Wafer Cassette Scheduling Method, Wafer Cassette Scheduling Device, and Electronic Device

Abstract

The present application relates to a wafer cassette scheduling method, a wafer cassette scheduling device, and an electronic device. When scheduling a wafer cassette, first determine a target scheduling machine tool that needs to be scheduled at the current site, and determine the site type of the target wafer cassette waiting to be scheduled at the target scheduling machine tool. Then, determine a target transfer machine tool for the target wafer cassette waiting to be scheduled among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a target transfer bin corresponding to the target transfer machine tool. Next, directly transport the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine tool to the target transfer bin, so that the target wafer cassette can be directly transported from the target transfer bin to the target transfer machine tool for operation. This embodiment can improve the transportation efficiency of the wafer cassette, reduce the transportation cost in the wafer cassette cleaning process, and has strong applicability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor production processes, and particularly to a wafer cassette scheduling method, a wafer cassette scheduling device, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] A wafer cassette is a container for storing and transporting wafers. A storage warehouse is a place for storing wafer cassettes at different processing stations. The wafers or wafer cassettes stored in the storage warehouse are transported to different process stations according to the production process. Storing wafers in a wafer cassette can ensure that the wafers are not easily collided or scratched during handling or storage.

[0003] As a storage container for wafers, the wafer cassette may be contaminated during the production and transportation process of the wafers. In order to prevent the contaminated wafer cassette from contaminating the wafers, it is necessary to clean the dirty wafer cassette. However, whether it is to clean the dirty wafer cassette or to re-enter the cleaned and clean wafer cassette into the production line, it is necessary to transport the wafer cassette successively between the current machine, the storage warehouse near the current machine, the storage warehouse near the next machine, and the next machine, resulting in multiple transports of the wafer cassette during cleaning, wasting transportation resources, and resulting in low transportation efficiency and high transportation cost for the current wafer cassette cleaning. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a wafer cassette scheduling method, a wafer cassette scheduling device, and an electronic device that can improve the transportation efficiency of the wafer cassette and reduce the transportation cost during the production and transportation process of the wafers for the above technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a wafer cassette scheduling method, which includes:

[0006] Determine a target scheduling machine to be scheduled at the current site, and determine the site type of the site where the target wafer cassette in the target scheduling machine is to be scheduled;

[0007] Determine a target transporting machine among the candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a target transporting warehouse corresponding to the target transporting machine;

[0008] Directly transport the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine to the target transporting warehouse, so that the target wafer cassette is transported from the target transporting warehouse to the target transporting machine.

[0009] In some embodiments, determining a target transporting machine among the candidate sites of the same site type includes:

[0010] Take the available machines in all candidate sites as candidate machines;

[0011] Determine the wafer cassette requirements corresponding to each candidate machine, and determine the target transporting machine among all candidate machines according to each wafer cassette requirement.

[0012] In some of these embodiments, the method further includes:

[0013] Determine the cassette type of the target cassette;

[0014] Determine the scheduling priority corresponding to the cassette type among the cassette requirements, and determine the target transfer machine among the candidate machines according to each scheduling priority.

[0015] In some of these embodiments, determining the target transfer bin corresponding to the target transfer machine includes:

[0016] Use the storage bin corresponding to the target transfer machine as the candidate storage bin;

[0017] Determine the scheduling distance between the target cassette and each candidate storage bin, and determine the target storage bin among all candidate storage bins according to each scheduling distance.

[0018] In some of these embodiments, determining the target scheduling machine at the current site includes:

[0019] Obtain all machines to be scheduled at the current site;

[0020] Determine the cassette load corresponding to each machine to be scheduled, determine the scheduling order of each machine to be scheduled according to the cassette load; determine the target scheduling machine among the machines to be scheduled according to the scheduling order.

[0021] In some of these embodiments, obtaining all machines to be scheduled at the current site includes:

[0022] During a preset scheduling period, mark all machines that request to unload devices at the current site as machines to be scheduled.

[0023] In some of these embodiments, when the site type of the current site is a cleaning site, determining the cassette load corresponding to each machine to be scheduled includes:

[0024] For each machine to be scheduled, determine the water level value of the machine to be scheduled, and determine the cassette load corresponding to the machine to be scheduled according to the water level value.

[0025] In some of these embodiments, the method further includes:

[0026] Determine the lowest water level value corresponding to each machine to be scheduled;

[0027] If the water level value of a certain machine to be scheduled is lower than the lowest water level value corresponding to the machine to be scheduled, then preferentially determine the machine to be scheduled as the target scheduling machine.

[0028] In some of these embodiments, determining the lowest water level value corresponding to each machine to be scheduled includes:

[0029] Determine the cleaning rate of each machine to be scheduled, and determine the lowest water level value according to the cleaning rate.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a wafer cassette scheduling device, which includes:

[0031] A first determination module, configured to determine a target scheduling machine to be scheduled at the current site, and determine the site type of the site where the target wafer cassette to be scheduled in the target scheduling machine is located;

[0032] A second determination module, configured to determine a target transfer machine among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a target transfer bin corresponding to the target transfer machine;

[0033] A transfer module, configured to directly transfer the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine to the target transfer bin, so that the target wafer cassette can be transferred from the target transfer bin to the target transfer machine.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method in the first aspect are implemented.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method in the first aspect are implemented.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method in the first aspect are implemented.

