Chip sorting method and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a chip sorting method and semiconductor processing equipment, and is designed in the field of wafer preparation technology, wherein the chip sorting method includes the following steps: obtaining different types of core particles and the number of each type of core particles on each wafer ring; calculating and obtaining the total transfer time of each type of core particles; sorting each type of core particles according to the total transfer time, and dividing each type of core particles into multiple partitions; obtaining the number of types of core particles in each partition, and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition with the largest number of types of core particles. The present application divides different types of core particles into partitions, and then sets the manipulator close to the partition with more demand, and concentrates the types of core particles with less demand for the manipulator in one partition, so that the partition does not need the manipulator for a long time, and avoids the manipulator from frequently moving in each partition, thereby reducing the time spent by the manipulator in the moving process, and further improving the sorting efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wafer preparation, and in particular to a chip sorting method and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the current semiconductor sorting process, the chips on the wafer (wafer ring) after cutting are tested and classified (BIN). After the tested chips are sorted, the chips of the same type are transferred to the same bin ring. Usually, one machine can only transfer one type of chip. In this way, if there are more types of chips, the chip transfer process will be more troublesome.

[0003] In the prior art, the core particles are usually sorted by semiconductor processing equipment with multiple stations to improve the sorting efficiency. It can be understood that each station has a wafer ring and a bin ring, and the core particles are transferred from the wafer ring to the bin ring through the semiconductor processing equipment. Multiple wafer rings are usually prepared in the same batch. The number of core particles that each wafer ring and each bin ring can carry is limited. Therefore, during the sorting process, the wafer ring and the bin ring need to be frequently replaced by a robot. There is usually only one robot, which causes the robot to frequently switch between the three stations, resulting in a long time spent on the movement of the robot, thereby reducing the overall sorting efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a chip sorting method and semiconductor processing equipment, aiming to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the robot needs to frequently switch between three workstations, resulting in a long time spent on the movement of the robot and reducing the overall sorting efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention proposes a chip sorting method, which is applied to semiconductor processing equipment, wherein the semiconductor processing equipment includes a plurality of workstations, and the semiconductor processing equipment transfers a wafer ring and a bin ring to or takes them out from each of the workstations through a manipulator, and each of the wafer rings is provided with a plurality of different types of core particles, and the semiconductor processing equipment is used to transfer the core particles located at the workstations from the wafer ring to the bin ring, and each of the bin rings is configured to carry any type of core particles;

[0006] The chip sorting method comprises the following steps:

[0007] Acquire the different types of the core particles on each wafer ring and the quantity of the core particles of each type, and sort the different types of the core particles according to their quantity;

[0008] Calculate and obtain the total transfer time of each type of core particles;

[0009] sorting the core particles of each type according to the total transfer time, and dividing the core particles of each type into a plurality of partitions, so that the sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is close, and corresponding each partition to each workstation one by one;

[0010] Obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each of the partitions, and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition having the largest number of types of the core particles;

[0011] In any of the workstations, the robot places the bin ring on the workstation, and replaces the wafer ring on the workstation by the robot, and sorts and transfers the core particles of the same type on each wafer ring to the bin ring. After the bin ring is filled with the core particles or the transfer of the core particles of the same type is completed, the robot replaces the bin ring on the workstation until the sorting of all the core particles on all the wafer rings is completed.

[0012] In one embodiment, the step of calculating and obtaining the total transfer time of each type of core particles comprises:

[0013] Calculate and obtain the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from each wafer ring to the bin ring;

[0014] Calculate and obtain the second transfer time of the bin ring required to transfer all the core particles of the same type to the bin ring;

[0015] The total transfer duration of each type of the core particles is obtained by summing the first transfer duration and the second transfer duration of each type of the core particles.

[0016] In one embodiment, the step of calculating and obtaining the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from the wafer ring to the bin ring includes:

[0017] The first transfer duration is calculated according to the following formula:

[0018]

[0019] in, is the number of core particles of the i-th type in the j-th wafer ring, k is the total number of wafer rings, t0 is the transfer time of a single core particle, Is it whether the i-th type of core particle exists in the j-th wafer ring, if yes, it is 1, if not, it is 0, and t1 is the replacement time of a single wafer ring.

