Method of dispatching a reticle to a lithographic apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a method for delivering a mask to a photoetching device, comprising the following steps: S1, screening out a photoetching device with a load less than a first set value or a photoetching device with a ratio of high-energy masks and low-energy masks reaching a second set value and a load less than a third set value; S2, selecting a photoetching device with the lowest load from the screened photoetching devices; S3, evaluating the production requirement urgency of the mask according to the production plan requirement and the high-low temperature requirement of the mask; S4, delivering the mask with the highest production requirement urgency to the photoetching device with the lowest load. The application considers the high-low temperature requirement of the mask when delivering the mask to the photoetching device, so that the low-energy mask is considered in the production of the high-temperature photoetching device, and the cross operation of the high-energy mask and the low-energy product is realized. Therefore, the utilization rate of the photoetching device is improved, and the waste of the machine and the production time are reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of photoetching equipment, and in particular to a method for dispatching a mask to a photoetching equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] Photoetching products, such as masks, may need to pass through multiple photoetching equipment in production, and meanwhile, one photoetching equipment may process multiple photoetching products. Some masks require the photoetching equipment to be in high temperature all the time for production, which can be referred to as high-energy masks. Some masks require the photoetching equipment to be in low temperature all the time for production, which can be referred to as low-energy masks.

[0003] In the prior art, high-energy masks are always produced in a high-temperature machine, and low-energy masks are always produced in a low-temperature machine.

[0004] However, some machines cannot maintain high temperature all the time, and when the temperature does not reach the required value, high-energy masks cannot be produced, resulting in idle of the machine and waste of time. Meanwhile, when the high-temperature machine is in high temperature for a long time, the machine may be damaged to some extent, so it needs to be stopped for a period of time, which further results in idle of the machine and waste of time. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to provide a method for dispatching a mask to a photoetching equipment, which can produce low-energy masks when the temperature of the photoetching equipment does not reach the temperature required by high-energy masks, or produce low-energy masks in the gap of high-energy mask production, so as to improve the utilization rate of the photoetching equipment and reduce the waste of the machine and production time.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a method for dispatching a mask to a photoetching equipment, comprising:

[0007] Step S1: screening out a photoetching equipment with a load less than a first set value or screening out a photoetching equipment with a proportion of high-energy masks and low-energy masks corresponding to the photoetching equipment reaching a second set value and a load less than a third set value;

[0008] Step S2: selecting a photoetching equipment with the lowest load from the screened photoetching equipment;

[0009] Step S3: evaluating the production requirement urgency of the mask according to the production plan requirement and the high-low temperature requirement of the mask;

[0010] Step S4: dispatching the mask with the highest emergency production requirement to the photoetching equipment with the lowest load;

[0011] Step S5: dispatching the remaining masks according to the emergency degree of the photoetching equipment.

[0012] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the first set value is 3 hours.

[0013] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the second set value is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 1.6.

[0014] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the third set value is 5 hours.

[0015] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the method for obtaining a mask with the highest emergency production requirement comprises:

[0016] sorting all masks according to the priority order of the production plan from high to low;

[0017] selecting a mask with the highest priority from the masks with production plan time less than a fourth set value in the production plan, or selecting a mask with the highest priority from the masks meeting certain emergency production conditions, or selecting a mask with the highest priority from the sorted masks.

[0018] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the fourth set value is 1 hour.

[0019] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the method for selecting a mask meeting certain emergency production conditions comprises:

[0020] selecting a high-energy mask when the proportion of high-energy masks and low-energy masks is less than a second set value, and selecting a low-energy mask when the proportion of high-energy masks and low-energy masks is greater than the second set value;

[0021] selecting a mask whose proportion of high-energy masks and low-energy masks reaches the second set value.

[0022] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the factors referred to in sorting all masks according to the priority order of the production plan from high to low comprise:

[0023] emergency level, high and low temperature requirements, number of products using the mask, total number of products, and waiting time.

[0024] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the high-energy mask is used for lithography by a high-temperature lithography device.

[0025] Optionally, in the method for delivering a mask to a lithography device, the low-energy mask is used for lithography by a high-temperature lithography device or a low-temperature lithography device.

