JPH11175142A - Operation support system for manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation support system for a manufacturing equipment which can control and monitor the automatic operation of a facility in real time. SOLUTION: A control 5 monitors and controls the states of manufacturing equipment 7a to 7n. An actual process result server 3 manages actual process result data from the manufacturing equipment 7a to 7n. Man-machine interfaces 10a to 10n are arranged corresponding to the manufacturing equipment 7a to 7n and connected to the controller 5 and the actual process results of the manufacturing devices are inputted. The actual process results inputted from actual process result server 3 and interfaces 10a to 10n are gathered in real time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus suitable for supporting driving of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a current production line of a semiconductor factory, it is necessary to implement timely production start-up by constructing a more efficient production system. The mission of such a production system is to improve yield, improve quality, reduce costs,
rn Around Time), and the throughput is improved. A system that integrates automated operation of production equipment and production management is required. The production system of a production factory including a semiconductor factory controls the production equipment based on the production plan. Flexible M
Animating system (CIM) has been developed, and CIM (Computer Integrate) using a network to realize this
d Manufacturing) is being strongly promoted.

A conventional example in which a plurality of manufacturing facilities are connected via a network is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-5094.
No. 9 is known.

[0004]

However, in the conventional method, there is a problem that the automatic operation control and monitoring of the manufacturing apparatus cannot be efficiently performed in real time by being closely connected to a higher-level management device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an operation support system for a manufacturing apparatus which can perform automatic operation control and monitoring of the manufacturing apparatus in real time.

[0006]

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses and a controller connected to these manufacturing apparatuses and monitoring and controlling the status of these manufacturing apparatuses. And a processing support server having a processing result server that manages processing result data from the manufacturing apparatus, further comprising: An interface capable of inputting the processing results of the apparatus; and the processing results server collects the processing results input from the interface in real time via the controller. With this configuration, automatic operation control and monitoring of the manufacturing apparatus can be performed in real time.

(2) In the above (1), preferably,
The controller refers to the processing results already collected by the processing result server last time, checks the consistency of the current manufacturing conditions, and determines the automatic startup of the manufacturing apparatus. With this configuration, the manufacturing apparatus can be automatically started based on the previous processing results.

(3) In the above (1), preferably,
The processing result server calculates an operation rate of the manufacturing apparatus. With this configuration, the operation rate of the manufacturing apparatus can be easily calculated.

(4) In the above (1), preferably,
The processing result server is configured to collect an inoperative factor input from the interface.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, the system configuration of the driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described using the driving support system for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as an example with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a process management database (D).
B) 1, a processing condition database (DB) 2, a processing result server 3, an inspection data server 4, and a controller 5
, Terminal equipment 6, and a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 7a,.
An inspection device 8 and an interface 10 are provided.

The process management DB 1 stores the type of product to be manufactured, the lot number, its work in progress, the result of completion processing, and the like, and is used to manage the progress of production (dynamic management). The processing condition DB2 stores in advance the names of the equipment corresponding to the type to be manufactured and the manufacturing conditions thereof, and these manufacturing conditions are centrally managed.

The processing result server 3 is connected to the process management DB 1 and the processing condition DB 2 via the Ethernet 11, manages the progress of production and the manufacturing conditions, and stores the processing results in the storage device 210. Inspection data collection server 4
Is connected to the Ethernet 11, and by centrally managing the quality of the process and the quality of the product, the quality is ensured, and the traceability of the product is also ensured.

A controller 5 is connected to the Ethernet 11. The controller 5 has a process management D
B1 and the processing condition DB2, the production information and the production condition information are acquired, and the operation information, the production status, the processing result, and the like are collected from the production devices 7a,.
7n is automatically operated. Controller 5 and manufacturing device 7
The communication interface between the devices and the message required for the manufacturing apparatus 7 generally conforms to SEMI / SECSI, II, realizes communication establishment, and is instructed by the controller 5,
, 7n are automatically operated.

The interfaces 10a,..., 10n
, Connected to the controller 5.
7n and an operator, for example, a barcode reader. The interfaces 10a,..., 10n are respectively ID9a,.
9n can be read, and the read ID is sent to the controller 5. ID9a, ..., 9n include the product I of the material
D and a management code are recorded in a barcode format. The display / operation function units 101a,..., 101n of the interfaces 10a,..., 10n perform a transmission operation (for example, press a transmission button) after the IDs 9a,. Sends the read ID to the controller 5 and
When transmission of D is performed, display of normal transmission (for example, green lamp display) is performed. ID sent to controller 5
9 is collected by the processing result collection server 3.

Also, the terminal device 6 is connected to the Ethernet 11.
Are connected, and the terminal device 6 is connected to each of the manufacturing devices 7a,
.., 7n information and equipment information are disclosed and displayed to the operator.
The terminal device 6 includes an input unit 6a, a calculation unit 6b, and a display unit 6c. The operator checks the executed instruction items, the work contents, the processing contents of the device, the alarm, and the like displayed on the display unit 6c of the terminal device 6,
Work can proceed.

Further, an inspection device 8 is connected to the Ethernet 11, and an inspection result by the inspection device 8 is as follows.
It is sent to the inspection data server 4.

The structural feature of the present embodiment is that an interface 10 such as a bar code reader is used to read an ID 9 in which a product ID and a management code of a material are recorded in a bar code format, and read the read ID into a controller. 5, and the processing result server 3 collects this ID.

Although the controller 5, the terminal device 6, and the inspection device 8 are each one in the illustrated example, a plurality of them are provided.

Next, the processing operation of the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In step S1 of FIG. 2, the controller 5 establishes communication with the manufacturing apparatuses 7a,..., 7n and the interfaces 10a,.

