KR100292074B1 - Alarm device of semiconductor fabricating equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An alarm device of semiconductor fabricating equipment is provided to check easily a current state of semiconductor fabricating equipment by using a lamp tower. CONSTITUTION: An input portion receives four input signals(A,B,C,D). A logic combination portion(10) has a combination portion(34). The combination portion(34) receives input signals(A1,B2,C1,D1) of non-inverted states or input signals(A2,B2,C2,D2) of inverted state. The input signals(A2,B2,C2,D2) of inverted state are inverted by a multitude of inverter(26,28,30,32). Each output signal of the combination portion(34) is outputted to three drive portions(12,14,16) corresponding to each output terminals(Q1,Q2,Q3). The drive portions(12,14,16) outputs drive signals for driving three lamps(18,20,22) to a lamp tower(24). The lamp tower(24) includes the lamps(18,20,22).

Description

Alarm device of semiconductor manufacturing equipment

The present invention relates to an alarm device of a semiconductor manufacturing facility, and more particularly, by installing a lamp tower that can be easily visually recognized from a long distance, checking the current state of a facility for performing a predetermined semiconductor manufacturing process such as ion implantation by lighting. The present invention relates to an alarm device for semiconductor manufacturing equipment that has been improved.

In general, at least one or more process conditions for sequentially performing a semiconductor manufacturing process are set in a semiconductor device manufacturing facility, and the predetermined films are sequentially oxidized, deposited, and etched on the semiconductor substrate according to the set process conditions. Various processes, such as implementing a predetermined circuit pattern, ion implantation of impurities into a selected portion of the semiconductor substrate or a film formed thereon, to change electrical characteristics, or testing the same, are performed for each corresponding facility.

In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device performed at each of these manufacturing facilities, a small process accident can cause a large accident, so that the process conditions or equipment conditions are always checked one by one, and the signal for these checked results is online. It is sent to the monitoring system and used to monitor the process status or equipment status in the operation panel of the equipment.

However, although the process state or equipment state that is in progress in the manufacturing facility can be confirmed in the operation panel through the online monitoring system described above, there is a problem that the operator cannot accurately identify the state of the facility even if the operator is slightly away from the operation panel.

In particular, if an error occurs in the facility while the worker is located far from the operation panel for inspection of the facility, the operator may not be able to recognize the error quickly. Can be.

In order to improve this, an alarm may be generated when an error occurs in the facility, but the loud noise around the facility does not make it easy to hear the alarm, and it is not an effective method for identifying various progresses of the facility in addition to the error of the facility.

Therefore, there is a need for an alarm device that can easily visually identify the progress of the equipment even from a distance away from the operation panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a warning device for a semiconductor manufacturing facility that can easily visually determine the status of a facility at a distance from an operation panel that monitors the process status or facility status of a specific manufacturing facility that performs a predetermined semiconductor process online. There is.

1 is a schematic view showing each chamber of an ion implantation apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

2 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the alarm apparatus of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing display results of respective input signals and corresponding lamp towers input for each equipment state of the ion implantation apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

※ Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing

2: Door 4: Input Chamber

6: load lock chamber 8: process chamber

10: logic combination unit 12, 14, 16: drive unit

18, 20, 22: lamp 24: lamp tower

26, 28, 30, 32: Inverter 34: Combiner

36: OR gate

An alarm device for a semiconductor manufacturing facility for achieving the above object comprises a logic combining means for receiving and logically combining at least one input signal for each state of a particular semiconductor manufacturing facility. The logical combination result is input to the driving means and outputs at least one driving signal for driving the lamp. Each of the output driving signals drives a number of lamps corresponding to one-to-one, and the lamps are connected to the lamp tower. It is installed and displayed according to each state of the manufacturing equipment by the drive signal.

The number of output signals of the logical combination means and the driving portion of the driving means have a number corresponding one to one with the number of lamps installed in the lamp tower, and the lamps are installed to emit different colors.

Preferably, each input signal of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is input to the logical combination means of the alarm apparatus through a photocoupler that can electrically insulate between input and output to prevent interference between the manufacturing equipment and the alarm apparatus. It is composed.

