A wafer box switching method and related device

Abstract

The embodiment of this specification provides a method for switching a wafer box. When the wafer box is switched, the first controller responds to the switching operation for the target wafer box and sends a switching start instruction carrying the target number of slots to the second controller, so that the second controller determines the target number of slots in response to the instruction and returns it to the first controller, so that the first controller can obtain the slot spacing based on the online method. In this way, when the wafer box is switched, there is no need to stop running the relevant programs in the first controller and the second controller, manually configure the target number of slots in the second controller, and there is no need to manually measure and verify the slot spacing and manually configure the slot spacing of the target wafer box in the first controller, which is conducive to improving the switching efficiency of the wafer box. And there is no need for the operation and maintenance personnel to manually configure the second controller during the whole process, which is conducive to reducing the requirements for the professional skills of the operation and maintenance personnel for the wafer box switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically, to a wafer box switching technology in the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically, to a wafer box switching method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor process equipment may include modules such as an aligner, a robot, a load lock, a load port, and a process chamber. Semiconductor process equipment may be used to realize automatic processing and circulation of wafers.

[0003] The wafer loading and unloading position is the starting point for automated wafer processing in semiconductor process equipment. Ensuring its efficient operation is of great significance to improving the working efficiency of semiconductor process equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present specification provide a wafer box switching method and related devices, which achieve the purpose of improving the switching efficiency of different types of wafer boxes, thereby improving the working efficiency of semiconductor process equipment.

[0005] To achieve the above technical objectives, the embodiments of this specification provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present specification provides a wafer box switching method, which is applied to a first controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a second controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, and the wafer box switching method includes:

[0007] In response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots is sent to the second controller; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the switching start instruction is used to instruct the second controller to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0008] In response to the second controller returning the slot pitch of the target wafer box, the slot pitch of the target wafer box is saved.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present specification provides a wafer box switching method, which is applied to a second controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a first controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, and the wafer box switching method includes:

[0010] In response to a switch start instruction carrying a target number of slots, determining a slot spacing of a target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0011] The slot spacing of the target wafer box is returned to the first controller so that the first controller saves the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present specification provides a switching device for a wafer box, which is applied to a first controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a second controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, and the switching device for the wafer box includes:

[0013] A first switching module is used to send a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots to the second controller in response to a switching operation for a target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the switching start instruction is used to instruct the second controller to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0014] The first data module is used for saving the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, in an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a switching device for a wafer box is further provided, which is applied to a second controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further comprises a wafer loading and unloading position and a first controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, and the switching device for the wafer box comprises:

[0016] A second switching module is used to determine the slot spacing of a target wafer box in response to a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0017] The second data module is used to return the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller, so that the first controller saves the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present specification provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising: a first controller, a second controller and a wafer loading and unloading position; wherein,

[0019] The first controller is configured to: in response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, send a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots to the second controller, and in response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box, save the slot spacing of the target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0020] The second controller is configured to: determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to a switch start instruction carrying the target number of slots; and return the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present specification further provides a computing device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the wafer box switching method as described above when executing the computer program.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present specification further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the wafer box switching method as described above is implemented.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present specification provides a computer program product or a computer program, wherein the computer program product includes a computer program, and the computer program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium; the processor of the computer device reads the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor implements the steps of the above-mentioned wafer box switching method when executing the computer program.

[0024] It can be seen from the above technical scheme that the switching method of the wafer box provided in the embodiment of this specification is that when the wafer box is switched to the target wafer box, the first controller responds to the switching operation for the target wafer box, and sends a switching start instruction carrying the target number of slots to the second controller, so that the second controller determines the target number of slots in response to the switching start instruction and returns it to the first controller, so that the first controller can obtain the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the online method. In this way, when the previous wafer box is switched to the target wafer box, there is no need to stop running the relevant programs in the first controller and the second controller, manually configure the target number of slots in the second controller, and there is no need to manually measure and check the slot spacing and manually configure the slot spacing of the target wafer box in the first controller, which is conducive to improving the switching efficiency of the wafer box. And in the whole process, there is no need for the operation and maintenance personnel to manually measure the slot spacing, and there is no need for the operation and maintenance personnel to manually configure the second controller, which is conducive to reducing the requirements of the switching method of the wafer box on the professional skills of the operation and maintenance personnel, and is conducive to reducing the labor cost required in the wafer box switching process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment provided for one embodiment of the present specification;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a different type of wafer cassette provided for one embodiment of the present specification;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a wafer box switching method provided for one embodiment of the present specification;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a device structure for performing a scanning operation provided in one embodiment of the present specification;

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of another wafer box switching method provided for one embodiment of the present specification;

[0031] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a wafer box switching process provided for one embodiment of this specification;

[0032] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a wafer box switching device provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present specification;

[0033] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of another wafer box switching device provided in one embodiment of the present specification;

[0034] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of another semiconductor process equipment provided for one embodiment of the present specification;

[0035] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computing device provided for one embodiment of the present specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this specification shall have the common meanings understood by persons with ordinary skills in the field to which this specification belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to avoid confusion of constituent elements.