Further, in step S2, the controller 5 confirms the operation state of the manufacturing apparatuses 7a,..., 7n.

Thereafter, in step S3, the controller 5 is in an idle state, that is, in a standby state.

Here, the steps up to setting a wafer to be processed in the manufacturing apparatus 7 will be described. A management ID or a management code is added to the wafer (material) to be processed. Then, based on the information stored in the process management DB1, the wafer (material) is temporarily stored in a predetermined temporary storage location (for example, a stocker or the like) where a corresponding process and a corresponding manufacturing apparatus group exist according to a production schedule. Will be paid out. For example, when the processing is performed by the manufacturing apparatus 7a, it is paid out to a stocker near the manufacturing apparatus 7a.

The worker confirms the material paid out to the stocker and unloads a predetermined wafer to be processed from the stocker into the line according to the production schedule.
The worker transports the dispensed material to a corresponding facility (for example, the manufacturing apparatus 7a) and temporarily sets the material on a work table (table or the like) provided near the loader unit of the manufacturing apparatus 7a.

Next, generally, the worker confirms the material ID or the management code and the manufacturing conditions again before installing the apparatus on the loader of the manufacturing apparatus 7a, and further checks the operation / non-operation information of the manufacturing apparatus 7a. By doing so, it is possible to prevent defects due to erroneous operation of the manufacturing apparatus 7a and to maintain the quality of the product.

Next, in the present embodiment, when the operator sets the material on the table, the operator inputs the product ID and the material of the material to the interface 10a such as a bar code reader provided on the material table. An ID 9a in which a management code or the like is recorded in a barcode format is read. Further, the operation function unit 10 of the interface 10a
By operating 1a (for example, a push button or the like),
An instruction to start reading is sent to the controller 5 by a signal A9a-1.
Give in.

Here, in step S4 of FIG. 2, the controller 5 releases the idle according to the read start instruction (signal A9a-1) sent from the interface 10.

Next, in step S5, the controller 5 takes in the material ID. That is, the product ID and management code of the material are read from the interface 10 (signal A9a-2 in FIG. 1).

Next, in step S6, the controller 5 performs progress tracking on the process management DB1.
That is, the process management DB 1 is queried for a material ID and a management code (signal A20 in FIG. 1).

In step S7, the controller 5 performs manufacturing condition tracking on the processing condition DB2. That is, an inquiry about the manufacturing conditions is made to the processing condition DB2 (signal A30 in FIG. 1).

Further, in step S8, the controller 5 checks the rationality. That is, the ID of the material
With respect to the control code and the management code, the type, the device code, the number of sheets, etc., and the production process number are checked based on the information obtained from the process management DB1 and the information obtained from the processing condition DB2. The operator checks the consistency between the process management information of the material to be started and the manufacturing conditions on the terminal device 6 and loads the material onto the manufacturing apparatus 7.

Next, in step S9, the controller 5 reads the manufacturing conditions from the processing condition DB2 (recipe download; signal A20 in FIG. 1), downloads the manufacturing conditions to the manufacturing device 7a, and downloads the manufacturing conditions to the manufacturing device 7a.
Instruction to start automatic operation at a (Start of construction instruction; signal A40 in FIG. 1)
Put out.

Next, in step S10, the manufacturing apparatus 7a starts processing the supplied material based on manufacturing conditions (pressure conditions, temperature conditions, time conditions, target material conditions, etc.) (material processing). (Equipment automatic operation)).

Next, when the predetermined processing is completed, in step S11, the manufacturing apparatus 7a collects process data, and in step S12, reports the collected process data to the controller 5 (signal in FIG. 1). A
0).

In step S13, the controller 5
, The actual results of the manufacturing conditions via the Ethernet 11,
It is sent to the processing result collection server 3 (construction result report; signal A50 in FIG. 1). At the same time, the controller 5 also reports results to the process management DB 1. Further, the controller 5
Is for the ID and management code attached to the material,
The contents are updated via the interface 10 (signal A80 in FIG. 1).

In step S14, the processing result collection server 3 sends the collected data to the terminal device 6, and displays the data on the display means 6c in chronological order (signal A10 in FIG. 1).

Next, in step S15, the controller 5 confirms the rationality of the internal sequence when the sequence is completed.

After confirmation, the controller 5 issues an instruction to unload the material in the manufacturing apparatus 7a in step S16, and enters a standby state (idle state) in step S17.

The above description has been made only for the manufacturing apparatus 7a. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the controller 5 can handle several manufacturing apparatuses 7a,. Such an operation is realized for each manufacturing apparatus. In the case where the rationality is not matched in the rationality check, the result and the content are displayed on the terminal device 6 and the simplified display unit 101 of the interface 10.

Further, the operator operates the input means 6 of the terminal device 6.
According to a, the data collected by the processing result server 3 can be easily confirmed sequentially (signal A70 in FIG. 1).

Note that the result of the previous processing in FIG.
The control signal AF2 will be described later.

Next, a method of collecting processing result data in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
It is a block diagram explaining the collection method of the processing result data in the driving support system of the manufacturing device by one embodiment of the present invention.

The controller 5 has a message queue 18
0 and a sub recording medium 190. The processing result server 3 includes a message queue 200, a main recording medium 210, and a sub recording medium 220.

