A fully automatic semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system

Abstract

The application provides a full-automatic semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, a non-production batch NPW module stores various non-production batch modes; the non-production batch NPW module can receive standby instructions of all non-production batches, and when receiving the standby instructions of the non-production batches, corresponding standby instructions of the non-production batches are sent; a device module enters a standby state of corresponding non-production batches; at this time, the device module only accepts dispatching instructions of corresponding non-production batches; the non-production batch NPW module can also receive dispatching instructions of all non-production batches, and when receiving the dispatching instructions of the non-production batches, corresponding execution instructions are sent to the device module. The advantage is that the mode and various states of the non-production batches are established, an external system such as a dispatching system can directly determine whether the current system dispatches a non-production batch or a production batch to the device through inquiry, and the full-automatic efficiency is optimized; OEE analysis can be directly analyzed through the device state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a manufacturing execution system, and specifically to a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, especially in 12-inch wafer production, there are scenarios where NPW (Non-Production Wafer) batches are used to control the production quality of equipment. These non-production batch production processes are indispensable and crucial.

[0003] In existing semiconductor wafer fabrication MES (Manufacturing Execution System) systems, the NPW (NPW) status cannot be obtained from the system's device status. This is a legacy of system design from 20 years ago. Because the NPW status isn't reflected in the device status, understanding the current device status requires matching it to its actual state, which is unintuitive and wastes system query resources. The dispatch system only queries the device status, which cannot accurately determine the correct state; it must query external sources to determine whether an NPW batch should be dispatched. This design also prevents OEE (Output Effectiveness) from calculating the NPW status time percentage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system; without modifying or upgrading the equipment hardware itself, it establishes non-production batch modes and various states, and external systems such as dispatching systems can directly determine whether the current system dispatches an NPW batch or a production batch to the equipment through queries, thus optimizing the efficiency of full automation; OEE analysis can directly analyze the actual time occupied by NPW through equipment status; overcoming the defects in the prior art.

[0005] This invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, comprising a non-production batch (NPW) module, a batch production module, and an equipment module. The non-production batch NPW module stores various non-production batch modes. It can receive standby instructions for all non-production batches and, upon receiving such instructions, issues corresponding standby instructions. The equipment module enters the corresponding non-production batch standby state, accepting only dispatch instructions for those non-production batches. The non-production batch NPW module can also receive dispatch instructions for all non-production batches and, upon receiving such instructions, issues corresponding execution instructions to the equipment module. The batch production module receives batch production instructions and, upon receiving such instructions, issues batch production execution instructions to the equipment module. Upon receiving the corresponding non-production batch execution instructions, the equipment module enters the corresponding non-production batch production mode. When the equipment module receives a batch production dispatch instruction, it enters the corresponding batch production mode.

[0006] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following features: The non-production batch mode includes a warm-up season mode; the warm-up season mode is as follows: when the non-production batch NPW module receives a warm-up season standby command, it issues a warm-up season standby command; the equipment module enters the warm-up season standby state; in the warm-up season standby state, when the non-production batch NPW module receives a warm-up season dispatch command, it issues a warm-up season execution command to the equipment module; after receiving the warm-up season execution command, the equipment module enters the corresponding execution state; when the equipment module dispatches production for the corresponding non-production batch, the equipment module enters the batch production mode state.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following features: The non-production batch mode includes a monitoring mode; the monitoring mode is as follows: when the non-production batch NPW module receives a monitoring monitor standby command, it issues a monitoring monitor standby command; the equipment module enters the monitoring monitor standby state; in the monitoring monitor standby state, when the non-production batch NPW module receives a monitoring monitor dispatch command, it issues a monitoring monitor execution command to the equipment module; after receiving the monitoring monitor execution command, the equipment module enters the corresponding execution state; after the equipment module performs measurement, it submits the data to the measurement judgment module for judgment, determining whether the measurement result meets a set threshold; if the measurement judgment module determines that it meets the set threshold, the equipment module completes the monitoring monitor dispatch production, and the equipment module enters the batch production mode state.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following features: if the measurement and judgment module determines that the value does not meet the set threshold, the device module enters a waiting state; after the waiting state is lifted, the device module enters the corresponding state.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following features: it further includes a timing module and an OEE module; the timing module times the various states of the non-production batch NPW control module, the batch production control module, and the equipment module respectively; and obtains the operation time and planned working time; the OEE module calculates the availability rate based on the time obtained by the timing module.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following features: a timing module obtains the operation time and the planned working time.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following characteristics: availability = operation time / planned working time.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following feature: the OEE module also calculates equipment efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, which may also have the following characteristics: Equipment Efficiency (OEE) = Availability * Performance * Quality Index.

