Chamber abnormity processing method and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a chamber abnormity processing method and semiconductor process equipment, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining the states of any acid tank chamber and any water tank chamber, and if the state of the acid tank chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal state, determining that the target device is abnormal; if the target device is immersed in the solution in the acid tank chamber and the immersion duration of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowable immersion duration of the acid tank chamber, executing target device protection operation which is used for protecting the target device so as to reduce the over-bubble damage of the target device, and suspending execution of the cleaning task of the target device. And after the state of the acid tank chamber is converted into the normal state from the abnormal state and the instruction indicating that the target device can be continuously processed is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continuously executed, so that the target device which is damaged by excessive bubbles is prevented from continuously executing the subsequent cleaning task, and the risk that the target device is scrapped is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a chamber abnormality processing method and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Typically, the tank cleaning equipment includes multiple acid tank chambers and multiple water tank chambers. The acid tank chamber is used to clean wafers and other devices using chemical solutions such as acid solutions, and the water tank chamber is used to clean wafers and other devices using water. In the process of cleaning wafers and other devices, the tank cleaning equipment will transfer wafers and other devices according to the intelligently planned transmission path, so that the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber clean the wafers and other devices in the order of the intelligent planning.

[0003] At present, when an abnormality occurs in the chamber where the wafer and other devices are located, the controller of the tank cleaning equipment will control the chamber to suspend the cleaning task of the wafer and other devices until the chamber returns to normal, and then control the chamber to continue to perform the cleaning task of the wafer and other devices. However, if the chamber where the wafer and other devices are located is an acid tank chamber when the cleaning task is terminated, then the wafer and other devices will be immersed in the chemical solution in the acid tank chamber for a long time. If the time for the chamber to return to normal is longer than the time it allows the wafer and other devices to be immersed, it will cause the wafer and other devices to be damaged by excessive bubbles. Moreover, after the chamber returns to normal, the wafer and other devices that have been damaged by excessive bubbles will continue to perform subsequent cleaning tasks, resulting in an increased risk of scrapping of the wafer and other devices. Summary of the invention

[0004] The invention discloses a chamber abnormality processing method and semiconductor process equipment, so as to reduce the probability of over-bubble damage to devices such as wafers and reduce the risk of scrapping devices such as wafers.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a chamber abnormality processing method, which is applied to semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment includes an acid tank chamber and a water tank chamber, and the method includes: obtaining the status of any of the acid tank chambers and the water tank chamber; if the status of the acid tank chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal status, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowable immersion time of the acid tank chamber, then executing a target device protection operation, wherein the target device protection operation is used to protect the target device to reduce over-bubble damage to the target device, and suspend the cleaning task of the target device, and continue to execute the cleaning task of the target device after the status of the acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal status to a normal status and receives an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned.

[0006] In some embodiments, the acid tank chamber includes a first acid tank chamber and a second acid tank chamber, the allowed immersion time of the first acid tank chamber is less than the allowed immersion time of the second acid tank chamber, and the performing of the target device protection operation includes: if the acid tank chamber is the first acid tank chamber, then performing an operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber, or performing an operation of replacing the solution in the first acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the first acid tank chamber; if the acid tank chamber is the second acid tank chamber, then performing an operation of transferring the target device to the water tank chamber, or performing an operation of replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the first acid tank chamber.

[0007] In some embodiments, it also includes: if the state of the water tank chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal state, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is greater than the allowed immersion time of the water tank chamber, then the operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is executed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the water tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

[0008] In some embodiments, it also includes: if the state of the acid tank chamber that any target device is about to enter is an abnormal state, then according to the chamber where the target device is located and the length of time that the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state, it is determined whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device into the acid tank chamber and whether to continue the cleaning task of the target device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the determining whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue the cleaning task of the target device according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state includes: if the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is less than the allowed soaking time, then performing the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber, and continuing the cleaning task of the target device; if the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is greater than the allowed soaking time, then performing the operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber, suspending the cleaning task of the target device, and continuing the cleaning task of the target device after the state of the acid tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and receiving an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned.

