JPH1041204A - Manufacturing control system and manufacturing process control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a load from being concentrated on a specific device by a method wherein a load sharing rate as in the case when a device availability which is the quotient of an actual output, the product of a production target number per unit hour and a load sharing rate, divided by the manufacturing capacity is equal to an availability of each manufacturing process and of each manufacturing device. SOLUTION: In an LSI manufacturing process control system, a CPU 13 calculates the production target numbers per one month (30 days) of the products, operable hours per day of the respective steppers A to G, processing hours per one lot of goods in process, and the daily availability factor of a stepper defined by a load sharing rate of the respective steppers inside a device group. Then, further, the load sharing rates x1, x2... of of the respective steppers of the device group are calculated from a first condition where this daily availability factor is regarded to be equal to the daily availability factor of another stepper and a second condition where the sum total of the load sharing rates x1, x2... of the device group is regarded to be 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manufacturing process management system and a manufacturing process management method, and more particularly, to a plurality of types of semiconductor integrated circuits (hereinafter referred to as LSIs) manufactured using a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses. The present invention relates to a system for managing a manufacturing process of an apparatus and a method for efficiently distributing the processing to the manufacturing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information processing apparatuses with higher functions and image processing apparatuses with higher resolution have been manufactured due to the development of multimedia and the demands of users. The demand for LSI devices constituting these devices is steadily increasing. In semiconductor factories, there is a demand for maximizing the use of existing manufacturing equipment to improve productivity. Therefore, a more complete manufacturing process management system is required.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a system for managing a manufacturing process of an LSI device according to a conventional example. In FIG. 3, 1 is a manufacturing process management system, and 2 is a production line. The production line 2 has a series of manufacturing processes a, b, c, d, e, etc. established at a semiconductor development product factory. For example, in step a, five steppers (manufacturing apparatuses) A, B, and B for printing an LSI pattern on a semiconductor wafer are provided.
C, D, and E are assigned, step b is assigned with three steppers C, D, and E, step c is assigned with two steppers F and G, and step d is assigned with four steppers. Stepper A,
B, C, and D are assigned, and seven steppers A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are assigned to the process e. The manufacturing process management system 1 is connected to a terminal device provided in each process of the production line 2 via a local network, and processes products (hereinafter referred to as work-in-process) piled up before each process a to e. It works to indicate. A work in process is a product that has not been completed in the middle of the manufacturing process.

[0004] Next, a method for sharing processing of a work in process (load) to each stepper in each manufacturing process will be described. First, the system 1 recognizes the number of steppers A to G assigned to each of the processes a to e according to an instruction of the operator. Then, the system 1 calculates a load sharing ratio (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a ratio) in each of the steps a to e according to an instruction of the operator. Here, the load sharing ratio means a rate at which each stepper in each of the processes a to e processes the work-in-progress. In this management system 1, the load sharing ratio is calculated by the following equation.

Load sharing ratio = 1 / (number of steppers assigned to each process) According to the management system 1 using this equation, the load sharing ratio of one stepper in the process a is 0.2. Similarly, the load sharing rates of steps b to e are 0.33, 0.5,
0.25 and 0.14. When such a load sharing ratio is calculated, the system 1 operates so as to multiply the number of processed work-in-processes stacked before each process by the load sharing ratio according to an instruction of the operator. Accordingly, the system 1 instructs each of the steppers A to G to process the work in process by the number of processes multiplied by the load sharing ratio.

[0006]

However, in the management system 1 using the above equation, the load sharing ratio of each of the steppers A to G is uniformly calculated, so that the load is biased to a specific stepper or a certain step. Causes work-in-progress to be delayed. For example, when the steppers C, D, and E in the step a are also used as the steppers in the step b, the steppers A to D in the step a are also used as the steppers in the step d, and the operation per day between the steppers is performed. Even when the available times are different, the processing of the work in process is shared based on the uniformly calculated load sharing ratio, so the load is biased to the stepper that is shared in each process, or the stepper that has a short operating time is burdened. Will be applied. Therefore, the next work in process must be stopped before the process until the processing of the stepper is completed.

[0007] JP-A-5-20333 discloses an equipment capacity calculation system for calculating the processing capacity of equipment in each process. Because this system calculates the capacity of equipment according to the type of work in process,
The processing of the work in process cannot be distributed to the respective manufacturing apparatuses based on the load sharing ratio. The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional example, and seeks an optimal load sharing ratio, without biasing the load to a specific manufacturing apparatus, and maximizing the use of existing manufacturing equipment to obtain a plurality of types. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing process management system and a manufacturing process management method capable of managing processes so as to manufacture a product.

