Transport system, control method thereof, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying system, a control method thereof and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and the control method of the conveying system comprises the steps: obtaining the operation time of a crown block, and obtaining preset time based on the operation time; before the batch of wafers are processed and arrive at an unlocking position, a calling signal is sent to a crown block in advance for preset time; on the basis of the calling signal, the crown block runs from the waiting position to the unlocking position and conveys the current batch of wafers to the next machine table after reaching the unlocking position; meanwhile, the other crown block conveys the next batch of wafers to an unlocking position for continuous production; wherein the preset time is not greater than the running time. According to the configuration, the calling signal is sent to the crown block in advance, when the last wafer of a batch is processed, the crown block synchronously moves to the unlocking position, the time for a machine to stop and wait for the crown block is greatly shortened, meanwhile, the existing route planning does not need to be adjusted, and only the time sequence for calling the crown block needs to be changed; and the production efficiency of the machine table can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor production, and in particular to a conveying system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Taking the etching process in the semiconductor production process as an example, the purpose of etching is to transfer the photoresist pattern obtained by lithography to the thin film on the surface of the wafer, that is, to use the covering and protective effect of the photoresist film to remove the thin film without photoresist protection by chemical reaction or physical action to complete the transfer of the pattern.

[0003] In order to ensure the consistency of wafers in the same batch, the current etching process adopts a delivery mode in which one wafer transport mechanism corresponds to one process chamber, that is, the same process chamber is used to complete the etching of the same batch of wafers. This production mode will repeatedly waste time in the process of loading and unloading the wafer box. When the last wafer of the same batch is completed, the wafers of the current batch must first be withdrawn from the machine and unlocked from the machine, and then the OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport, aerial hoisting unmanned transport vehicle, referred to as the crane) will lift the wafers of the current batch before the next batch of wafers can be lifted to continue production. Every time a batch of production needs to be changed, the four actions of unloading the wafer box, lifting the wafer box away, lifting the new wafer box, and loading the new wafer box need to be repeated. During this process, the machine needs to wait all the time, which seriously affects the production efficiency of the machine.

[0004] Based on this, how to reduce the waiting time of the machine during batch change production to improve the production efficiency of the machine has become a technical problem that technical personnel in this field need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a conveying system and a control method thereof, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, so as to reduce the waiting time of the machine during batch change production and improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control method for a conveying system, comprising:

[0007] Acquire the running time of the overhead crane, and obtain a preset time based on the running time;

[0008] Before the wafers of the current batch are processed and arrive at the unlocking position, sending a call signal to the overhead crane in advance of the preset time;

[0009] Based on the call signal, the overhead crane moves from the waiting position to the unlocking position, and after reaching the unlocking position, transports the batch of wafers to the next machine;

[0010] At the same time, controlling another overhead crane to transport the next batch of wafers to the unlocking position for continued production;

[0011] Wherein, the preset time is not greater than the running time.

[0012] Optionally, the running time includes standard running time and / or real-time running time;

[0013] The standard operation time includes: the time required for the overhead crane to operate from the waiting position to the unlocking position at a preset speed;

[0014] The real-time running time includes: an estimated running time of the overhead crane obtained based on the congestion level of the running track, the running distance and speed of the overhead crane.

[0015] Optionally, the running time is a smaller value between the standard running time and the real-time running time.

[0016] Optionally, the control method of the conveying system further includes:

[0017] Based on the processing time of the machine, after the machine issues an action instruction, or after a predetermined time interval after the machine issues the action instruction, the call signal is sent to the overhead traveling crane.

[0018] Optionally, the preset time includes: the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action instruction, or the difference between the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action instruction and the preset time.

[0019] Optionally, the control method of the conveying system further includes:

[0020] A reserved time is set, wherein the preset time includes: a difference between the running time and the reserved time.

[0021] Optionally, the control method of the conveying system further comprises: a detection step;

[0022] The detecting step comprises:

[0023] When the overhead crane reaches the unlocking position, detecting whether the wafer batch is located at the unlocking position;

[0024] If the wafers of the current batch are located at the unlocking position, the overhead crane transports the wafers of the current batch to the next machine;

[0025] If the wafers of the batch are not in the unlocking position, the overhead travelling crane rotates idly along the running track for one circle and then repeats the detecting step.

[0026] Optionally, the control method of the conveying system further includes:

[0027] A predetermined number of times of the detection step is set. After the detection step is repeated for the predetermined number of times, if the wafers in the batch are still not in the unlocking position, the overhead crane abandons the cargo lifting instruction.