[0037] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification, "plurality" means "at least two", and "including" is interpreted as an open, inclusive meaning, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "examples", "specific examples" or "some examples" are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, material or characteristic associated with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the specification. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0038] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this specification to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this specification, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0039] Overview

[0040] refer to Figure 1 , taking cluster devices as an example, Figure 1 The structure diagram of a semiconductor process equipment is shown. The semiconductor process equipment may include multiple equipment modules, which may include a first robot 10, a wafer loading and unloading position 21 (also called a wafer loading and unloading port, Loadport), a calibration module 22, a cooling plate 23 and multiple processing modules 11, etc.; wherein,

[0041] The calibration module 22 may include a slot, and the calibration module 22 may calibrate the wafer placed in the slot.

[0042] Processing module 11 (Processing Module), each processing module 11 has a slot, which can place a wafer for processing.

[0043] The cooling plate 23 (Cooler) is used to cool the wafer after processing.

[0044] The first robot 10 can be a double-arm robot. The two arms of the double-arm robot can be 180° and fixed. Each arm has a slot, and each slot can hold a wafer. Generally, the two arms cannot perform wafer picking and placing operations at the same time; the first robot 10 is responsible for transporting wafers between the vacuum lock 30 and multiple process chambers 11.

[0045] In addition, in some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment may further include: a vacuum lock and a second manipulator; wherein the vacuum lock (LoadLock) may have two slots, each slot may hold a wafer, and the vacuum lock may switch between an atmospheric state and a vacuum state, wherein the vacuum lock state is converted to an atmospheric state, and the wafer located on the second manipulator side may be sent into the vacuum lock; when the vacuum lock is converted to a vacuum state, the wafer located on the first manipulator side may be sent into the vacuum lock. The second manipulator may be a single-arm manipulator, and the second manipulator may have a slot, and a wafer may be placed thereon, and the second manipulator may be responsible for transporting wafers between the wafer loading and unloading position 11, the calibration module 22, and the vacuum lock.

[0046] The wafer loading and unloading position 21 is used to place wafer boxes, and multiple wafers can be placed in each wafer box. Wafer boxes can also be called wafer transfer boxes. Wafer boxes can include front opening wafer boxes (Front Opening Unified Pod, FOUP) and standard wafer boxes (Cassette) and other types of wafer boxes. The wafer loading and unloading position 21 is installed at the front end of the semiconductor process equipment and is an important bridge for the wafer to enter the equipment. The wafer loading and unloading position is the interactive port between the semiconductor process equipment and the production line, and is an important part of realizing the automation of wafer production. After it receives the wafer box delivered by the production line, it performs operations such as fixing, loading, unloading, and moving the wafer box.

[0047] Before the wafer box is transported to the wafer loading and unloading position, it can be divided into different types of wafer boxes according to the wafer process, size, thickness, etc. The number of slots of different types of wafer boxes may be different (in some cases, each slot can accommodate one wafer, and the number of slots is positively correlated with the upper limit of the number of wafers that the wafer box can accommodate under normal conditions). For example, according to the different number of slots, the wafer box can be divided into 13-slot wafer boxes and 25-slot wafer boxes, etc. Figure 2 , Figure 2 A comparison diagram of different types of wafer boxes (i.e., wafer box A and wafer box B) is shown. When the controller of the semiconductor process equipment controls the wafer loading and unloading position to perform operations such as loading and unloading, unloading, and moving the wafer box to a target position, it is necessary to know the parameter information such as the number of slots and the slot spacing of the wafer box in advance, so as to judge whether there is a wafer in a certain slot and the slot where the next wafer is located based on these parameter information, so as to meet the requirements for realizing functions such as loading, unloading, and moving the wafer box to a target position.

[0048] In some embodiments, in order to balance the operational convenience of semiconductor process equipment and the control accuracy of hardware, the first controller and the second controller can work together to realize the controller of each hardware, wherein the first controller can provide a human-computer interaction interface so that the operator can issue control instructions and obtain the operating status of the semiconductor process equipment more intuitively and conveniently through the human-computer interaction interface; the second controller can receive the control instructions of the first controller, convert them into instructions that are more suitable for hardware response and transmit them to the corresponding hardware, so as to realize accurate real-time interaction with the hardware, and some second controllers can provide various types of input / output interfaces to meet different types of hardware control requirements.