[0008]

As shown in FIG. 1, a first manufacturing process management system according to the present invention is a manufacturing process management system for a production line using a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses in a manufacturing process. In the system, the operating rate of the manufacturing apparatus is expressed by the following equation: operating rate = (target number of production per unit period × load sharing rate)
A means for determining a load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses so that the operation rates of the manufacturing apparatuses in the manufacturing process are equal when represented by (production capacity of the manufacturing apparatus); Means for distributing product processing to each manufacturing apparatus.

In the first system of the present invention, when the manufacturing process comprises n (n = 1, 2, 3,...) Manufacturing apparatuses, the load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses is x1, x
2, x3... Xn, the following equation: 1 = x1 + x2 + x3 +... Xn (1)
That is, operation rate = (α × x1) / β1 / γ1 = (α × x2) / β2 / γ2 = (α × x3) / β3 / γ3 =... = (Α × xn) / βn / γn. (2) [where α is the target number of production per unit period, β1 to βn
Is the operable time of each manufacturing apparatus, and γ1 to γn are the processing times per unit of product. And means for calculating the load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses.

[0010] The second system of the present invention, when a specific manufacturing apparatus of a certain manufacturing process also serves as a manufacturing apparatus of another manufacturing process, the operating rate of the manufacturing apparatus that is also used in the other manufacturing process, The above object is achieved by providing means for adding the operation rate of the manufacturing apparatus. In the first manufacturing process management system of the present invention, the means for determining the load sharing ratio by the above-mentioned relational expression when the operation rates of the respective manufacturing devices in each manufacturing process are equal is provided. Even if the production capacities of the products differ, products can be distributed to the manufacturing apparatus according to the optimally determined load sharing ratio. Therefore, the products can be smoothly flowed into the manufacturing process without being piled up before the specific manufacturing process.

[0011] This makes it possible to manage the processes in each manufacturing process so that the processing of the product proceeds without delay (manufacturing process management method of the present invention). Note that each load sharing ratio when the manufacturing process is composed of n manufacturing apparatuses can be calculated by solving simultaneous equations composed of the above equations (1) and (2). Further, according to the second system of the present invention, when a specific manufacturing apparatus in a certain manufacturing process also serves as a manufacturing apparatus in another manufacturing process, the manufacturing process prior to the operation rate of the manufacturing device also used in another manufacturing process is used. Since the means for adding the operation rate of the specific manufacturing apparatus is provided, the load on the manufacturing apparatus that is used repeatedly in another manufacturing process can be reduced.

In the manufacturing process management method of the present invention, the load sharing ratio is calculated in the order from the manufacturing process with a small number of manufacturing equipment to the manufacturing process with a large number of equipment. In the case of redundant use in the manufacturing process, the load sharing ratio can be calculated in consideration of the operation rate of the manufacturing device in the manufacturing process with few manufacturing devices. Therefore, the processing of the product (load) can be optimally shared between the respective manufacturing apparatuses without the load being concentrated on the manufacturing apparatuses used repeatedly.

[0013]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an LSI manufacturing process management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of work in process of a work-in-progress which complements the system. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a process management system for distributing the processing of a work-in-progress to a manufacturing device of each process in a manufacturing process of manufacturing a plurality of types of semiconductor integrated circuit (hereinafter, LSI) devices. First, the configuration of the system will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an LSI manufacturing process management system for managing the manufacturing process of the production line 2. The management system 100 is composed of a computer system and includes a work-in-progress registration memory 11, a device registration memory 12, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU) 13, a read-only memory (hereinafter simply referred to as a ROM) 14, a capability calculation editor 15, a scheduler 16, Dispatcher 17, I / O port 1
8, keyboard 19, display 20, and printer 2
One.

The work-in-progress registration memory 11 is an LSI (product)
The work in process (semiconductor wafer) is registered for each product type. The work in process is a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), an MROM (Mask ROM), or the like. The device registration file 12 is for registering a plurality of manufacturing devices for processing a work-in-progress by dividing them into device groups for each manufacturing process. Manufacturing equipment uses LSI for semiconductor wafers
A stepper or the like for printing a pattern, and as described in the related art, a required number is assigned to each of the processes a to e. As the registration memories 11 and 12, a memory which can be written and read at any time, a magnetic disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, and the like are used.