[0028] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a conveying system for implementing the control method of the conveying system as described above, comprising:

[0029] A detection module, which is in communication with the control module and is used to obtain the operating time of the overhead crane;

[0030] A control module is in communication with the overhead crane conveying module, and is used to obtain the preset time based on the running time, and send a call signal to the overhead crane in advance of the preset time before the batch of wafers completes processing and reaches the unlocking position; wherein the preset time is not greater than the running time;

[0031] The overhead crane conveying module is used to drive the overhead crane to move from the waiting position to the unlocking position based on the call signal, and after reaching the unlocking position, convey the current batch of wafers to the next machine; at the same time, drive another overhead crane to convey the next batch of wafers to the unlocking position for continued production.

[0032] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, comprising: a semiconductor machine and the above-mentioned conveying system;

[0033] The conveying system is used for conveying wafers to the semiconductor machine.

[0034] Compared with the existing conveying system, the conveying system and control method thereof, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided by the present application have the following advantages:

[0035] The control method of the conveying system provided in the present application sends a call signal to the overhead crane in advance before the wafers in the current batch are processed and reach the unlocking position. While the last wafer in the current batch is being processed, the overhead crane moves to the unlocking position synchronously. Compared with the existing method of sending a call signal to the overhead crane after the wafers in the current batch are processed and unlocked with the machine, the time for the machine to stop and wait for the overhead crane is greatly shortened. At the same time, there is no need to adjust the existing line planning, only the timing of calling the overhead crane needs to be changed. There is no need to make too many adjustments, which is easy to operate and can effectively improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0036] The conveying system provided in the present application advances the timing of calling the overhead crane by using the above-mentioned control method. While the last wafer of the batch is being processed, the overhead crane moves synchronously, thereby shortening the machine downtime waiting time for the overhead crane and effectively improving the production efficiency of the machine.

[0037] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in the present application uses the above-mentioned conveying system to call the overhead crane in advance, thereby shortening the machine downtime waiting time for the overhead crane, and can effectively improve the production efficiency of the machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a cargo transportation mode in the prior art;

[0039] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of another delivery mode in the prior art;

[0040] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the machine processing completed in the prior art;

[0041] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of calling an overhead crane in the prior art;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a conventional overhead crane transporting wafers;

[0043] Figure 6 A flow chart of a control method for a conveying system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of calling an overhead crane provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 8 A timing comparison diagram of calling an overhead crane in an embodiment of the present invention and in the prior art;

[0046] The description of each reference numeral is as follows:

[0047] 10-wafer; 11-wafer box; 12-process chamber; 20-overhead crane conveying module; 21-overhead crane; 22-operating track; 30-wafer conveying mechanism; 31-mechanical arm; 32-sealed cabin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the purpose, advantages and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not drawn to scale, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the structure shown in the drawings is often a part of the actual structure. In particular, the emphasis of each drawing is different, and sometimes different scales are used.