[0049] For example, in some embodiments, the first controller may include a computing device such as a computer, and the second controller may include a programmable digital electronic device such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), wherein the computing device such as a computer may provide an interactive interface suitable for operation and maintenance personnel to read, and the programmable digital electronic device such as a PLC may realize accurate real-time hardware control, may be directly connected to various sensors and actuators, has a fast processing speed, a short response time, and ensures the stability and safety of the hardware in the process of executing instructions. In addition, these programmable digital electronic devices can be programmed according to actual application requirements through programming methods such as ladder diagrams, statement tables or function blocks, and flexibly implement various complex control logics. In particular, PLC was designed to meet the real-time control requirements in industrial environments. It has a very fast scanning cycle and response speed, can process signals from sensors and actuators in real time, and make corresponding control decisions. At the same time, PLC has hardware redundancy and fault self-diagnosis functions, and can maintain high reliability even in harsh environments. In addition, PLC adopts a hard real-time system, which can ensure that the specified control task is completed within the specified time, which is crucial for engineering applications that require strict time control.

[0050] Through the cooperation between the first controller and the second controller, while ensuring precise control of the hardware, the operation and maintenance personnel can conveniently issue various control instructions through the first controller, and intuitively obtain various parameters and clarify the hardware status through the human-computer interaction interface provided by the first controller.

[0051] However, in a scenario where wafer box switching is required, if the previous wafer box and the currently switched wafer box (hereinafter referred to as the target wafer box) are of different types, the number of slots and / or the slot spacing between the previous wafer box and the target wafer box may be different. This requires configuring the first controller and the second controller so that the first controller can clearly know the number of slots and the slot spacing of the target wafer box, and the second controller can clearly know the number of slots of the target wafer box, so as to meet the requirements of the first controller sending corresponding control instructions to the second controller, and the second controller controlling the actual action of the wafer loading and unloading position according to the control instructions.

[0052] In the related art, when switching wafer boxes, it is necessary to manually measure the slot spacing of the target wafer box, stop running the first controller and the second controller (for example, stop running the related programs running in the first controller and the second controller), manually write the number of slots and the slot spacing of the target wafer box in the first controller by manually changing the relevant parameters in the configuration file, write the number of slots of the target wafer box in the second controller, and restart the first controller and the second controller (for example, restart the related programs running in the first controller and the second controller), so that the first controller and the second controller can perform related control functions based on the newly configured parameters.

[0053] This method not only requires the operation and maintenance personnel to manually measure and configure relevant parameters, which is inefficient, but also the configuration of the second controller requires high professional skills from the operation and maintenance personnel, resulting in low efficiency and high labor costs for the wafer box switching method in the related technology.

[0054] In order to solve this problem, the inventor proposes a wafer box switching method for automatically configuring the relevant parameters of the target wafer box online. When the wafer box is switched to the target wafer box, the first controller responds to the switching operation for the target wafer box and sends a switching start instruction carrying the target number of slots to the second controller, so that the second controller determines the target number of slots in response to the switching start instruction and returns it to the first controller, so that the first controller can obtain the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the online method. In this way, when the previous wafer box is switched to the target wafer box, there is no need to stop running the relevant programs in the first controller and the second controller, manually configure the target number of slots in the second controller, and there is no need to manually measure and check the slot spacing and manually configure the slot spacing of the target wafer box in the first controller, which is conducive to improving the switching efficiency of the wafer box. In addition, the operation and maintenance personnel do not need to manually measure the slot spacing during the whole process, and the operation and maintenance personnel do not need to manually configure the second controller, which is conducive to reducing the requirements of the switching method of the wafer box on the professional skills of the operation and maintenance personnel, and is conducive to reducing the labor cost required during the wafer box switching process.

[0055] Based on the above concept, an embodiment of the present specification provides a method for switching wafer boxes. The following will exemplarily describe the method for switching wafer boxes provided in the embodiment of the present specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Exemplary Methods

[0057] To be applied to Figure 3 Taking the first controller of the semiconductor process equipment in FIG. 1 as an example, some embodiments of this specification exemplarily illustrate the switching method of the wafer box, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a second controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on the instruction issued by the first controller, and the switching method of the wafer box includes:

[0058] S301: In response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots is sent to the second controller; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the switching start instruction is used to instruct the second controller to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0059] S302: In response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box, saving the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0060] The first controller may be a device suitable for providing a human-machine interface, such as a host computer of a semiconductor process equipment, etc. The second controller may be a device suitable for directly connecting to a wafer loading and unloading position and controlling the wafer loading and unloading position to perform actions, such as a programmable digital electronic device such as a PLC.

[0061] The switching operation for the target wafer box may include the action of inputting the target number of slots of the target wafer box in the first controller. For example, it may include the operation of typing the target number of slots in the human-computer interaction interface, or it may include the operation of inputting the target number of slots through peripherals such as keyboards or software modules such as virtual keyboards. This manual does not limit this and it depends on the actual situation.