The processing result data A 0 transmitted from the manufacturing apparatus 7 is temporarily stored in the message queue 1 of the controller 5.
80, and if the network 11 is normal, the signal A90 sends the message queue 2
Sent to 00. This transmission data is stored in the main recording medium 21.
If 0 is not blocked by the terminal device 6,
The signal A100 is transmitted to the main recording medium 210 and is collected by the processing result server 3. Controller 5
When a failure occurs in the network 11 between the server and the processing result server 3, the data is temporarily transmitted from the message queue 180 to the sub recording medium 190 by a signal A110, and is stored until the network is restored. You. When the network is restored, the data is automatically collected and stored in the processing result server 4 by the signal A120.

The main recording medium 21 of the processing result server 3
When 0 is exclusively blocked, the data is temporarily transmitted from the message queue 200 to the secondary recording medium 220 by the signal A130, and is stored until the exclusive unblocking time. At the time of exclusive unblocking, the signal A140
, The data is automatically collected on the main recording medium 210
Will be kept.

With this configuration, in the processing result data collection method according to the present embodiment, the collected data has high reliability and is not lost even when a network or equipment is abnormal. Management of
Can contribute enough to maintenance.

Next, a method of collecting inspection data according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a method of collecting inspection data in the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The material processed by the manufacturing apparatus 7a is transported to an inspection facility 8 (FIG. 1) for the purpose of checking and maintaining its quality, and is immediately inspected. This test result is collected by the test data server 4 at a signal A15. At this time, in the present system, at the time when the inspection result is collected, only the data related to the quality, for example, the film thickness value, the frequency of the foreign matter, and the like are extracted and collected by the processing result server 3 by the signal A60.

This collection method is as follows. That is, since the processing result server 3 collects various data of a large amount of the manufacturing apparatuses 7, it is necessary to minimize the load and further ensure real-time operation. A remote procedure call (RPC) is performed via the network 11, and middleware for sending out test data at the time of collection is installed in the test data server 4 so that the RPC is not conscious. It's getting better.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the inspection data server 4 includes a message queue 230 and a sub-recording medium 24.
0. In a normal state, the data is transmitted in real time from the message queue 230 of the test data server 4 to the message queue 200 of the processing result server 3 by the signal A150. In the event of an abnormality, the data is stored in the sub-recording medium 240 in place of the processing result server 3 at the signal A160. At the time of abnormality recovery, the accumulated data is automatically collected in the processing result server 3 by the signal A170. When the collection is completed, the data is collected and stored in the processing result collection server 3 via the network 11 in the processing result data from the manufacturing apparatus 7 and the result.

Further, the connected and collected data is displayed on the display means 6a of the terminal device 6 in the same manner as described above.

With this configuration, in the inspection data collecting method according to the present embodiment, the collected data has high reliability and is not lost even when a network or equipment is abnormal. Can contribute sufficiently to management and maintenance.

Next, a display format displayed on the display means 6c of the terminal device 6 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display format on the display means of the terminal device in the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the information database of the result collection server 3, which is displayed on the display means 6c in a format according to this configuration. The information database of the result collection server 3 is in a two-dimensional “table” format.
In the processing operation of each manufacturing apparatus 7, information is registered as one "row" information for each facility, for each process, and for each product type. The “rows” are arranged as a database by arranging the equipment, each process, each type, and each lot in the order of the processing results.

On the other hand, the “row” information includes a common item A, a common item B, a processing result item C, a processing result item D, an inspection item E, and an inspection item F. Common items A include “equipment name”, “process name”, “type”,
Information of “lot No. name” is registered. In the common item B, information necessary for production management, such as "processing condition name" and "number of starts" is registered. The processing result data C includes “start date and time”, “end date and time”, “completed number”
Is registered. In the processing result data D, processing conditions for each manufacturing apparatus 7 are registered. Inspection results data E and F include
The film thickness and the foreign substance frequency of the inspection item are registered.

The information database configured as described above is set in the processing result server 3 in advance during the automatic operation of the manufacturing apparatus 7, that is, prior to the operation of the manufacturing apparatus 7 of the present system. Things. Display means 6a
Is the actual item information from the information database, that is, "row"
Are sequentially read, and necessary information is distributed and displayed for each field.

Of the information of each "row", "start date and time" and "end date and time", "completed number", processing result data D and inspection result data E and F are output to the display means 6c and displayed. At the same time, the data is processed by the calculation means 6b and the result is displayed on the display means 6c. The worker performs the work according to the information displayed on the display means 6c without leaving the manufacturing apparatus 7 before the start of the work, and can simultaneously obtain the previous work result and the contents and results of the current work. .

Further, the worker carries out the work in accordance with the information displayed on the display means 6c, and when he / she wants to leave any work comment as a result of the work, he / she inputs the work comment through the input means 6a of the terminal device 6. Then, the information can be retained and accumulated.

The input means 6a converts the input information into a "column"
And outputs one "row" of data to the result database. The processing result server 3 is in the form of a two-dimensional "table", and additionally registers one "row" of data input from the input means 6a to construct a database.

In the present system, the above-described series of operations is regarded as one cycle, and the last “line” is determined in accordance with the order of the “line” which is the item information set in the processing result server 4 in advance.
Until the event of each component device occurs, it is sequentially repeated and constructed.

As described above, in the field, management items that require conversion processing of processing data and the like
By setting calculation formulas and the like for the calculation in the calculation means 6b, management of data collected at each work is performed on site,
You can know the result.

Next, a display example processed and processed by the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a display example processed by the terminal device in the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Examples of specific processing calculation processing on site using the terminal device 8 include, for example, an XR management chart for each type,
It is to calculate and display a histogram and the like, a management chart of processing conditions for each device, a start rate for each type, an operating time, a cumulative number of sheets, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which, among processing calculation examples, quality-related processing is executed. These are an XR control chart, a histogram, a scatter distribution chart, and a correlation chart, which are implemented for quality control at the manufacturing stage. These control charts for quality control are “rows” and “columns” of the processing result server 3. , The result of processing the processing result data and inspection data for each product type and lot from each manufacturing facility 7 by the calculation means 6b is displayed. Therefore, for example, in the X-R control chart, when a certain kind: T2 is started, the result of the previous execution: the actual state of the facility corresponding to T1 and the state of the inspection result can be confirmed in real time, and the operator himself / herself can check the result. Can confirm its quality. Therefore, the factors that cause defects can be reduced.