[0049] As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural objects, the term "or" is generally used to include the meaning of "and / or", the term "several" is generally used to include the meaning of "at least one", and the term "at least two" is generally used to include the meaning of "two or more". In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of the features, "one end" and "the other end" and "the proximal end" and "the distal end" generally refer to two corresponding parts, which include not only the endpoints, and the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral body; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. In addition, as used in this specification, an element disposed on another element generally only indicates that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two elements, and the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission between the two elements may be direct or indirect through an intermediate element, and it cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two elements, that is, one element may be in any orientation such as inside, outside, above, below or on one side of another element, unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "upper", "lower", "top" and "bottom" are generally relative position relationships arranged in the direction of gravity; the terms "vertical, vertical direction" generally refer to the direction of gravity, which is generally perpendicular to the ground, and "horizontal, horizontal plane direction" generally refers to the direction parallel to the ground; for ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this specification can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0050] The object of the present invention is to provide a conveying system and a control method thereof, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, so as to reduce the waiting time of the machine during batch change production and improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 Those skilled in the art can understand that there are two common delivery modes in the existing semiconductor production process. One is that a batch of wafers 10 corresponds to multiple process chambers 12. Figure 1For example, the entire semiconductor process machine is provided with four wafer transfer mechanisms 30 (Load Port, LP) and four process chambers 12 (Chamber). A cassette 11 loaded with wafers 10 of the same batch is placed on the wafer transfer mechanism 30. The wafers 10 are transferred between the wafer transfer mechanism 30 and the process chamber 12 by a robotic arm 31. The wafers 10 in the same cassette 11 can be processed in any process chamber 12. This delivery mode can deliver the next batch of wafers 10 in advance before the previous batch of wafers 10 is processed, without wasting time waiting for the previous batch of wafers 10 to be unloaded and the next batch of wafers 10 to be loaded, and can complete the production of the scheduled batch very efficiently and quickly. However, due to the mechanical differences between multiple process chambers 12, the above-mentioned delivery mode can only be applied to processes that do not require high consistency of the same batch of wafers 10, such as the degumming process. For processes that require high consistency of the same batch of wafers 10, such as the etching process, the second delivery mode needs to be used, that is, one batch of wafers 10 corresponds to one process chamber 12, so that the production of the scheduled batch can be completed quickly and efficiently. Figure 2 For example, the wafers 10 in the same cassette 11 can only be produced in one process chamber 12. This production mode can reduce the production differences of the same batch of wafers 10, but it needs to be processed in the last wafer 10 of the same batch (such as Figure 3 As shown), and after the film box 11 reaches the unlocking position and is unlocked with the machine (as shown Figure 4 As shown), wait for the crane 21 to arrive and lift the current batch of wafers 10, and then transport the next batch of wafers 10 over (as shown Figure 5 As shown), the machine's downtime waiting time is relatively long, which greatly affects the machine's production efficiency. Based on this, this embodiment changes the timing of calling the overhead crane 21 for the second delivery mode, from the existing call to the overhead crane 21 only after the batch of wafers 10 are completely processed and the wafer box 11 and the machine are unlocked, to advance the processing of the last wafer 10 in the batch to the operation of the overhead crane 21. This shortens the machine's downtime waiting time for the overhead crane 21, which is beneficial to improving the machine's production efficiency. It should be noted that this embodiment only takes the etching process as an example, and does not mean that the conveying system and its control method, as well as the semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this application can only be applied to the etching process. As long as the consistency of the same batch of wafers 10 needs to be guaranteed and the second delivery mode is used, the above-mentioned solution can be used to improve the machine's production efficiency, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 6 to Figure 7 The present invention provides a control method for a conveying system, comprising:

[0053] Obtaining the running time of the overhead crane 21, and obtaining a preset time based on the running time; wherein the preset time is not greater than the running time;

[0054] Before the batch of wafers 10 is processed and arrives at the unlocking position, a call signal is sent to the one-day vehicle 21 at a preset time in advance;

[0055] Based on the call signal, the overhead crane 21 moves from the waiting position to the unlocking position, and after reaching the unlocking position, the batch of wafers 10 is transported to the next machine;

[0056] At the same time, another overhead crane 21 is controlled to transport the next batch of wafers 10 to the unlocking position for continued production.

[0057] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can understand that the operating time of the overhead crane 21 is affected by factors such as the route planning of the running track 22, the number of overhead cranes 21, the busyness of the conveying system, and the installation location of the equipment. There are obvious differences in different factory areas. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operating time of the overhead crane 21 can be the measured time data obtained from actual tests, or it can be the estimated time data obtained through algorithm simulation, and the operating time of the overhead crane 21 should fluctuate and be updated regularly. However, the operating time of the overhead crane 21 will directly affect the downtime waiting time of the machine. Since the route planning of the running track 22 and the installation location of the equipment are usually planned in advance, it is quite difficult to make subsequent adjustments to the position of the track and the equipment. The only way to reduce the downtime waiting time of the machine is to start from other aspects. Figure 7 For example, the conveying system can be an automated material handling system (AMHS), the wafer 10 is stacked in a wafer box 11, the wafer box 11 interacts with the machine through a wafer library, and the robotic arm 31 transports the wafer 10 back and forth between the wafer box 11 and the process chamber 12, wherein the robotic arm 31 includes an atmospheric transfer module robotic arm (Atmosphere Transfer Module arm, ATM arm) and a vacuum transfer module robotic arm (Vacuum Transfer Module arm, VTM arm), the ATM arm is used to transport the wafer 10 between the wafer box 11 and the sealed cabin 32 (Airlock), and the VTM The arm is used to transport the wafer 10 between the sealed cabin 32 and the process chamber 12. In the prior art, during the time when the robot arm 31 transports the wafer 10 to the wafer box 11 and the wafer library are unlocked, the overhead crane 21 stays in the waiting position, causing the machine's downtime waiting time to include the entire operating time of the overhead crane 21. This results in a longer waiting time if the waiting position of the overhead crane 21 is far away from the machine, and the time cannot be used efficiently, thereby affecting the machine's production efficiency.