[0020] In one embodiment, before the step of calculating and obtaining the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the step further includes:

[0021] A quantity distribution table and a presence / absence distribution table are prepared, wherein the horizontal axes of the quantity distribution table and the presence / absence distribution table represent the types of core particles, and the vertical axes represent the numbers of wafer rings. The table content of the quantity distribution table is the number of core particles of each type in each wafer ring, and the table content of the presence / absence distribution table represents whether the core particles of the corresponding vertical axis type exist in the wafer ring, which is 1 if there are core particles, and 0 if not.

[0022] In one embodiment, the step of calculating and obtaining the second transfer time required to transfer all the core particles of the same type to the bin ring includes:

[0023] The second transfer duration is calculated according to the following formula:

[0024] ;

[0025] in, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the ith type, roundup is an upward rounding function, is the total transfer time required for all the core particles of the i-th type to be transferred to the bin ring, TB is the total time required to fill a single bin ring, and t2 is the replacement time of a single bin ring.

[0026] In one embodiment, the step of obtaining the total transfer duration of each type of the core particles by summing the first transfer duration and the second transfer duration of each type of the core particles comprises:

[0027] The total transfer time is calculated according to the following formula:

[0028]

[0029] in, is the first transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the total transfer time.

[0030] In one embodiment, the number of the workstations and the partitions are both 3, and the steps of sorting the core particles of each type according to the total transfer time and dividing the core particles of each type into a plurality of partitions so that the sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is the same include:

[0031] Calculate the values ​​of n and m according to the following formula:

[0032] ;

[0033] ;

[0034] ;

[0035] in, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of type m+1 to i, is the sum of the total transfer time of all the core particles, and i is the number of types of all the core particles;

[0036] According to n and m, each type of the core particles are divided into three partitions, the first partition is the set of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, the second partition is the set of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, and the third partition is the set of the core particles of the m+1th to ith types.

[0037] In one embodiment, after the step of obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each partition and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition having the largest number of types of the core particles, the step further includes:

[0038] The priority weight of the robot is improved according to the number of types of the core particles in each partition so that the priority weight of the robot in the partition with a small number of types of the core particles is higher than that in the partition with a large number of types of the core particles.

[0039] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing equipment includes an input end and an output end, and a plurality of the workstations are spaced apart and arranged between the input end and the output end;

[0040] After the step of obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each partition and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition with the largest number of types of the core particles, the following step is further included:

[0041] The partition having the largest number of types of the core particles is correspondingly allocated to the station close to the input end.

[0042] The present invention also provides a semiconductor processing equipment, which includes a manipulator, a transfer component, a controller and multiple workstations, wherein the manipulator is used to transfer a wafer ring and a bin ring to each of the workstations or take them out from each of the workstations, and the transfer component is used to transfer the core particles located at the workstations from the wafer ring to the bin ring. A computer program is stored in the controller, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the above-mentioned chip sorting method are implemented.

[0043] In the technical solution of the present application, different types of core particles and the number of core particles of each type on each wafer ring are first obtained, the data is counted and recorded, and then the different types of core particles are sorted according to their number to facilitate subsequent calculations and partitioning, and then the total transfer time of each type of core particles is calculated. It can be understood that the total transfer time is composed of the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the time to replace the wafer ring, and the time to replace the bin ring. Therefore, according to the number of core particles, the number of wafer rings with this type of core particles and the number of required bin rings, the total transfer time of each type of core particles is calculated, and the core particles of each type are sorted according to the total transfer time. It should be noted that the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring accounts for a relatively high proportion in the total transfer time of the core particle, while the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring is determined by the number of core particles. Therefore, the longer the total transfer time is, the more core particles of this type there are. The sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is similar, so that some partitions have fewer types of core particles, but the number of core particles of each type is large. In this partition, the number of wafer rings that need to be replaced when each bin ring is filled is small, so the demand for robots is small. There are also some partitions with more types of core particles, but the number of core particles of each type is small. The number of wafer rings that need to be replaced when each bin ring is filled is large, so the demand for robots is large. Therefore, the robot is placed close to the workstation corresponding to the partition with the largest number of core particle types, so that the robot can stay at this workstation most of the time and replace the wafer ring at this workstation, and go to other workstations less frequently, thereby reducing the switching frequency of the robot and improving the overall sorting efficiency of semiconductor processing equipment.