[0062] The target wafer box refers to the wafer box to be used after switching, and the previous wafer box refers to the wafer box that is switched. The target wafer box and the previous wafer box are of different types, which may refer to the different number of slots between the target wafer box and the previous wafer box, or the different slot spacing between the target wafer box and the previous wafer box, or the different number of slots and the different slot spacing between the target wafer box and the previous wafer box. This specification does not limit this, and it depends on the actual situation.

[0063] As mentioned above, the number of slots refers to the number of slots in a wafer box, and each slot can accommodate one wafer. The slot spacing refers to the spacing between adjacent slots in a slot box. The number of slots and the slot spacing are important parameters for controlling the movement of the wafer box. For example, the number of slots can help determine whether there are wafers that have not been taken out of the wafer box, and the slot spacing can help determine the location of the next wafer to be taken out and the movement amount of the wafer box, etc. Therefore, before performing relevant control operations on the wafer loading and unloading positions, it is necessary to accurately determine the number of slots and the slot spacing.

[0064] The switch start instruction can be transmitted through the communication interface opened by the second controller to the first controller. In a feasible embodiment, the switch start instruction is specifically used to instruct the second controller to execute a switching process, and the switching process includes: obtaining scanning parameters by performing a scanning operation on the target wafer box through the wafer loading and unloading position, determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters, and returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller; the scanning parameters are used to characterize the position of the target wafer in the target wafer box; that is, the switch start instruction can instruct the second controller to start performing a scanning operation on the target wafer box to obtain scanning parameters, and obtain the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots carried by the switch start instruction and the scanning parameters obtained by scanning.

[0065] The scanning parameters obtained by scanning may include relevant parameters for describing the geometric information of the target wafer box, and specifically may include parameters related to the geometric information of the slot of the target wafer box and / or the wafer set in the slot, for example, it can be used to characterize the location of the target wafer in the target wafer box, and the target wafer may include, for example, the top wafer and the bottom wafer loaded in the target wafer box, and this specification does not limit this, and it depends on the actual situation. The scanning operation can be performed by relying on the scanning module of the wafer loading and unloading position itself, without the need for additional hardware, which is conducive to reducing the cost of executing the method.

[0066] When the second controller responds to the switching start instruction and executes the switching process, it returns the scanned slot spacing to the first controller so that the first controller can save the slot spacing. In this way, the first controller can determine the correct control instructions based on the correct target number of slots and slot spacing in the subsequent control process of the target wafer box to meet the normal control requirements for the target wafer box.

[0067] In this embodiment, the operation and maintenance personnel only need to switch the target wafer box to realize the automatic switching function of the target wafer box, so as to meet the requirements of automatically saving the slot spacing in the first controller and automatically transmitting the target number of slots to the second controller. The switching method of the wafer box has the characteristics of high execution efficiency, no need for the operation and maintenance personnel to master the programming skills for the second controller, and no need to stop the operation of the first controller and the second controller (for example, stop the operation of the related control programs in the first controller and the second controller).

[0068] In order to make the second controller clear about the wafer box switching process and the normal control workflow, in some embodiments, after saving the slot spacing of the target wafer box, the method further includes:

[0069] generating a switching end instruction, wherein the switching end instruction is used to instruct the second controller to enable a control instruction response function;

[0070] Based on the slot spacing and the target number of slots, a control instruction is generated; the control instruction is used to instruct the second controller to control the wafer loading and unloading position to perform a target operation; the target operation includes at least one of a wafer box loading operation, a wafer box unloading operation and a wafer box moving operation.

[0071] In some embodiments, the second controller can be instructed to enter the wafer switching state by a switch start instruction, so that the second controller executes the switching process by running the relevant control program. The second controller can be instructed to end the switching process and enter the normal working state by a switch end instruction, and the response function of the control instruction can be enabled. In this way, the second controller can distinguish the wafer switching state from the normal working state based on the switch start instruction and the switch end instruction, and help the second controller to operate in the correct state according to the switch start instruction and the switch end instruction, which is conducive to ensuring the normal operation of the second controller and avoiding the erroneous response to the control instruction sent by the first controller in the wafer switching state, resulting in wafer damage and the like.

[0072] In some embodiments, in order to ensure accurate transmission of the instruction, a first communication channel is established between the first controller and the second controller;

[0073] The switching start instruction also carries a flag bit of a first value, the flag bit of the first value is transmitted to the second controller through the first communication channel, and the flag bit of the first value is used to instruct the second controller to enter a switching mode, in which the second controller is used to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0074] The switching end instruction carries a flag bit of a second value transmitted through the first communication channel, and the flag bit of the second value is used to instruct the second controller to end the switching mode and enable a control instruction response function.