As described above, according to the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the defect of the product due to the operation error of the manufacturing apparatus, the start instruction of the manufacturing operation, and the judgment error is caused. The incidence rate can be reduced, and the product yield can be improved.

Further, the controller 5 takes in the ID attached to the cassette case or the like accommodating the wafer by the simple operation section 101 of the man-machine interface 11 and recognizes the ID. It inquires of a higher-level production management system that manages progress management, manufacturing condition management, and work order management, determines an appropriate recipe, and instructs the manufacturing equipment to automatically start construction using that recipe. Since the result of the start of construction is automatically reported, failure prevention due to construction start mistakes, erroneous operation of the manufacturing apparatus 7, and misjudgment can be achieved, and the product yield is improved.

Further, the operator can easily start up the manufacturing facility while confirming only a single operation from the man-machine interface 11 and the operation contents on the display unit 101 and the terminal device 6 of the apparatus. Therefore, labor saving can be achieved, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

In addition, since the results of the product quality inspection and the process quality control can be displayed or monitored in real time to the workers and the related staff, it is also reflected in the manufacturing equipment in response to a maintenance instruction from a higher order. As a result, the frequency of occurrence of defects can be reduced, and a quick response is possible, and the production efficiency is improved.

Next, the quality control method according to the present embodiment will be described again with reference to FIG. In step S5 in FIG. 2, the controller 5 performs the progress tracking and inquires the process management DB 1 about the material ID and the management code (signal A20 in FIG. 1).

Then, in step S7, the controller 5 determines the rationality of the material (type, device code, number of sheets, etc.).
Check. Here, a check for confirming the consistency between the previous processing result by the function AF1 in FIG. 2 and the standard value is added to the rationality check. That is, as described in FIG. 5, since the actual value and the inspection result of the condition processed by the manufacturing apparatus 7 performed last time are known from the information of the processing result server 3, the actual manufacturing condition or the manufacturing condition server Reference is made to the standard values of the manufacturing conditions in 2 to confirm the consistency of the manufacturing conditions to be implemented this time.

With this checking function, if the matching result is good, the controller 5 performs tracking of the manufacturing conditions in step S6 and checks its rationality (signal A30 in FIG. 1). The result of checking the consistency is displayed on the simplified display means 101 of the interface 10 and the terminal device 6 at the same time as described above.

At this time, a signal AF2 is transmitted to the terminal device 6, and when this display result is confirmed by the operator,
The worker can confirm the consistency between the process management information of the material to be started and the manufacturing conditions, and then loads the material into the manufacturing equipment 7. At this time, the controller 5
The manufacturing conditions are read from Step 2, and in Step S8, the manufacturing conditions are downloaded to the manufacturing apparatus 7, and a start instruction for automatically operating the manufacturing apparatus 7 is issued.

If the matching result is negative, the controller 5
Terminates the operation sequence, returns to the initial idle state, and prevents the manufacturing apparatus 7 from automatically starting. Even at this time, the result is displayed on the display means 6c of the terminal device 6 and the simplified display unit 101 of the interface 11 in the same manner as described above, and prompts appropriate processing.

With this configuration, in the present embodiment, even if the processing conditions of the manufacturing equipment 7 are changed for some reason, the materials are not processed under those conditions, so that the quality is stabilized and the defect is reduced. It is possible to reduce.

In particular, when the process conditions change and the conditions affect the quality of the product, for example, when the temperature and pressure in the processing chamber of the manufacturing apparatus 7 affect the product quality, When the process becomes abnormal due to the occurrence of the abnormality described above, the quality characteristic value is examined to eliminate the processing, thereby stabilizing the quality.

Here, the software configuration of the processing result server 3 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the software configuration of the processing result server in the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The software of the processing result server 3 includes a common library 9S for compressing the transmitted processing result data and a part function 10S for performing a list analysis of the processing result data for each facility using the common library 9S. It is configured.

The data of the processing result server 3 is evaluated for the structure of the message and the validity of the data by the parts function 10S, and further converted and converted into binary data between the manufacturing apparatus 7 and the server 3 by the common library 9S. Compressed,
Stored in the server 3.

Since the hardware resources of the processing result server 3 are limited, the processing result server 3 has a ring buffer structure. After the data is stored for a certain period, the data is automatically deleted from those exceeding the set number. You.

Next, a software configuration of the terminal device 6 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
1 is an explanatory diagram of a software configuration of a terminal device in a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The software of the terminal device 6 includes a common unit 11S for acquiring data from the processing result server 3 and the like, and a part function 12S for editing and outputting the obtained processing result data in a display format for each device. . In the terminal device 6, general-purpose application software 13
Using S, a display format is created in advance in accordance with the format of the processing result data of each facility. An example of the display format is as shown in FIG.

Further, the software configuration of the controller 5 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a software configuration of a controller in a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The software of the controller 5 includes a communication control unit for processing data and the like transmitted from the manufacturing apparatus, equipment automatic operation control for controlling automatic operation of the manufacturing apparatus, and data or data transmitted from the interface 10. An interface control unit that controls data to be transmitted, a common library 9S that performs terminal control for acquiring data with the terminal device 6, and a part that performs a list analysis of processing result data for each facility that uses the common library 9S Function 1
0S. The parts function 10S for each device is
Is the same.