In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to which the alarm device of the present invention is applied, an input chamber for injecting a cassette containing a wafer on which a specific process is to be basically performed, a process chamber in which the specific process is performed, and a connection between the input chamber and the process chamber And a load lock chamber in which the cassette is transferred and waiting.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is to install a lamp tower so that the operator can easily identify the state of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment with the naked eye from the operation panel, and the logic circuit so that the lighting of each lamp of the lamp tower is displayed differently for each state of the manufacturing equipment. To construct.

Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a wafer processing process such as various processes included in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, for example, an oxidation process, a deposition process, a photo process, an etching process, an ion implantation process, and a diffusion process. Furthermore, the present invention can be generally applied to an assembly process such as inspection, cutting, and bonding of the wafer after the single crystal wafer manufacturing process and the wafer fabrication process (fabrication) before the wafer processing process.

The embodiment of the alarm device of the present invention shows a case where the ion implantation device is used in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, and Varian's ion implantation device (model name: VARIAN 350D / 300XP) was used. A device that injects impurity ions having a specific charge into the phase to change the electrical characteristics of the impurity implanted portion, and extracts the impurity ions generated from the ion source and passes them through a mass spectrometer to accelerate the selection by selecting only specific impurity ions having a desired mass. After that, it is accelerated injection onto the wafer on the end station located in the process chamber in which the ion implantation process is performed, wherein the process chamber is maintained in a specific vacuum state, and the loading and unloading of the wafer to be processed into the process chamber is performed. Effective loading To thereby connect the load lock chamber to the atmosphere of the wafer.

1 is a schematic view showing each chamber of an ion implantation apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, a load lock chamber 6 is connected to a process chamber 8 in which a wafer on which an ion implantation process is to be performed is located, and a cassette containing a wafer is provided to an operator in the load lock chamber 6. The input chamber 4 which is input through the door 2 by this is connected. Gates are formed between the input chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 6, and between the load lock chamber 6 and the process chamber 8, and the respective chambers are vacuumed to smoothly transfer wafers. Line (not shown) is installed.

Referring to Figure 1 shows the state of the facility divided on the basis of the transfer step of the wafer before and after the ion implantation process as follows.

1) First state (no cassette): A state in which the cassette in which the wafer to be processed is held is not inserted in the input chamber 4.

2) Second State (Cassette Rod): Shows a state where the cassette is inserted into the input chamber 4 and is present.

3) 3rd state (loading): The cassette which exists in the input chamber 4 is transferred to the load lock chamber 6 by a conveying means, Then, the wafer accommodated in the cassette is loaded into the process chamber 8, and ion implantation is carried out. It shows the state which continues until just before.

4) 4th state (ion implantation): It shows the state in which the ion implantation process with respect to a wafer progresses in the process chamber 8. As shown in FIG.

5) Fifth state (ion implantation error): Indicates a state where an ion implantation error occurs during the ion implantation process.

6) 6th state (Ion implantation waiting): It shows the state from the completion of an ion implantation process with respect to one wafer, to just before the ion implantation process with respect to the next wafer.

In addition to the first to sixth states, the process is opposite to the third state. After the ion implantation process for the last wafer is completed, the wafers are unloaded into the cassette located in the load lock chamber 6, and then the cassette is inserted. The state until transfer into the chamber 4 may be divided into seventh states (unloading).

Here, the seventh state (unloading) represents a state opposite to the third state (loading), and the seventh state may be included in the third state without being classified as a separate facility state. In addition, the third state and the seventh state are included together with the sixth state in an ion implantation standby state, that is, in the same state as the sixth state in which ion implantation is not performed (excluding the fifth state indicating an ion implantation error). You can also distinguish.

This is because the operator inserts the cassette into the charging chamber 4 and then presses the start button on the operation panel to perform the ion implantation process, so that the ion implantation process is performed continuously from the third state (loading), Even if is located far from the operation panel, the operator is in the ion implantation standby state where ion implantation does not occur greatly during the process and facility conditions of the ion implantation facility, the ion implantation state during the ion implantation process, and an error occurs during the ion implantation process. This is because only the ion implantation error state can be identified.