The CPU 13 executes one month (30 days) of a product.
Daily operation rate of the stepper defined by the production target number per unit α, the operation time per day of the stepper β, the processing time per lot of the work in process γ, and the load sharing ratio x of each stepper in the device group Is based on a first condition that is equal to the daily operation rate of another stepper and a second condition that the sum of the load sharing ratios of the device group is 1, and the load sharing ratio of each stepper of the device group. It operates to calculate.

Here, the load sharing ratio is a ratio at which each stepper in each process processes a work-in-progress, and unlike the prior art, the sum of the load sharing ratios of the steppers is 1 (1). This is significantly different from the equation (1) in that the load sharing ratio is calculated so as to satisfy Expression (2), in which the operation rates of the respective steppers are equal (the first system of the present invention). Further, when a stepper in a certain manufacturing process also serves as a stepper in another manufacturing process, the CPU 13 sets the daily operating ratio of the stepper in the other manufacturing process to be equal to the daily operating ratio of each stepper in the manufacturing process (2). Operate to add to the equation (second system of the present invention). Other, CPU13
Are registered memories 11, 12, ROM 14, capability calculation editor 15, scheduler 16, dispatcher 17, I
The input / output of the I / O port 18, the keyboard 19, the display 20, and the printer 21 is controlled.

The ROM 14 is a memory storing a control program for operating the CPU 13, the ability calculation editor 15, the scheduler 16, and the dispatcher 17. In particular, the ROM 14 stores data relating to each of the above-described general formulas (1) in which the sum of the load sharing ratios of the steppers is 1 and (2) that the daily operation rates of the steppers are equal to each other. doing. As the ROM 14, an EPROM or EEPROM capable of erasing and rewriting data is used.

The capacity calculation editor 15 includes a target production number of products per month, an operable time per day of the stepper, a maximum operation rate of the stepper, a processing time per lot of the work-in-progress, and a stepper number. From the load sharing ratio, the number of steppers required in the process is calculated, or the total required processing time and the total required number of processes in which each stepper processes a work-in-progress per month are calculated.

Thus, the operator can compare the maximum operation rate and the daily operation rate of each stepper with each other and evaluate the variation of the daily operation rate among the other steppers, so that the work in process is evenly distributed to each stepper. Can be determined whether or not to be assigned to. Here, the maximum operation rate is a value obtained by subtracting the operation stop time from the maximum operation time of the manufacturing apparatus and dividing the value by the maximum operation time. The operation stop time is a time during which the manufacturing apparatus cannot operate due to regular maintenance or the like.

The scheduler 16 operates to multiply the load sharing ratio of each stepper by the production target number to calculate the target processing number of in-process products to be processed per month. Thus, the operator can determine, based on the current number of in-process products and the target number of processes, how much work in process remains to be processed by the stepper. Dispatcher 17
Calculates the value obtained by dividing the current number of in-process products by the target number of processes (hereinafter also referred to as the target achievement rate), and arranges the data in ascending order of the target achievement rate to obtain the stepper use priority (priority Work to determine). Then, an instruction is given to the terminal device in each process so that the work-in-progress having the higher use priority uses the stepper.

The I / O port 18 operates so as to perform communication between the system and the terminal device in each of the steps a to e. The keyboard 19 is used when an operator inputs information necessary for manufacturing process management. For example, the operator inputs the number of operating days per month as the operation data of the factory, or inputs the DRAM or MR as the product data of the product.
OM or the maximum operation rate of each stepper is input.

The display 20 operates to display manufacturing process data during processing of data, a menu screen, and the like. The printer 21 is used to output manufacturing process data, equipment capacity lists, schedule lists, and dispatch lists on paper. The data bus 22 includes registration memories 11 and 12, a CPU 13, a ROM 14, a capability calculation editor 15, a scheduler 16, a dispatcher 17,
The I / O port 18, the keyboard 19, the display 20, and the printer 21 are connected. These constitute the LSI manufacturing process management system 100.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 and a table,
The handling method of the LSI manufacturing process management system according to the present embodiment and the operation of the system will be described. In this embodiment, to simplify the description, a case will be described in which the manufacturing processes of two types of products manufactured using seven steppers A to G are managed. First, in step P1, the operator uses the keyboard 19 to input data necessary for process management. Here, the operator inputs factory operation data, product type data, and maximum operation rate data of the semiconductor manufacturing plant. Table 1 shows 30 working days per month.
Shows factory operation data for days.

[0025]

[Table 1]

Table 2 shows the production target number per month of the product by type as product data. This embodiment shows a case where the target production number of DRAM per month is 1200 and the production target number of MROM is 600 per month.