[0037] In the above wafer cassette scheduling method, wafer cassette scheduling device and electronic device, when scheduling the wafer cassette, first determine the target scheduling machine that needs to be scheduled at the current site, and determine the site type of the site where the target wafer cassette to be scheduled in the target scheduling machine is located. Then determine the target transfer machine for the target wafer cassette to be scheduled among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine the target transfer bin corresponding to the target transfer machine. Then, directly transfer the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine to the target transfer bin, so that the target wafer cassette can be directly transferred from the target transfer bin to the target transfer machine for operation. Compared with the traditional wafer cassette transfer method, this embodiment can directly transfer the wafer cassette from the machine currently in operation to the storage bin corresponding to the next working machine, and directly transfer the wafer cassette from this storage bin to the next working machine, improving the transfer efficiency of the wafer cassette. In addition, since the scheduling method in this embodiment reduces the number of transfers of the wafer cassette, it also reduces the transportation cost in the wafer cassette cleaning process and has strong applicability. Description of the Drawings

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the related art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the related art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a wafer cassette scheduling method in the prior art;

[0040] Figure 2 FIG. is a flowchart of a wafer cassette scheduling method in some embodiments;

[0041] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic diagram of a wafer cassette scheduling method in some embodiments;

[0042] Figure 4 FIG. is a flowchart of a wafer cassette scheduling method in some other embodiments;

[0043] Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the scheduling of the wafer cassette to be cleaned in some embodiments;

[0044] Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the scheduling of the cleaned wafer cassette in some embodiments;

[0045] Figure 7 FIG. is a structural block diagram of a wafer cassette scheduling device in some embodiments;

[0046] Figure 8 FIG. is an internal structure diagram of an electronic device in some embodiments. Detailed Embodiments

[0047] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the following further details the present application in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0048] In the process of wafer production and processing, in order to protect the wafers transported between various stations and ensure that the wafers do not collide or scratch during transportation, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod, hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer cassette) can be used as a container for storing and transporting wafers to improve the reliability of wafer production and transportation. The wafer production and processing system includes multiple stations, and each station is used to perform different operations, such as a lithography station, a deposition station, a cleaning station, and so on. Each station can include several machines for performing the operations of that station, as well as several storage bins for storing the equipment for loading and unloading the machines.

[0049] Since the wafer cassette may get dirty during use, and for some stations, clean wafer cassettes are required to store the processed wafers. Therefore, when the wafer cassette is used up at a certain station and enters the next station, the dirty wafer cassette to be cleaned needs to be cleaned, and after the cleaning is completed, it is re-added to the production line. The cleaning of the wafer cassette requires transporting the dirty wafer cassette through the transportation process to the cleaning station for cleaning, and then transporting the cleaned wafer cassette to the processing station that requires a clean wafer cassette.

[0050] Traditional wafer cassette cleaning scheduling methods, such as Figure 1 shown, after the wafers stored in the wafer cassette are loaded onto the processing machine, first, the empty wafer cassette to be cleaned is transported from the processing machine to the storage bin near the processing machine, then from the storage bin near the processing machine to the storage bin near the cleaning machine, and then from the storage bin near the cleaning machine to the cleaning machine for cleaning. Correspondingly, when the wafer cassette needs to re-enter the production line after being cleaned at the cleaning machine, it is also first transported from the cleaning machine to the storage bin near the cleaning machine, then from the storage bin near the cleaning machine to the storage bin near the processing machine, and finally transported from the storage bin near the processing machine to the processing machine to store the processed wafers. It can be seen that currently, the wafer cassette needs to be transported multiple times for one cleaning, with low transportation efficiency, resulting in a waste of transmission resources, low transportation efficiency, and high cost.

[0051] To address the above problems, this application proposes a wafer cassette scheduling method, such as Figure 2 shown in the flowchart of the scheduling method, including steps 202 to 206. Among them:

[0052] Step 202, determine the target scheduling machine to be scheduled at the current station, and determine the station type of the target wafer cassette to be scheduled in the target scheduling machine.

[0053] The target scheduling machine is used to represent the machine at the current station that requires wafer cassette scheduling and transportation. Since each station includes several machines and several storage bins, the operation processes, machine loads, and processing processes of each machine may be the same or different. When there are multiple machines to be scheduled at the current station, it is necessary to first determine the target scheduling machine at the current station. After the target scheduling machine is determined, then determine the target wafer cassette to be scheduled in the target scheduling machine, and determine the station type of the target wafer cassette to be scheduled.

[0054] Exemplarily, if the current station is a processing station for lithography, deposition, etc., after transporting the wafer cassette to the current station for processing, if the wafer cassette needs to be cleaned, the machine corresponding to the wafer cassette is used as the target scheduling machine, and the wafer cassette to be cleaned is used as the target wafer cassette. At this time, the station type of the station to be scheduled is the cleaning station. If the current station is a cleaning station and the wafer cassette is cleaned at the current station, the wafer cassette that needs to be re-added to the production line after the cleaning at the current station is used as the target wafer cassette. At this time, the target wafer cassette needs to be scheduled to the processing station to store the processed wafers, and the station type of the station to be scheduled is the processing station.

