Material scheduling method and semiconductor apparatus
By monitoring faulty equipment components in semiconductor equipment and automatically determining the target path section, the problem of low efficiency in manually transporting materials when faulty equipment components are detected is solved, and efficient material transfer is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BEIJING NAURA MICROELECTRONICS EQUIP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-08-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-24
AI Technical Summary
When a faulty component occurs in a semiconductor device, manually transporting materials is a complex and inefficient process.
By monitoring equipment component failures, the system identifies the target material and determines the portion of its processing path that does not include the faulty equipment component, automatically transferring the material to the receiving cavity.
This avoids the complicated operation of manually transporting materials and improves production efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN113851403B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a material scheduling method and a semiconductor device. Background Technology
[0002] In the chip manufacturing process, semiconductor equipment is typically used to process materials to produce chips. Semiconductor equipment usually includes at least one receiving cavity and multiple equipment components. During material processing, the multiple equipment components operate sequentially, taking materials out of the receiving cavity, processing the materials, and transferring the processed materials back to the receiving cavity.
[0003] In prior art, when a component malfunctions, the semiconductor equipment stops processing immediately, and materials from the non-malfunctioning components are manually moved to the receiving cavity. After the fault is cleared, the semiconductor equipment restarts and continues processing. This manual material handling method is complex and inefficient. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is that the manual material transport method is complicated and inefficient when a faulty component occurs in a semiconductor device.
[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention discloses a material scheduling method applied to a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes multiple device components. The material scheduling method is used to schedule materials between at least one receiving cavity and the device components. The method includes:
[0006] If a faulty equipment component is detected among the plurality of equipment components, a target material is identified; the target material is located in a non-faulty target equipment component.
[0007] A target path portion is determined from the processing path of the target material; the target path portion includes a segment of the processing path from the target equipment assembly to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the processing path;
[0008] If the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path section, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path section.
[0009] Optionally, after determining the target path portion from the processing path of the target material, the method further includes:
[0010] If the target path includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path, and the replacement module is operating normally, the target material will continue to be scheduled through the target path.
[0011] If the target path includes the faulty device component and a replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path, the target device component will be deactivated if the replacement module malfunctions.
[0012] Optionally, the method further includes:
[0013] If the target path includes the faulty device component and no replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path, then the target device component is deactivated.
[0014] Optionally, after detecting a faulty device component among the plurality of device components, the method further includes:
[0015] Identify the materials to be processed;
[0016] If the processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component, and no replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is prohibited; the faulty equipment component includes the malfunctioning equipment component and the deactivated equipment component.
[0017] When the processing path of the material to be processed includes the abnormal equipment component, and a replacement module for the abnormal equipment component is provided in the processing path of the material to be processed, the material to be processed is allowed to be scheduled.
[0018] If the abnormal equipment component is not included in the processing path of the material to be processed, the material to be processed shall continue to be scheduled.
[0019] Optionally, after prohibiting the scheduling of the material to be processed, the method further includes:
[0020] After the malfunctioning equipment component returns to normal, the materials to be processed can be scheduled.
[0021] Optionally, determining the target path portion from the processing path of the target material includes:
[0022] Obtain the pre-stored processing path of the target material;
[0023] The target equipment component and the target receiving cavity are determined from the processing path of the target material;
[0024] The processing path segment from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity in the processing path of the target material is defined as the target path portion.
[0025] Optionally, before determining the target path portion from the processing path of the target material, the method further includes:
[0026] It is determined that a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is not set in the processing path, or that the set replacement module is malfunctioning.
[0027] This invention also discloses a semiconductor device, which includes multiple device components and a controller;
[0028] The controller is configured to schedule materials between at least one receiving cavity and the equipment components, and, upon detecting a faulty equipment component among the plurality of equipment components, determine a target material located in a non-faulty target equipment component; determine a target path portion from the processing path of the target material; the target path portion includes a segment of the processing path from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the processing path; and, if the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path portion, transfer the target material to the target receiving cavity through the target path portion.