[0027]

[Table 2]

Table 3 shows the maximum operation rate data of the seven steppers A to G. The steppers A to G partially share the five steps a to e as shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the case where the maximum operation rate of the stepper A is 90% and the maximum operation rates of the other steppers BG are 100% is shown. The maximum occupancy rate is as defined above.

[0029]

[Table 3]

In addition to these data, the operator inputs a block name, a large process name, a small process name, and a facility name of each manufacturing process as process route data. In this embodiment, the process block name is photolithography (PHT), the large process name is process a to process e, the small process name is printing, and the equipment name is stepper. Next, in step P2, the operator uses the keyboard 19 to register the process path data in the DRAM and the MROM for each type. Then, steppers A to G for processing the in-process work to be divided into two types of DRAMs and MROMs are registered for each of the processes a to e by dividing them into device groups. Here, the operator edits the data as shown in Table 4. Table 4 shows the process route data.

[0031]

[Table 4]

At this point, the columns of attributes, processing time, ratio, production capacity, and required number of processes in Table 4 are blank. Therefore, the operator first inputs the processing time per lot of the work-in-progress. In the present embodiment, the processing time per lot of the work in process in the steps a and c to e is 1.00 hour, and
The case where the processing time per lot is 1.20 hours is shown.

Next, in step P3, the operator determines the calculation order of the load sharing ratio. In the present embodiment, since the calculation is performed in consideration of the operation rates of the steppers in other processes, in each of the processes a to e, a device group having a small number of stepper devices is changed to a device group having a large number of stepper devices. The load sharing ratio is calculated in the order of the processes. The calculation order is shown in Table 4 by the attribute. In the present embodiment, step c is an attribute, step b is an attribute, step d is an attribute, step a is an attribute, and step e is an attribute. In this way, the process path data is rearranged in the order of the steps having the highest use limit of the stepper, and the load sharing ratio is calculated.

Then, at step P4, the CPU 13 receives the instruction of the operator and calculates the load sharing ratio of each stepper in the manufacturing process. The CPU 13 calculates the load sharing ratios x1 and x2 of the steppers F and G in the process c according to the attribute. Here, based on the first condition that the daily operation rate of the stepper F is equal to the daily operation rate of the stepper G and the second condition that the sum of the load sharing ratios is 1, each stepper F , G are calculated. That is, MR
The production target number of OM is 600, the operation time per day of the stepper F is 24 × 0.9 (maximum operation rate) H, the stepper G
Assuming that each operation time per day is 24H and the processing time is 1.00H / Lot, the following expression is used: 1 = x1 + x2 (3) (600 ÷ 30 × x1) /24×0.9/1 .00 = (600 ÷ 30 × x2) /24/1.00 (4) By solving the simultaneous equations (3) and (4), the load sharing ratio x1 of the stepper F becomes 0.47 and the load sharing ratio x2 of the stepper G becomes 0.53. The daily operation rate of each of the steppers F and G at this time is 0.439.
become.

Next, it is confirmed whether or not the load sharing ratio of the stepper in all the steps a to e has been calculated in step P5. If the calculation of all the steps a to e is completed (YES), step P
Move to 6. When the calculation is not completed (NO)
, The calculation is continued in step P4. Here, returning to step P4, the CPU 13 receives the instruction of the operator, and calculates the load sharing ratio of each of the steppers A to G in the order of step b, step d, step a, and step e according to the remaining attributes 1 to 3. .

In the attributes, the load sharing ratios x1, x2, x3 of the steppers C, D, E are calculated. That is, MROM
The production target number is 600, the operation time of each of the steppers C, D, and E per day is 24H, and the processing time is 1.20H /
Assuming that Lot, 1 = x1 + x2 + x3 (5) (600 ÷ 30 × x1) /24/1.20= (600 ÷ 30 × x2) /24/1.20= (600 ÷ 30 × x3) /24/1.20 (6) holds. From the equations (5) and (6), the load sharing ratio x1 of the stepper C is 0.33, the load sharing ratio x2 of the stepper D is 0.33, and the load sharing ratio x of the stepper E is x3.
3 becomes 0.33. At this time, steppers C, D,
The daily operation rate of E becomes 0.33. The daily operation rate is 0.3
Reference numeral 3 is used when the stepper is also used in another process.