[0058] Based on this, this embodiment sends a call signal to the overhead crane 21 in advance before the wafers 10 of the current batch are processed and reach the unlocking position. While the last wafer 10 of the current batch is being processed, the overhead crane 21 moves to the unlocking position synchronously. Compared with the existing method of sending a call signal to the overhead crane 21 after the wafers 10 of the current batch are processed and unlocked with the machine, the time for the machine to stop waiting for the overhead crane 21 is greatly shortened. At the same time, there is no need to adjust the existing line planning, only the timing of calling the overhead crane 21 needs to be changed. There is no need to make too many adjustments, which is easy to operate and can effectively improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0059] As an optional embodiment, the running time includes the standard running time and / or the real-time running time; the standard running time includes: the time required for the overhead crane 21 to run from the waiting position to the unlocking position at a preset speed; the real-time running time includes: the estimated running time of the overhead crane 21 obtained based on the congestion level of the running track 22, the running distance and speed of the overhead crane 21. Further, the running time is the smaller value between the standard running time and the real-time running time. It should be noted that in the actual production process, the running time of the overhead crane 21 is greatly affected by the busyness of the AMHS system and the route of the running track 22. Therefore, the overhead crane 21 usually cannot reach the unlocking position according to the standard running time. For example, when passing the intersection of the running track 22, the AMHS system will adjust the running speed of the overhead crane 21 to avoid other running equipment, which will cause the overhead crane 21 to arrive at the unlocking position earlier or later than the standard running time. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is necessary to combine the big data algorithm to obtain the estimated real-time running time, and compare it with the standard running time, and take the smaller value between the two, so as to ensure that the film box 11 can be unlocked with the film library before the overhead crane 21 arrives at the unlocking position, and the overhead crane 21 can directly transport after arriving at the unlocking position, thereby ensuring the high efficiency of the transportation of the overhead crane 21. Once the overhead crane 21 arrives at the unlocking position, the film box 11 has not yet been unlocked, and the overhead crane 21 will idle along the running track 22 for one circle, so that the time advantage formed by calling the overhead crane 21 in advance will be consumed. Therefore, the time for calling the overhead crane 21 in advance should not be greater than the running time of the overhead crane 21, thereby ensuring that the reduced waiting time can be accumulated for subsequent production.

[0060] In an alternative embodiment, please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8, the control method of the conveying system also includes: based on the processing time of the machine, after the machine issues an action command, or, after a predetermined time interval after the machine issues an action command, sending a call signal to the overhead crane 21. Further, the preset time includes: the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action command, or, the difference between the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action command and the predetermined time. It should be noted that the action command of the machine may include: start processing command, complete processing command, lock command, unlock command, etc. The above action command can be any command issued by the machine during the processing of the last wafer 10 in the batch, and it only needs to satisfy the preset time for calling the overhead crane 21 in advance is not greater than the operating time of the overhead crane 21. Figure 7 In the example shown, after the process chamber 12 completes the processing of the last wafer 10 of the batch, the machine sends a processing completion instruction. At this time, a call signal can be sent to the overhead crane 21 through the EAP (Equipment Application Programming). In this way, the overhead crane 21 can move from the parking position to the unlocking position while the robot arm 31 transfers the last wafer 10 and the cassette 11 completes the unlocking with the wafer library, thereby reducing the downtime waiting time of the machine. Please note that please refer to Figure 8 After the process chamber 12 completes the processing of the last wafer 10 of the batch, the wafer 10 needs to be taken out of the process chamber 12 into the wafer box 11 by the robot arm 31, and the wafer box 11 and the wafer library are unlocked at the same time. In this embodiment, the time consumed during this period is less than the operating time of the overhead crane 21. Therefore, the machine can issue a processing completion instruction as the node for sending the call signal of the overhead crane 21. Of course, in other embodiments, if the waiting position of the overhead crane 21 is close to the machine, the node for sending the call signal of the overhead crane 21 can also be set to the predetermined time (for example, 5s, 10s, etc.) after the machine issues the processing completion instruction; if the waiting position of the overhead crane 21 is far away from the machine, the node for sending the call signal of the overhead crane 21 can also be set to the time when the machine issues the instruction to start processing the last wafer 10 of the batch, or within the predetermined time after issuing the start processing instruction. Those skilled in the art can reasonably configure the sending node of the overhead crane 21 call signal according to the actual situation, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0061] As a preferred embodiment, the control method of the conveying system further includes: setting a reserved time, the preset time includes: the difference between the running time and the reserved time. It should be noted that the reserved time can be set to different seconds such as 5s, 10s, etc., so that when problems occur during the conveying of the wafer 10 by the overhead crane 21 and the processing of the wafer 10, the operator can make timely adjustments; at the same time, the reserved time can also ensure that the preset time is less than the running time, so that the film box 11 can be unlocked from the film library before the overhead crane 21 reaches the unlocking position.