[0055] It should be noted that for the convenience of description, this embodiment and the subsequent embodiments are described by taking the scheduling before and after the cleaning of the wafer cassette as an example, that is, the scheduling between the processing station and the cleaning station as an example. In practical applications, the current station and the station to be scheduled can also be other station types, and this embodiment is not limited to the cleaning scheduling control of the wafer cassette.

[0056] Step 204, determine the target transport machine in the candidate stations of the same station type as the station type, and determine the target transport bin corresponding to the target transport machine.

[0057] The target transport machine represents the machine to which the wafer cassette needs to be transported after the scheduling operation. The target transport bin corresponds to the target transport machine and is a storage bin set near the target transport machine. The wafer cassette is transported to the target transport machine through the target transport bin to load the wafers to be cleaned or the cleaned wafers at the target transport machine.

[0058] When determining the target transport machine, all the machines that can receive the target wafer cassette can be counted in the candidate stations of the same station type as the station to be scheduled, and then the target transport machine for the best transport of the target wafer cassette is determined from all the machines that can receive the scheduling according to factors such as the load and distance of the machines. After determining the target transport machine, it is also necessary to determine the target transport bin corresponding to the target transport machine, so that the target wafer cassette is first transported to the target transport bin during scheduling and then transported from the target transport bin to the target transport machine.

[0059] Step 206, directly transport the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine to the target transport bin, so that the target wafer cassette is transported from the target transport bin to the target transport machine.

[0060] After determining the target scheduling machine of the current station and the target transport machine to be transported, the target wafer cassette of the target scheduling machine is directly transported from the target scheduling machine to the target transport bin near the target transport machine, so that the target wafer cassette can be transported from the target transport bin to the target transport machine.

[0061] Different from the traditional method of first transporting the dirty and empty wafer cassettes to the storage bin near the current machine tool through an external process, then transporting the empty wafer cassettes from this storage bin to the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool, and finally transporting the wafer cassettes from the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool to the cleaning machine tool. As Figure 3 shown, in this embodiment, when transporting the wafer cassette from the processing machine tool to the cleaning machine tool, the dirty and empty wafer cassette of the processing machine tool is directly transported from the processing machine tool to the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool, and then the wafer cassette is transported from the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool to the cleaning machine tool for cleaning. Correspondingly, when transporting the wafer cassette from the cleaning machine tool to the processing machine tool, the clean and empty wafer cassette of the cleaning machine tool is also directly transported from the cleaning machine tool to the storage bin near the processing machine tool, and then the wafer cassette is transported from the storage bin near the processing machine tool to the processing machine tool.

[0062] Compared with the traditional scheduling method, the scheduling method of this embodiment directly schedules the wafer cassettes unloaded from the processing machine tool to the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool, improving the transportation efficiency of the wafer cassettes. In addition, the working cost of the overhead crane used for transportation in the production system is relatively high. The scheduling method of this embodiment reduces the number of transports of the wafer cassettes, greatly reducing the transportation cost in the wafer cassette cleaning process and having strong applicability.

[0063] In some specific embodiments, determining the target transporting machine tool among the candidate stations of the same station type in step 204 includes: taking the available machine tools among all candidate stations as candidate machine tools, determining the wafer cassette requirements corresponding to each candidate machine tool, and determining the target transporting machine tool among all candidate machine tools according to each wafer cassette requirement.

[0064] The available machine tool represents a machine tool that can perform operations in the candidate station. Since each station includes multiple machine tools and multiple storage bins, the processes, standards, and requirements of each machine tool are different. Therefore, it is necessary to first determine the candidate machine tools of the available machine tools in the candidate station and determine the wafer cassette requirements corresponding to each candidate machine tool.

[0065] The wafer cassette requirement can represent the number of wafer cassettes required by the machine tool. For example, the wafer cassette requirement corresponding to the cleaning machine tool represents the number of wafer cassettes that this machine tool can clean. The wafer cassette requirement corresponding to the processing machine tool represents the number of wafer cassettes required to store the wafers processed by this machine tool.

[0066] In this embodiment, when scheduling the wafer cassettes, scheduling is performed according to the wafer cassette requirements of each machine tool, and the wafer cassettes are preferentially scheduled to the machine tool or station with a large demand to improve the processing efficiency of the production line.

[0067] In some other embodiments, the method further includes: determining the wafer cassette type of the target wafer cassette; determining the scheduling priority corresponding to this wafer cassette type among each wafer cassette requirement, and determining the target transporting machine tool among the candidate machine tools according to each scheduling priority.

[0068] The types of wafer cassettes used to store wafers in different production processes can also be different. For example, when there are special requirements for the temperature or humidity of wafer storage, the corresponding types of wafer cassettes are also different. For the type of wafer cassette required by the target transportation station, the scheduling priority corresponding to this type of wafer cassette is further determined, so that when scheduling the wafer cassette, the scheduling can be performed according to the scheduling priority of the wafer cassette, and the wafer cassette with a high scheduling priority can be scheduled first.

[0069] In this embodiment, when scheduling the wafer cassette, the scheduling priority is determined according to the types of wafer cassettes of each machine tool, so as to ensure the preferential scheduling of the wafer cassette with a high scheduling priority. While reducing the number of wafer cassette scheduling times, the scheduling process can be optimized in combination with the types of wafer cassettes, further improving the scheduling efficiency of the wafer cassette.