In the attribute, steppers C and D are used in both steps b and d, and steppers A, B, C, D
Of the load sharing ratios x1, x2, x3, and x4 of FIG. That is, the production target number of the DRAM is 1200, and the operation time per day of the stepper A is 24 × 0.9 (maximum operation rate).
H, the daily operating time of the steppers BD is 24H,
Assuming that the processing time is 1.00 H / Lot and the daily operation rates of the steppers C and D in the process b are 0.33, the following equation is obtained.
That is, 1 = x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 (7) (1200 ÷ 30 × x1) /24×0.9/1.00= (1200 ÷ 30 × x2) /24/1.00 = [(1200 ÷ 30 × x3) /24/1.00]+0.33=[(1200÷30×x4)/24/1.00]+0.33 (8) From the equations (7) and (8), the load sharing ratio x1 of the stepper A is 0.32, the load sharing ratio x2 of the stepper B is 0.36, and the load sharing ratio x of the stepper C is x.
3 is 0.16, and the load sharing ratio x4 of the stepper D is 0.16. At this time, the daily operation rate of each of the steppers A to D becomes 0.598.

In the attribute, step b, step d and step a also use steppers C and D, step d and step a also use steppers A and B, and step b and step a use stepper E.
Is used, and the load sharing ratios x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 of the steppers A, B, C, D, and E are calculated.
That is, the production target number of the DRAM is 1200, the operation time per day of the stepper A is 24 × 0.9 (maximum operation rate) H, and the operation time per day of the steppers B to E is 24
H, the processing time is 1.00 H / Lot, the daily operating rates of the steppers C to E in the step b are 0.33, the daily operating rates of the steppers C and D in the step d are 0.268, and the daily operating rates are 0.268 in the step d. The daily operation rate of each of the steppers A and B is set to 0.5
Assuming that 98, 1 = x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 + x5 (9) [(1200 ÷ 30 × x1) /24×0.9/1.00] +0.598 = [(1200 ÷ 30 × x2) / 24 /1.00]+0.598=[(1200÷30×x3)/24/1.00]+0.33+0.268=[(1200÷30×x4)/24/1.00]+0.33+0.268 = [(1200 ÷ 30 × x5) /24/1.00] +0.33 (10) From these equations (9) and (10), stepper A
, The load sharing ratio x1 of the stepper B becomes 0.17, the load sharing ratio x3 of the stepper C becomes 0.17, the load sharing ratio x4 of the stepper D becomes 0.17, The load sharing ratio x5 of the stepper E is 0.3
It becomes 3. At this time, the daily operation rates of the steppers A to E are 0.884.

In the calculation of the attribute load sharing ratio, the daily operating ratio of the stepper A exceeds the maximum operating ratio of 0.9, and the daily operating ratio of the steppers B to E exceeds 1.0. Therefore, only the steppers F and G can be used in the process e without additional equipment. Accordingly, the stepper sets the load sharing ratios x1 and x2 of F and G to 0.
47 and 0.53. At this point, the daily operation rates of the steppers F and G are 0.874, and the load sharing ratio is described in the ratio column of Table 4.

Then, in step P6, the operator confirms whether or not the calculation of the load sharing ratio has been completed for another device group of the stepper. When the calculation of the load sharing ratio is completed for the other device groups (YES), the process shifts to Step P7. If the calculation has not been completed (NO), the load sharing ratio is calculated for another device group in Step P4. In the present embodiment,
Since the case where the device group is composed of only the seven steppers A to G has been described, the process shifts to Step P7.

Accordingly, in step P7, the operator determines whether the load sharing ratio of each of the steppers A to G is an optimal solution (or a value close thereto). In the case of the optimal solution (YES),
Move to Step P8. The ability calculation editor 15 is operated to confirm whether or not the load sharing ratio is the optimum solution. First, the capacity calculation editor 15 receives the instruction of the operator and calculates the daily production capacity [Lot / day] of the steppers A to G in each of the steps a to e. The production capacity is calculated by equation (11).

Production capacity = (operable time of stepper per day) × (maximum operation rate of stepper) ÷ processing time per lot of work-in-process (11) This calculation is performed for each of steps a to e. Table 4
Column is described. Then, the capacity calculation editor 15 operates to calculate the number of steppers required in each of the processes a to e in response to an instruction from the operator. The required number of steppers is calculated by equation (12).

Required number of processes = (Target number of production / 30 days × Load sharing ratio) / Production capacity (12) By this calculation, the column of required number of processes in Table 4 is described. In the present embodiment, the required number of steppers A and B is
In step a, each becomes 0.286, and in step d, each becomes 0.598. The required number of the steppers C and D is 0.286 in step a, 0.265 in step d, and 0.25 in step b.
333. The required number of steppers E is 0.551 in the process a and 0.333 in the process b. The required number of steppers F and G is 0.439 in each of steps c and e.