[0010] In some embodiments, the acid tank chamber includes a first acid tank chamber and a second acid tank chamber, and the allowed immersion time of the first acid tank chamber is less than the allowed immersion time of the second acid tank chamber. Then, according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration for which the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state, determining whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue to perform the cleaning task of the target device also includes: if the chamber where the target device is located is the second acid tank chamber, the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber, and the duration for which the first acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state is less than the allowed immersion time of the first acid tank chamber, If the target device is in the second acid tank chamber, the target device is about to enter the first acid tank chamber, and the first acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state for a time period longer than the allowed soaking time, a target device protection operation is performed, and the target device cleaning task is suspended, and after the state of the first acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the target device cleaning task is continued.

[0011] In some embodiments, the determining whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue the cleaning task of the target device according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state also includes: if the chamber where the target device is located is a first acid tank chamber and the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is a second acid tank chamber, then performing the operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber; if the duration that the second acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time, then continuing the cleaning task of the target device; if the duration that the second acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is greater than its allowed immersion time, then performing a target device protection operation, suspending the cleaning task of the target device, and continuing the cleaning task of the target device after the state of the second acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and receiving an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the soaking time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is longer than the allowable soaking time of the water tank chamber, flushing the target device in the water tank chamber.

[0013] In some embodiments, after pausing the cleaning task of the target device, the method further includes: issuing a pause alarm, wherein the pause alarm is used to indicate whether the cleaning of the target device can continue.

[0014] In the second aspect, the present invention discloses a semiconductor process equipment, including an acid tank chamber, a water tank chamber, a single-tank chamber robot, a process transfer robot and a controller, wherein the single-tank chamber robot is used to perform a transfer operation of moving a target device into or out of a corresponding chamber, the process transfer robot is used to perform a transfer operation of the target device between different chambers, the controller is used to control the single-tank chamber robot and the process transfer robot to perform the target device transfer operation, the controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it will also implement the chamber abnormality handling method described in any one of the above items.

[0015] The chamber abnormality processing method and semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the present invention obtain the state of any acid tank chamber and water tank chamber. If the state of the acid tank chamber where any target device (such as a wafer) is located is an abnormal state, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is longer than the allowed immersion time of the acid tank chamber, a target device protection operation is performed, and the target device protection operation is used to protect the target device to reduce the over-bubble damage of the target device, or reduce the probability of over-bubble damage of the target device, and suspend the cleaning task of the target device until the state of the acid tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and receives an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be processed, and then the cleaning task of the target device is continued to be executed, so as to prevent the target device that has been damaged by over-bubble from continuing to execute subsequent cleaning tasks, so as to reduce the risk of scrapping the target device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present invention or the background technology will be described below.

[0017] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tank type cleaning equipment.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a method for planning a transmission path for a tank-type cleaning device.

[0019] Figure 3 The present invention discloses a flow chart of a method for handling chamber abnormality according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 The present invention is a flowchart of another method for handling chamber abnormality disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 The present invention is a flowchart of another method for handling chamber abnormality disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of a tank cleaning device includes a storage area, a transfer area and a process area. The process area includes eight chambers, a hand washing chamber, a drying chamber, a process transfer robot (PTR), two double-slot lifting robots (D-Lifter) and five single-slot lifting robots (S-Lifter).

[0024] Among the eight chambers, the first and second chambers are acid tank chambers and water tank chambers respectively, the third chamber is an acid tank chamber, the fourth chamber is an acid tank chamber, the fifth chamber is an acid tank chamber, the sixth chamber is a water tank chamber, and the seventh and eighth chambers are acid tank chambers and water tank chambers respectively. In addition, the double-slot chamber robot is used to perform wafer transfer operations between the two chambers, the single-slot chamber robot is used to perform transfer operations of moving wafers into or out of a corresponding chamber, the process transfer robot is used to perform transfer operations of wafers between different chambers, and the double-slot lifting robot, the single-slot lifting robot and the process transfer robot jointly realize the transfer of wafers and other devices between chambers.