[0075] The first communication channel may refer to a communication channel established between a human-computer interaction interface program running on the first controller and an electrical program running on the second controller, and the switching start instruction and the switching end instruction may respectively carry flag bits with different values ​​transmitted through the first communication channel, wherein the first value and the second value may be 0 and 1, respectively. In this way, the switching start instruction and the switching end instruction may be distinguished by a simple flag bit, which helps to simplify the complexity of the switching method of the wafer box.

[0076] In addition to the first communication channel, in some embodiments, a second communication channel and a third communication channel can be established between the first controller and the second controller, wherein the second communication channel can be used to transmit the target number of slots, and the third communication channel can be used to transmit the slot spacing of the target wafer box. In this way, different communication channels transmit different parameters respectively, which is conducive to improving the parameter transmission efficiency and avoiding the problem of time-sharing transmission when a single channel transmits multiple parameters.

[0077] In some embodiments, a feasible process for a second controller to perform a scanning operation is provided, referring to Figure 4 , the wafer loading and unloading position includes a scanning module; the target wafer includes a first wafer and a second wafer;

[0078] The scanning operation performed by the wafer loading and unloading position on the target wafer box includes:

[0079] Controlling the target wafer box to move from a starting position along a preset direction, and during the movement, obtaining the scanning parameters obtained by the scanning module scanning the first wafer and the second wafer;

[0080] The first wafer and the second wafer include two different wafers in the target wafer box from the preset direction; the starting position is located on the side of the target position away from the preset direction, and the target position includes the position of the target wafer box when the first wafer is aligned with the scanning module.

[0081] For example, in one embodiment, the first wafer may include the first wafer in the target wafer box from the preset direction, and the second wafer may include the last wafer in the target wafer box from the preset direction.

[0082] In this embodiment, the scanning module may include a scanning sensor, for example, a reflective scanning sensor. During the scanning process, the light emitted by the scanning sensor is directed to the target wafer box. When the light hits the wafer in the target wafer box, the light will be reflected back to the scanning sensor. At this time, the scanning sensor will record the position of the wafer. Based on the above principle, the scanning parameters of the first wafer and the second wafer are obtained.

[0083] The preset direction may refer to a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the scanning sensor, for example Figure 4 In the embodiment, when the scanning direction of the scanning sensor is horizontal, the preset direction may refer to the vertical direction, for example, vertically upward or vertically downward. The preset direction may be different depending on the starting position. During the scanning process, the target wafer box may be driven to move from the starting position based on the movement of the motor carrying the target wafer box.

[0084] Still reference Figure 4 In one embodiment, the scanning parameters include: an upper surface position value of the first wafer, a lower surface position value of the first wafer, an upper surface position value of the second wafer, and a lower surface position value of the second wafer;

[0085] The determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters includes:

[0086] Based on the scanning parameters, determining a first distance and a second distance; the first distance includes a distance between an upper surface of the first wafer and an upper surface of the second wafer, and the second distance includes a distance between a lower surface of the first wafer and a lower surface of the second wafer;

[0087] Based on a distance parameter and a gap number, a slot spacing of the target wafer box is determined; the distance parameter includes the first distance and / or the second distance, and the gap number includes the number of slot gaps between the first wafer and the second wafer.

[0088] exist Figure 4 In the example, the first distance and the second distance can be Figure 4 The slot spacing of the target wafer box can be determined based on the number of gaps and the distance parameters, and the slot spacing can be automatically obtained. This method is simple and easy. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio of the first distance to the target number of slots can be approximated as the slot spacing, the ratio of the second distance to the target number of slots can be approximated as the slot spacing, and the average value of the first distance and the second distance and the ratio of the target number of slots can be approximated as the slot spacing. This specification does not limit this, and it depends on the actual situation.

[0089] In order to obtain the slot spacing more accurately, in some embodiments, the distance parameter includes the first distance and the second distance;

[0090] Determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the distance parameter and the target number of slots includes:

[0091] Determine half of the ratio of the sum of the distance parameters to the number of gaps as the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0092] Half of the ratio of the sum of the distance parameters to the number of gaps is determined as the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0093] Specifically, in one embodiment, the slot spacing of the target wafer box may be determined based on the following formula:

[0094] Slot spacing = (d1+d2) / 2(n-1), where d1 and d2 are the first distance and the second distance respectively, n is the target number of slots, and (n-1) is the number of gaps.

[0095] In this embodiment, the slot spacing is determined based on the above method, which can eliminate the influence of the thickness of the first wafer and the second wafer on the calculation of the slot spacing, which is beneficial to improving the calculation accuracy of the slot spacing.