Then, upon receiving an instruction from the operator, the ability calculation editor 15 operates the steppers A to G as shown in Table 5.
It operates to calculate the required number of devices. Table 5 shows the equipment capacity list.

[0045]

[Table 5]

In this embodiment, the required number of steppers A to E is obtained by adding the required number of each step. From this calculation, the required number of steppers A to E is 0.884, and the required number of steppers F and G is 0.887. If this value is 1 or less, the existing stepper can process the work in process. In the case of one or more, it is necessary to add a stepper.

The capacity calculation editor 15 receives the operator's instruction and calculates the total required processing time and the total required processing number in which each of the steppers A to G processes the work in process in January.
Calculate the average processing time. The total required processing time is (13)
It is calculated by the formula. Total required processing time = required number of steppers × processing capacity × 30 days (13) By performing this calculation for each of steppers A to G,
The column of total required processing time in Table 5 is described. Note that the total required number of processes is obtained by calculating the number of lots of work-in-progress processed in one month. The capacity calculation editor 15 receives the instructions of the operator and calculates the average processing time per lot of the work in process of each of the steppers A to G. In the present embodiment, since the processing times for one work-in-process lot of the steppers C, D, and E are different in the steps a, b, and d, the calculation is performed only for the steppers C, D, and E. The processing time of each of the steppers C, D, and E is 1.0, 1.0, and 1.2, and the average time is 1.07.

Then, the capacity calculation editor 15 receives the instruction of the operator and calculates the daily operation rate of each of the steppers A to G in percentage or calculates the daily operation rate for one day in percentage. By this calculation, the column of the daily operation rate in Table 5 is described. Thus, the operator can compare the maximum operation rate and the daily operation rate of each of the steppers A to G, and evaluate the variation in the daily operation rate and the average processing time among the other steppers, thereby making the in-process work. Product is each stepper A ~
It can be determined whether or not the images are equally distributed to G. In addition,
If the optimal solution has not been obtained (NO), step P
4, and the steps P4 to P6 are repeated.

When the optimum solution of the load sharing ratio is obtained, the scheduler 16 operates to distribute the work in process to each of the steppers A to G according to the instruction of the operator in step P8. Here, the scheduler 16 calculates the target throughput of the work-in-process that each of the steppers A to G processes in January. The target processing amount is calculated by equation (14).

Target processing amount = load sharing ratio × production target number (14) By performing this calculation for each of the steppers A to G,
A column of the target processing amount as shown in Table 6 is described. Table 6 shows the schedule list.

[0051]

[Table 6]

When the work-in-progress is already flowing through each process, the scheduler 16 inputs the current processing amount of the work-in-progress according to the instruction of the operator. Then, the scheduler 16 calculates the remaining number of in-process products to be processed by each of the steppers A to G in the process. Thus, the operator can determine, based on the current number of in-process products and the target number of processes, how much work in process remains to be processed by the stepper. The scheduler 16 can make a schedule so that the load on each of the steppers A to G becomes equal.

Here, the dispatcher 17 receives the instruction of the operator and calculates the target achievement rate of the processing of the work in process. The target achievement rate refers to the degree of the current processing amount with respect to the target processing amount of the work-in-progress. In this embodiment, a work in process with a lower target achievement rate is also a priority to use the manufacturing apparatus in preference to other work in process. The target achievement rate is calculated by equation (15).

Target achievement rate = current processing amount / target processing amount (15) By performing this calculation for each of the steppers A to G,
The column of the target achievement rate as shown in Table 7 is described. Table 7 shows the dispatch list.

[0055]

[Table 7]

Table 7 shows the work-in-progress with the smallest target achievement rate arranged in order. In Table 7, the target achievement rate of Stepper D in Step d is 0.979, and Step b and Step d
In this case, the target achievement rate of the stepper C is 0.984, and the target achievement rate of the stepper D in the process b is 0.995.
The scheduler 16 processes the work in process in the order of the stepper D of the process d, the process b, the stepper C of the process d, and the stepper D of the process b in order of the low target achievement rate according to the instruction of the operator and the dispatcher 17. Give instructions. If the target achievement rates are the same, the scheduler 16 gives an instruction to the terminal device of each process so as to process the work-in-progress in descending order of the processing target amount.