[0029] Optionally, the controller is further configured to, when the target path section includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path section, if the replacement module is operating normally, continue to schedule the target material through the target path section; and when the target path section includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path section, if the replacement module is operating abnormally, deactivate the target equipment component.
[0030] Optionally, the receiving cavity includes a wafer cassette cavity, the material includes a wafer, and the equipment assembly includes an atmospheric robot, a loading cavity, a vacuum robot, and a process cavity; wherein, the atmospheric robot is used to transfer the wafer between the wafer cassette cavity and the loading cavity, the vacuum robot is used to transfer the wafer between the loading cavity and the process cavity, the loading cavity and the process cavity are both arranged around the transfer cavity where the vacuum robot is located, and the front-end chamber where the atmospheric robot is located is connected to the loading cavity.
[0031] This application provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a controller, implement the steps of the material scheduling method described above.
[0032] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: when a faulty device component is detected among multiple device components, a target material is identified, a target path portion is determined from the processing path of the target material, and if the faulty device component is not included in the target path portion, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path portion. When a faulty device component occurs in a semiconductor device, the target path portion can be determined based on the processing path of the material in the device component, and the material can be transferred from the device component to the receiving cavity according to the target path portion. This avoids manual material handling, thereby solving the problems of complex operation and low efficiency when manually handling materials. Attached Figure Description
[0033] Figure 1 This embodiment shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device.
[0034] Figure 2 This embodiment shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a path formulation.
[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a processing path provided in this embodiment is shown;
[0036] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the steps of an embodiment of the material scheduling method of the present invention is shown;
[0037] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the steps of another embodiment of the material scheduling method of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0038] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.
[0039] To more clearly illustrate this invention, a brief description of the semiconductor equipment used in chip manufacturing will be provided first. For example... Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device provided in this embodiment. The semiconductor device includes multiple device components, and the multiple device components are connected to... Figure 1 The first receiving cavity 101 and the second receiving cavity 102 shown cooperate to realize the scheduling of materials. The first receiving cavity 101 and the second receiving cavity 102 can be represented by the symbols C1 and C2. The receiving cavity can also be called a wafer cassette cavity, used to store materials, such as wafers, also called wafers or wafers. Multiple device components are... Figure 1The first robotic arm 103 shown can be represented by the symbol ATR; the calibrator 104 can be represented by the symbol AL; the first loading chamber 105 can be represented by the symbol LA; the second loading chamber 106 can be represented by the symbol LB; the second robotic arm 107 can be represented by the symbol VTR; the first process chamber 108, the second process chamber 109, the third process chamber 110, and the fourth process chamber 111 can be represented by the symbols PM1, PM2, PM3, and PM4, respectively. The first and second loading chambers are two parallel loading chambers used to transfer materials under vacuum and atmospheric conditions. The first robotic arm is located under atmospheric conditions and can also be called an atmospheric robotic arm. The front chamber of the atmospheric robotic arm is connected to the loading chamber and is used to put materials from the receiving chamber into the loading chamber, or to put materials from the loading chamber into the receiving chamber. The second robotic arm is located in the vacuum chamber and can also be called a vacuum robotic arm. It is used to put materials from the process chamber into the loading chamber, or to put materials from the loading chamber into the process chamber. The first, second, third, and fourth process chambers are arranged at intervals around the vacuum chamber where the second robotic arm is located. The process chamber is used to perform corresponding processing on materials. For example, the process chamber can be a process chamber for physical vapor deposition (PVD) on wafers. A PVD process chamber is equipped with a power supply, evaporator, vacuum pump, inert gas source, heating devices, cooling devices, and driving devices, etc., to perform PVD processing on materials. Simultaneously, the semiconductor equipment also includes a controller, which can be an electronic device with control capabilities, such as a computer or industrial control computer. The controller can communicate with the equipment components, control the actions of the equipment components, and receive communication data sent by the equipment components. It should be noted that the specific structure in the semiconductor equipment can be set according to requirements, and this embodiment does not impose any limitations on it.