According to such a configuration, the software configuration has a hierarchical structure and a common library system. For this reason, the communication and control software for each piece of equipment has conventionally been incorporated into the application section (AP section) and created, which required a large number of man-hours. Since only corrections need to be checked, production efficiency is improved, and it is possible to flexibly cope with equipment expansion.

The software for communicating the information such as the controller 5, the production management equipment (upper management computer for process management and manufacturing conditions) and other manual work instructions is absorbed by common middleware. , The efficiency is further improved.

Next, the function of the apparatus simulator according to the present embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a device simulator function of a controller in a driving support system for a manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the controller 5
Has a simulation environment for confirming the operation of a program newly created by the communication software on the manufacturing apparatus 7 side. The controller 5 operates the device simulator 25 therein, and the environment inside the controller 5 is simulated as two independent components of the controller 51 and the device simulator 25.

The processing result server 3 executes various commands A18
Is transmitted, the device simulator 25 executes the process,
The processing result data A19 is reported to the processing result server 3. By confirming the log data, the creation program can be confirmed.

As described above, by providing the simulation function, the operation check of the manufacturing apparatus 7 can be independently performed out of the production management period. Further, the number of start-up steps of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced. In addition, you can check the operation of the production equipment before actually installing it on the production line,
Production can be performed smoothly without disrupting production.

Next, an unavailability collection system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The operation / non-operation rate of the production equipment in a semiconductor factory is a very important item as an evaluation index of TAT and throughput. However, in the conventional system, the contents of the operation rate and the non-operation rate cannot be clearly classified, and accurate information cannot be obtained because the accuracy is low.

In the present embodiment, as described above,
Since the online operation with the manufacturing apparatus 7 is realized, it is possible to easily collect an accurate operation time from the manufacturing apparatus 7, and this data is used as one of the management items of the operation rate. Further, the management items related to other inoperable items are transmitted from the man-machine interface 10 to the inoperable factor ID 5.
0 is read, the result is collected and stored in the processing result server 3, and is managed by the data.

Alternatively, for other management items relating to the inoperable items, the inoperative factor ID is created by a soft switch using the input means 6a of the terminal device 6, and the result is collected and stored in the processing result server 3. , And is managed by the data.

The format of the processing result server 3 is different from the above-described processing result format, and is mainly created for each apparatus, based on the operation, non-operation, and the factors.

First, the system configuration of the unavailability collection system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram of the unavailability collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

When the manufacturing apparatus 7x is in an inoperative state including a failure for some reason, the controller 5, the man-machine interface 10, and the terminal device 6 are operating. The non-operation factor ID 50 of the manufacturing apparatus 7 is transmitted to the controller 5 as a signal AA8, and further transmitted to the processing result server 3 as a signal A90 to be taken in as non-operation information. The collected non-operation information can be displayed on the display unit 6c of the terminal device 6 as the signal A70.

In this embodiment, the non-operation factor is provided in advance as a management item, and the management item is always arranged near the manufacturing apparatus 7 as a card-shaped factor ID 50. The factor IDs 50 are classified into categories such as "under failure", "repairing", "periodical inspection", "repairing", "parts replacement", "adjustment, testing", "remodeling, improvement", and the like. Have been. The factor ID 50 holds the type of the factor by barcode information. Therefore, by reading the factor ID 50 by the interface 10 such as a barcode reader, the factor of non-operation can be sent to the controller 5.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, a description will be given of an input method of an inoperative factor in the inoperable rate collection system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an input method of an inoperability factor of the inoperability rate collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 12, the cause of the failure of the manufacturing apparatus 7X is selected from among the factor IDs 50 provided in advance, and the factor ID 50 is read by the man-machine interface 10 using, for example, a bar code method. 5 to the processing result server 3.

The transmitted data of the defect factor ID is
The signal is temporarily stored in the message queue 180 of the controller 5 by the signal AA8. If the network is normal, the signal is sent to the message queue 200 of the processing result server 3 by the signal A150. When a network failure occurs between the controller 5 and the processing result server 3, data is temporarily transmitted from the message queue 220 to the sub recording medium 240 by the signal A160, and is stored until the network is restored. When the network is restored, the data is automatically collected and stored in the processing result server 3 by the signal A170.

When the main recording medium 210 is not blocked by the terminal device 6, the transmission data is the signal A10
0, it is transmitted to the main recording medium 210 and collected by the processing result server 3. When the main recording medium 210 of the processing result server 3 is exclusively blocked, the signal A13
Due to 0, data is temporarily transmitted from the message queue 200 to the sub recording medium 220 and stored until exclusive unblocking, as in the case of a network failure. At the time of exclusive unblocking, data is automatically collected and stored in the main recording medium 210 by the signal A140.

With the configuration described above, since the processing method of the processing result data and the inspection data described in FIGS. 3 and 4 is the same, the reliability is extremely high and continuous operation is possible.

Next, the configuration of the non-operation information database of the processing result server 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of this database is also the display format of the display unit 6c of the terminal device 6. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the non-operation information database of the non-operation rate collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the processing result server 3
Non-operation information database and display means 6 of terminal device 6
The display format of c is in the form of a two-dimensional “table”. In the processing operation of each manufacturing facility 7X, each process and each product type are registered as one “row”, and this “row” is registered.
Are arranged in the order of processing results for each equipment, each process, each type, and each lot, and are configured as a database.