[0044] The present application divides different types of core particles into zones. Core particles with a longer total transfer time are divided into the same zone, where there are fewer types of core particles, and the time interval for replacing the wafer ring during sorting is longer, so there is less demand for a robot; core particles with a shorter total transfer time are divided into the same zone, where there are more types of core particles, and the time interval for replacing the wafer ring during sorting is shorter, so there is more demand for a robot. Then, the robot is placed close to the zone where there is a greater demand for the robot. On the one hand, the robot can quickly replace the wafer ring in the area, thereby improving the sorting efficiency. On the other hand, the core particles of the type that require less manipulators are concentrated in one zone, so that the zone does not need the robot for a long time, avoiding frequent movement of the robot within each zone, thereby reducing the time spent by the robot during the movement process and further improving the sorting efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention 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 some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0046] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of a core particle sorting method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 This is a detailed flowchart of step S200 of the core particle sorting method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 A data chart of core particles in a core particle sorting method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0051] 100. Semiconductor processing equipment; 1. Work station; 2. Robot; 3. Input end; 4. Output end.

[0052] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0054] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0055] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0056] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing in the full text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme that satisfies both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0057] In the prior art, the core particles are usually sorted by semiconductor processing equipment with multiple stations to improve the sorting efficiency. It can be understood that each station has a wafer ring and a bin ring, and the core particles are transferred from the wafer ring to the bin ring through the semiconductor processing equipment. Multiple wafer rings are usually prepared in the same batch. The number of core particles that each wafer ring and each bin ring can carry is limited. Therefore, during the sorting process, the wafer ring and the bin ring need to be frequently replaced by a robot. There is usually only one robot, which causes the robot to frequently switch between the three stations, resulting in a long time spent on the movement of the robot, thereby reducing the overall sorting efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment.

[0058] In order to solve the above problems, the present application proposes a chip sorting method.

[0059] Please combine Figure 1 and Figure 4 The present invention proposes a chip sorting method, which is applied to semiconductor processing equipment. The semiconductor processing equipment includes a plurality of workstations 1. The semiconductor processing equipment transfers a wafer ring and a bin ring to or takes out a wafer ring from each workstation 1 through a manipulator 2. A plurality of different types of core particles are arranged on each wafer ring. The semiconductor processing equipment is used to transfer the core particles located on the workstation 1 from the wafer ring to the bin ring. Each bin ring is configured to carry any type of core particles.

[0060] The chip sorting method comprises the following steps:

[0061] S100: Acquire different types of the core particles on each wafer ring and the quantity of the core particles of each type, and sort the core particles of different types according to their quantity;

[0062] It should be noted that the wafer ring is packed in a material box when it leaves the factory. The total number of wafer rings in the material box and the type and quantity of each type of core particles in the wafer ring can be obtained by scanning the barcode or QR code of the material box. Different types of core particles can be sorted from high to low or from low to high according to their quantity, so that core particles of similar types can be divided into the same partition when partitioning is performed later.

[0063] S200: Calculate and obtain the total transfer time of each type of core particles;

[0064] It can be understood that the total transfer time is composed of the time for transferring the core particles from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the time for replacing the wafer ring, and the time for replacing the bin ring. Specifically, when the same type of core particles are distributed in different wafer rings, the wafer ring needs to be replaced to transfer different types of core particles to the same bin ring. Therefore, the total transfer time includes the time for replacing the wafer ring. Since a bin ring can only carry one type of core particles, when the number of core particles of the same type exceeds the upper limit of the number of core particles that a single bin ring can carry, the bin ring needs to be replaced to continue to sort the core particles of this type. Therefore, the total transfer time includes the time for replacing the bin ring. Therefore, the total transfer time of each type of core particle is calculated according to the number of core particles, the number of wafer rings with the type of core particles, and the number of required bin rings.