[0040] Each receiving cavity can be equipped with multiple receiving slots, and each slot can store one piece of material. Operators can pre-set a corresponding route recipe for each receiving slot. The semiconductor equipment can then retrieve the material from the receiving slot according to the route recipe and transfer it through multiple equipment components along the processing path defined by the route recipe. Upon reaching the corresponding process cavity, the process cavity is controlled to process the material according to the process recipe in the route recipe, thus achieving material scheduling. For example... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, Figure 2 This embodiment shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a path formulation. Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a processing path provided in this embodiment. The path recipe includes multiple steps, each step having a corresponding receiving cavity or device component, and a corresponding process recipe. Figure 2The shown path recipe includes 10 steps. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a processing path defined by the path formula. If the path formula corresponding to a certain receiving slot in the first receiving cavity is as follows... Figure 2 As shown, the processing path of the material in the receiving tank is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The numbers within the circles represent the step numbers in the path recipe, and the symbols within the boxes indicate the corresponding receiving cavities or equipment components. In chip manufacturing, the material transfer process is as follows: Step 1, material is located in the first receiving cavity; Step 2, material is located in the first robotic arm; Step 3, material is located in the calibrator; Step 4, material is located in either the first or second loading cavity; Step 5, material is located in the second robotic arm; Step 6, material is located in the first process cavity; Step 7, material is located in the second robotic arm; Step 8, material is located in both the second and second loading cavities; Step 9, material is located in the first robotic arm; Step 10, material is located in the first receiving cavity, thus completing the wafer processing. Steps 4 and 8 include the parallel first and second loading cavities, indicating that either the first or second loading cavity can be selected for material transfer during steps 4 and 8. In the path formulation, each step has a corresponding process formulation. The controller can control the operation of the corresponding containment cavity or equipment component according to the process formulation of each step. For example, in step 6, the controller can control parameters such as temperature and pressure in the PVD process cavity according to the process formulation corresponding to step 6 to perform PVD treatment on the material. It should be noted that... Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is merely an example; the specific content included in the path recipe can be set according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not impose any limitations on it.
[0041] Reference Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of a material scheduling method according to the present invention. This method can be applied to a semiconductor device as described above. The semiconductor device includes multiple device components. The material scheduling method is used to schedule materials between at least one receiving cavity and the device components. The method may include the following steps:
[0042] Step 401: If a faulty equipment component is detected among multiple equipment components, determine the target material.
[0043] In this context, the target material is located within a non-faulty target equipment component. A faulty equipment component is one that has malfunctioned and cannot operate normally. The target equipment component is the one containing the material among all non-faulty equipment components.
[0044] In this embodiment, the material scheduling method can be executed by a controller in the semiconductor device. After the semiconductor device is started, the controller can begin monitoring multiple device components within the semiconductor device to determine if any component has malfunctioned. Optionally, during chip scheduling, if a device component malfunctions, it can send a fault signal to the controller to notify it of the fault. For example, when the first process chamber is a PVD process chamber, the first process chamber can send a fault signal to the controller when one of the following components—evaporator, vacuum pump, inert gas source, heating device, cooling device, and driving device—malfunctions and cannot operate normally. After receiving the fault signal from the first process chamber, the controller can determine that the first process chamber has malfunctioned, and that the faulty device component is faulty. The method by which the controller determines the faulty device component can include, but is not limited to, the examples described above; methods known in the art or that may emerge in the future can be applied to this embodiment.
[0045] In practical applications, after the controller obtains the path formula corresponding to a specific receiving slot in the receiving cavity, retrieves the material from the slot, and begins scheduling the material, the material enters the processing state. Conversely, if the controller does not read the path formula and does not schedule the material, the material remains in the pending processing state. Similarly, when the material returns to the receiving slot after scheduling, it is in the completed processing state.