As the information of “row”, common item data 14 including a facility code and a common item B, operation data 16 including a processing result item A and a processing result item B, a non-operation item A and a non-operation Non-operation data 17 consisting of item B
And a cumulative total. In the equipment code, information on the equipment name (ID) is registered. In the common item B, information on the process name, product type, lot No. name, processing condition name, "number of starts", "number of completed", and information on the non-operation factor are registered. In the processing result item A, the “start date and time” at which the item was executed is registered. In the processing result item B, “end date and time” and the like are registered.
Is registered. In the non-operation item A, the “start date and time” at which the operation is disabled is registered.
The “end date and time” is registered, and the actual data of the non-operation time of the manufacturing apparatus 7X is registered. The information database configured as described above is set in advance before the operation of the manufacturing apparatus of the system.

The display means 6c of the terminal device 6 sequentially reads out the result item information from the operation / non-operation information database of the processing result server 3, and distributes and displays necessary information for each field.

Of the information of each “row”, the processing result data of the operation time 16 such as “start date and time”, “end date and time”, and “number of completed sheets” and the non-operation time 17 are output to the display means 6c. At the same time, the data is processed by the calculating means 6b into data such as the frequency of the failure period, the factor of non-operation, the time thereof, the equipment operation rate, etc., and output to the display means 6c.

The workers, line managers, and staff manage the manufacturing equipment according to the information displayed on the display means 6c.

In the present embodiment, the above-described series of operations is regarded as one cycle, and is repeated until the last “line” in the order of the “line” which is the item information set in the database.

[0110] In the management items requiring conversion processing or the like at the site, a calculation formula or the like for that purpose is stored in advance in the terminal device 6.
Can be managed at the site and the result can be known. Further, as a specific example of the processing calculation processing at the site, for example, the operation time, non-operation time, non-operation factor, and the like of each facility can be calculated and output.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the information necessary for the inspection work on the line is displayed on the display means 6c of the terminal device 6 installed near the equipment, and the factor is determined according to the display contents. In addition to inputting the items, the factor items are input in a format for each facility, and the factor items are sequentially read from the processing result server 3 as needed to obtain information such as the progress status and the scheduled completion date. Preventive maintenance and equipment management can be realized. In addition, this information clarifies beforehand the operation and non-operation of the facility when the worker pays out the material from the stocker and transports the material to the facility, thereby eliminating wasteful transportation. Therefore, production efficiency is improved.

Next, a system configuration of another example of the unavailability collection system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is another system configuration diagram of the unavailability collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

When the manufacturing apparatus 7x is in an inoperative state including a failure for some reason, the controller 5, the man-machine interface 10, and the terminal device 6 are operating. Using the non-operation factor ID 50 of the manufacturing apparatus 7 as the signal AA8,
To the processing result server 3 as a signal A70.
To be taken in as non-operation information.
The collected non-operation information can be displayed on the display unit 6c of the terminal device 6 as the signal A70.

The ID of the non-operation factor can be read by the input means 6a of the terminal device 6 by software using an "operation / non-operation factor input screen".

With the configuration of this example, hardware costs and wiring and other construction costs can be reduced, and only screen development of input means is required, so that labor saving can be achieved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, not only is it possible to automatically collect the processing result data in the manufacturing equipment online, but also to perform comprehensive analysis and judgment by comparing with the corresponding inspection data. With this configuration, it is possible to check the operation state of the manufacturing equipment and determine whether or not there is an abnormality in real time, so that the manufacturing equipment can be automatically operated with high reliability and easily.

Further, the quality of a product can be improved because a defect or the like can be found and an appropriate action can be taken promptly.

Further, since the controller and the server each have a sub-recording medium, it is possible to prevent the loss of the collected data, so that the reliability of the system is improved and the production is not hindered. Stable operation of manufacturing equipment can be realized.

Further, at the time of maintenance, the corresponding portion can be corrected without stopping data collection, so that the number of work steps can be reduced.

Further, since no special device is used as a component device of the system, it is possible to configure the system using only general-purpose devices.

Furthermore, since the operation and non-operation of the manufacturing apparatus can be managed, the production efficiency is further improved.

As described above, the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is excellent in the reliability of the collected data and can contribute to the total maintenance of the manufacturing equipment.
The quality is improved, the yield is improved, and the production efficiency is improved. Further, the maintenance environment of the system is very easy to use, and the configuration cost of the system can be reduced. Further, since the online system can be started up in a short period of time, more labor can be saved.

The characteristic configuration and operation of the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment described above are listed below. (1) Hardware Configuration In the operation support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, communication between the manufacturing apparatus and a higher-level production management device (higher-level computer that manages processes and manufacturing conditions), communication with the manufacturing apparatus, data collection, and automatic Connects a controller that realizes operation control and manages 5 to 10 manufacturing facilities, and a man-machine interface that realizes an interface between manufacturing equipment and workers to the controller, and concentrates data from each controller and the man-machine interface. CSS (client server system) composed of the server to be managed,
The server consists of a controller that collects data from the controller and the man-machine interface in real time, and a server that collects data from the inspection equipment in real time, and further processes data from the server and data from manufacturing equipment. A terminal comprising display means for calculating quality information necessary to support the operation of the manufacturing apparatus, equipment information, and furthermore, operating rates and the like, and displaying, graphing, statistically processing and outputting the results. It consists of.

Further, the terminal is provided with input means for realizing an interface with an operator.

In order to prevent data loss, both the controller and the server are provided with a sub recording medium.

With the above-described configuration, the controller can realize and manage the automatic operation control of 5 to 10 manufacturing facilities, so that start instruction errors and operation errors, and processing conditions of the manufacturing facilities are appropriate. Can be confirmed whether the product is normal or not, so that the occurrence of defective products is reduced.