[0062] In an alternative embodiment, the control method of the conveying system further includes: a detection step; the detection step includes:

[0063] When the overhead crane 21 reaches the unlocking position, it detects whether the wafers 10 of the current batch are located at the unlocking position;

[0064] If the wafers 10 of the current batch are located at the unlocking position, the overhead crane 21 transports the wafers 10 of the current batch to the next machine;

[0065] If the batch of wafers 10 is not in the unlocking position, the overhead travelling crane 21 rotates idly along the running track 22 for one circle and then repeats the detection step.

[0066] It should be noted that "not in the unlocked position" here does not mean that the film box 11 is really not in the unlocked position. Being in the unlocked position means that the film box 11 is in the unlocked position and has been unlocked with the film library; not in the unlocked position means that the film box 11 is not in the unlocked position, or the film box 11 is in the unlocked position, but has not completed the unlocking with the film library. Therefore, in this embodiment, as long as the film box 11 has not completed the unlocking with the film library when the overhead crane 21 reaches the unlocked position, the overhead crane 21 needs to idle along the running track 22 for one circle and then return to the unlocked position to detect again. With such a configuration, once the overhead crane 21 fails to transfer the current batch of wafers 10 when it first arrives at the unlocked position, the time saved by calling the overhead crane 21 in advance will be consumed, which will lead to the failure to improve the machine yield. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it is necessary to prevent the situation where the current batch of wafers 10 are in the unlocked position when the overhead crane 21 arrives at the unlocked position.

[0067] Furthermore, the control method of the conveying system also includes: setting a predetermined number of detection steps, and after the detection step is repeated for a predetermined number of times, if the batch of wafers 10 is still not in the unlocked position, the overhead crane 21 abandons the cargo lifting instruction. It should be noted that the predetermined number of times can be one, two, three or more times. When the predetermined number of times is less, the downtime waiting time of the machine can be reduced, but the untransferred wafer cassettes 11 need to be manually evacuated by the operator; when the predetermined number of times is more, it can ensure that the wafer cassettes 11 are transferred to the next machine, but the downtime waiting time of the corresponding machine will increase, which is not conducive to improving the machine productivity.

[0068] In another embodiment, the present invention also provides a conveying system for implementing the control method of the conveying system as described above, including: a detection module (not shown in the figure), which is connected to the control module (not shown in the figure) for obtaining the running time of the overhead crane 21; the control module is connected to the overhead crane conveying module 20 for obtaining the preset time based on the running time, and sending a call signal to the overhead crane 21 in advance of the preset time before the batch of wafers 10 are processed and arrive at the unlocking position; wherein the preset time is not greater than the running time; the overhead crane conveying module 20 is used to drive the overhead crane 21 to move from the waiting position to the unlocking position based on the call signal, and after arriving at the unlocking position, the batch of wafers 10 are conveyed to the next machine; at the same time, another overhead crane 21 is driven to convey the next batch of wafers 10 to the unlocking position for continuous production. In this configuration, by using the above control method, the timing of calling the overhead crane 21 is advanced, and the overhead crane 21 moves synchronously while the last wafer 10 of the batch is processed, shortening the machine downtime waiting for the overhead crane 21, and effectively improving the production efficiency of the machine.

[0069] As an alternative embodiment, the detection module can be a processor with a data simulation function, and at the same time has a communication port for communicating with an external structure, which can receive externally imported data (such as running track 22 parameters, the number of overhead cranes 21, the running speed of overhead cranes 21, etc.), generate estimated overhead crane 21 running time data, and communicate with the machine to receive the action instructions issued by the machine, and determine the current state information of the wafer 10 based on the action instructions. The control module can be a chip built into the control end, which is used to obtain the preset time, and has a human-computer interaction function, which can realize the operator's adjustment of the preset time. The overhead crane conveying module 20 can be an AMHS system, which can communicate with the control module and the detection module, and drive the overhead crane 21 to operate based on the information obtained by the interaction. It should be noted that the overhead crane conveying module 20 can drive the overhead crane 21 to transport the next batch of wafers 10 within a period of time after driving the overhead crane 21 to transport the current batch of wafers 10 to ensure the continuous production of the machine. This period of time can be specifically determined based on factors such as the time it takes for the overhead crane 21 to lift the current batch of wafers 10, the distance between the machine of the previous process and the machine of the current process, etc.