[0025] One of the transmission paths of the trough-type cleaning equipment is: first, wafers and other devices are transmitted from the storage area to the process area through the transmission area, and then the wafers and other devices are transmitted from the first chamber to the eighth chamber in sequence, so that the first chamber to the eighth chamber perform the cleaning task of the wafers and other devices in sequence, and then the wafers and other devices are transmitted to the drying chamber for drying, and then the wafers and other devices are transmitted to the storage area through the transmission area.

[0026] Current tank cleaning equipment intelligently plans the transmission path of wafers and other devices based on the state of the chamber. Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2The schematic diagram of a transmission path planning method of a tank cleaning device is shown in the figure. The tank cleaning device monitors the status of each chamber. If the status of any chamber is abnormal, it detects whether there are devices such as wafers in the chamber. If there are no devices such as wafers in the chamber, the chamber is controlled to continue to perform the task. If there are devices such as wafers in the chamber, the status of the chamber is continuously monitored to determine whether the status of the chamber is still abnormal. If so, the chamber is controlled to stop performing the cleaning task of the devices such as wafers. If not, the chamber is controlled to continue performing the cleaning task of the devices such as wafers. However, if the chamber where the devices such as wafers are located is an acid tank chamber when the cleaning task is stopped, the devices such as wafers will be immersed in the chemical solution in the acid tank chamber for a long time. If the time for the chamber to return to normal is longer than the time allowed for the devices such as wafers to be immersed, the devices such as wafers will be damaged by excessive bubbles.

[0027] Although it is also possible to transfer wafers and other devices from the acid tank chamber to the water tank chamber when the cleaning task is terminated to reduce over-bubble damage to wafers and other devices, if the acid tank chamber is a chamber in which the transfer is jointly controlled by a single-tank lifting robot and a process transfer robot, then when a large number of wafers and other devices need to be transferred, it is necessary to seize the process transfer robot. If the process transfer robot cannot be seized within the allowed immersion time of the acid tank chamber, over-bubble damage will still occur to wafers and other devices.

[0028] Furthermore, if the wafers and other devices cannot be transferred from the acid tank chamber to the water tank chamber, then after the acid tank chamber returns to normal, the wafers and other devices that have been damaged by blistering will continue to undergo subsequent cleaning tasks, which increases the risk of scrapping the wafers and other devices.

[0029] Based on this, the present invention discloses a chamber abnormality processing scheme. If the state of the acid tank chamber where any wafer or other device is located is an abnormal state, and the residence time of the wafer or other device in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowed immersion time of the acid tank chamber, the target device protection operation is performed to reduce the over-bubble damage of the wafer or other device, and the cleaning task of the wafer or other device is suspended until the state of the acid tank chamber is changed from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the wafer or other device can continue to be processed is received, and then the cleaning task of the wafer or other device is continued to be executed, so as to avoid the wafer or other device that has been damaged by over-bubble from continuing to execute subsequent cleaning tasks, so as to reduce the risk of scrapping of the wafer or other device.

[0030] As an optional implementation of the disclosure of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a chamber abnormality processing method, which is applied to semiconductor process equipment. The semiconductor process equipment includes but is not limited to a tank cleaning device. The semiconductor process equipment includes an acid tank chamber and a water tank chamber, the acid tank chamber is used to clean the target device with a chemical solution, and the water tank chamber is used to clean the target device with water. The target device includes but is not limited to a wafer.

[0031] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a chamber abnormality processing method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprising:

[0032] S101: Obtain the status of any acid tank chamber and water tank chamber.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present invention, semiconductor process equipment such as tank cleaning equipment monitors the status of each acid tank chamber and water tank chamber during the cleaning task of executing the target device (such as a wafer), for example, monitoring Figure 1 The conditions of the first to eighth chambers are shown.

