disabled information. Further, the difference information output unit 135 does not output a part of the attribute value of the recipe when the difference information is any of the non-existence information, the communication disabled information, and the output disabled information. In FIG. 13, the attribute values “editor”, “update date / time”, and “version” are not output. This is uncertain if the difference information output unit 135 outputs “editor”, “update date / time”, and “version” of any of the non-existence information, the communication disabled information, and the output disabled information from the information of FIG. This is not valid.

  Next, it is assumed that the user inputs a detailed output instruction while viewing the output of FIG. Assume that the input of the detailed output instruction is, for example, double-clicking on the control device information “E4” in FIG. 13. That is, the user tries to obtain details of the difference between the master recipe (recipe identified by AGC_RCP) and the recipe (the recipe identified by E4) whose difference information is the difference information.

  Next, the accepting unit 131 accepts a detailed output instruction including “E4”. Next, the detailed output unit 139 reads out the master recipe (the recipe identified by AGC_RCP) and the recipe (the recipe identified by E4) whose difference information is the difference information, and provides step difference information for each corresponding step. Obtain and output. An example of such output is shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the left side of the screen is a list of steps, and the shaded rows indicate that the steps of the two recipes are different. FIG. 14 shows that “Step C” and “Step D” of the recipe are different. Further, the right side of FIG. 14 shows the process condition values and the like of the focused step (“Step C” indicated by the arrow on the right side of the screen) for the two recipes. Indicate different process condition values. In FIG. 14, “Main Set” is different.

  As described above, according to the process information management device of the present embodiment, when two or more recipes are compared, it is possible to acquire and output states other than the same and different. Therefore, the user can know the difference between the states of the two recipes in more detail, and the user can take the following appropriate response. Specifically, when a user compares one master recipe with recipes of a large number of control devices, the offline control device or recipe does not exist in the control device, and there is no access right to the control device. I can know. This is effective in ensuring the consistency of the recipe between these control devices and processing devices in some cases where some semiconductor manufacturing factories operate several tens of control devices and processing devices. Further, more specifically, the user interrupts the work or applies for user registration (registration for obtaining output permission), for example, for a recipe that is determined to be non-outputtable information that cannot be accessed by the user. . In addition, the user contacts the control device user so that the control device that processes the recipe is in a communicable state with respect to the recipe that is determined to be non-communication information that cannot be communicated, or the user is controlled. Instruct the device to start up. Also, the user copies, for example, the latest recipe for the recipe determined to be non-existent information. Further, the user copies, for example, the latest recipe for the recipe determined to be different information from the master recipe.

  In the specific example of the present embodiment, the user operates from the client terminal, but it goes without saying that the user may operate directly from the process information management apparatus 13.

  Furthermore, the processing in the present embodiment may be realized by software. Then, this software may be distributed by software download or the like. Further, this software may be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. This also applies to other embodiments in this specification. The software that realizes the process information management apparatus in the present embodiment is the following program. That is, the program stores, in the computer, one or more recipes that are information on processes held by one or more control devices that respectively control one or more processing devices that perform a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed. A master recipe that is a reference recipe is stored in association with each of the above control devices, and is information on the difference between the master recipe and the one or more recipes, and information on three or more types of differences The difference information which is the information regarding one difference among the recipe difference information acquisition step for acquiring the difference information acquired for each of the one or more recipes and the difference information acquired in the recipe difference information acquisition step for each recipe A program for executing an information output step.

  In addition, it is preferable that the program causes the computer to further execute a recipe receiving step of receiving a recipe from the control device, and at least a part of the recipe is the recipe received in the recipe receiving step.

  In addition, one or more control device information that is information on the one or more control devices is stored, and the recipe difference information acquisition step in the program includes the master recipe and the one or more control device information. It is preferable to acquire the difference information of one or more recipes corresponding to one or more control devices for each of the one or more recipes.

  Further, in the above program, the difference information is the same information indicating that the recipe to be compared with the master recipe is the same, or the recipe to be compared with the master recipe is different. Communication information indicating that there is no difference information indicating that there is no recipe to be compared or that there is no recipe to be compared, or that the control device corresponding to the recipe to be compared cannot communicate with the process information management device Information or information indicating that the user is unable to obtain the difference information can be obtained, and the recipe difference information acquisition step includes the contents of the master recipe and the difference. Compare the contents of the recipes to be compared, determine whether the two recipes are the same or different, and the same or different information A difference acquisition step to acquire, a recipe to be compared with the difference is determined not to exist, a non-existence information acquisition step to acquire non-existence information is determined, whether communication with the control device is possible, and communication If it is not possible, the communication disabled information acquisition step for acquiring the communication disabled information and the user information that is information about the user who operates the process information management apparatus are received, and the difference information cannot be obtained based on the user information. It is preferable to include an output disable information acquisition step of acquiring output disable information when it is determined whether the user is a user and the difference information cannot be obtained.

