KR20200044491A - Intelligent image tracking system of semiconductor process - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an intelligent image tracking system of a semiconductor process. According to the present invention, the intelligent image tracking system comprises: an image photographing unit including cameras disposed at a plurality of positions in semiconductor equipment to photograph a processing process of an object performed by the semiconductor equipment; an equipment controller controlling operation of the semiconductor equipment and transmitting object identification information, which is information for identifying the object, location information of the object mapped with time information, and operation state information representing a current operation state of the semiconductor equipment; and a network image recording device adding camera identification information, which is information for identifying the camera photographing image information, to the image information received from the image photographing unit to store the same in an image database and storing tracking information, which includes the object identification information, the location information of the object mapped with the time information, and the operation state information, received from the equipment controller in a tracking database. Accordingly, the system supports a user to track all processes until an object, such as a wafer, a lot, and the like, of a semiconductor process is inputted to detailed equipment forming the semiconductor equipment to be finished.

Description

INTELLIGENT IMAGE TRACKING SYSTEM OF SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESS}

The present invention relates to an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process. More specifically, the present invention is to support the user to be able to track the entire process until the semiconductor process is completed by inputting to the detailed equipment constituting the semiconductor equipment, such as wafers, lots, etc., which are objects to be processed in the semiconductor process. It relates to an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process.

In general, a semiconductor process is performed in a manner in which detailed processes are continuously performed, and the semiconductor equipment can be said to be a collection of equipment for performing detailed processes constituting the entire semiconductor process.

Since such a semiconductor process is a set of detailed processes, it is necessary to keep track of at which stage of the entire semiconductor process a specific wafer or lot containing the wafer is processed in relation to process management. have.

According to a conventional video recording method related to semiconductor process management, a plurality of cameras are installed in a position capable of photographing processing operations of detailed equipment constituting the entire semiconductor equipment, and the images captured by the cameras are simply matched to the camera ID. To save.

However, according to such a prior art, when a user wants to query the current state of a specific wafer, which is an object of a semiconductor process, if an ID of a specific camera is input from a plurality of cameras, the image recording apparatus may use the individual image captured by the camera Since it is only displayed to the user, there is a problem that the user cannot grasp the entire semiconductor process. That is, according to the prior art, since the image recording apparatus records images taken by a camera installed at a specific location as individual images, detailed equipment constituting semiconductor equipment by a user, such as a wafer or lot, which is an object of a semiconductor process. There is a problem in that it is difficult to track the entire process until the semiconductor process is completed by being introduced into the field.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1619097 (Registration date: May 02, 2016, name: process monitoring system in semiconductor manufacturing process) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0048121 (published date: May 24, 2005, name: etching device monitoring system and its monitoring method)

The present invention is an intelligent in a semiconductor process that allows a user to track the entire process until the semiconductor process is completed by inputting the wafers, lots, etc., which are the objects to be processed in the semiconductor process, to detailed equipment constituting the semiconductor equipment. It is a technical task to provide an image tracking system.

An intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to the present invention for solving this technical problem is to take an image consisting of cameras arranged at a plurality of points of the semiconductor equipment to photograph a processing process for an object performed by the semiconductor equipment A device that controls the operation of the semiconductor device and transmits object identification information, information for identifying the object, location information of the object mapped with time information, and operation state information indicating the current operating state of the semiconductor device Control to be stored in an image database by adding camera identification information, which is information for identifying the camera that captured the image information, to the image information transmitted from the controller and the image capturing unit, and controlling the object identification information transmitted from the equipment controller , Mapped with the time information And a network image recording device that controls tracking information including the location information of the object and the operation state information to be stored in a tracking database.

In the intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to the present invention, the network image recording apparatus adds the tracking information stored in the tracking database and the camera identification information stored in the image database according to a search condition input by a user. It is characterized by controlling the displayed image information to be matched so that the processing process for the object performed by the semiconductor equipment is displayed as a continuous image.

In the intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to the present invention, the network image recording apparatus configures the object identification information as a root node, and a starting point and an arrival point exist on a path through which the object moves. It is characterized in that the tracking information is configured as a child node and the tracking information is stored in a tree structure.