[0034] S102: If the state of the acid tank chamber where any target device is located is abnormal, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowed immersion time of the acid tank chamber, a target device protection operation is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended. The target device protection operation is used to protect the target device to reduce over-bubble damage to the target device.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present invention, if the state of the acid tank chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal state, the target device can be transferred to the water tank chamber by using a double tank lifting manipulator and a process transmission manipulator or a single tank lifting manipulator and a process transmission manipulator, but if the process transmission manipulator is not seized or the path between the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is unavailable, the target device will be caused to stay in the acid tank chamber, and if the soaking time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is longer than the allowed soaking time of the acid tank chamber, the target device protection operation is performed, and after the target device protection operation is performed, the cleaning task of the target device is suspended. Wherein, the target device protection operation is used to protect the target device to reduce the over-bubble damage of the target device.

[0036] S103: After the state of the acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present invention, after suspending the cleaning task of the target device, a pause alarm may be issued, and the pause alarm is used to indicate whether the target device can continue to be cleaned, for example, to indicate manual confirmation of whether the target device can continue to be cleaned. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and in other embodiments, the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and whether the target device can continue to be cleaned may also be confirmed by other means.

[0038] If the operator confirms that the target device has been damaged by over-bubble, the operator sends an instruction to the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment indicating that the target device cannot be processed any further, so that the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment stops the cleaning task of the target device after receiving the instruction indicating that the target device cannot be processed any further; if the operator confirms that the target device has not been damaged by over-bubble, the operator sends an instruction to the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment indicating that the target device can be processed any further, so that the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment continues to perform the cleaning task of the target device after receiving the instruction indicating that the target device can be processed any further in the acid tank chamber, so as to reduce the risk of scrapping the target device.

[0039] It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Table 1, the task status of semiconductor process equipment such as tank cleaning equipment includes an idle state, a running state, a paused state, a suspended state and a completed suspended state, wherein the idle state refers to a state in which the task is ready, the running state refers to a state in which the task is running, the paused state refers to a state in which the task is paused, the suspended state refers to a state in which the task is being suspended, and the completed suspended state refers to a state in which the task is being completed and suspended.

[0040] Table 1 Status and status description of semiconductor process equipment

[0041] state Status description Idle The task is in the ready state Running The task is in the running state Paused The task is in a paused state Aborting The task is in the aborting state Aborted The task is in the state of completion abort

[0042] In order to reduce human intervention, the task status of traditional tank cleaning equipment does not include a pause state, that is, it will not pause the cleaning task of the target device to instruct the operator to confirm whether the target device can continue to be cleaned. Instead, it will directly continue the subsequent cleaning task after completing the abort, which will cause the target device that has been damaged by blistering to enter the subsequent process, resulting in an increased risk of scrapping the target device.

[0043] Based on this, in an embodiment of the present invention, by adding a pause state, when the state of the acid tank chamber where the target device is located is an abnormal state and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowable immersion time of the acid tank chamber, the cleaning task of the target device is suspended to instruct the operator to confirm whether the target device can continue to be cleaned, so as to reduce the risk of scrapping the target device.

[0044] It is understandable that after suspending the cleaning task of the target device, the tank cleaning equipment can provide two processing options, the first processing option (Job Abort) is used to stop the task, and the second processing option (Continue And Ingore) is used to continue the task along the original path. In other words, if the operator confirms that the target device has been damaged by blistering, the first processing option can be selected to send an instruction to the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment indicating that the target device cannot be processed further, so as to stop the cleaning task of the target device. If the operator confirms that the target device has not been damaged by blistering, the second processing option can be selected to send an instruction to the semiconductor process equipment such as the tank cleaning equipment indicating that the target device can be processed further, so as to continue the cleaning task of the target device.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the path between the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of transferring the target device to the water tank chamber. If the path between the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is not available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of replacing the solution in the acid tank chamber with a solution with a concentration lower than the solution, such as performing an operation of adding water to the solution in the acid tank chamber, which operation may also be referred to as a make safe operation.