[0065] S300: sorting the core particles of each type according to the total transfer time, and dividing the core particles of each type into a plurality of partitions, so that the sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is close, and corresponding each partition to each workstation one by one;

[0066] See also Figure 3 As an example of a specific embodiment, the number of partitions is three, where the horizontal axis bin in the left figure is the type of core particles, and the vertical axis Atol is the number of core particles of this type ( Figure 3 The vertical coordinate Ptol is the number of wafer rings with this type of core grain ( Figure 3 The line graph in the middle left figure), the horizontal axis bin in the right figure is the type of core particles, and the vertical axis Ttol is the total transfer time of each type of core particles. It can be seen that the core particle types in partition 1 are the least, but the total transfer time of each type of core particles is the longest, the core particle types in partition 3 are the most, but the total transfer time of each type of core particles is the shortest, and partition 2 is medium;

[0067] The core particles of each type are sorted according to the total transfer time, and the sorted core particles of different types are divided into multiple partitions. The sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is similar. It should be noted that the reason why they are similar rather than equal is that the total transfer time required for different types of core particles is different. If the time of the three partitions is completely equal, it will cause part of the core particles of one type located at the junction to be sorted in one partition, and the other part to be sorted in another partition, which will lead to a decrease in sorting efficiency. Therefore, after the core particle types are partitioned, the total time can be close. At the same time, it should be emphasized that the partition here is the partition after the total transfer time is sorted, that is, the total transfer time of all types of core particles in the same partition is not much different. In order to make the sum of the total transfer time of each partition similar, multiple types with long total transfer time and one type with short total transfer time will not be selected to be divided into the same partition, nor will multiple types with short total transfer time and one type with long total transfer time be divided into the same partition;

[0068] S400: Acquire the number of types of the core particles in each of the partitions, and control the robot to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition having the largest number of types of core particles;

[0069] As mentioned above, a partition is a partition sorted by total transfer time. The total transfer time of all types of core particles in the same partition is not much different. Therefore, in the partition with the largest number of core particle types, the total transfer time of each type of core particle is small, which means that the frequency of replacing the wafer ring and bin ring in this partition is higher, and the demand for robot 2 is higher. Therefore, robot 2 is set to the partition.

[0070] S500: In any of the workstations, the robot places the bin ring on the workstation, and replaces the wafer ring on the workstation by the robot, and sorts and transfers the core particles of the same type on each wafer ring to the bin ring. After the bin ring is filled with the core particles or the transfer of the core particles of the same type is completed, the robot replaces the bin ring on the workstation until the sorting of all the core particles on all the wafer rings is completed.

[0071] After the partitioning is completed, each partition corresponds to a station 1. In any station 1, after placing the bin ring and wafer ring on station 1, the same type of core particles on the wafer ring are transferred to the bin ring. When the transfer of the core particles of this type on the wafer ring is completed, the next wafer ring is replaced by robot 2, and the core particles of this type are continued to be transferred to the bin ring. If the bin ring is filled, the next bin ring is replaced by robot 2 until the transfer of the core particles of this type on all wafer rings is completed, and then another type of core particles is selected and replaced with a new bin ring. Repeat the above steps until all core particles are sorted.