[0046] In this embodiment, the target material is material that is in a processing state and located outside the receiving cavity. When the controller determines that a faulty equipment component has occurred among multiple equipment components, it can determine the target equipment component containing the material, and the target material located within the target equipment component, from all non-faulty equipment components. For example, the controller, based on... Figure 2 The path recipe shown can record the material scheduling process and the location of the materials when scheduling materials. For example, the path recipe corresponding to the receiving tank where wafer X is located is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the path recipe, after acquiring the path recipe, the controller can first determine that the current step of wafer X is step 1, and the current location of wafer X is the first receiving cavity, and record the current step and location of wafer X. Similarly, when the controller controls the first robot arm to remove wafer X from the first receiving cavity, it can determine that the current step of wafer X is step 2, and the current location is the first robot arm, and record the current step of wafer X as step 2 and the current location as the first robot arm. This process continues, recording each step in the wafer X scheduling process and the specific location of the wafer at any given time. When the first process cavity malfunctions, the controller can determine from the records that wafer X is present in the first robot arm, is the target equipment component, and the target material is wafer X.
[0047] It should be noted that, at any given time, the materials being processed in the semiconductor device may include one or more. The method by which the controller determines the target device component and the target material may include, but is not limited to, the examples described above; any existing or future methods in the art may be applied to this embodiment.
[0048] Step 402: Determine the target path portion from the processing path of the target material.
[0049] The target path portion includes a processing path segment from the target device component to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the processing path.
[0050] In this embodiment, after determining the target material, the controller can further determine the processing path segment from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity, i.e., the target path portion, from the processing path of the target material.
[0051] Alternatively, step 402 can be implemented in the following way:
[0052] Obtain the pre-stored processing path of the target material;
[0053] Identify the target equipment components and target receiving cavities from the processing path of the target material;
[0054] The processing path segment from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity in the processing path of the target material is taken as the target path part.
[0055] Based on the above examples, when the target material is determined to be wafer X, the first step can be to obtain pre-stored data such as... Figure 3 The diagram shows the processing path for wafer X. Within this path, the endpoint is the first receiving cavity, and the current non-faulty equipment component where wafer X is located is the non-faulty first robotic arm. The controller can first... Figure 3 The machining path shown identifies a first robotic arm and a first receiving cavity. The first robotic arm is located in steps 2 and 9, and the first receiving cavity is located in step 10. Then, the controller can control the device components from... Figure 3 By searching for the processing path segment from the first robotic arm (step 2) to the first receiving cavity (step 10) in the processing path shown, the first processing path segment from step 2 to step 10 and the second processing path segment from step 9 to step 10 can be determined, and the first processing path segment and the second processing path segment are taken as the target path parts.
[0056] It should be noted that in the material processing path, each equipment component may appear once or multiple times in the processing path, and may appear in different locations; therefore, the target path portion may be one or more. In the material processing path, the starting and ending cavities of the processing path may be the same cavity or different cavities.
[0057] Step 403: If the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path section, transfer the target material to the target receiving cavity through the target path section.
[0058] In this embodiment, when there are multiple target path segments, the controller first determines the target path segment that does not include the faulty equipment component, and then transfers the target material to the target receiving cavity through the target path segment that does not include the faulty equipment component. Conversely, when there is only one target path segment, the controller can directly determine whether the target path segment includes the faulty equipment component. If it does not, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path segment. Referring to the above example, after determining the first processing path segment and the second processing path segment, the semiconductor equipment can first determine the second processing path segment that does not include the faulty equipment component. At this time, wafer X is located in the first robotic arm, and the controller can control the semiconductor equipment to move according to the second processing path segment, that is, control the first robotic arm to move and place the wafer X located in the first robotic arm into the first receiving cavity. When the semiconductor equipment moves according to the first processing path segment, if the target material cannot return to the first receiving cavity through the first processing path segment due to a fault in the first process cavity, the first processing path segment is not used.
[0059] In one embodiment, when all target path segments include a faulty device component, the target device component can be deactivated. For example, if the faulty device component is a second robotic arm and the target device component is a first process cavity, and the target path segment includes a processing path segment from the first process cavity to the first receiving cavity, including the faulty device component, then the first process cavity can be deactivated, and the wafers in the first process cavity are not processed, or the wafers in the first process cavity can be manually transported to the first receiving cavity by an operator.