[0046] It should be noted that when there is a target device in the water tank chamber, or when the double-slot lifting robot, single-slot lifting robot or process transfer robot that transfers the target device between the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber fails, the path between the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is unavailable.

[0047] Certainly, the present invention is not limited to this, in other embodiments, the acid tank chamber is divided into the first acid tank chamber and the second acid tank chamber, and the first acid tank chamber allows soaking duration less than the second acid tank chamber allows soaking duration. In other words, the first acid tank chamber is a chamber that is strictly prohibited from over-bubbling, and the second acid tank chamber is a chamber that allows an amount of over-bubbling. Wherein, the safety level of the water tank chamber is greater than the second acid tank chamber, and the safety level of the second acid tank chamber is greater than the first acid tank chamber.

[0048] Furthermore, if the acid tank chamber is the first acid tank chamber, and the path between the first acid tank chamber and the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber is available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber. If the acid tank chamber is the first acid tank chamber, and the path between the first acid tank chamber and the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber is not available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of replacing the solution in the first acid tank chamber with a solution having a concentration lower than the solution, for example, performing an operation of adding water to the solution in the first acid tank chamber.

[0049] If the acid tank chamber is the second acid tank chamber, and the path between the second acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of transferring the target device to the water tank chamber. If the acid tank chamber is the second acid tank chamber, and the path between the second acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber is not available, performing the target device protection operation includes: performing an operation of replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a concentration lower than the solution, for example, performing an operation of adding water to the solution in the second acid tank chamber.

[0050] Based on this, by increasing the transmission path of the target device in the first acid tank chamber from the one path to the water tank chamber to the two paths to the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber, the probability of removing the target device in the first acid tank chamber is increased, and the probability of over-bubble damage to the target device is further reduced.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the state of the water tank chamber in which any target device is located is an abnormal state, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is greater than the allowed immersion time of the water tank chamber, an operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the water tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device continues to be executed.

[0052] It is understandable that, although the water in the water tank chamber is less corrosive to the target device, if the target device is immersed in the water in the water tank chamber for a longer time than the allowable immersion time of the water tank chamber, it may also cause damage to the target device. Therefore, it is necessary to suspend the cleaning task of the target device, and instruct the operator to confirm whether the target device can continue to be cleaned, so as to reduce the risk of scrapping the target device.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present invention, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4A flowchart of another chamber abnormality processing method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention monitors the state of each chamber. If the state of the chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal state, and the soaking time of the target device in the solution in the chamber is greater than the allowed soaking time of the chamber, it is determined whether the chamber is a water tank chamber. If it is a water tank chamber, the operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended; if it is not a water tank chamber, it is determined whether the chamber is a first acid tank chamber. If it is the first acid tank chamber, it is determined whether the path between the first acid tank chamber and the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber is available. If it is available, the target device is transferred to the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber. If the solution in the first acid tank chamber is not available, the operation of replacing the solution in the first acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the solution in the first acid tank chamber is performed, such as adding water to the solution in the first acid tank chamber, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended; if the solution in the second acid tank chamber is not available, the operation of transferring the target device to the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended; if the solution in the second acid tank chamber is not available, the operation of replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the solution in the second acid tank chamber is performed, such as adding water to the solution in the second acid tank chamber, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the state of the acid tank chamber that any target device is about to enter is abnormal, it is determined whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue the cleaning task of the target device based on the chamber where the target device is located and the length of time the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state.

[0055] Because the transmission path of the target device includes a plurality of continuous acid tank chambers, if the chamber where the target device is located is an acid tank chamber, and the state of the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is an abnormal state, then, the risk of the target device being over-bubbled and scrapped will be increased. Thus, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the state of the acid tank chamber that any target device is about to enter is an abnormal state, according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state, it is determined whether to perform the operation of transmitting the target device to the acid tank chamber, so as to reduce the risk of the target device being over-bubbled and scrapped.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the duration that the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time, an operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

[0057] If the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the duration of the acid tank chamber being in an abnormal state is longer than the soaking time allowed, the operation of stopping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the acid tank chamber is changed from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued. Wherein, in this embodiment, the acid tank chamber can be distinguished as the first acid tank chamber or the second acid tank chamber.