[0070] In some other embodiments, determining the target transportation bin corresponding to the target transportation machine tool includes: using the storage bin corresponding to the target transportation machine tool as the candidate storage bin; determining the scheduling distance between the target wafer cassette and each candidate storage bin, and determining the target storage bin from all candidate storage bins according to each scheduling distance.

[0071] The station includes several machine tools and storage bins. Each machine tool also corresponds to multiple storage bins that can store the wafers processed or unprocessed by this machine tool. The wafers are stored in the wafer cassettes. After determining the target transportation machine tool, the storage bin corresponding to the target transportation machine tool at this station is used as the candidate storage bin, and the scheduling distance between each candidate storage bin and the target wafer cassette is determined, so that when scheduling the target wafer cassette, the storage bin with a small scheduling distance is preferentially scheduled, and this storage bin is determined as the target storage bin.

[0072] This embodiment determines the target storage bin for transporting the target wafer cassette according to the distance between the target wafer cassette and the storage bin, optimizes the transportation process of the target wafer cassette, preferentially schedules the target wafer cassette to the target storage bin with a small scheduling distance, further improves the scheduling efficiency of the wafer cassette, and reduces the scheduling cost.

[0073] In some other embodiments, the determination of the target transportation station and the target transportation bin can be comprehensively determined by combining the wafer cassette requirements, scheduling priority, and scheduling distance proposed above, so as to obtain the target transportation station and the target transportation bin that can simultaneously meet multiple scheduling strategies.

[0074] In addition, neither the number nor the content of the scheduling strategies for determining the target transfer machine in this embodiment is limited. In practical applications, the usage frequency of the equipment can also be considered, and a machine with a low usage frequency can be selected from the candidate machines as the target transfer machine to extend the service life of each machine. Or, according to the urgency, a machine with a high operation priority can be selected from the candidate machines as the target transfer machine. Meanwhile, any number of strategies can be selected according to the situation to determine the target transfer machine, that is, multiple scheduling strategies can be determined simultaneously. For example, the target transfer machine can be determined based on the distance between the candidate machine and the target wafer cassette and the wafer cassette demand of the candidate machine.

[0075] In this embodiment, the scheduling strategy is determined according to different scheduling criteria, so as to determine the target transfer machine that meets the scheduling criteria among the candidate machines according to the scheduling strategy, and determine the target transfer warehouse according to the target transfer machine, which can meet different scheduling requirements and improve the overall transportation and production efficiency.

[0076] In some other implementation manners, when determining the target transfer machine and the target transfer warehouse according to multiple scheduling strategies such as wafer cassette demand, scheduling priority, and scheduling distance, the priority levels of the scheduling strategies can be determined; and the execution order of the scheduling strategies can be determined according to the priority levels.

[0077] Exemplarily, taking the scheduling strategy including the wafer cassette demand and the scheduling distance of the candidate machine as an example. If compromise is allowed in the scheduling distance during scheduling, the wafer cassette is preferentially scheduled to the machine with a large wafer cassette demand, that is, the priority of the wafer cassette demand of the candidate machine is set to be greater than the priority of the distance between the candidate storage warehouse and the target wafer cassette. When determining the target transfer site according to the scheduling strategy, first, all candidate machines are adjusted to the candidate machines with a large wafer cassette demand according to the wafer cassette demand, and then the machine with the smallest scheduling distance is determined as the target transfer machine among the candidate machines with a large wafer cassette demand according to the scheduling distance between the candidate storage warehouse corresponding to the machine and the target wafer cassette.

[0078] In this embodiment, the target transfer machine is determined through different scheduling strategies or strategy combinations, which can not only reduce the number of crane transports but also meet the scheduling requirements under different scheduling objectives, such as improving the overall production efficiency and machine utilization rate, and has strong applicability.

[0079] In some specific implementation manners, each scheduling strategy can also be used as an optimization objective, and the target transfer machine can be determined among the candidate machines based on the multi-objective genetic algorithm.

[0080] The genetic algorithm is a method that uses natural biological laws to optimize and solve practical problems. The multi-objective genetic algorithm is an algorithm for solving optimization problems with multiple objectives through the genetic algorithm. Generally speaking, the various objectives in the multi-objective optimization algorithm often conflict with each other. Through the multi-objective genetic algorithm, a balance can be achieved among multiple optimization objectives, and a set of optimal solutions that meet multiple optimization objectives can be obtained.

[0081] Taking the NSGA-II algorithm as an example of the multi-objective genetic algorithm, this algorithm is based on non-dominated sorting and crowding degree calculation, and can efficiently solve multi-objective optimization problems, obtain a set of Pareto optimal solutions, and maintain the diversity of solutions through appropriate selection, crossover, and compilation operations. This embodiment determines the target transportation station based on the multi-objective genetic algorithm, can balance between different scheduling strategies, obtain the optimal solutions that meet each scheduling strategy, and thus improve the transportation efficiency of the wafer cassette.

[0082] In some other embodiments, determining the target scheduling machine at the current station in step 202 includes: obtaining all the machines to be scheduled at the current station; determining the wafer cassette load corresponding to each machine to be scheduled, and determining the scheduling order of each machine to be scheduled according to the wafer cassette load; determining the target scheduling machine among the machines to be scheduled according to the scheduling order.