In the intelligent image tracking system in the semiconductor process according to the present invention, the network image recording apparatus, when there are a plurality of cameras in charge of photographing the starting point or the arrival point constituting the child node, the operation state information according to It is characterized by selecting one from a plurality of cameras.

In the intelligent image tracking system in the semiconductor process according to the present invention, when the semiconductor equipment is plural, and the equipment controller and the network image recording device in charge of the semiconductor equipment have a number corresponding to the number of the semiconductor equipment, the Further comprising a central management device for managing a network video recording device, the central management device is provided by a network video recording device designated by the user terminal among the plurality of network video recording devices in response to a request from a remote user terminal It characterized in that the control to display the video to be displayed on the user terminal.

According to the present invention, in a semiconductor process that allows a user to track the entire process until the semiconductor process is completed by inputting to the detailed equipment constituting the semiconductor equipment, such as wafers, lots, etc., which are objects to be processed in the semiconductor process. The intelligent video tracking system has the effect of being provided.

1 is a view showing an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a view showing an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to a modified embodiment of an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a view for illustratively explaining the operation of the intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a view showing an exemplary tree structure that can be applied to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a diagram for explaining a method of searching a camera image using a tree structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention disclosed herein are exemplified for the purpose of explaining the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are various And may not be limited to the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can be applied to various changes and can have various forms, so the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosure forms, and includes all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first or second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, the first component can be referred to as the second component and similarly the second The component may also be referred to as the first component.

When a component is said to be "connected" to or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that other components may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but may exist in the middle. will be. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that no other component exists in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between the components, such as "between" and "immediately between" or "adjacent to" and "directly neighboring to" should be interpreted similarly.

The terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to indicate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described herein exists, one or more other features. It should be understood that the presence or addition possibilities of fields or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts or combinations thereof are not excluded in advance.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms, such as those defined in the commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with meanings in the context of related technologies, and are not to be interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meanings unless explicitly defined herein. .

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

1 is a view showing an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image photographing unit 10, an equipment controller 20, and a network image recording device 30.

The image photographing unit 10 is composed of cameras disposed at a plurality of points of the semiconductor equipment 1 to photograph a processing process for an object performed by the semiconductor equipment 1. For example, the number of cameras constituting the image photographing unit 10 may be the same as the number of detailed equipments constituting the semiconductor equipment 1, that is, the number of component equipments, but is not limited thereto. It may be greater or less than the number. For example, the semiconductor equipment 1 may be composed of a plurality of chambers in which each processing reaction is performed, and transfer devices for transporting an object to be processed to each chamber, and the object is a wafer or wafers. It can be a lot.

The equipment controller 20 controls the overall operation of the semiconductor equipment 1, and is an object to be processed, that is, object identification information that is information for identifying a wafer or lot, and object information mapped to time information. Performs a function of real-time transmission of location information and operation status information indicating the current operation status of the semiconductor equipment 1 to the network image recording device 30. For example, the equipment controller 20 may be a cluster tool controller (CTC) defined in the SEMI international standard program, and the CTC may include a plurality of specific wafers and lots according to the provisions of the SEMI international standard program. The path, time and location of each operation performed in the semiconductor equipment 1 composed of component equipment, and the location and time of all steps constituting the process are recorded. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the information recorded in the CTC is interworked with the network image recording device 30 to transmit the wafer ID, starting point, arrival point, operation state, etc. necessary for tracking to the network image recording device 30 in real time. do. The information transmitted to the network video recording device 30 is simultaneously databased separately from the video information.

The network image recording device 30 controls to be stored in the image database 310 by adding camera identification information, which is information for identifying the camera that captured the image information, to the image information received in real time from the image capturing unit 10 , Performs a function to control the tracking information including the object identification information, the time information and the location information of the object mapped from the equipment controller 20 and the operation status information to be stored in the tracking database 320. For example, the operation state information is information indicating the current state of an object, such as a wafer or a lot, indicating which detailed process of the semiconductor equipment 1 including a plurality of chambers and transport devices is under process. It can be information.