  The program further causes the computer to execute a reception step for receiving specification of two or more recipes including a master recipe, and in the recipe difference information acquisition step, the master recipe that has received the specification and the specification of the recipe. It is preferable to acquire the difference information with the received one or more recipes excluding the master recipe.

  In each of the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or by distributed processing by a plurality of devices. May be.

  In the above program, in the step of transmitting information, the step of receiving information, etc., processing performed by hardware, for example, processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the transmitting step (only performed by hardware). Not included).

  Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, it goes without saying that two or more communication units existing in one apparatus may be physically realized by one medium.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the process information management apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that the meaning of a difference between two recipes can be accurately known. For example, the processing of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus, or the like This is useful as a process information management apparatus that manages process information that is information about control of the apparatus.

Conceptual diagram of control system in embodiment The figure which shows the example of the same semiconductor wafer manufacturing equipment Block diagram showing the configuration of the process information management device A flowchart for explaining the operation of the process information management apparatus Flowchart explaining the same / different information output processing Flowchart explaining the detailed output process Conceptual diagram of the control system The figure which shows the same recipe management table The control device information management table Figure showing the same user authentication information management table The figure which shows the same process information management device The figure which shows the same recipe management table Figure showing the same output example Figure showing the same output example

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Processing apparatus 12 Control apparatus 13 Process information management apparatus 131 Reception part 132 User information storage part 133 Recipe storage part 134 Recipe difference information acquisition part 135 Difference information output part 136 Control apparatus information storage part 137 Recipe receiving part 138 Recipe storage part 139 Details Output unit 1341 Difference acquisition means 1342 Absence information acquisition means 1343 Communication impossibility information acquisition means 1344 Output impossibility information acquisition means

Claims (6)

One or more recipes, which are information about processes held by one or more control devices that respectively control one or more processing devices that perform a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed, are associated with the one or more control devices. A recipe storage unit that stores a master recipe that is a stored recipe.
Receipt difference information acquisition for acquiring difference information for each of the one or more recipes, which is information related to the difference between the master recipe and the one or more recipes. And
A process information management device comprising a difference information output unit that outputs the difference information acquired by the recipe difference information acquisition unit for each recipe. Further comprising a recipe receiving unit for receiving a recipe from the control device;
The process information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the recipe in the recipe storage unit is a recipe received by the recipe receiving unit. A control device information storage unit storing one or more pieces of control device information that is information relating to the one or more control devices;
The recipe difference information acquisition unit
The difference information of one or more recipes corresponding to the one or more control devices indicated by the master recipe and the one or more control device information in the control device information storage unit is acquired for each of the one or more recipes. Or the process information management apparatus of Claim 2. The difference information is
The same information that is information indicating that the recipe to be compared with the master recipe is the same,
Or difference information which is information indicating that the recipe to be compared with the master recipe is different,
Or non-existence information indicating that there are no recipes to be compared,
Or communication disable information indicating that the control device corresponding to the recipe to be compared cannot communicate with the process information management device,
Or, it is possible to obtain any information of the output impossible information which is information indicating that the user cannot obtain the difference information,
The recipe difference information acquisition unit
Comparing the content of the master recipe with the content of the recipe to be compared with the difference, determining whether two recipes are the same or different, and acquiring the same information or different information,
A non-existence information acquisition means for determining that there is no recipe for comparing the difference and acquiring non-existence information;
It is determined whether or not communication with the control device is possible, and when communication is impossible, communication impossible information acquisition means for acquiring communication disabled information;
Accept user information, which is information about the user, determine whether or not the user can not obtain the difference information based on the user information, and cannot output when the user cannot obtain the difference information 4. The process information management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output impossible information acquisition unit that acquires information. A reception unit that accepts designation of two or more recipes including a master recipe;
The recipe difference information acquisition unit
5. The process information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein difference information between the master recipe that has received the designation and one or more recipes other than the master recipe that has received the designation of the recipe is acquired. On the computer,
One or more recipes, which are information about processes held by one or more control devices that respectively control one or more processing devices that perform a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed, are associated with the one or more control devices. Stores and stores a master recipe that is a standard recipe.
Receipt difference information acquisition for acquiring difference information for each of the one or more recipes, which is information related to the difference between the master recipe and the one or more recipes. Steps,
The program for performing the difference information output step which outputs the difference information acquired at the said recipe difference information acquisition step for every said recipe.

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