[0060] In summary, in this embodiment, when a faulty device component is detected among multiple device components, a target material is identified. A target path portion is determined from the processing path of the target material. If the faulty device component is not included in the target path portion, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity via the target path portion. When a faulty device component appears in a semiconductor device, the target path portion can be determined based on the processing path of the material in the device component. The material can then be transferred from the device component to the receiving cavity according to the target path portion, avoiding manual material transport and thus solving the problems of complex operation and low efficiency associated with manual material transport.
[0061] Reference Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of another embodiment of the material scheduling method of the present invention, which may include the following steps:
[0062] Step 501: If a faulty equipment component is detected among multiple equipment components, determine the target material.
[0063] Step 502: Determine if a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is not set in the processing path, or if the set replacement module is malfunctioning.
[0064] In one embodiment, the controller may execute step 503 when it is determined that a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is not set in the processing path, or when a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the processing path but the replacement module is malfunctioning. Conversely, when it is determined that a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the processing path and the replacement module is malfunctioning, step 503 is not executed.
[0065] For example, during the scheduling of wafer X, if the faulty device component is the first loading cavity, then... Figure 3 As shown in the processing path, in steps 4 and 8, a first loading cavity and a second loading cavity are arranged side by side. During the execution of steps 4 and 8, either the first loading cavity or the second loading cavity can be used for transfer. Therefore, when the first loading cavity fails, the second loading cavity can serve as a replacement module for the first loading cavity, and similarly, when the second loading cavity fails, the first loading cavity can serve as a replacement module for the second loading cavity. When the controller determines that the first loading cavity in the processing path has failed, it can determine that a replacement module for the first loading cavity is set in the processing path according to the processing path of wafer X. If the second loading cavity is operating normally at this time, step 503 is not executed, and wafer X continues to be scheduled. During the scheduling process, the second loading cavity is used to replace the first loading cavity. Conversely, if the second loading cavity also fails, or the second loading cavity is disabled for other reasons, step 503 is executed. It should be noted that the processing paths for different wafers may be the same or different. Therefore, in the processing paths of some wafers, the first loading cavity has a second loading cavity that can be used as a replacement module, while in the processing paths of other wafers, the first loading cavity does not have a second loading cavity that can be used as a replacement module.
[0066] In this embodiment, steps 503 and 504 are executed when no replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the material processing path, or when the replacement module is malfunctioning. When a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the material processing path and the replacement module is functioning normally, the material is scheduled. When a faulty equipment component occurs in the semiconductor equipment, some materials can continue to be scheduled, thereby improving production efficiency.
[0067] Step 503: Determine the target path portion from the processing path of the target material.
[0068] Optionally, the method may further include:
[0069] If the target path includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the target path, and the replacement module is operating normally, the target material will continue to be scheduled through the target path.
[0070] If the target path includes a faulty device component and a replacement module for the faulty device component is set in the target path, the target device component will be disabled if the replacement module malfunctions.
[0071] In one embodiment, after determining the target path portion, the controller can determine whether the target path portion includes a replacement module for the faulty equipment component. If it does, and the replacement module is operating normally, the target path portion continues to be used to schedule the target material, allowing for normal wafer processing. For example, during the scheduling of wafer X, if the faulty equipment component is the first loading cavity, and wafer X is currently located at the first robotic arm (step 2), the target path portion includes a first path segment from step 2 to step 10, and a second path segment from step 9 to step 10. If the second loading cavity, as the replacement module, is not faulty or disabled, it can be determined that the second loading cavity is operating normally, and the controller can use the first path segment to continue scheduling wafer X. During step 4, the second loading cavity can be used to replace the first loading cavity. It should be noted that the second path segment is not used because it cannot process wafer X.
[0072] Conversely, if the target path includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for that faulty component is provided within the target path, and the replacement module malfunctions, the equipment component currently containing the material will be deactivated. For example, during the scheduling of wafer Y, if the faulty equipment component is the first robotic arm, and wafer Y is currently located in the first loading cavity, and the target path includes the faulty first robotic arm, then if a replacement module for the first robotic arm is provided within the target path, but this replacement module malfunctions, the controller can directly deactivate the first robotic arm because wafer Y cannot be transferred through the target path.