For example, the network image recording device 30 matches the tracking information stored in the tracking database 320 and the image information to which the camera identification information stored in the image database 310 is added according to the search conditions input by the user to semiconductor It is possible to control the processing process for the object performed by the equipment 1 to be displayed as a continuous image.

For example, the network image recording apparatus 30 configures object identification information as a root node, and configures a starting node and an arrival point on a path through which the object travels as a child node. In the tracking database 320, tracking information may be stored in a tree structure, and when there are multiple cameras in charge of shooting for a starting point or an arrival point constituting a child node, one of a plurality of cameras may be selected according to operation state information Can be configured.

This will be described with further reference to FIG. 4 showing an exemplary tree structure applicable to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, the stored information constitutes a unique tree structure using each wafer ID as a factor. The wafer ID is configured as a root node, and the “start point” and “arrival point” transmitted together are configured as child nodes. "Operation state" is used as the weight of each link. Select the camera ID composed of child nodes of “start point” and “arrival point” by weight. When searching, the camera ID is used to search image information to be output at each time point.

The configured wafer information tree provides the ability to track the best image at each time point by applying the “weight” value to the camera selection when multiple cameras are assigned to “start point” and “arrival point”. . Equation 1 below may be applied to the extraction of the camera ID using the “weight”.

[Equation 1]

CAM ID = ∑ (Wafer ID × f (x), position × weight)

In Equation 1, f (x) is an index value for the same wafer ID, and position is an eigenvalue of a starting point and an arrival point. An index value for “operation status” is assigned, and this value is used as a “weight”, so that a camera capable of inquiring a real image according to each location and operation can be selected.

For example, the network image recording device 30 may derive a tracking image search algorithm according to the search conditions by utilizing the data stored in this way. Search conditions that can be used efficiently in the process include a search with only “lot ID”, a search with both “lot ID” and “wafer ID”, and “lot ID” and “wafer ID” and “start point” And search based on “arrival point”, and search based on “lot ID” and “wafer ID” and “time”.

For example, the network image recording apparatus 30 may configure the tracking image and derive the information by applying the wafer ID, the departure / arrival node value, and the operation state information (weighted value) according to the search condition. As a method, the same wafer ID value is searched and assigned to each node value of the root, and when storing information, the value stored as a child node is also assigned. At this time, when a tree is constructed based on the wafer ID value, a child node may be generated based on the tree creation time.

5 is a diagram for explaining a method of searching a camera image using a tree structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 further, the network video recorder 30 may be configured as a tree, thereby providing a search path that satisfies all of the above four search conditions. Searching from the left B Node according to the time information among the search conditions, and calculating the weight value from the stored information can search and output the camera image assigned to the Node of Level 3. For example, in order to refer to information to be photographed from various angles, among the camera information allocated to the Level 3 Node according to the “weight”, all information included in the weight value area may be output in multiple numbers. According to this, it is possible to provide an image function at various angles in a method of simply referring to and outputting one camera at each time point. When outputting multiple images at the same time, it is possible to provide a function of highlighting and outputting a camera image having a high weight.

2 is a diagram illustrating an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to a modified embodiment of an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 further, an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to a modified embodiment of an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of semiconductor equipment 1 and an equipment controller 20 in charge of the semiconductor equipment 1 ) And the network image recording device 30 is a system that supports a user to remotely monitor the process status in the case of having a number corresponding to the number of semiconductor equipment (1).

To this end, the intelligent image tracking system in the semiconductor process according to the modified embodiment of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 further includes a central management device 40 for managing the network video recording device 30.

The central management apparatus 40 is an image provided by the network image recording apparatus 30 designated by the user terminal 2 among the plurality of network image recording apparatuses 30 in response to a request from the remote user terminal 2 It is controlled to be displayed on the user terminal 2. The configuration except for the central management apparatus 40 is the same as the configuration of the intelligent image tracking system in the semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1, so a duplicate description is omitted.

3 is a view for illustratively explaining the operation of the intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 further, in step S10, operation of the semiconductor equipment 1 is started.

In step S20, a process is performed in which the equipment controller 20 controls the operation of the detailed components constituting the semiconductor equipment 1 according to a preset and input control sequence.