[0072] In the technical solution of the present application, different types of core particles and the number of core particles of each type on each wafer ring are first obtained, the data is counted and recorded, and then the different types of core particles are sorted according to their number to facilitate subsequent calculations and partitioning, and then the total transfer time of each type of core particles is calculated. It can be understood that the total transfer time is composed of the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the time to replace the wafer ring, and the time to replace the bin ring. Therefore, according to the number of core particles, the number of wafer rings with this type of core particles and the number of required bin rings, the total transfer time of each type of core particles is calculated, and the core particles of each type are sorted according to the total transfer time. It should be noted that the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring accounts for a relatively high proportion in the total transfer time of the core particle, while the time to transfer the core particle from the wafer ring to the bin ring is determined by the number of core particles. Therefore, The longer the total transfer time of a type, the greater the number of core particles of this type. The sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is similar, so that some partitions have fewer types of core particles, but the number of core particles of each type is large. In such partitions, the number of times the wafer ring needs to be replaced when each bin ring is filled is small, so the demand for robot 2 is small. There are also some partitions with more types of core particles, but the number of core particles of each type is small. The number of times the wafer ring needs to be replaced when each bin ring is filled is large, so the demand for robot 2 is large. Therefore, the robot is placed close to the station 1 corresponding to the partition with the largest number of core particle types, so that the robot 2 can stay at the station 1 most of the time and replace the wafer ring at the station 1, and go to other stations 1 less frequently, thereby reducing the switching frequency of the robot 2 and improving the overall sorting efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment.

[0073] The present application divides different types of core particles into zones. Core particles with a longer total transfer time are divided into the same zone. There are fewer types of core particles in this zone, and the time interval for replacing the wafer ring during sorting is longer, so there is less demand for the robot 2; core particles with a shorter total transfer time are divided into the same zone. There are more types of core particles in this zone, and the time interval for replacing the wafer ring during sorting is shorter, so there is more demand for the robot 2. Then, the robot 2 is placed close to the zone where there is a greater demand for the robot 2. On the one hand, the robot 2 can quickly replace the wafer ring in the area, thereby improving the sorting efficiency. On the other hand, the core particles of the type that require less robot 2 are concentrated in one zone, so that the zone does not need the robot 2 for a long time, avoiding the frequent movement of the robot 2 in each zone, thereby reducing the time spent by the robot 2 in the movement process and further improving the sorting efficiency.

[0074] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment, step S200 includes:

[0075] S210: Calculate and obtain the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from each wafer ring to the bin ring;

[0076] The first transfer duration of each type of core particle includes the sum of the duration of transferring the core particle of this type from the wafer ring to the bin ring and the duration of replacing the wafer ring;

[0077] S220: Calculate and obtain the second transfer time length of the bin ring required to transfer all the core particles of the same type to the bin ring;

[0078] When the number of core particles of the same type exceeds the upper limit of the number of core particles that a single bin ring can carry, the bin ring needs to be replaced to continue sorting the core particles of this type. The second transfer time is calculated based on the number of times the bin ring is replaced.

[0079] S230: Obtain the total transfer duration of each type of the core particles by summing the first transfer duration and the second transfer duration of each type of the core particles.

[0080] The total transfer time of each type of core particles is obtained by summing the first transfer time and the second transfer time. The first transfer time of each type of core particle, including the time for the core particle of this type to be transferred from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the time for replacing the wafer ring, and the time for replacing the bin ring, are all included in the total transfer time, thereby improving the calculation accuracy of the total transfer time and thus improving the rationality of subsequent partition planning based on the total transfer time.

[0081] In one embodiment, step S210 includes:

[0082] S2101: Calculate the first transfer duration according to the following formula:

[0083]

[0084] in, is the number of core particles of the i-th type in the j-th wafer ring, k is the total number of wafer rings, t0 is the transfer time of a single core particle, Is it whether the i-th type of core particle exists in the j-th wafer ring, if yes, it is 1, if not, it is 0, and t1 is the replacement time of a single wafer ring.

[0085] It can be understood that by substituting each wafer ring (jth) with the i-th type of core particles into the above formula, the time required for each wafer ring to transfer the i-th type of core particles on it to the bin ring and the sum of the time required to replace all wafer rings with i-th type are calculated. It should be noted that due to It can only be 0 or 1, so That is, the number of wafer rings of type i * t1. and After entering the program, the first transfer time corresponding to each type of core particle can be quickly calculated. The calculation result is accurate and the calculation process is simple and fast.