[0083] The target scheduling machine represents the machine at the current station that needs to transport the wafer cassette to the next station. Since each station includes multiple machines, when the transportation resources are tense, the scheduling order of the machines can be determined according to the wafer cassette load corresponding to each machine at the current station. Furthermore, according to the scheduling order of each machine, that is, according to the wafer cassette load situation of each machine, the target scheduling machine is determined. For the cleaning machine, the wafer cassette load here represents the number of wafer cassettes that have been cleaned, and for the processing machine, the wafer cassette load here represents the number of wafer cassettes to be cleaned.

[0084] Exemplarily, when the wafer cassette load corresponding to machine A at the current station is three wafer cassettes and the wafer cassette load corresponding to machine B is five wafer cassettes, when machines A and B need to be scheduled, machine B can be set as the target scheduling machine, and then machine A can be set as the target scheduling machine to ensure the scheduling efficiency of the wafer cassette.

[0085] It should be noted that usually, in order to improve the transportation efficiency, the target wafer cassettes of the same target scheduling machine will be scheduled to be transported to the same target transportation machine, or to different machines corresponding to the same storage bin. In some other implementation manners, the target transportation machine can be determined according to the wafer cassette load corresponding to the target scheduling machine. For example, when there are five wafer cassettes to be scheduled for the target scheduling machine, preferably, the corresponding target transportation machine also needs to be able to receive operations on five wafer cassettes to ensure the scheduling efficiency.

[0086] In some specific embodiments, all the machines to be scheduled at the current site are obtained, including: within a preset scheduling period, the machines that request the unloading of equipment at the current site are marked as machines to be scheduled.

[0087] The equipment unloading request is an instruction issued when the operation of the current machine on the wafer cassette ends and the wafer cassette needs to be transported to the next machine. Taking the cleaning of a dirty empty wafer cassette as an example, after the wafers in the wafer cassette are loaded onto the machine for processing, the empty wafer cassette that has loaded wafers needs to be transported to the cleaning machine for cleaning. When the control system receives a request from a certain machine at the current site to unload equipment, it means that the wafers in the wafer cassette corresponding to this machine have been loaded onto the machine, and the wafer cassette needs to be cleaned and the processed wafers of this machine need to be stored in a clean wafer cassette. At this time, this machine is marked as a machine to be scheduled.

[0088] The preset scheduling period represents a preset period for scheduling the wafer cassette. In this embodiment, the wafer cassette is scheduled and controlled according to the preset scheduling period, and different target transportation sites are determined for the target wafer cassette to be scheduled. Within the preset scheduling period, all the machines to be scheduled at the current machine are determined according to the equipment unloading requests received by the control system.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, when the site type of the current site is a cleaning site, the wafer cassette loads corresponding to each machine to be scheduled are determined, including: for each machine to be scheduled, the water level value of the machine to be scheduled is determined, and the wafer cassette load corresponding to the machine to be scheduled is determined according to the water level value.

[0090] The current site being a cleaning site means that the wafer cassette is cleaned at the current site, and after the cleaning operation is completed, the wafer cassette to be scheduled needs to be scheduled to the processing site that requires a clean empty wafer cassette. At this time, the wafer cassette load of the machine to be scheduled can be determined by the water level value of the machine to be scheduled.

[0091] Exemplarily, for a cleaning machine, when the cleaning operation ends, the water level value of the cleaning machine is related to the number of cleaning objects on the cleaning machine. That is, when the water level value of the cleaning machine is high when the cleaning operation ends, it means that there are few cleaning objects on this machine and there is more remaining water. When the water level value of the cleaning machine is low, it means that there are many cleaning objects on this machine and there is less remaining water. Correspondingly, when the current site is a cleaning site and the machine to be scheduled is a cleaning machine, when the water level value of the machine to be scheduled is low, it means that the wafer cassette load to be scheduled on this machine is large, and this machine can be preferentially used as the target scheduling machine.

[0092] In some other embodiments, when the station type of the station to be scheduled is a cleaning station, the scheduling strategy can also be determined according to the water level values of the candidate machines in the candidate stations. As mentioned above, when the water level value of a candidate machine is high, it means that the number of objects to be cleaned by the candidate machine is small, that is, the wafer cassette load is small. The candidate machine with a high water level value can be preferentially used as the target transfer machine.

[0093] In some specific embodiments, the method further includes: determining the minimum water level value corresponding to each machine to be scheduled; if the water level value of a certain machine to be scheduled is lower than the minimum water level value corresponding to the machine to be scheduled, the machine to be scheduled is preferentially determined as the target scheduling machine.

[0094] The cleaning processes and cleaning parameters corresponding to each cleaning machine are different. In order to more accurately determine the wafer cassette load of the cleaning machine, in addition to comparing the water level values of each machine, the minimum water level values corresponding to each machine can also be compared to better determine the target scheduling machine.

[0095] Exemplarily, assume that the minimum water level value of cleaning machine M is a0 and the current water level value is a1. When a1 is less than a0, it means that the number of cleaning objects of this cleaning machine is large, and this cleaning machine is preferentially used as the target scheduling machine.