[0073] In this embodiment of the application, when the target path includes a faulty equipment component, and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path and the replacement module is operating normally, the target material can continue to be scheduled through the target path. In the event of a faulty equipment component in the semiconductor equipment, the material in the processing state can continue to be scheduled, which can avoid the semiconductor equipment from stopping and thus improve production efficiency.
[0074] Optionally, the method may further include:
[0075] If the target path includes a faulty device component and no replacement module for the faulty device component is set in the target path, then the target device component is disabled.
[0076] In one embodiment, when a faulty device component is included in the target path but no replacement module for the faulty device component is provided, the target device component is deactivated. Referring to the above example, during the scheduling of wafer X, if the faulty device component is the second robotic arm, and wafer X is currently located in the first process cavity, then... Figure 3 As shown in the processing path, there is no replacement module for the second robotic arm. Since wafer X is currently located in the first process cavity, the target path segment is the processing path from step 6 to step 10, which includes the malfunctioning second robotic arm. Due to the malfunction of the second robotic arm and the lack of a replacement module, wafer X located in the first process cavity cannot be transferred to the first process cavity via the target path segment; therefore, the first process cavity needs to be deactivated. After deactivating the first process cavity, the wafer located within it can be manually transported to the receiving cavity by the user, or wafer scheduling can continue after the first process cavity returns to normal operation.
[0077] In this embodiment of the application, if the target path includes a faulty equipment component but no replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided, directly deactivating the target equipment component can quickly process the target material in the target equipment component, thereby improving material processing efficiency.
[0078] Step 504: If the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path section, transfer the target material to the target receiving cavity through the target path section.
[0079] Optionally, after detecting a faulty device component among multiple device components, the method may further include:
[0080] Identify the materials to be processed;
[0081] Scheduling of the material to be processed is prohibited if the processing path of the material to be processed includes abnormal equipment components and no replacement module for the abnormal equipment components is set in the processing path of the material to be processed; abnormal equipment components include faulty equipment components and deactivated equipment components.
[0082] When the processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component, and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is allowed.
[0083] If the processing path of the material to be processed does not include any abnormal equipment components, continue processing the material to be processed.
[0084] The material to be processed is the material located inside the receiving cavity and in a state of waiting to be processed.
[0085] In one embodiment, after determining that a faulty equipment component has occurred, the controller can identify the material to be processed and obtain the path formula for the material to be processed, further determining the processing path for the material to be processed. If the processing path for the material to be processed includes abnormal equipment components such as faulty or disabled equipment components, and no replacement module for the abnormal equipment component is provided in the processing path, the removal of the material to be processed from the receiving cavity is stopped, thereby prohibiting the scheduling of the material to be processed. Referring to the above example, if wafer Z is located in the second receiving cavity and is in a state awaiting processing, and the processing path of wafer Z includes the first process cavity, and the first process cavity has no replacement module, then if it is determined that the first process cavity has failed or is disabled, the controller can prohibit the first robotic arm from removing wafer Z from the first process cavity, thereby prohibiting the scheduling of wafer Z.
[0086] Conversely, if it is determined that the first process cavity has failed or has been deactivated, and if the processing path of wafer Z includes a replacement module for the first process cavity (the replacement module may be, for example, the fourth process cavity), and if it is determined that the fourth process cavity has not failed and has not been deactivated by the controller, wafer Y can continue to be scheduled. During the scheduling process, the fourth process cavity is used to replace the first process cavity.
[0087] In one embodiment, if the processing path of the material to be processed does not include any faulty equipment components, the scheduling of the material to be processed can continue. For example, if wafer W is located in the second receiving cavity and is in a state awaiting processing, the processing path of wafer W does not include the first process cavity. In this case, if it is determined that the first process cavity has failed, the controller can continue to schedule wafer W.
[0088] In this embodiment of the application, when a fault occurs in the semiconductor equipment, if there is an abnormal equipment component in the processing path of the material to be processed, the scheduling of the material to be processed is stopped; if there is no abnormal equipment component in the processing path of the material to be processed, the scheduling of the material to be processed continues. When a faulty equipment component occurs in the semiconductor equipment, the semiconductor equipment can be controlled to schedule the materials that can be processed according to the actual situation, thereby improving production efficiency.