[0086] Furthermore, before step S210, the following steps are also included:

[0087] S209: Prepare a quantity distribution table and a presence / absence distribution table, wherein the horizontal axes of the quantity distribution table and the presence / absence distribution table represent the types of core particles, and the vertical axes represent the numbers of wafer rings. The table content of the quantity distribution table is the number of each type of core particles in each wafer ring, and the table content of the presence / absence distribution table represents whether there are core particles of the corresponding vertical axis type in the wafer ring, which is 1 if there are, and 0 if not.

[0088] By providing an ordered structure through data distribution tables and distribution tables, the program can easily read data by rows and columns. Commonly used data processing tools or database formats can be directly read and processed by most programming languages, which significantly improves computing efficiency. Especially when the amount of data is large, automatic calculation can save a lot of time and effort.

[0089] In one embodiment, step S220 includes:

[0090] S2201: Calculate and obtain the second transfer duration according to the following formula:

[0091] ;

[0092] in, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the ith type, roundup is an upward rounding function, is the total transfer time required for all the core particles of the i-th type to be transferred to the bin ring, TB is the total time required to fill a single bin ring, and t2 is the replacement time of a single bin ring.

[0093] It can be understood that TB is the total time required to fill a single bin ring, and is the total transfer time required for all the core particles of the i-th type to be transferred to the bin ring. Assuming that the number of core particles that a single bin ring can carry is 10, when the number of core particles of the i-th type is 101, after 10 bin rings are used up, there is still 1 core particle left to be sorted, and another bin ring still needs to be transported to the work station for sorting by the robot. Therefore, this type of core particle requires 11 bin rings, which is expressed in the formula as, The ratio to TB is 10.1, so a round-up function is set to take 11 as the calculation result, and multiply it by the time t2 required to change the bin ring to obtain the time required to change the bin ring for this type of core particle, thereby improving the calculation accuracy of the second transfer time and the rationality of subsequent partition planning based on the total transfer time.

[0094] It should be noted that the above number of core particles is only for illustration purposes. In actual situations, there is more than one core particle left, and it is possible to fill 1% to 99% of the last bin ring.

[0095] Further, step S230 includes:

[0096] S2301: Calculate and obtain the total transfer duration according to the following formula:

[0097]

[0098] in, is the first transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the total transfer time.

[0099] The total transfer time of each type of core particle is calculated by summing the first transfer time and the second transfer time. The total transfer time of each type of core particle can be automatically and quickly calculated through the formula. There is no need to re-enter the calculation for each type of core particle. The total transfer time corresponding to each type of core particle can be quickly calculated. The calculation result is accurate and the calculation process is simple and fast.

[0100] In one embodiment, the number of the workstations and the number of the partitions are both 3, and step S300 includes:

[0101] S310: Calculate the values ​​of n and m according to the following formula:

[0102] ;

[0103] ;

[0104] ;

[0105] in, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of type m+1 to i, is the sum of the total transfer time of all the core particles, and i is the number of types of all the core particles;

[0106] S320: Divide each type of the core particles into three partitions according to n and m, the first partition is the set of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, the second partition is the set of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, and the third partition is the set of the core particles of the m+1th to ith types.

[0107] Understandably, This is done by substituting j from 0 to i into the above calculation. Then, sum it up and divide it by 3 to get , The calculation formula of has been given in the previous steps. Substitute j from 0 to n into the above calculation The formula is then summed up to get: and Similarly, the total transfer time of each type of core particles has also been calculated and obtained through the above steps. It should be noted that i is the total number of types of all core particles, that is, there are a total of i types of core particles, so only n and m are unknown numbers. The values ​​of n and m are obtained by substitution and calculation, and different types of core particles are partitioned according to the values ​​of n and m, so that a batch of core particles with the longest total transfer time are divided into one partition, a batch of core particles with the shortest total transfer time are divided into one partition, and core particles with medium total transfer time are divided into one partition, so that the demand for the robot in the three partitions is gradually reduced, so that the robot can be mainly used in the partition where the batch of core particles with the shortest transfer time is located, avoiding the robot from frequently switching between different partitions, thereby reducing the time spent by the robot during the movement process, and further improving the sorting efficiency.