[0014] This invention provides a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system. When the dispatching system decides whether to dispatch a production batch or an NPW batch, it does not need to check two states (equipment state and NPW state), but directly obtains the status from the equipment state. When manual intervention is required, the current NPW stage of the equipment can be determined using the equipment status, avoiding duplicate dispatching or operational errors. OEE analysis can incorporate NPW occupancy time and further subdivide the occupancy time of sub-states under NPW state groups to improve production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the warm-up Season mode of a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the Monitor mode of a fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the implementation of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The specific examples described herein are merely for explaining the content of the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation of this invention.

[0018] Example

[0019] A fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system includes: a non-production batch (NPW) module, a batch production module, and an equipment module.

[0020] The non-production batch NPW module stores various non-production batch modes. The non-production batch NPW module can receive standby commands from all non-production batches, and upon receiving a non-production batch standby command, it issues the corresponding non-production batch standby command. The device module then enters the corresponding non-production batch standby state. At this time, the device module only accepts dispatch commands from the corresponding non-production batch; other dispatch commands are not accepted.

[0021] The non-production batch NPW module can also receive dispatch instructions for all non-production batches, and when it receives a dispatch instruction for a non-production batch, it sends the corresponding non-production batch execution instruction to the device module.

[0022] After receiving the execution instruction for the corresponding non-production batch, the equipment module enters the corresponding state, that is, it enters the dispatch production of the corresponding non-production batch.

[0023] The batch production control module is the same as existing technology, receiving batch production instructions and issuing batch production execution instructions to the equipment module upon receiving the batch production instructions.

[0024] Once the device module receives the batch production execution instruction, it enters the batch production mode.

[0025] The equipment module naturally includes the mechanical equipment used for production, as well as the control module that controls the mechanical equipment to complete the entire production process. The technical content of this part is the same as that of existing technology and will not be described again.

[0026] In this embodiment, the non-production batch modes include: Warm-up Season mode and Monitoring mode. Of course, other non-production batch modes can be set as needed.

[0027] Warm-up Season Mode:

[0028] When a non-production batch NPW module receives a warm-up season standby command, it issues a warm-up season standby command. The device module then enters the warm-up season standby state.

[0029] In the warm-up season standby state, when the non-production batch NPW module receives the warm-up season dispatch instruction, it sends the warm-up season execution instruction to the device module. At this time, the device module is in the Sea_D state.

[0030] After receiving the execution command for the warm-up season, the device module enters the corresponding execution state, namely the Sea_D state. When the device module dispatches production for a non-production batch, it enters the batch production mode.

[0031] Monitor mode:

[0032] When a non-production batch NPW module receives a Monitor standby command, it issues a Monitor standby command. The device module then enters the Monitor standby state.

[0033] When the Monitor is in standby mode, and the non-production batch NPW module receives a dispatch instruction from the Monitor, it sends an execution instruction to the device module. At this time, the device module is in the Monitor_D state.