[0058] In some other embodiments of the present invention, the acid tank chamber includes a first acid tank chamber and a second acid tank chamber. If the chamber where the target device is located is the second acid tank chamber, the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber, and the time duration that the first acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time, an operation of transferring the target device to the first acid tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

[0059] If the chamber where the target device is located is the second acid tank chamber, the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber, and the time length that the first acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is longer than its allowed immersion time, then the target device protection operation is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the first acid tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device continues to be executed.

[0060] The target device protection operation includes: transferring the target device to a water tank chamber, or replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the solution.

[0061] In some other embodiments of the present invention, if the chamber in which the target device is located is the first acid tank chamber, and the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the second acid tank chamber, an operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber is performed; if the duration that the second acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time, the cleaning task of the target device continues to be performed; if the duration that the second acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is greater than its allowed immersion time, a target device protection operation is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the second acid tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device continues to be performed.

[0062] The target device protection operation includes: transferring the target device to a water tank chamber, or replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the solution.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the soaking time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is longer than the allowable soaking time of the water tank chamber, the target device in the water tank chamber may be flushed with water, which may also be called an upflow operation. It is understandable that the solution in the water tank chamber, such as water, will become acidic due to the adsorption of carbon dioxide in the air after being left standing for a long time. Flushing the target device in the water tank chamber can reduce the acidity of the solution in the water tank chamber, such as water.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present invention, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A flowchart of another chamber abnormality processing method disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention monitors the status of each chamber. If the status of an acid tank chamber that any target device is about to enter is an abnormal status, it is determined whether the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber. If it is a water tank chamber, it is determined whether the duration of the acid tank chamber being in the abnormal status is less than its allowed immersion time. If so, an operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is continued; if not, an operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended.

[0065] If it is not a water tank chamber, determine whether the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber. If it is the first acid tank chamber, determine whether the time the first acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time. If so, perform an operation of transferring the target device to the first acid tank chamber, and continue to perform the cleaning task of the target device; if not, perform a target device protection operation, and suspend the cleaning task of the target device.

[0066] If it is not the first acid tank chamber, perform the operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber, and determine whether the time the second acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state is less than its allowed immersion time. If so, continue to execute the cleaning task of the target device; if not, perform the target device protection operation and suspend the cleaning task of the target device.

[0067] As another optional implementation of the disclosure of the present invention, the embodiment of the present invention further discloses a semiconductor process equipment. The semiconductor process equipment includes but is not limited to Figure 1The tank cleaning equipment shown. The semiconductor process equipment includes an acid tank chamber, a water tank chamber, a single tank chamber robot, a process transfer robot and a controller. The acid tank chamber is used to clean the target device with a chemical solution, the water tank chamber is used to clean the target device with water, the single tank chamber robot is used to perform a transfer operation of moving the target device into or out of a corresponding chamber, the process transfer robot is used to perform a transfer operation of the target device between different chambers, and the controller is used to control the single tank chamber robot and the process transfer robot to perform the target device transfer operation. The controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the chamber abnormality processing method disclosed in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present invention, the semiconductor process equipment further includes a dual-slot chamber robot, which is used to perform target device transfer operations in two chambers, and the controller is further used to control the dual-slot chamber robot to perform target device transfer operations.

[0069] 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.