[0096] Taking the second controller used in semiconductor process equipment as an example, an embodiment of the present specification also provides a method for switching wafer boxes, such as Figure 5 As shown, the wafer box switching method includes:

[0097] S501: In response to a switch start instruction carrying a target number of slots, determining a slot spacing of a target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0098] S502: Returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller, so that the first controller saves the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0099] Optionally, determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box includes:

[0100] Executing a switching process, the switching process comprising: obtaining scanning parameters by performing a scanning operation on a target wafer box through the wafer loading and unloading position; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0101] The slot spacing of the target wafer box is determined based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters, and the slot spacing of the target wafer box is returned to the first controller; the scanning parameters are used to characterize the positions of the target wafers in the target wafer box; the slot spacing of the target wafer box is used to instruct the first controller to save the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0102] Optionally, the wafer loading and unloading position includes a scanning module; the target wafer includes a first wafer and a second wafer;

[0103] The scanning operation performed by the wafer loading and unloading position on the target wafer box includes:

[0104] Controlling the target wafer box to move from a starting position along a preset direction, and during the movement, obtaining the scanning parameters obtained by the scanning module scanning the first wafer and the second wafer;

[0105] The first wafer and the second wafer include two different wafers in the target wafer box from the preset direction; the starting position is located on the side of the target position away from the preset direction, and the target position includes the position of the target wafer box when the first wafer is aligned with the scanning module.

[0106] Optionally, the scanning parameters include: an upper surface position value of the first wafer, a lower surface position value of the first wafer, an upper surface position value of the second wafer, and a lower surface position value of the second wafer;

[0107] The determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters includes:

[0108] Based on the scanning parameters, determining a first distance and a second distance; the first distance includes a distance between an upper surface of the first wafer and an upper surface of the second wafer, and the second distance includes a distance between a lower surface of the first wafer and a lower surface of the second wafer;

[0109] Based on a distance parameter and a gap number, a slot spacing of the target wafer box is determined; the distance parameter includes the first distance and / or the second distance, and the gap number includes the number of slot gaps between the first wafer and the second wafer.

[0110] Optionally, the distance parameter includes the first distance and the second distance;

[0111] The determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the distance parameter and the slot parameter includes:

[0112] Half of the ratio of the sum of the distance parameters to the number of gaps is determined as the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0113] As described above, the switching start instruction can be sent by the first controller to the second controller, so that the second controller executes the switching process in response to the switching start instruction. For the relevant limitations of the first controller, the second controller, the switching start instruction, the target number of slots, and the switching process, please refer to the relevant description in the above text, and this specification will not repeat the description.

[0114] refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 A specific flow chart of a wafer box switching method provided by an embodiment of the present specification is shown. The execution process of the method may include:

[0115] When the wafer box is switched to the target wafer box, the number of slots of the wafer box in the wafer loading and unloading position changes, and the operation and maintenance personnel perform a switching operation on the target wafer box. For example, in some embodiments, the first controller can provide a human-computer interaction interface, and the operation and maintenance personnel can enter the target number of slots through the human-computer interaction interface.

[0116] After receiving the target number of slots inputted through the human-computer interaction interface, the first controller saves the target number of slots and sends a switching start instruction to the second controller through the communication channel established with the second controller.

[0117] The second controller receives the switching start instruction, responds to the instruction, saves the target number of slots it carries, and executes the switching process. If the first distance and the second distance cannot be obtained normally during the switching process, the hardware throws an alarm, and the first controller generates a switching end instruction to end the switching process. If the first distance and the second distance can be obtained normally during the switching process, the slot spacing is calculated based on the first distance, the second distance and the target number of slots, and fed back to the first controller.

[0118] The first controller receives and stores the slot spacing, generates a switching end instruction, and ends the switching process.

[0119] After the switching process is completed normally, the steps of controlling the wafer loading and unloading position to perform loading, unloading, moving and other functions can be entered.

[0120] Exemplary Devices

[0121] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a wafer box switching device is also provided, which is applied to a first controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a second controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, Figure 7 , the switching device of the wafer box includes:

[0122] The first switching module 701 is used to send a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots to the second controller in response to a switching operation for a target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the switching start instruction is used to instruct the second controller to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box;

[0123] The first data module 702 is configured to save the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment of the present specification, a wafer box switching device is also provided, which is applied to a second controller of a semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment further includes a wafer loading and unloading position and a first controller, wherein the second controller is used to control the wafer loading and unloading position based on an instruction issued by the first controller, Figure 8 , the switching device of the wafer box includes:

[0125] The second switching module 801 is used to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to the switching start instruction carrying the target number of slots; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0126] The second data module 802 is used to return the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller, so that the first controller saves the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0127] The specific definition of the switching device of the wafer box can be found in the definition of the switching method of the wafer box mentioned above, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the switching device of the wafer box can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware and a combination thereof. The above modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0128] Exemplary Devices

[0129] like Fig. 9 As shown, an embodiment of the present specification further provides a semiconductor process equipment 100, including: a first controller 40, a second controller 50 and a wafer loading and unloading position 21; wherein,

[0130] The first controller 40 is configured to: in response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, send a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots to the second controller, and in response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box, save the slot spacing of the target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box;

[0131] The second controller 50 is configured to: determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to the switching start instruction carrying the target slot number; and return the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller.