[0096] In some other implementation manners, the water level value of the cleaning machine can be combined with the minimum water level values of each cleaning machine for comprehensive comparison, and the machine with a low water level value and lower than the minimum water level value is preferentially selected as the target scheduling machine.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, determining the minimum water level value corresponding to each machine to be scheduled includes: determining the cleaning rate of each machine to be scheduled, and determining the minimum water level value according to the cleaning rate.

[0098] The cleaning rate of the cleaning machine is related to the cleaning process, cleaning standard, and cleaning method of the machine. The cleaning rate of the machine with a complex cleaning process, high cleaning standard, and cumbersome cleaning method is lower than that of the machine with a simple cleaning process, low cleaning standard, and simple cleaning method. In this embodiment, the minimum water level value of the cleaning machine is determined according to the cleaning rate of the machine. For example, the minimum water level value of the machine with a high cleaning rate is set higher than that of the machine with a low cleaning rate.

[0099] Exemplarily, when the station to be scheduled is a cleaning station, the water level values of machine X and machine Y among the candidate machines are both 20. Among them, the minimum water level value corresponding to machine X is 15, and the minimum water level value corresponding to machine Y is 8, indicating that the cleaning rate of machine X is fast, and the target wafer cassette can be preferentially transported to machine X for cleaning.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown in the figure, a wafer cassette scheduling method is proposed, and this method includes the following steps 402 to 406. Figure 5 The figure shows a schematic diagram of scheduling the wafer cassette to be cleaned. Figure 6 The figure shows a schematic diagram of scheduling the cleaned wafer cassette. Among them:

[0101] Step 402: Obtain all the machines to be scheduled at the current station, determine the target scheduling machine among all the machines to be scheduled, and the target wafer cassette that the target scheduling machine needs to schedule.

[0102] The target scheduling machine can be determined by the real-time response of the machine equipment unloading request. In this embodiment, the target scheduling machine is determined according to the wafer cassette load in the machines to be scheduled, that is, the machine with the largest wafer cassette load is used as the target scheduling machine.

[0103] When scheduling from the processing site to the cleaning site, all the machines that request equipment unloading at the processing site, that is, all the machines where the dirty empty wafer cassettes loaded onto the machines for processing are located, are used as the machines to be scheduled. When scheduling from the cleaning site to the processing site, all the machines that request equipment unloading at the cleaning site, that is, all the machines where the wafer cassettes have been cleaned, are used as the machines to be scheduled.

[0104] Step 404: Determine the scheduling strategy, and determine the target transporting machine and the target transporting bin corresponding to the target transporting machine according to the scheduling strategy.

[0105] For example Figure 5 Taking the scheduling of the wafer cassette from the processing site to the cleaning site as an example, the scheduling strategy may include the wafer cassette demand of the cleaning machine, the scheduling priority of the target wafer cassette to be cleaned, and the distance between the target wafer cassette to be cleaned and the corresponding storage bin of the cleaning machine. Solve the above scheduling strategy based on the multi-objective optimization genetic algorithm. The wafer cassette demand of the cleaning machine is expressed as:

[0106] ;

[0107] Among them, represents the wafer cassette demand corresponding to the cleaning machine, and this demand is determined by the load of the wafer cassettes to be cleaned in the storage bin near the cleaning machine. represents the maximum acceptable number of wafer cassettes corresponding to the cleaning machine, which is also determined by the load of the storage bin near the cleaning machine. Under this goal, the cleaning machine with the smallest number of selected wafer cassettes is used as the target transporting machine.

[0108] The scheduling priority of the target wafer cassette to be cleaned is expressed as:

[0109] ;

[0110] Among them, represents the wafer cassette type, Indicates the cleaning priority corresponding to the cassette type, Indicates the list of cassettes to be cleaned, i.e., all cassettes to be cleaned, Indicates all the cassette types to be cleaned in the storage bin. Under this objective, the cassette with the highest type priority among the cassettes to be cleaned is selected for cleaning first.

[0111] The distance between the target cassette to be cleaned and the storage bin corresponding to the cleaning machine is expressed as:

[0112] ;

[0113] Among them, Indicates the distance between the target cassette and the candidate storage bin. Under this objective, the candidate storage bin with the shortest scheduling distance to the target cassette is selected for priority scheduling and cleaning.

[0114] The constraint condition is expressed as:

[0115] ;

[0116] Indicates that the cleaning scheduling of the cassette needs to meet the type limit of the candidate storage bin.

[0117] During the above optimization calculation, the optimization priority of the cassette demand of the cleaning machine is the highest, the optimization priority corresponding to the scheduling priority of the target cassette to be cleaned is medium, and the optimization priority corresponding to the scheduling distance between the target cassette to be cleaned and the storage bin corresponding to the cleaning machine is the lowest.

[0118] In some other embodiments, the cleaning scheduling order of the cassette can also be determined according to the water level value of the cleaning machine and the judgment with the lowest water level value.

[0119] For example, Figure 6 Taking the scheduling of the cassette from the cleaning station to the processing station as an example, the scheduling strategy can include the cassette demand of the processing machine, the type of the target cassette that has been cleaned, and the distance between the target cassette that has been cleaned and the storage bin corresponding to the processing machine.