[0070] In another embodiment, the present invention further provides a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including: a semiconductor machine and the above-mentioned conveying system; the conveying system is used to convey the wafer 10 to the semiconductor machine. With such configuration, by using the above-mentioned conveying system, the overhead crane 21 is called in advance, which shortens the machine downtime waiting time for the overhead crane 21, and can effectively improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0071] In summary, in the conveying system and its control method, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the control method of the conveying system includes: obtaining the operating time of the overhead crane, and obtaining a preset time based on the operating time; sending a call signal to the overhead crane in advance of the preset time before the current batch of wafers completes processing and reaches the unlocking position; based on the call signal, the overhead crane runs from the waiting position to the unlocking position, and after reaching the unlocking position, the current batch of wafers is transported to the next machine; at the same time, another overhead crane transports the next batch of wafers to the unlocking position for continued production; wherein the preset time is not greater than the operating time.

[0072] With this configuration, a call signal is sent to the overhead crane in advance before the wafers in the current batch are processed and reach the unlocking position. While the last wafer in the current batch is being processed, the overhead crane moves to the unlocking position synchronously. Compared with the existing method of sending a call signal to the overhead crane after the wafers in the current batch are processed and unlocked with the machine, the time for the machine to stop and wait for the overhead crane is greatly shortened. At the same time, there is no need to adjust the existing line planning, only the timing of calling the overhead crane needs to be changed. There is no need to make too many adjustments, which is easy to operate and can effectively improve the production efficiency of the machine.

[0073] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a conveying system, characterized in that: include: Acquire the running time of the overhead crane, and obtain a preset time based on the running time; Before the wafers of the current batch are processed and arrive at the unlocking position, sending a call signal to the overhead crane in advance of the preset time; Based on the call signal, the overhead crane moves from the waiting position to the unlocking position, and after reaching the unlocking position, transports the batch of wafers to the next machine; At the same time, controlling another overhead crane to transport the next batch of wafers to the unlocking position for continued production; Wherein, the preset time is not greater than the running time.

2. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The running time includes standard running time and / or real-time running time; The standard operation time includes: the time required for the overhead crane to operate from the waiting position to the unlocking position at a preset speed; The real-time running time includes: an estimated running time of the overhead crane obtained based on the congestion level of the running track, the running distance and speed of the overhead crane.

3. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The running time is a smaller value between the standard running time and the real-time running time.

4. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control method of the conveying system also includes: Based on the processing time of the machine, after the machine issues an action instruction, or after a predetermined time interval after the machine issues the action instruction, the call signal is sent to the overhead traveling crane.

5. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The preset time includes: the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action instruction, or the difference between the remaining processing time after the machine issues the action instruction and the preset time.

6. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control method of the conveying system also includes: A reserved time is set, wherein the preset time includes: a difference between the running time and the reserved time.

7. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control method of the conveying system further comprises: a detection step; The detecting step comprises: When the overhead crane reaches the unlocking position, detecting whether the wafer batch is located at the unlocking position; If the wafers of the current batch are located at the unlocking position, the overhead crane transports the wafers of the current batch to the next machine; If the wafers of the batch are not in the unlocking position, the overhead travelling crane rotates idly along the running track for one circle and then repeats the detecting step.

8. The control method of the conveying system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control method of the conveying system also includes: A predetermined number of times of the detection step is set. After the detection step is repeated for the predetermined number of times, if the wafers in the batch are still not in the unlocking position, the overhead crane abandons the cargo lifting instruction.

9. A conveying system, characterized in that: A control method for implementing a conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: A detection module, which is in communication with the control module and is used to obtain the operating time of the overhead crane; A control module is in communication with the overhead crane conveying module, and is used to obtain the preset time based on the running time, and send a call signal to the overhead crane in advance of the preset time before the batch of wafers completes processing and reaches the unlocking position; wherein the preset time is not greater than the running time; The overhead crane conveying module is used to drive the overhead crane to move from the waiting position to the unlocking position based on the call signal, and after reaching the unlocking position, convey the current batch of wafers to the next machine; at the same time, drive another overhead crane to convey the next batch of wafers to the unlocking position for continued production.

10. A semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: include: A semiconductor machine and a conveying system as claimed in claim 9; The conveying system is used for conveying wafers to the semiconductor machine.

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