Further, since the automatic operation of the equipment can be easily achieved by the man-machine interface, the burden on the operator can be reduced.

Further, since several controllers can be controlled by one controller, economy is high.

Further, since the server can centrally manage the processing results of each facility and the inspection result data from the inspection facility, the quality and the manufacturing equipment can be efficiently maintained and managed.

Further, quality information and equipment information necessary for supporting the operation of the manufacturing apparatus by processing the data from the server and the data from the manufacturing apparatus are displayed, graphed, and statistically processed. Since it is composed of a terminal to output,
Anyone can check the dynamic information of the line and unify the information, improving the efficiency of production management work.

(2) Automatic Equipment Operation Control System In order to carry out automatic operation of the production equipment, in the operation support system of the production equipment according to the present embodiment, the controller uses the ID attached to the cassette case or the like accommodating the wafer. After retrieving the ID with the man-machine interface and recognizing the ID, it inquires of a higher-level production management system that manages the progress of the ID, management of manufacturing conditions, and management of work instructions based on the recognition information, determines an appropriate recipe, The recipe is instructed to start the manufacturing apparatus. In addition, the result of the start of construction is reported to the upper level production management system.

The controller operates upon the occurrence of an event (interrupt) from the manufacturing equipment. The control of the controller is based on the status and the event, the processing for the manufacturing equipment, the status control of the equipment loader, and the simple display provided on the man-machine interface. Perform control. In addition, the upper level production management system reports the start of construction, collects processing result data and inspection data from inspection equipment, and discloses the results and information to workers and staff.

Further, when the manufacturing equipment is to be automatically operated, the controller collects the processing condition result data previously executed in the product manufacturing equipment in the server or the manufacturing condition data specified by the production management equipment, and stores those data. A function is provided for confirming and verifying whether the manufacturing conditions to be processed this time are normal values or within regulation.

According to the above-described method, the controller takes in the ID attached to the cassette case or the like accommodating the wafer through the man-machine interface, recognizes the ID, and uses the ID information based on the recognition information. Inquiry to a higher-level production management system that manages progress management, manufacturing condition management, and work order management, determines an appropriate recipe, and instructs the manufacturing equipment to automatically start construction using that recipe, and after completion, the higher-level production management The system automatically reports the results of the start of construction, so that failures due to construction mistakes or erroneous operations can be prevented.

Further, the operator can easily start up the manufacturing equipment with only a single operation from the man-machine interface while checking the contents of the operation name, so that labor saving can be achieved.

(3) Software Configuration In the driving support system for manufacturing equipment according to the present embodiment, the software configuration has a hierarchical structure in order to cope with frequent system configuration changes and short-term startup of new equipment. A common library has been created, and a simulator function for checking the operation of manufacturing equipment has been added inside the system.

According to the conventional software system, since the communication and control software for each facility are created by being incorporated in the application section (AP section), the number of steps is large. In addition, when improving equipment and expanding the system,
The efficiency of the application section was low because it was completely revised and checked. In this software, the above-mentioned drawbacks are solved, and furthermore, middleware is adopted in consideration of the flexibility and simplicity of expansion of facilities.

In the system of this software, software of an intermediate layer is provided in the system section and the application section (AP section), and for example, the communication section, which has conventionally been a burden on the AP section, is shared by a middle and absorbed.

Further, in the present middleware, software for communicating information such as a controller, production management equipment (higher management computer for process management and manufacturing conditions) and other manual work instructions is absorbed by common middleware. Yes, they are not dependent on equipment.

As described above, the software configuration has a hierarchical structure, a common library is used, and the system unit and A
The software of the middle layer was provided in the P section, and the communication section, which had conventionally been a burden on the AP section, was shared by the middle and absorbed, so the software burden on the AP section was reduced, and the number of man-hours required for production could be reduced. To improve and expand the system,
Since only the above-mentioned application section needs to be corrected and confirmed, the efficiency can be improved and the start-up date can be shortened.

(4) Method of Utilizing Process Result Data In the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, traceability and quality maintenance of the product are important, and an appropriate line configuration (in-line inspection) and data collection system are required. The process data server collects process data of a large amount of equipment because it is necessary and the time delay must be minimized (real-time property). Therefore, the load is minimized and the real-time property is further ensured. . For this reason, the connection network with the inspection data server is a remote procedure (RPC), and middleware is installed inside the inspection data server.

Further, the system is flexible in the event of a network failure or maintenance of the process data server. That is, when the test data server is normal, the data is transmitted to the process data server in real time, and when the process data server is abnormal, the data is stored instead of the process data server, and when the process data server is restored. To automatically collect the accumulated data.

Further, the manufacturing conditions (pressure, temperature,
Voltage, etc.) and inspection data (film thickness, foreign matter generation result, pass / fail, etc.) for each wafer or chip can be simultaneously collected in the inspection management / accumulation server and the processing result server when the information is sent from the inspection equipment. Like that.

As for the collected result, the processing result data and the inspection data are centrally managed in the processing result server.

On the basis of the data (results), the operator is immediately informed with an XR control chart, a histogram, etc.
It is possible to control whether or not to start the next lot with a controller.

That is, in the present embodiment, the presence / absence of construction is determined by linking the above two category data with maintenance information such as cleaning specified by a higher-level management device.

Further, in this embodiment, when the start of the manufacturing equipment is completed, the result data is displayed on the display means of the terminal installed near the equipment, and in the step where the inspection result is present,
The result is automatically input and registered in the process database, the numerical data is sequentially read from the process database, and the necessary information is distributed and output to each facility, and the process database output means and the process database output means display the numerical data. Calculation means for holding the calculated numerical data, calculating the quality management formula using the quality data inputted through the display means of the terminal, and outputting the calculation result to the display means of the terminal; A process database is provided via a display means, and a process database input / output means is provided for sequentially inputting calculation results input from the calculation means to the process database.