Thereafter, in step P9, the CPU 13 determines whether or not all the processes of the work-in-progress have been distributed to each of the steppers A to G according to the instruction of the operator. If the processing of the work in process has been allotted (YES), the calculation of the load sharing ratio ends. If all the processes of the work in process have not been distributed (YES), the process returns to step P8 and the calculation of the load sharing ratio is continued. Thereby, seven steppers A to G
Can be used to manage the manufacturing process of the work in process for DRAMs and MROMs manufactured using

As described above, in the LSI manufacturing process management system according to the embodiment of the present invention, one month (3
0), the daily operation time of each of the steppers A to G, the processing time per lot of the work-in-progress, and the stepper day defined by the load sharing ratio of each stepper in the device group. The first condition that the operation rate is equal to the daily operation rate of another stepper and the second condition that the sum of the load sharing rates x1, x2,.
Are calculated based on the conditions (1) and (2), the CPU 13 calculates the load sharing ratios x1, x2... Of each stepper of the device group.
Even if the processing time is different from 1.6H and the processing time of each work in process is different from 1.0H and 1.2H, the daily operation rate of each stepper is made equal. The optimum load sharing ratios x1, x2,... Can be calculated.

According to the management system of the present invention, C
When calculating the attribute steppers C and D, the PU 13
Add the daily operation rate = 0.33, and attribute steppers A to E
At the time of calculation, the daily operation rate of steppers A and B is 0.59
8 plus 0.33+ to the daily availability of steppers C and D
Add 0.265 and add 0.3% to the daily operation rate of stepper E.
Since 3 is added, even when the steppers A to D of the step a also serve as the steppers of the step d, and the steppers C to E of the step a also serve as the steppers of the step b, the other steps a and The processing of the work-in-progress (load) can be optimally shared among the steppers without the load being concentrated on the steppers used repeatedly in b, d and the like.

Here, the method of sorting work-in-progress according to the prior art and the method of sorting work-in-progress according to the present invention will be compared. Table 8 is a compilation of process route data according to the prior art.

[0061]

[Table 8]

In Table 8, the load sharing ratio is calculated by the following equation. Load sharing ratio = 1 / (number of steppers assigned to each process) According to the management system using this equation, the load sharing ratio of one stepper in process a is 0.2, and the load in processes b to e is Since the sharing rates are 0.33, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.14, respectively, the required number of steppers A to G required in each of the steps a to e is as shown in Table 8. Then, when the required number of the steppers A to G is calculated, it becomes as shown in Table 9. Table 9 shows an equipment capacity list according to the related art.

[0063]

[Table 9]

Here, comparing Table 9 (conventional technology) and Table 5 (present invention), in the conventional technology, the load is concentrated and 1.2 units are obtained (when the decimal point is rounded up, 2 units are obtained). ) Are required, but in the present invention, the load is distributed, so that 0.884 units (one unit after rounding up the decimal point)
Steppers C and D of FIG. Therefore, it is not necessary to add a stepper, and wasteful capital investment can be prevented.

In the management system of the prior art, the total required processing time and the total required processing number of each of the steppers A to G vary greatly, such as a maximum value of 825.7 and a minimum value of 385.7. On the other hand, in the management system of the present invention, the total required processing time and the total required processing number are suppressed from being varied such that the maximum value is 631.6 and the minimum value is 568.4.

Further, in the management system of the prior art, the daily operation rates of the steppers A to G vary greatly, with the maximum value being 96.6% and the minimum value being 53.6%. On the other hand, in the management system of the present invention, their daily operating rates are almost even, with the maximum value being 88.7% and the minimum value being 88.4%. As described above, according to the management system of the present invention, the work in progress can be optimally distributed to each of the steppers A to G in the device group based on the optimal load sharing ratio. Existing steppers A to G without any work-in-progress to D
Can be used to manufacture memories such as DRAMs and MROMs (the manufacturing process management method of the present invention).

Further, according to the manufacturing process management method of the present invention, the attributes are given in order from the device group having a small number of steppers to the device group having a large number of steppers, and the load sharing ratio of each of the steppers A to G is given. Since x1 to x5 are calculated, when steppers C, D, and E of a group having a small number of equipments are used repeatedly as steppers of another apparatus group, the daily operation rates of the steppers of the equipment group having a small number of equipments are used. Can be calculated in consideration of the load sharing ratio. Therefore, the load does not concentrate on the steppers C, D, E, etc. which are used repeatedly in other device groups.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the method of calculating the load sharing rate by converting the processing of the work-in-progress per day has been described. Or the work in process may be converted per year, and the annual operating rate may be set equal to obtain the load sharing ratio. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, an example of a stepper has been described. However, it goes without saying that the manufacturing apparatus is not limited to the stepper, and can be applied to an apparatus necessary for manufacturing an LSI.