[0132] In one embodiment, the switching start instruction also carries a flag bit with a first value, and a first communication channel, a second communication channel and a third communication channel are established between the first controller 40 and the second controller 50; wherein,

[0133] The first communication channel is used to transmit the flag bit of the first value, and the flag bit of the first value is used to instruct the second controller 50 to execute the switching process;

[0134] The second communication channel is used to transmit the target number of slots;

[0135] The third communication channel is used to transmit the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

[0136] In one embodiment, the second controller 50 includes a programmable logic controller.

[0137] The first controller 40 can provide a human-machine interaction interface for the operation and maintenance personnel, so that the operation and maintenance personnel can issue instructions and obtain information. The second controller 50 can directly control the controlled device 30 to improve the control accuracy and stability of the controlled device 30. The controlled device 30 can include at least one of the modules such as the process chamber 11, the first robot 10, the calibration module 22, the cooling plate 23 and the wafer loading and unloading position 21 introduced above.

[0138] Regarding the limitations of the corresponding wafer box switching method executed by the first controller 40 and the second controller 50 in the semiconductor process equipment 100, reference may be made to the relevant limitations in the wafer box switching method described above, and this specification will not elaborate on them here.

[0139] Accordingly, another embodiment of this specification also provides a computing device, see Fig.10As shown, an exemplary embodiment of the present specification also provides a computing device, including: a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program to perform the steps of the wafer box switching method according to various embodiments of the present specification described in the above embodiments of the present specification.

[0140] The internal structure of the computing device can be as follows Fig.10 As shown, the computing device includes a processor, a memory, a network interface and an input device connected through a system bus. Among them, the processor of the computing device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computing device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface of the computing device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the method for switching a wafer box according to various embodiments of the present specification are described in the above embodiments of the present specification.

[0141] The processor may include a main processor and may also include a baseband chip, a modem, etc.

[0142] The memory stores a program for executing the technical solution of the present invention, and may also store an operating system and other key services. Specifically, the program may include a program code, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. More specifically, the memory may include a read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, a disk storage, a flash, and the like.

[0143] The processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, etc., or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the scheme of the present invention. It may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component.

[0144] The input device may include a device for receiving data and information input by a user, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a scanner, a light pen, a voice input device, a touch screen, a pedometer, or a gravity sensor.

[0145] Output devices may include means that allow information to be output to a user, such as display screens, printers, speakers, etc.

[0146] The communication interface may include using any transceiver or the like to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

[0147] The processor executes the program stored in the memory and calls other devices, which can be used to implement each step of any wafer box switching method provided in the above embodiments of this specification.

[0148] The computing device may also include a display component and a voice component. The display component may be a liquid crystal display or an electronic ink display. The input device of the computing device may be a touch layer covered on the display component, or a button, trackball or touchpad provided on the housing of the computing device, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse.

[0149] Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig.10 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the scheme of this specification, and does not constitute a limitation on the computing device to which the scheme of this specification is applied. The specific computing device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0150] Exemplary computer program products and storage media

[0151] In addition to the above-mentioned methods and devices, the wafer box switching method provided in the embodiments of this specification may also be a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to execute the steps of the wafer box switching method according to various embodiments of this specification described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of this specification.

[0152] The computer program product may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof. In one optional embodiment, the computer program product is implemented as a computer storage medium. In another optional embodiment, the computer program product is implemented as a software product, such as a software development kit (SDK).

[0153] The computer program product may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to write program code for performing the operations of the embodiments of the present specification, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a separate software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0154] In addition, an embodiment of the present specification also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to execute the steps of the wafer box switching method according to various embodiments of the present specification described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of the present specification.