[0120] Based on the multi-objective optimization genetic algorithm to solve the above scheduling strategy, the type of the target cassette that has been cleaned is expressed as:

[0121] ;

[0122] Among them, Indicates the cassette type, Indicates the quantity of different types of cassettes, Indicates the list of work-in-progress cassettes to be preferentially operated, i.e., the priority among all the cassettes that have been cleaned, Indicates all the types of cleaned wafer cassettes in the storage bins. Under this objective, the wafer cassette with the highest priority is selected and preferentially scheduled to the processing machine tool.

[0123] The demand for wafer cassettes of the processing machine tool is expressed as:

[0124] ;

[0125] Among them, Indicates the number of wafer cassettes required to be used on the processing machine tool. Under this objective, the machine tool with a large load and a large demand for cleaned wafer cassettes is selected as the target transfer machine tool and preferentially scheduled.

[0126] The distance between the cleaned target wafer cassette and the corresponding storage bin of the processing machine tool is expressed as:

[0127] ;

[0128] Among them, Indicates the distance between the target wafer cassette and the candidate storage bin. Under this objective, the one with the shortest scheduling distance between the candidate storage bin and the target wafer cassette is selected for preferential scheduling and processing.

[0129] The constraint condition is expressed as:

[0130] ;

[0131] Indicates that the end scheduling of the wafer cassette cleaning needs to meet the type restrictions of the candidate storage bin.

[0132] The priority levels of the above optimization objectives are as follows: the type priority of the cleaned target wafer cassette is the highest, the priority of the demand for wafer cassettes of the processing machine tool is medium, and the priority of the distance between the cleaned target wafer cassette and the corresponding storage bin of the processing machine tool is the lowest.

[0133] Step 406: Directly transport the target wafer cassette of the target scheduling machine tool to the target storage bin, and then transport it to the target transfer machine tool through the target storage bin.

[0134] As Figure 5 shown, when scheduling the wafer cassettes to be cleaned, directly transport the dirty wafer cassettes to the storage bin near the cleaning machine tool, and directly move to the cleaning machine tool in this storage bin for cleaning. As Figure 6 shown, when scheduling the cleaned wafer cassettes, directly transport the cleaned wafer cassettes to the storage bin near the processing machine tool, and directly transport them to the processing machine tool to load wafers in this storage bin. The wafer cassette scheduling method of this embodiment reduces the number of transports during wafer cassette cleaning, reduces the transportation cost, and also improves the transportation efficiency and production efficiency of wafers.

[0135] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-described embodiments are sequentially shown according to the indications of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear description in this article, the execution of these steps has no strict order limit, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-described embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same moment, but can be executed at different moments. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or in turn with at least a part of other steps or steps or stages in other steps.

[0136] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a wafer cassette scheduling device for implementing the above-mentioned wafer cassette scheduling method. The solution provided by this device to solve the problem is similar to the solution described in the above method. Therefore, the specific limitations in one or more embodiments of the wafer cassette scheduling device provided below can refer to the limitations on the wafer cassette scheduling method in the above text, and will not be repeated here.

[0137] In an exemplary embodiment, as Figure 7 shown, a wafer cassette scheduling device is provided, and the device includes: a first determination module 702, a second determination module 704, and a scheduling module 706. Among them:

[0138] The first determination module 702 is configured to determine a target scheduling machine to be scheduled at the current site, and determine the site type of the site where the target wafer cassette in the target scheduling machine is to be scheduled;

[0139] The second determination module 704 is configured to determine a target transport machine among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a target transport bin corresponding to the target transport machine;

[0140] The scheduling module 706 is configured to directly transport the target wafer cassette from the target scheduling machine to the target transport bin, so that the target wafer cassette is transported from the target transport bin to the target transport machine.

[0141] In some embodiments, the second determination module 704 is further configured to: use the available machines in all candidate sites as candidate machines, determine the wafer cassette requirements corresponding to each candidate machine, and determine the target transport machine among all candidate machines according to each wafer cassette requirement.

[0142] In some embodiments, the second determination module 704 is further configured to: determine the wafer cassette type of the target wafer cassette; determine the scheduling priority corresponding to this wafer cassette type among each wafer cassette requirement, and determine the target transport machine among the candidate machines according to each scheduling priority.

[0143] In some embodiments, the second determination module 704 is further configured to: use the storage bin corresponding to the target conveyor as a candidate storage bin; determine the scheduling distances between the target wafer cassette and each candidate storage bin, and determine the target storage bin from all candidate storage bins according to each scheduling distance.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first determination module 702 is further configured to: within a preset scheduling period, obtain all the machines to be scheduled at the current site; determine the wafer cassette loads of the machines to be scheduled, and determine the scheduling order of the machines to be scheduled according to the wafer cassette loads; determine the target scheduling machine from the machines to be scheduled according to the scheduling order.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first determination module 702 is further configured to: within a preset scheduling period, mark all the machines that request equipment unloading at the current site as machines to be scheduled.

[0146] In some embodiments, when the site type of the current site is a cleaning site, the first determination module 702 is further configured to: for each machine to be scheduled, determine the water level value of the machine to be scheduled, and determine the wafer cassette load of the machine to be scheduled according to the water level value.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first determination module 702 is further configured to: determine the lowest water level value corresponding to each machine to be scheduled; if there is a machine to be scheduled whose water level value is lower than the lowest water level value corresponding to the machine to be scheduled, then preferentially determine the machine to be scheduled as the target scheduling machine.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first determination module 702 is further configured to: determine the cleaning rate of each machine to be scheduled, and determine the lowest water level value according to the cleaning rate.