By utilizing the processing result data as described above, product quality inspection and process quality control (P
QC) can be displayed or monitored by workers and related staff in real time based on centrally managed data in the server. As a result, the frequency of occurrence of defects can be reduced, and a quick response can be made, so that the quality is improved and the throughput is not reduced.

Further, since there is no need to provide a new collection device for collection, construction costs for wiring and maintenance parts can be reduced. (5) Collection method of equipment operation rate and non-operation rate In the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the online operation with the equipment is realized, so that accurate operation time can be easily collected from the equipment. This data is used as one of the management items of the operation rate, and for the other management items related to the non-operation, the non-operation factor specified by the man-machine interface is fetched or input from the operator terminal is used. On the basis of this, a management system that integrates the above operation rates with the contents of the factors managed by the equipment operation / non-operation information database arranged in the order of the collection of the operation and non-operation information of the equipment. According to this configuration, even when the manufacturing equipment is down for some reason, the controller and the man-machine interface are operating, so that the data can be captured.

Further, in the equipment operation non-operation collection system, during the inspection inspection work of the manufacturing equipment, information necessary for the inspection work on the line is displayed on the display means of the terminal installed near the equipment, and according to the display contents. In addition to inputting the factor items, inputting and registering the factor items as facility operation inoperability information in the server for each facility, sequentially reading the factor items from the facility operation inoperability information, and using the information necessary for each processing means Means for distributing and outputting the equipment operation inoperability information output means, and holding the calculation formula input from the equipment operation inoperability information output means, and using the equipment operation inoperability data input through the display means of the terminal. Calculating means for calculating the calculation result and outputting the calculation result to the display means of the terminal; and equipment operation / non-operation information input through the display means of the terminal and calculation input from the calculation means. And a facility operation unavailability information input output means for sequentially inputting the result to the facility operation unavailability information.

By using the above-described method of collecting the operation rate and the non-operation rate of the equipment, the operation / non-operation information of the manufacturing equipment is collected with high accuracy, and the result is also transmitted to the workers and the related staff in real time. Since the display can be performed, the non-operating rate of the equipment is reduced, the operating rate is improved, and a quick response is possible, thereby increasing the production efficiency.

The driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a controller, a server, and an output unit, and can collect data automatically and comprehensively on-line. It is possible to perform processing such as graphing / statistical processing, thereby improving the data utilization efficiency.

Furthermore, the inspection data collected by the inspection data collection server and the processing result data collected by the data collection server are associated in real time in the data collection server, and the comparison result is processed in the processing conditions database. By feeding back the conditions, the quality control ability of the product is improved.

In order to cope with frequent changes in the system configuration and the introduction of new equipment, the software configuration has a hierarchical structure, a common library is used, and a device simulator operated by a controller is provided. In addition, the man-hours for software creation and the on-line startup of equipment when introducing new equipment were reduced.

The controller and the server each have a sub-recording medium, and temporarily store data in the sub-recording medium when communication is blocked, and transfer the data to the main recording medium when communication is restored. To prevent the loss of data, thereby improving the reliability of the system.

As described above, according to the present invention, the processing result data transmitted from the equipment can be collected online, the corresponding inspection data can be added, and the data can be displayed on a plurality of output means. Since there is no need for manual intervention in collection and utilization, data reliability and quality control ability are improved.

Further, since the recording paper is not required, the storage and management of the recording paper is not required, and the data is collected and managed by the data collection server. Etc. can be referenced at remote locations.

Further, since no special hardware is required, an inexpensive system can be constructed.

Further, since data can be temporarily stored by the sub-recording media provided in the controller and the server, it is possible to easily perform maintenance such as changing programs of each unit while collecting data.

[0160]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an operation support system for a manufacturing apparatus, automatic operation control and monitoring of equipment can be performed in real time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a method of collecting processing result data in a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a method for collecting inspection data in a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display format on a display unit of a terminal device in the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a display example processed by a terminal device in the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a software configuration of a processing result server in the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a software configuration of a terminal device in the driving support system for the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a software configuration of a controller in the driving support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a device simulator function of a controller in a driving support system for a manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram of an unavailability collection system in a driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an input method of an inoperability factor of the inoperability rate collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a non-operation information database of the non-operation rate collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is another system configuration diagram of the unavailability collection system in the operation support system of the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Process management DB 2 ... Processing condition DB 3 ... Processing result server 4 ... Inspection data server 5 ... Controller 6 ... Terminal equipment 7 ... Manufacturing apparatus 8 ... Inspection apparatus 10 ... Man-machine interface

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H01L 21/02 G06F 15/21 R

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A manufacturing system comprising: a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses; a controller connected to the manufacturing apparatuses, for monitoring and controlling the status of the manufacturing apparatuses; and a processing result server for managing processing result data from the manufacturing apparatuses. In the driving support system for the apparatus, further comprising: an interface arranged corresponding to the plurality of manufacturing apparatuses, connected to the controller, and capable of inputting a processing result of the manufacturing apparatus; A driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus, wherein processing results input from the interface are collected in real time via the controller. 2. The driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller refers to the processing results already collected by the processing result server last time, and confirms the consistency of the current manufacturing conditions. A driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus, wherein the automatic start of the manufacturing apparatus is determined. 3. The driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing result server calculates an operation rate of said manufacturing apparatus. 4. The driving support system for a manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing result server collects an inoperative factor input from the interface.