[0069]

As described above, in the manufacturing process management system of the present invention, the operation of the manufacturing apparatus is performed by dividing the actual production amount obtained by multiplying the target production number per unit period by the load sharing ratio by the production capacity of the manufacturing apparatus. Since the means for determining the load sharing ratio when the rate is equal to the operation rate of each manufacturing apparatus in each manufacturing process is provided, even if the production capacity of each manufacturing apparatus is different, the optimum Products can be distributed to the manufacturing apparatus according to the load sharing ratio. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly flow the product into the manufacturing process without stacking the product before the specific manufacturing process (the manufacturing process management method of the present invention).

Further, according to another manufacturing process management system of the present invention, when a manufacturing apparatus in a certain manufacturing step also serves as a manufacturing apparatus in another manufacturing step, the manufacturing rate of the manufacturing apparatus which is also used in another manufacturing step is reduced by the operation rate. Since the means for adding the operation rate of a specific manufacturing apparatus in a process is provided, the load on a manufacturing apparatus that is used repeatedly in another manufacturing step can be reduced.
Therefore, the processing of the product (load) can be optimally shared between the respective manufacturing apparatuses without the load being concentrated on the manufacturing apparatuses used repeatedly.

Thus, in each manufacturing process, the process can be managed so that the processing of the product progresses without delay. A manufacturing process management system suitable for an LSI mass-production factory or the like can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an LSI manufacturing process management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for distributing processing of a work in process according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a manufacturing process management system according to a conventional example.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... Manufacturing process management system, 2 ... Production line, 11 ... Work in process registration memory, 12 ... Device registration memory, 13 ... CP
U, 14: ROM, 15: ability calculation editor, 16: scheduler, 17: dispatcher, 18: I / O port, 19: keyboard, 20: display, 21 ...
Printer, 22: System bus, 100: LSI manufacturing process management system.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. In a manufacturing process management system for a production line using a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses in a manufacturing process, an operating rate of the manufacturing apparatus is represented by the following equation: operating rate = (target production number per unit period × load sharing rate) )
÷ (Production equipment production capacity) [However, the load sharing ratio is the ratio at which each manufacturing apparatus in each manufacturing process shares the processing of products. Means for determining a load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses so that the operation rates of the manufacturing apparatuses in the manufacturing process are equal, and a product is provided to each of the manufacturing apparatuses in the manufacturing process according to the load sharing ratio. And a means for distributing the processing of (1). 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing process is performed by n (n = 1, 2, 3,...)
When the load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses is x1, x2, x3,..., Xn, the following equations are used: 1 = x1 + x2 + x3 +... Xn (1) The following equation assumes that the operation rates of the manufacturing apparatuses are equal,
That is, operation rate = (α × x1) / β1 / γ1 = (α × x2) / β2 / γ2 = (α × x3) / β3 / γ3 =... = (Α × xn) / βn / γn. (2) [where α is the target number of production per unit period, β1 to βn
Is the operable time of each manufacturing apparatus, and γ1 to γn are product processing times per unit number. 2. A manufacturing process management system according to claim 1, further comprising means for calculating a load sharing ratio of each of said manufacturing apparatuses. 3. When a specific manufacturing device in a certain manufacturing process also serves as a manufacturing device in another manufacturing process, the operating rate of the manufacturing device that is also used in the other manufacturing process depends on the operation of the specific manufacturing device in the manufacturing process. 3. The manufacturing process management system according to claim 2, further comprising means for adding a rate. 4. A method for managing a manufacturing process of a production line using a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses for each manufacturing process, wherein products circulating in the manufacturing process are classified by product type, and products classified by product type are processed. The production equipment is divided for each production process, and the operation rate of the production equipment divided for each production process is expressed by the following equation.
That is, operation rate = (number of production targets per unit period x load sharing rate)
÷ (Production equipment production capacity) [However, the load sharing ratio is the ratio at which each manufacturing apparatus in each manufacturing process shares the processing of products. ], The load sharing ratio of each of the manufacturing apparatuses is determined so that the operation rates of the manufacturing apparatuses in the manufacturing process are equal, and the processing of the product is performed on each of the manufacturing apparatuses in the manufacturing process according to the load sharing ratio. A manufacturing process management method, comprising: 5. The manufacturing process management method according to claim 4, wherein the load sharing ratio is calculated in order from a manufacturing process having a small number of manufacturing equipment to a manufacturing process having a large number of manufacturing equipment. .