[0089] Optionally, after prohibiting the scheduling of materials to be processed, the method may further include:
[0090] Once the faulty equipment components have been restored to normal operation, the materials to be processed can be scheduled.
[0091] In one embodiment, after the malfunctioning equipment component returns to normal, the material to be processed can continue to be scheduled. Referring to the above example, after processing of wafer Z is stopped, if the operator repairs the faulty first process cavity, the controller, after detecting that the fault in the first process cavity has been resolved, can continue to control the first robotic arm to remove wafer Z from the second receiving cavity and schedule wafer Z. Alternatively, after the deactivated first process cavity is restarted, the scheduling of wafer Z can continue.
[0092] In this embodiment of the application, after the abnormal equipment component returns to normal, the materials to be processed can be scheduled, which can quickly schedule the materials to be processed and improve production efficiency.
[0093] Optionally, the method may further include:
[0094] If a fault is detected in the preset cavity or preset device component, the semiconductor device shall be shut down.
[0095] In one embodiment, for certain cavities or device components, the user can pre-set cavities and device components. When a pre-set cavity or device component fails, the semiconductor equipment can be directly shut down. For example, the pre-set cavities can be all cavities, and the pre-set device components can be a first and a second robotic arm with transfer capabilities. When the controller detects a failure in a cavity or a first or second robotic arm, it can directly shut down the semiconductor equipment to stop processing all materials.
[0096] This invention also provides a semiconductor device, which includes multiple device components and a controller;
[0097] The controller is used to schedule materials between at least one receiving cavity and equipment components, and to determine target materials when a faulty equipment component is detected among multiple equipment components; the target materials are located in a non-faulty target equipment component; to determine a target path portion from the processing path of the target materials; the target path portion includes a segment of the processing path from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the processing path; and to transfer the target materials to the target receiving cavity through the target path portion when the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path portion.
[0098] Optionally, the controller is further configured to, in the case where the target path section includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path section, continue to schedule the target material through the target path section if the replacement module is operating normally; and in the case where the target path section includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path section, deactivate the target equipment component if the replacement module is operating abnormally.
[0099] Optionally, the controller is also configured to disable the target device component if the target path section includes a faulty device component and no replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path section.
[0100] Optionally, the controller is also used to determine the material to be processed; if the processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component and no replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is prohibited; the faulty equipment component includes a malfunctioning equipment component and a deactivated equipment component; if the processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is set in the processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is allowed; if the equipment component does not include a faulty equipment component in the processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed continues.
[0101] Optionally, the controller specific device component is used to allow the scheduling of materials to be processed after the malfunctioning device component returns to normal.
[0102] Optionally, the controller is also used to determine if a replacement module for a faulty equipment component is not set in the processing path, or if a set replacement module is malfunctioning.
[0103] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: when a faulty device component is detected among multiple device components, a target material is identified, a target path portion is determined from the processing path of the target material, and if the faulty device component is not included in the target path portion, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path portion. When a faulty device component occurs in a semiconductor device, the target path portion can be determined based on the processing path of the material in the device component, and the material can be transferred from the device component to the receiving cavity according to the target path portion. This avoids manual material handling, thereby solving the problems of complex operation and low efficiency when manually handling materials.
[0104] This application provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed by a controller, implement the steps of the material scheduling method described above.
[0105] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.
[0106] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present invention.
[0107] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or mobile device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or mobile device. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or mobile device that includes said element.