In step S30, the equipment controller 20 displays object identification information, information for identifying an object that is an object of processing, location information of an object mapped with time information, and operation state information indicating a current operation state of the semiconductor device 1. The process of real-time transmission to the network video recording device 30 is performed.

In step S40, the network image recording apparatus 30 tracks information received from the equipment controller 20, that is, tracking information including object identification information, time information, and object location information and operation status information mapped to the tracking database. The process of real-time storage in 320 is performed.

In step S50, which is started together with the operation of step S20, a process in which cameras constituting the image photographing unit 10 starts photographing an area in charge of the camera is performed.

In step S60, a process of real-time delivery of image information captured by cameras constituting the image photographing unit 10 to the network image recording apparatus 30 is performed. For example, the video information that the cameras transmit to the network video recording device 30 in this process may be in the form of a packet, and the packet may include video information and identification information of a camera that photographs the video information.

In step S70, a process in which the network image recording apparatus 30 adds camera identification information to image information received from cameras constituting the image photographing unit 10 and stores it in the image database 310 in real time is performed.

Step S80 and step S90 are processing processes when a request event from a user who wants to monitor the process status occurs. In step S80, the network video recorder 30 itself is an input / output interface device such as a monitor or the like, or a center. A process of receiving a video search request from a user terminal 2 at a remote location accessed through the management device 40 is performed.

In step S90, the network image recording device 30 matches the tracking information stored in the tracking database 320 and the image information to which the camera identification information stored in the image database 310 is added according to the search conditions input by the user to semiconductor equipment The process of controlling the object to be processed to be displayed as a continuous image is performed.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the user can track the entire process until the semiconductor process is completed by inputting to the detailed equipment constituting the semiconductor equipment, such as wafers, lots, etc., which are objects to be processed in the semiconductor process. It has the effect of providing an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process.

In addition, according to the present invention, a stored camera and wafer and lot information are interlocked and stored, and based on this, a camera follows and records the entire process from the equipment input to the FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) recovery. You can show the user an image that looks like it.

1: Semiconductor equipment
2: User terminal
10: video recording unit
20: Cluster Tool Controller
30: Network Video Recorder
40: central management unit
310: image database
320: Tracking database

Claims (5)

As an intelligent image tracking system in semiconductor process,
An image capturing unit composed of cameras disposed at a plurality of points of the semiconductor equipment to photograph a processing process of an object performed by the semiconductor equipment;
An equipment controller that controls the operation of the semiconductor equipment and transmits object identification information, information for identifying the object, location information of the object mapped with time information, and operation status information indicating a current operation state of the semiconductor equipment; And
The camera identification information, which is information for identifying the camera that captured the image information, is added to the image information transmitted from the image capturing unit so as to be stored in an image database, and the object identification information transmitted from the equipment controller, the And a network image recording apparatus for controlling tracking information including the location information of the object mapped to the time information and the operation status information to be stored in a tracking database.
According to claim 1,
The network video recorder,
According to the search conditions input by the user, the tracking information stored in the tracking database and the image information to which the camera identification information stored in the image database are added are matched, so that the processing process for the object performed by the semiconductor device is continuous. Intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process, characterized in that the control to be displayed as an image.
According to claim 1,
The network video recorder,
The target identification information is configured as a root node, and the starting point and the arrival point existing on a path through which the object is moved are composed of child nodes, and the tracking information is stored in a tree structure in the tracking database. Characterized in that, intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process.
According to claim 3,
The network video recorder,
When there are a plurality of cameras in charge of photographing a starting point or an arrival point constituting the child node, an intelligent image tracking system in a semiconductor process, characterized in that one of the plurality of cameras is selected according to the operation state information.
According to claim 1,
When the semiconductor equipment is plural, and the equipment controller and the network image recording device in charge of the semiconductor equipment have a number corresponding to the number of the semiconductor equipment,
Further comprising a central management device for managing the network video recording device,
The central management device controls the video provided by the network video recording device designated by the user terminal among the plurality of network video recording devices to be displayed on the user terminal in response to a request from a remote user terminal. , Intelligent image tracking system in semiconductor process.

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