The classification of the equipment state described above is only one embodiment for the ion implantation equipment, and it is natural that the same ion implantation equipment can be divided into more or smaller equipment states. Other semiconductor manufacturing facilities other than the above can be classified into various process states and equipment states according to the manufacturing equipment and the characteristics of the manufacturing process performed in the manufacturing equipment.

In the ion implantation apparatus to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied, four input signals are set to indicate the respective equipment states, for example, the first to sixth states. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention by combining the four input signals, the six installation conditions are displayed to be divided into three lamps emitting light of different colors installed in the lamp tower. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the number of input signals, the number of facility states, the number of lamps, and the like can be arbitrarily set.

The waveform and truth table of the four input signals for the first to sixth states are shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the start signal A of the input signals is a signal generated when the cassette is loaded for the ion implantation process in the ion implantation facility or during ion implantation, and in the third state, the fourth state, and the sixth state. Generation (low level in the waveform diagram of FIG. 3). Next, the preparation signal B is a signal generated when the work can be performed at any time in the facility, and occurs in the second state, the third state, the fourth state, the fifth state, and the sixth state. Next, the re-drive signal C is a signal indicating that the next work can proceed after the facility completes the work and is generated in the first state and the fourth state. Next, the wait signal D is a signal generated when an error occurs during the operation of the facility and requires restart, and occurs in the first state, the second state, and the fifth state.

3, the truth table shows that the high level is "1" and the low level is "0" in the waveform diagram of each input signal.

2 is a schematic diagram showing an alarm device for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is largely composed of an input unit, a logic combination unit 10, drivers 12, 14, and 16 and a lamp tower 24. As shown in FIG.

The input unit is a portion in which the four input signals A to D of FIG. 3 are input, but may receive the electric signals monitored on the operation panel of the ion implantation facility according to the embodiment of the present invention as it is, but preferably auxiliary. In order to prevent the interference signal from the alarm device of the present invention, which is a device, to be reversed and cause a malfunction due to a signal failure of the ion implantation device, which is a main device, a photocoupler (not shown) is installed at the input to provide electrical insulation. It may be. The photocoupler converts an electrical signal into an optical signal by a light emitting diode and transmits the optical signal, and restores the received optical signal to an electrical signal by a phototransistor.

The logic combination unit 10 is configured to combine the input signals for the respective equipment states input through the input unit to perform determination on the current process and equipment status. The combiner 34 is configured in the logical combiner 10. The combiner 34 has non-inverted states A1, B1, C1, and D1 of the input signal AD corresponding to each equipment state from the input unit. Or inverted state (A2, B2, C2, D2) through the inverters 26, 28, 30, 32, respectively, and performs a logical combination operation to obtain the same result as the output signal in FIG. It is configured to. That is, the input signals A, B, C, and D for each of the equipment states are respectively input in a non-inverting or inverting state, and then logically combined in the combiner 34, and then output stages Q1 in three distinct forms. , Q2, Q3).

Each output signal logically combined from the combiner 34 is output to three driving units 12, 14, and 16 corresponding to each output terminal Q1, Q2, and Q3 in one-to-one correspondence, and each of the driving units 12, 14, and 16. ) Outputs driving signals to the lamp tower 24 to drive the three lamps 18, 20, and 22 that are installed in one-to-one correspondence with the driving units.

More specifically, the result of logically determining the input signal input to the combiner 34 with respect to the specific equipment state of the manufacturing facility, after passing through the first drive unit 12 through the first output terminal Q1, the lamp tower 24 For example, the driving signal for driving the first lamp 18 emitting yellow light is output, and the second lamp 20 emitting green light after passing through the second driving unit 14 through the second output terminal Q2. ) And a driving signal for driving the third lamp 22 emitting red light after passing through the third driving unit 16 through the third output terminal Q3.