[0108] In one embodiment, after step S400, the method further includes:

[0109] S410: improving the priority weight of the manipulator according to the number of types of the core particles in each partition, so that the priority weight of the manipulator in the partition with a small number of types of the core particles is higher than that in the partition with a large number of types of the core particles.

[0110] It can be understood that for the type of core particles with a long total transfer time, the number of core particles is large, and the number of core particles on a single wafer is also large, so there is a long time without using the robot 2 for replacement. Specifically, it may take two or three hours to use the robot 2 to replace the wafer ring, while for the type of core particles with a short total transfer time, either the core particles are located on multiple wafer rings, and the wafer rings need to be replaced frequently, or the number of core particles is too small, and all of them are sorted very quickly, and the bin ring needs to be replaced, so the robot 2 needs to be used frequently. In other words, for the station 1 where the type of core particles with a long total transfer time is located, only one use of the robot 2 is required to exchange for a stable time period of several hours, while for the station 1 where the type of core particles with a short total transfer time is located, one use of the robot 2 can only exchange for a stable time period of several minutes. Therefore, the priority weight of the robot 2 in the partition with a small number of core particle types (that is, the station 1 where the type of core particles with a long total transfer time is located) is higher than that in the partition with a large number of core particle types, which can improve the rationality of the allocation of the robot 2 and make the sorting process smoother. Improved sorting efficiency.

[0111] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing equipment includes an input end and an output end, and a plurality of the workstations are spaced apart and arranged between the input end and the output end;

[0112] After step S400, the following steps are also included:

[0113] S420: Allocate the partition with the largest number of types of the core particles to the workstation close to the input end.

[0114] It can be understood that the partition with the largest number of core particle types requires more frequent replacement of wafer rings and bin rings. Therefore, setting it at station 1 close to the input end 3 can reduce the distance that the robot 2 needs to travel to grab the wafer rings and bin rings from the input end 3, thereby reducing the time required for the robot 2 to replace the wafer rings and bin rings, further improving the sorting efficiency.

[0115] The present invention also provides a semiconductor processing device, which includes a manipulator 2, a transfer component, a controller and a plurality of stations 1, wherein the manipulator 2 is used to transfer a wafer ring and a bin ring to each of the stations 1 or to take them out from each of the stations 1, and the transfer component is used to transfer the core particles located on the station 1 from the wafer ring to the bin ring. A computer program is stored in the controller, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the above-mentioned chip sorting method are implemented. The specific steps of the chip sorting method refer to the above-mentioned embodiments. Since the semiconductor processing equipment adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0116] The above descriptions are only optional embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A chip sorting method, characterized in that: Applied to semiconductor processing equipment, the semiconductor processing equipment includes a plurality of workstations, the semiconductor processing equipment transfers wafer rings and bin rings to or takes out from each of the workstations by a manipulator, each of the wafer rings is provided with a plurality of different types of core particles, the semiconductor processing equipment is used to transfer the core particles located at the workstations from the wafer rings to the bin rings, and each of the bin rings is configured to carry any type of the core particles; The chip sorting method comprises the following steps: Acquire the different types of the core particles on each wafer ring and the quantity of the core particles of each type, and sort the different types of the core particles according to their quantity; Calculate and obtain the total transfer time of each type of core particles; sorting the core particles of each type according to the total transfer time, and dividing the core particles of each type into a plurality of partitions, so that the sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is close, and corresponding each partition to each workstation one by one; Obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each of the partitions, and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition having the largest number of types of the core particles; In any of the workstations, the robot places the bin ring on the workstation, and replaces the wafer ring on the workstation by the robot, and sorts and transfers the core particles of the same type on each wafer ring to the bin ring. After the bin ring is filled with the core particles or the transfer of the core particles of the same type is completed, the robot replaces the bin ring on the workstation until the sorting of all the core particles on all the wafer rings is completed.