[0070] The above 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 invention patent. 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 handling chamber abnormality, characterized in that: Applied to semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment includes an acid tank chamber and a water tank chamber, and the method includes: Obtaining the status of any of the acid tank chamber and the water tank chamber; If the state of the acid tank chamber in which any target device is located is an abnormal state, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the acid tank chamber is greater than the allowable immersion time of the acid tank chamber, a target device protection operation is performed, and the target device protection operation is used to protect the target device to reduce the over-bubble damage to the target device, and suspend the cleaning task of the target device, and continue to execute the cleaning task of the target device after the state of the acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and receives an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The acid tank chamber includes a first acid tank chamber and a second acid tank chamber, the allowed immersion time of the first acid tank chamber is shorter than the allowed immersion time of the second acid tank chamber, and the performing of the target device protection operation includes: If the acid tank chamber is the first acid tank chamber, performing an operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber or the water tank chamber, or performing an operation of replacing the solution in the first acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the first acid tank chamber; If the acid tank chamber is the second acid tank chamber, an operation of transferring the target device into the water tank chamber is performed, or an operation of replacing the solution in the second acid tank chamber with a solution having a lower concentration than the solution is performed.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: If the state of the water tank chamber where any target device is located is an abnormal state, and the immersion time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is greater than the allowed immersion time of the water tank chamber, the operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the water tank chamber changes from the abnormal state to the normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: If the state of the acid tank chamber that any target device is about to enter is abnormal, it is determined whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device into the acid tank chamber and whether to continue the cleaning task of the target device according to the chamber where the target device is located and the length of time the acid tank chamber is in the abnormal state.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of determining whether to perform an operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue to perform a cleaning task of the target device according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration for which the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state includes: If the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the duration of the acid tank chamber being in an abnormal state is less than the allowed soaking time, an operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is continued; If the chamber where the target device is located is a water tank chamber, and the time length of time that the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state is longer than the allowed immersion time, the operation of keeping the target device in the water tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The acid tank chamber includes a first acid tank chamber and a second acid tank chamber, and the allowed soaking time of the first acid tank chamber is less than the allowed soaking time of the second acid tank chamber. Then, according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration for which the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state, determining whether to perform the operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue to perform the cleaning task of the target device also includes: If the chamber where the target device is located is the second acid tank chamber, the acid tank chamber that the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber, and the duration of the first acid tank chamber being in the abnormal state is less than the allowed soaking time, then the operation of transferring the target device to the first acid tank chamber is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is continued; If the chamber in which the target device is located is the second acid tank chamber, the acid tank chamber into which the target device is about to enter is the first acid tank chamber, and the time length for which the first acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state is longer than its allowed immersion time, a target device protection operation is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended, and after the state of the first acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device continues to be executed.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The step of determining whether to perform an operation of transferring the target device to the acid tank chamber and whether to continue to perform a cleaning task of the target device according to the chamber where the target device is located and the duration for which the acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state further includes: If the chamber where the target device is located is the first acid tank chamber, and the acid tank chamber into which the target device is about to enter is the second acid tank chamber, an operation of transferring the target device to the second acid tank chamber is performed; If the duration of the second acid tank chamber being in the abnormal state is less than the allowed soaking time, then continuing to perform the cleaning task of the target device; If the second acid tank chamber is in an abnormal state for a period of time longer than its allowed immersion time, a target device protection operation is performed, and the cleaning task of the target device is suspended. After the state of the second acid tank chamber changes from an abnormal state to a normal state and an instruction indicating that the target device can continue to be cleaned is received, the cleaning task of the target device is continued.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: If the soaking time of the target device in the solution in the water tank chamber is longer than the allowable soaking time of the water tank chamber, the target device in the water tank chamber is flushed.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After suspending the cleaning task of the target device, the method further includes: A pause alarm is issued, wherein the pause alarm is used to indicate whether the target device can continue to be cleaned.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, comprising an acid tank chamber, a water tank chamber, a single tank chamber robot, a process transfer robot and a controller, wherein the single tank chamber robot is used to perform a transfer operation of moving a target device into or out of a corresponding chamber, the process transfer robot is used to perform a transfer operation of the target device between different chambers, and the controller is used to control the single tank chamber robot and the process transfer robot to perform the transfer operation of the target device, characterized in that: The controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the chamber abnormality processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is also implemented.

Images