[0155] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this specification can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

[0156] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0157] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of this specification, and the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the solutions provided by the embodiments of this specification. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of this specification, which all belong to the protection scope of this specification. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of this specification shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for switching wafer boxes, characterized in that: A first controller applied to a semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment further comprising a wafer loading and unloading position and a second controller, the second controller being used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on instructions issued by the first controller, the switching method of the wafer box comprising: In response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots is sent to the second controller; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the switching start instruction is used to instruct the second controller to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, which means that at least one of the number of slots and the slot spacing of the target wafer box is different from that of the previous wafer box; In response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box, saving the slot spacing of the target wafer box; The switching start instruction is specifically used to instruct the second controller to perform a scanning operation on the target wafer box to obtain scanning parameters, and obtain the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the slot spacing of the target wafer box is saved, the method further includes: generating a switching end instruction, wherein the switching end instruction is used to instruct the second controller to enable a control instruction response function; Based on the slot spacing and the target number of slots, a control instruction is generated; the control instruction is used to instruct the second controller to control the wafer loading and unloading position to perform a target operation; the target operation includes at least one of a wafer box loading operation, a wafer box unloading operation and a wafer box moving operation.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that A first communication channel is established between the first controller and the second controller; The switching start instruction also carries a flag bit of a first value, the flag bit of the first value is transmitted to the second controller through the first communication channel, and the flag bit of the first value is used to instruct the second controller to enter a switching mode, in which the second controller is used to determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box; The switching end instruction carries a flag bit of a second value transmitted through the first communication channel, and the flag bit of the second value is used to instruct the second controller to end the switching mode and enable a control instruction response function.

4. A method for switching wafer boxes, characterized in that: A second controller applied to a semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment further comprising a wafer loading and unloading position and a first controller, the second controller being used to control the operation of the wafer loading and unloading position based on instructions issued by the first controller, the switching method of the wafer box comprising: In response to a switch start instruction carrying a target number of slots, determining the slot spacing of a target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, which means that at least one of the number of slots and the slot spacing of the target wafer box is different from that of the previous wafer box; Returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller so that the first controller saves the slot spacing of the target wafer box; Determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box includes: A scanning operation is performed on the target wafer box to obtain scanning parameters, and a slot spacing of the target wafer box is obtained based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box specifically includes: Executing a switching process, the switching process comprising: obtaining scanning parameters by performing a scanning operation on a target wafer box through the wafer loading and unloading position; the target wafer box is of a different type from a previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; The slot spacing of the target wafer box is determined based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters, and the slot spacing of the target wafer box is returned to the first controller; the scanning parameters are used to characterize the positions of the target wafers in the target wafer box; the slot spacing of the target wafer box is used to instruct the first controller to save the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The wafer loading and unloading position includes a scanning module; the target wafer includes a first wafer and a second wafer; The scanning operation performed by the wafer loading and unloading position on the target wafer box includes: Controlling the target wafer box to move from a starting position along a preset direction, and during the movement, obtaining the scanning parameters obtained by the scanning module scanning the first wafer and the second wafer; The first wafer and the second wafer include two different wafers in the target wafer box from the preset direction; the starting position is located on the side of the target position away from the preset direction, and the target position includes the position of the target wafer box when the first wafer is aligned with the scanning module.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The scanning parameters include: an upper surface position value of the first wafer, a lower surface position value of the first wafer, an upper surface position value of the second wafer, and a lower surface position value of the second wafer; The determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters includes: Based on the scanning parameters, determining a first distance and a second distance; the first distance includes a distance between an upper surface of the first wafer and an upper surface of the second wafer, and the second distance includes a distance between a lower surface of the first wafer and a lower surface of the second wafer; Based on a distance parameter and a gap number, a slot spacing of the target wafer box is determined; the distance parameter includes the first distance and / or the second distance, and the gap number includes the number of slot gaps between the first wafer and the second wafer.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The distance parameters include the first distance and the second distance; The determining the slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the distance parameter and the slot parameter includes: Half of the ratio of the sum of the distance parameters to the number of gaps is determined as the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

9. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: A first controller, a second controller and a wafer loading and unloading position; wherein, The first controller is configured to: in response to a switching operation for a target wafer box, send a switching start instruction carrying a target number of slots to the second controller, and in response to the second controller returning the slot spacing of the target wafer box, save the slot spacing of the target wafer box; The target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, and the target number of slots is the number of slots of the target wafer box; the target wafer box is of a different type from the previous wafer box, which means that at least one of the number of slots and the slot spacing of the target wafer box is different from that of the previous wafer box; The second controller is configured to: determine the slot spacing of the target wafer box in response to the switching start instruction carrying the target number of slots; and return the slot spacing of the target wafer box to the first controller; The second controller is specifically configured to: perform a scanning operation on the target wafer box to obtain scanning parameters, and obtain a slot spacing of the target wafer box based on the target number of slots and the scanning parameters.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The switching start instruction also carries a flag bit with a first value, and a first communication channel, a second communication channel and a third communication channel are established between the first controller and the second controller; wherein, The first communication channel is used to transmit a flag bit of the first value, and the flag bit of the first value is used to instruct the second controller to execute the switching process; The second communication channel is used to transmit the target number of slots; The third communication channel is used to transmit the slot spacing of the target wafer box.

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The second controller includes a programmable logic controller.

12. A computing device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the wafer box switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 when executing the computer program.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for switching wafer boxes according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

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