2. The chip sorting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of calculating and obtaining the total transfer time of each type of core particles comprises: Calculate and obtain the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from each wafer ring to the bin ring; Calculate and obtain the second transfer time of the bin ring required to transfer all the core particles of the same type to the bin ring; The total transfer duration of each type of the core particles is obtained by summing the first transfer duration and the second transfer duration of each type of the core particles.

3. The chip sorting method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of calculating and obtaining the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from the wafer ring to the bin ring comprises: The first transfer duration is calculated according to the following formula: in, is the number of core particles of the i-th type in the j-th wafer ring, k is the total number of wafer rings, t0 is the transfer time of a single core particle, Is it whether the i-th type of core particle exists in the j-th wafer ring, if yes, it is 1, if not, it is 0, and t1 is the replacement time of a single wafer ring.

4. The chip sorting method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Before the step of calculating and obtaining the first transfer time of each type of the core particles from the wafer ring to the bin ring, the following steps are also included: A quantity distribution table and a presence / absence distribution table are prepared, wherein the horizontal axes of the quantity distribution table and the presence / absence distribution table represent the types of core particles, and the vertical axes represent the numbers of wafer rings. The table content of the quantity distribution table is the number of core particles of each type in each wafer ring, and the table content of the presence / absence distribution table represents whether the core particles of the corresponding vertical axis type exist in the wafer ring, which is 1 if there are core particles, and 0 if not.

5. The chip sorting method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The step of calculating and obtaining the second transfer time length of the bin ring required to transfer all the core particles of the same type to the bin ring comprises: The second transfer duration is calculated according to the following formula: ； in, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the ith type, roundup is an upward rounding function, is the total transfer time required for all the core particles of the i-th type to be transferred to the bin ring, TB is the total time required to fill a single bin ring, and t2 is the replacement time of a single bin ring.

6. The chip sorting method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of obtaining the total transfer duration of each type of the core particles by summing the first transfer duration and the second transfer duration of each type of the core particles comprises: The total transfer time is calculated according to the following formula: in, is the first transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the second transfer duration of the core particle of the i-th type, is the total transfer time.

7. The chip sorting method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the workstations and the partitions are both 3, and the steps of sorting the core particles of each type according to the total transfer time and dividing the core particles of each type into a plurality of partitions so that the sum of the total transfer time of all types of core particles in each partition is the same include: Calculate the values ​​of n and m according to the following formula: ； ； ； in, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, is the sum of the total transfer durations of the core particles of type m+1 to i, is the sum of the total transfer time of all the core particles, and i is the number of types of all the core particles; According to n and m, each type of the core particles are divided into three partitions, the first partition is the set of the core particles of the 0th to nth types, the second partition is the set of the core particles of the n+1th to mth types, and the third partition is the set of the core particles of the m+1th to ith types.

8. The chip sorting method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: After the step of obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each partition and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition with the largest number of types of the core particles, the following step is further included: The priority weight of the robot is improved according to the number of types of the core particles in each partition so that the priority weight of the robot in the partition with a small number of types of the core particles is higher than that in the partition with a large number of types of the core particles.

9. The chip sorting method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The semiconductor processing equipment comprises an input end and an output end, and a plurality of the workstations are arranged at intervals between the input end and the output end; After the step of obtaining the number of types of the core particles in each partition and controlling the manipulator to approach the workstation corresponding to the partition with the largest number of types of the core particles, the following step is further included: The partition having the largest number of types of the core particles is correspondingly allocated to the workstation close to the input end.

10. A semiconductor processing equipment, characterized in that: The semiconductor processing equipment includes a manipulator, a transfer component, a controller and multiple workstations, the manipulator is used to transfer the wafer ring and the bin ring to each of the workstations or take them out from each of the workstations, the transfer component is used to transfer the core particles located at the workstations from the wafer ring to the bin ring, and the controller stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the chip sorting method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images