[0026] The method for delivering photomasks to a lithography equipment provided by this invention includes: Step S1: Selecting lithography equipment with a load less than a first set value, or selecting lithography equipment where the ratio of high-energy photomasks to low-energy photomasks reaches a second set value and the load is less than a third set value; Step S2: Selecting the lithography equipment with the lowest load from the selected lithography equipment; Step S3: Assessing the urgency of photomask production requirements based on production plan requirements and the high / low temperature requirements of the photomasks; Step S4: Delivering the photomask with the highest urgent production requirements to the lithography equipment with the lowest load; Step S5: Delivering the remaining photomasks according to the urgency of the lithography equipment. By taking the high / low temperature requirements of the photomasks into account when delivering them to the lithography equipment, low-energy photomasks can be included in the production of high-temperature lithography equipment, achieving cross-operation of high-energy photomasks and low-energy products. Low-energy photomasks can be produced when the temperature of the lithography equipment has not reached the temperature required for high-energy photomasks, or during the production intervals of high-energy photomasks, thereby improving the utilization rate of the lithography equipment and reducing equipment waste and production time. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a method for delivering a photomask to a photolithography device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] In the following text, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used to distinguish between similar elements and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or chronological sequence. It should be understood that these terms, as used herein, may be replaced where appropriate. Similarly, if the methods described herein comprise a series of steps, and the order of these steps presented herein is not necessarily the only possible order in which they can be performed, and some described steps may be omitted and / or other steps not described herein may be added to the method.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 The present invention provides a method for delivering a photomask to a photolithography apparatus, comprising:

[0031] Step S1: Select lithography equipment with a load less than the first set value, or select lithography equipment with a ratio of high-energy photomask to low-energy photomask that reaches the second set value and a load less than the third set value;

[0032] Step S2: Select the lithography equipment with the lowest load from the screened lithography equipment;

[0033] Step S3: Assess the urgency of the photomask production requirements based on the production plan requirements and the high and low temperature requirements of the photomask;

[0034] Step S4: Send the photomask with the highest urgent production requirements to the lithography equipment with the lowest load;

[0035] Step S5: Dispatch the remaining photomasks according to the urgency level of the photolithography equipment.

[0036] In this embodiment of the invention, the first setting value is 3 hours, meaning that lithography equipment with remaining load time of less than 3 hours is excluded. The second setting value is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 1.6. The third setting value is 5 hours. In other embodiments of the invention, the first, second, and third setting values ​​can all be other values.

[0037] Preferably, the method for obtaining the photomask with the highest urgent production requirement includes: sorting all photomasks in descending order of production plan priority; selecting photomasks from the sorted photomasks whose production plan time is less than a fourth preset value, and then selecting the photomask with the highest priority; or, selecting photomasks that meet certain urgent production conditions, and then selecting the photomask with the highest priority; or, selecting the photomask with the highest priority from the sorted photomasks. The fourth preset value is 1 hour. In other embodiments of the present invention, the fourth preset value can be other values.

[0038] Preferably, the method for selecting photomasks that meet certain urgent production conditions includes: selecting high-energy photomasks where the ratio of high-energy to low-energy photomasks is less than a second set value, and low-energy photomasks where the ratio of high-energy to low-energy photomasks is greater than the second set value; selecting photomasks where the ratio of high-energy to low-energy photomasks reaches the second set value. If none of the photomasks meet the preceding selection criteria, the photomasks that do not meet the criteria are used directly according to their priority order.

[0039] Preferably, the factors considered when sorting all photomasks according to the production plan priority from highest to lowest include: urgency level, high / low temperature requirements, number of products using the photomask, total number of products, and waiting time. These factors are just examples; in practice, more factors may be considered. The urgency level may be divided into level 0 and level 1, with level 0 being more urgent; however, in other embodiments, level 1 could also be more urgent. The high / low temperature requirement refers to whether to prioritize high-temperature lithography equipment or low-temperature lithography equipment. Based on factors such as urgency level, high / low temperature requirements, number of products using the photomask, total number of products, and waiting time, all photomasks are prioritized from highest to lowest. For example, in Table 1, the priority column lists 11 levels, the Item column gives the name of each item, the description column explains each item, and the comment column presents the algorithm results to guide online staff in actual production. The sorted photomasks are then assigned to lithography machines based on their urgency. The urgency level of the lithography machines is determined by their load. For example, as shown in Table 2, machines with a minimum load of 3 hours or less are considered the most urgent and are prioritized for assignment. When the production line cannot meet the 3-hour workload of all machines in the group, photomasks are assigned to the machine with the lowest load. When temp_index > 2.1, the machine with the highest temp_index prioritizes low-energy photomasks; when temp_index < 1.1, the machine with the lowest temp_index prioritizes high-energy photomasks. The formula for calculating temp_index is:

[0040]

[0041] Where Temp_index is the temperature coefficient, M is the quantity of medium-energy products, H is the quantity of high-energy products, and L is the quantity of low-energy products, the formula shows that the reasonable working mode for switching between high and low energy is one card of high-energy products and one card of low-energy products, or two cards of medium-energy products and one card of low-energy products. To ensure that the machine can rationally produce according to the cross-logic of high and low temperatures after the photomasks are allocated, Temp_index should ideally be within the range of [1.1, 2.1] when allocating the photomasks. The number of products corresponding to each photomask is different; therefore, the more products there are, the higher H, L, and M will be.

[0042] Table 1

[0043]

[0044] Table 2

[0045]

[0046] Preferably, high-energy photomasks are lithographically performed using high-temperature lithography equipment. Low-energy photomasks are lithographically performed using either high-temperature or low-temperature lithography equipment.

[0047] By adopting the delivery method of this invention, the number of photomasks produced per day has increased by 50, and the pairing rate of cross-operation of high-energy and low-energy products has increased by 13%.

[0048] In summary, the method for dispatching photomasks to lithography equipment provided in this embodiment of the invention includes: Step S1: Selecting lithography equipment with a load less than a first set value, or selecting lithography equipment where the ratio of high-energy photomasks to low-energy photomasks reaches a second set value and the load is less than a third set value; Step S2: Selecting the lithography equipment with the lowest load from the selected lithography equipment; Step S3: Assessing the urgency of photomask production requirements based on production plan requirements and the high and low temperature requirements of the photomasks; Step S4: Dispatching the photomask with the highest urgent production requirements to the lithography equipment with the lowest load; Step S5: Dispatching the remaining photomasks according to the urgency of the lithography equipment. By taking the high and low temperature requirements of the photomasks into account when dispatching them to the lithography equipment, low-energy photomasks can be included in the production of high-temperature lithography equipment, achieving cross-operation of high-energy photomasks and low-energy products. Low-energy photomasks can be produced when the temperature of the lithography equipment has not reached the temperature required for high-energy photomasks, or during the production intervals of high-energy photomasks, thereby improving the utilization rate of the lithography equipment and reducing equipment waste and production time.

[0049] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not constitute any limitation on the present invention. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions and content disclosed in the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall be deemed to have remained within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus, characterized in that, include: Step S1: Select lithography equipment with a load less than the first set value, or select lithography equipment with a ratio of high-energy photomask to low-energy photomask that reaches the second set value and a load less than the third set value; Step S2: Select the lithography equipment with the lowest load from the screened lithography equipment; Step S3: Assess the urgency of the photomask production requirements based on the production plan requirements and the high and low temperature requirements of the photomask; Step S4: Send the photomask with the highest urgent production requirements to the lithography equipment with the lowest load; Step S5: Dispatch the remaining photomasks according to the urgency level of the photolithography equipment.

2. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first setting is 3 hours.

3. The method for delivering a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second setting value is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 1.

6.

4. The method for delivering a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The third setting is 5 hours.

5. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Methods for obtaining photomasks with the highest urgent production requirements include: Sort all photomasks in descending order of priority according to the production plan; Select the masks with the highest priority from the sorted masks, which have a production plan time less than the fourth set value in the production plan. Alternatively, select the masks that meet certain urgent production conditions and select the masks with the highest priority. Or, select the masks with the highest priority from the sorted masks.

6. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The fourth setting is 1 hour.

7. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Methods for selecting photomasks that meet certain urgent production conditions include: High-energy masks with a ratio of high-energy to low-energy masks less than a second set value and low-energy masks with a ratio greater than a second set value are selected. The photomasks are selected based on the ratio of high-energy photomasks to low-energy photomasks reaching a second set value.

8. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The factors considered in sorting all photomasks according to the priority of the production plan from largest to smallest include: Emergency level, high and low temperature requirements, number of products using photomasks, total number of products, and waiting time.

9. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The high-energy photomask is lithographically formed using a high-temperature lithography device.

10. The method for feeding a photomask to a photolithography apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The low-energy photomask is lithographically formed using either high-temperature or low-temperature lithography equipment.

Images