At this time, each lamp 18, 20, 22 of the lamp tower 24 is turned on and off in accordance with the drive signal of each of the driving units (12, 14, 16). That is, the combiner 34 switches the low level signal from the corresponding output stages Q1, Q2, and Q3 to the corresponding driving units 12, 14, and 16 in order to light up the respective lamps 18, 20, and 22. Each of the driving units 12, 14, and 16 outputs a high level drive signal to the corresponding lamps 18, 20, and 22 to light each of the lamps 18, 20, 22. On the contrary, the combiner 34 switches the high level signal from the corresponding output stages Q1, Q2, and Q3 to the corresponding driving units 12, 14, and 16 in order to extinguish the lamps 18, 20, and 22. Each of the driving units 12, 14, and 16 outputs a low level driving signal to the corresponding lamps 18, 20, and 22 to turn off the lamps 18, 20, and 22, respectively.

For example, a fourth state representing the ion implantation state will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the first lamp 18, which emits yellow light as shown in Fig. 3, is turned on and green light is emitted. In order for the second lamp 20 to be turned on and the third lamp 22 emitting red light to be turned off, the combiner 34 has an input signal "A" for "0" and "B" for the input. The signals "0" and "1" are input to "0" and "C". Subsequently, as a result of the logic combination in the combiner 34, the first output terminal Q1 and the second output terminal Q2 corresponding to each lamp are in a low level state, and the third output terminal Q3 is determined in a high level state. The low level signal is applied to the first driver 12 and the second driver 14, and the high level signal is applied to the third driver 16, respectively. The first driver 12 and the second driver 14 receiving the low level signal output a high level driving signal to the first lamp 18 and the second lamp 20, respectively, and thus the first lamp 18. And the second lamp 20 is turned on (ON), and the third driver 16 receiving the high level signal outputs a low level driving signal to turn off the third lamp 22 (OFF).

On the other hand, for the first state, the second state, the third state, the fifth state, and the sixth state other than the above-described fourth state, as shown in FIG. After the input is to turn on or off the respective lamps through the above-described process.

On the other hand, in order to flash a specific lamp in the lamp tower 24, for example, the third output terminal Q3 of the third output terminal Q3 of the combiner 34 is provided with a pulse signal BLK having a predetermined frequency. The OR gate 36 may be configured to combine with the output signal of the NELTA gate, and a blanking signal for blinking the third lamp 22 may be applied to the third driver 16. Of course, the entire principle of the lamp can be configured to perform a flashing operation instead of lighting by the same principle.

On the other hand, the selection of the lighting or unlit state and the color of each lamp shown in the output signal of Figure 3 may be arbitrarily determined by the designer. In the present embodiment, due to the nature of the process performed in the ion implantation equipment, the operator usually checks the first and second state on the operation panel and then press the start button of the ion implantation equipment to start the ion implantation operation, the operation of the start button With this, the equipment state is transferred to the third state, after which the operator is remotely located from the operation panel for field inspection of the equipment during the ion implantation process for all the wafers, for example, 25 sheets contained in the cassette. It happens.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention mainly because the operator can easily identify the process and equipment state of the ion implantation equipment even at a long distance after the third state, the lamp tower in the first state and the second state as shown in FIG. It may be simplified to display the third state, the fourth state, the fifth state, and the sixth state separately by lamps emitting light in the three different colors. In this embodiment, as described above, in the third to sixth states of the ion implantation process, the third and sixth states are defined as the ion implantation state (fourth state) and the ion implantation error state (fifth). Since it is considered that the alarm function can be sufficiently performed even if it is only a state), the lamp of the same color is configured to emit light in the lamp tower.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the green lamp 20 is turned off in the first and second states substantially before the ion implantation process is performed, and the green lamp 20 is changed from the third state to the sixth state in which the ion implantation process is started. ) And the yellow lamp 20 is further turned on when a substantial ion implantation process is performed on the wafer while the green lamp 20 is lit. When the ion implantation error occurs, the yellow lamp ( 20) is turned off, it is configured so that the red lamp 22 that normally informs the emergency state is turned on.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the operator's quick action is very important in the ion implantation error state (the fifth state), as described above, the red lamp 22 is configured to perform the flashing operation.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the ion implantation equipment during the semiconductor manufacturing process, process and equipment conditions are divided into first to sixth states with respect to loading and unloading of wafers for process performance. It is configured to identify only three distinct lamps 18, 20, 22 through four input signals A, B, C, and D for each equipment state.