[0034] After receiving the execution command from the monitor, the device module enters the corresponding execution state, namely the MON_R state. After measurement, the device module submits the data to the measurement judgment module for evaluation, checking if the measurement result meets a set threshold. If the measurement judgment module determines that the set threshold is met, the device module completes the monitor's dispatch production and enters batch production mode. If the measurement judgment module determines that the set threshold is not met, it indicates a problem, requiring the relevant production equipment to be paused, and the device module enters a waiting state; simultaneously, it can enter the self-test module, issue an alarm, or call for manual intervention. Once the problem is resolved, the device module returns to the corresponding state. The measurement judgment module can be a standalone module or a sub-module of the non-production batch NPW control module.

[0035] In this embodiment, the fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system also includes a timing module and an OEE module. The timing module times the various states of the non-production batch NPW control module, the batch production control module, and the equipment module to obtain operation time and planned working time, such as standby time, execution time, production time, and waiting time. The OEE module calculates and analyzes production efficiency based on the above times. Of course, the times of different modes in the non-production batch mode are counted separately, which not only shows the NPW occupancy time but also subdivides the occupancy time of sub-states under the NPW state group.

[0036] OEE = Availability x Performance x Quality Index

[0037] Availability = Operation time / Planned working time.

[0038] Operation time refers to the equipment's execution time; other times are not considered planned working time. Of course, the definition of time can be set according to the actual situation of the equipment. Performance and quality indices can be automatically read from relevant data or manually set.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system, characterized in that: This includes non-production batch NPW modules, batch production modules, and equipment modules; The non-production batch NPW module stores various non-production batch modes; the non-production batch NPW module can receive standby instructions for all non-production batches, and when it receives a non-production batch standby instruction, it issues the corresponding non-production batch standby instruction; the device module enters the corresponding non-production batch standby state; at this time, the device module only accepts the corresponding non-production batch dispatch instructions. The non-production batch NPW module can also receive dispatch instructions for all non-production batches, and when it receives a dispatch instruction for a non-production batch, it sends a corresponding execution instruction to the device module. The batch production module receives batch production instructions and, upon receiving such instructions, issues batch production execution instructions to the equipment module. After receiving the corresponding non-production batch execution instruction, the equipment module enters the corresponding non-production batch production mode state; when the equipment module receives the batch dispatch production instruction, it enters the corresponding batch production mode state.

2. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: in, Non-production batch modes include: Warm-up Season mode; Warm-up Season mode is: When a non-production batch NPW module receives a warm-up season standby command, it issues a warm-up season standby command; the device module enters the warm-up season standby state. In the warm-up season standby state, when the non-production batch NPW module receives the warm-up season dispatch instruction, it sends the warm-up season execution instruction to the equipment module. After receiving the execution command for the warm-up season, the equipment module enters the corresponding execution state; when the equipment module dispatches production for the corresponding non-production batch, it enters the batch production mode.

3. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: in, Non-production batch modes include: Monitor mode; The Monitor mode is as follows: When the non-production batch NPW module receives the Monitor standby command, it issues the Monitor standby command; the device module enters the Monitor standby state. When the monitor is in standby mode, and the non-production batch NPW module receives the work order from the monitor, it sends the monitor execution order to the device module. After receiving the execution command from the monitor, the device module enters the corresponding execution state. After the device module performs measurement, it submits the data to the measurement judgment module for judgment to determine whether the measurement result meets the set threshold. If the measurement judgment module determines that the measurement result meets the set threshold, the device module completes the monitoring monitor dispatching and production, and the device module enters the batch production mode.

4. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 3, characterized in that: in, If the measurement and judgment module determines that the value does not meet the set threshold, the device module enters a waiting state; after the waiting state is lifted, the device module enters the corresponding state.

5. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a timing module and an OEE module; The timing module keeps track of the various states of the non-production batch NPW control module, the batch production control module, and the equipment module; thus obtaining the operation time and planned working time. The OEE module calculates availability based on the time obtained from the timing module.

6. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The timing module obtains the operation time and the planned working time.

7. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 6, characterized in that: Availability = Operation time / Planned working time.

8. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The OEE module also calculates device efficiency.

9. The fully automated semiconductor wafer manufacturing execution system as described in claim 8, characterized in that: Equipment efficiency (OEE) = Availability * Performance * Quality Index.

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