[0108] The material scheduling method provided by the embodiments of the present invention has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the embodiments of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of the embodiments of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A material scheduling method, characterized in that, Applied to a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including multiple device components, the material scheduling method is used to schedule material between at least one receiving cavity and the device components, the receiving cavity including multiple receiving slots, each receiving slot for storing one material, each receiving slot having a corresponding path recipe pre-set, the path recipe defining the processing path of the material, the method comprising: If a faulty equipment component is detected among the plurality of equipment components, a target material is determined; the target material is located in a non-faulty target equipment component, and the target material corresponds to a first receiving tank among the plurality of receiving tanks, the first receiving tank having a first path formula, the first path formula defining a first processing path for the target material; A target path portion is determined from the first processing path of the target material; the target path portion includes a segment of the processing path from the target equipment assembly to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the first processing path; If the target path includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path, and the replacement module is operating normally, the target material will continue to be scheduled through the target path. If the target path includes the faulty device component and a replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path, then if the replacement module malfunctions, the target device component will be deactivated. If the target path includes the faulty device component and no replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path, then the target device component shall be deactivated. If the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path section, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path section. After detecting a faulty device component among the plurality of device components, the method further includes: A material to be processed is determined, the material to be processed corresponding to a second receiving tank among the plurality of receiving tanks, the second receiving tank having a second path formula, the second path formula defining a second processing path for the material to be processed; If the second processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component, and no replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the second processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is prohibited; the faulty equipment component includes the malfunctioning equipment component and the deactivated equipment component; When the malfunctioning equipment component is included in the second processing path of the material to be processed, and a replacement module for the malfunctioning equipment component is provided in the second processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is permitted. If the abnormal equipment component is not included in the second processing path of the material to be processed, the scheduling of the material to be processed continues.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After prohibiting the scheduling of the materials to be processed, the following is also included: After the malfunctioning equipment component returns to normal, the materials to be processed can be scheduled.
3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the target path from the first processing path of the target material includes: Obtain the first processing path of the pre-stored target material; The target equipment component and the target receiving cavity are determined from the first processing path of the target material; The processing path segment from the target equipment component to the target receiving cavity in the first processing path of the target material is defined as the target path portion.
4. A semiconductor device, characterized in that, The semiconductor device includes multiple device components and a controller; The controller is used to schedule materials between at least one receiving cavity and the equipment component. The receiving cavity includes a plurality of receiving slots, each for storing one piece of material and each receiving slot is pre-set with a corresponding path recipe, the path recipe defining the processing path of the material. The controller is further configured to determine a target material when a faulty equipment component is detected among the plurality of equipment components; the target material is located in a non-faulty target equipment component and the target material corresponds to a first receiving tank among the plurality of receiving tanks, the first receiving tank having a first path recipe, the first path recipe defining a first processing path for the target material; The controller is further configured to determine a target path portion from the first processing path of the target material; the target path portion includes a segment of processing path from the target equipment assembly to the target receiving cavity; the target receiving cavity is located at the end of the first processing path; The controller is further configured to, when the target path includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path, if the replacement module is operating normally, continue to schedule the target material through the target path; and when the target path includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the target path, if the replacement module is operating abnormally, deactivate the target equipment component. If the target path includes the faulty device component and no replacement module for the faulty device component is provided in the target path, then the target device component shall be deactivated. If the faulty equipment component is not included in the target path section, the target material is transferred to the target receiving cavity through the target path section. The controller is further configured to, upon detecting a faulty equipment component among the plurality of equipment components, determine a material to be processed, the material to be processed corresponding to a second receiving tank among the plurality of receiving tanks, the second receiving tank having a second path formula defining a second processing path for the material to be processed; if the second processing path of the material to be processed includes a faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is not provided in the second processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is prohibited; the faulty equipment component includes the faulty equipment component and the deactivated equipment component; if the second processing path of the material to be processed includes the faulty equipment component and a replacement module for the faulty equipment component is provided in the second processing path of the material to be processed, scheduling of the material to be processed is permitted; if the second processing path of the material to be processed does not include the faulty equipment component, scheduling of the material to be processed continues.
5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The receiving cavity includes a wafer cassette cavity, the material includes a wafer, and the equipment assembly includes an atmospheric robot, a loading cavity, a vacuum robot, and a process cavity; wherein, the atmospheric robot is used to transfer the wafer between the wafer cassette cavity and the loading cavity, the vacuum robot is used to transfer the wafer between the loading cavity and the process cavity, the loading cavity and the process cavity are both arranged around the transfer cavity where the vacuum robot is located, and the front-end chamber where the atmospheric robot is located is connected to the loading cavity.