However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied to various manufacturing facilities for performing a semiconductor manufacturing process within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, and has an alarm function according to the characteristics of each manufacturing facility. It is possible to set the appropriate number of process and equipment conditions within the range that can meet the requirements, and the number and color of the input signal and the corresponding lamp number and color can be variously selected.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even if an operator is located far from the operation pattern of the manufacturing equipment, the status of each equipment can be determined visually in the field to be promptly taken in case of emergency, thereby maximizing the operation rate of the equipment and improving the safety of the process. It is planned to increase the yield accordingly.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above detailed description and accompanying drawings, but it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, but variously defined within the technical scope of the present invention. Modifications and variations are apparent to those skilled in the art, and such variations and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (15)

Logic combining means for receiving and logically combining at least one input signal for each state of a specific semiconductor manufacturing facility; Driving means for receiving at least one result of the logical combination and outputting at least one driving signal for driving a lamp; And A lamp tower having a number of lamps corresponding to the driving signals output one-to-one, and displayed such that the lamps are classified according to each state of a manufacturing facility by the driving signals; Alarm device for semiconductor manufacturing equipment characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 1, And the number of output signals of the logical combination means and the driving unit of the driving means has a number corresponding one-to-one to the number of lamps installed in the lamp tower. The method of claim 1, And the lamp tower is provided with lamps emitting different colors. The method of claim 1, And an input signal for each state of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is input to the logic combining means through a photocoupler. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, An input chamber for inputting a cassette containing a wafer on which a specific process is to be performed; A process chamber in which the specific process is performed; And A load lock chamber connecting between the input chamber and the process chamber, wherein the cassette is transferred and waiting; The alarm device of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that comprising a. The method of claim 5, The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is an alarm device for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that the ion implantation process is performed. The state of each manufacturing facility input to the logical combination means is A first state indicating that there is no cassette in the input chamber; A second state indicating that a cassette is inserted and present in the input chamber; A third state in which the cassette is transferred from the input chamber to the load lock chamber, and the wafer in the transferred cassette is loaded at a process performing position of the process chamber and immediately before ion implantation; A fourth state in which an ion implantation process is performed on the wafer loaded at the process execution position; A fifth state representing an error state when an error occurs in an ion implantation process for the wafer; And A sixth state in which the wafer after the ion implantation process is completed is unloaded into the cassette of the load lock chamber, and the next wafer in the cassette is loaded into the process chamber to wait until immediately before ion implantation; Alarm device of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein And a seventh state indicating a state after the ion implantation process for the last wafer of the cassette is completed, after the wafer is transferred to the cassette waiting in the load lock chamber, and until the cassette is transferred to the charging chamber. Alarm device for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that. The method of claim 8, And the input signals for the third state, the sixth state, and the seventh state are the same, and lamps of the lamp tower corresponding thereto are displayed identically. The method of claim 7, wherein And four input signals are input for each of the states. The method of claim 10, wherein the four input signals, A start signal (A) generated during the third, fourth and sixth states; A preparation signal (B) generated in the second state, third state, fourth state, fifth state and sixth state; A re-drive signal C generated in the first and fourth states; And A standby signal (D) generated during the first state, the second state and the fifth state; Alarm device of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 10, The lamp tower is provided with an alarm device of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that three lamps for emitting different colors. The method of claim 12, Each of the three lamps is red, green, and yellow, and the green lamp is continuously lit in the third to sixth states. The method of claim 13, And in the fifth state, the green lamp is turned on and the red lamp is turned on at the same time. The method of claim 14, And the blanking operation is performed such that the red lamp is blinked by combining a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency with respect to the logically combined result of the logic combining means which outputs a drive signal connected to the red lamp. Alarm of manufacturing equipment.