[0149] Each module in the above wafer cassette scheduling device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, and their combination. The above modules can be embedded in the processor of the computer device in hardware form or be independent of it, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in software form, so as to facilitate the processor to call and execute the operations corresponding to the above respective modules.

[0150] In an exemplary embodiment, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device can be a control terminal, and its internal structure diagram can be as Figure 8As shown. The electronic device includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface (Input / Output, abbreviated as I / O), and a communication interface. Among them, the processor, the memory, and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface is connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. Among them, the processor of the electronic device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the electronic device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system, a computer program, and a database. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The database of the electronic device is used to store data related to the state of the wafer cassette. The input / output interface of the electronic device is used to exchange information between the processor and external devices. The communication interface of the electronic device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements a wafer cassette scheduling method.

[0151] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 8 the structure shown in is only a block diagram of some structures related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific electronic device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have a different component arrangement.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor. A computer program is stored in the memory. When the processor executes the computer program, the steps in the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0153] In an embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0154] In an embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0155] It should be noted that the information (including but not limited to device status information, device working information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in the present application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use, and processing of relevant data need to comply with relevant regulations.

[0156] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Among them, any reference to a memory, database, or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memories. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc. The databases involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of relational databases and non-relational databases. Non-relational databases can include distributed databases based on blockchain, etc., without limitation. The processors involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can be general-purpose processors, central processing units, graphics processing units, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, data processing logics based on quantum computing, etc., without limitation.

[0157] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of concise description, 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, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0158] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer box scheduling method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine the target scheduling machine to be scheduled for requesting equipment unloading at the current site, and determine the site type of the target wafer box to be scheduled site in the target scheduling machine; the site type of the site to be scheduled is a cleaning site or a processing site; the target wafer box is a wafer box to be cleaned or a wafer box after cleaning; Determine a target transport machine among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a storage bin with the smallest scheduling distance from the candidate storage bins near the target transport machine as the target transport bin; the target transport machine is a machine with the largest wafer box demand among available candidate machines of the same site type; the target transport bin is different from the storage bin of the target scheduling machine; The target wafer box is directly transported from the target scheduling machine to the nearby target transport warehouse, so that the target wafer box is transported from the target transport warehouse to the target transport machine.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of determining a target transport machine from candidate sites of the same type as the site includes: Taking all available machines in the candidate sites as candidate machines; The wafer box requirements corresponding to each of the candidate machines are determined, and a target transport machine is determined from among all the candidate machines according to the wafer box requirements.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determining a wafer box type of the target wafer box; The scheduling priority of the wafer box type is determined in each of the wafer box requirements, and the target transport machine is determined from the candidate machines according to each of the scheduling priorities.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining a target transport bin corresponding to the target transport machine includes: Taking the storage bin corresponding to the target transport machine as a candidate storage bin; The scheduling distance between the target wafer box and each of the candidate storage bins is determined, and a target transport bin is determined among all the candidate storage bins according to each of the scheduling distances.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determining the target dispatching machine at the current site includes: Obtain all the machines to be scheduled at the current site; Determine the wafer box load corresponding to each of the to-be-scheduled machines, and determine the scheduling order of each of the to-be-scheduled machines according to the wafer box load; and determine the target scheduling machine among the to-be-scheduled machines according to the scheduling order.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The obtaining of all the machines to be scheduled at the current site includes: In a preset scheduling period, all machines in the current site that request device unloading are marked as the machines to be scheduled.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that When the site type of the current site is a cleaning site, determining the wafer box load corresponding to each of the to-be-scheduled machines includes: For each of the machines to be scheduled, the water level value of the machine to be scheduled is determined, and the wafer box load corresponding to the machine to be scheduled is determined according to the water level value.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the lowest water level value corresponding to each of the machines to be scheduled; If there is a machine to be scheduled whose water level value is lower than the minimum water level value corresponding to the machine to be scheduled, the machine to be scheduled will be preferentially determined as the target scheduling machine.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of determining the lowest water level value corresponding to each of the machines to be scheduled includes: The cleaning rate of each of the machines to be scheduled is determined, and the minimum water level value is determined according to the cleaning rate.

10. A wafer box scheduling device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The first determination module is configured to determine the target scheduling machine to be scheduled for requesting equipment unloading at the current site, and determine the site type of the target wafer box to be scheduled in the target scheduling machine; the site type of the site to be scheduled is a cleaning site or a processing site; the target wafer box is a wafer box to be cleaned or a wafer box after cleaning; The second determination module is configured to determine a target transport machine among candidate sites of the same site type, and determine a storage bin with the smallest scheduling distance from the candidate storage bins near the target transport machine as the target transport bin; the target transport machine is the machine with the largest wafer box demand among the available candidate machines of the same site type; the target transport bin is different from the storage bin of the target scheduling machine; The transport module is configured to transport the target wafer box directly from the target scheduling machine to the nearby target transport warehouse, so that the target wafer box is transported from the target transport warehouse to the target transport machine.

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