Liquid medicine management method, liquid medicine management equipment and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a liquid medicine management method, liquid medicine management equipment and semiconductor process equipment, and the liquid medicine management method comprises the steps: receiving a first liquid medicine updating demand for a target process tank, and detecting the current state of the target process tank; and in response to the state that the target process tank is in response to the second liquid medicine updating demand, comparing the priority of the first liquid medicine updating demand with the priority of the second liquid medicine updating demand, and preferentially responding to the liquid medicine updating demand with the high priority. Therefore, different liquid medicine updating requirements can be managed based on different priorities of liquid supplementing and acid replacing, the problem of interference between liquid supplementing and acid replacing is solved, it is ensured that liquid supplementing and acid replacing are carried out orderly, and a foundation is laid for improving the preparation efficiency and product quality of semiconductors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor preparation technology, and in particular to a liquid medicine management method, liquid medicine management equipment and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous progress of scientific and technological productivity, the whole society is becoming more and more information-based and intelligent, and the demand for semiconductors is becoming more and more vigorous. In the semiconductor preparation process, how to ensure the orderly replacement of acid and replenishment of liquid is of great significance to improving the preparation efficiency and product quality of semiconductors. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the present application is committed to providing a liquid medicine management method, liquid medicine management equipment and semiconductor process equipment, which can ensure the orderly acid replacement and liquid replenishment.

[0004] The first aspect of the present application provides a method for managing a drug solution, comprising:

[0005] receiving a first liquid update request for a target process tank, and detecting a current state of the target process tank;

[0006] In response to the target process tank being in a state of responding to a second chemical liquid update demand, priorities of the first chemical liquid update demand and the second chemical liquid update demand are compared, and the chemical liquid update demand with a higher priority is responded to first.

[0007] Optionally, the prioritizing response to the high priority drug solution update demand includes:

[0008] In response to the priority of the second medicine liquid update requirement being lower than the priority of the first medicine liquid update requirement, responding to the first medicine liquid update requirement to perform a first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update requirement and stopping responding to the second medicine liquid update requirement; and / or,

[0009] In response to the second medical fluid update request having a higher priority than the first medical fluid update request, the first medical fluid update request is rejected.

[0010] Optionally, it also includes:

[0011] In response to the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement being the same as the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state;

[0012] If the target process tank is in a process state and the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in a process state, then the first liquid update requirement is executed in response to perform the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement.

[0013] Optionally, it also includes:

[0014] In response to the target process tank currently being in a state of not responding to any liquid medicine update demand, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state;

[0015] In response to the target process tank being in a process state and the first liquid update operation being compatible with the current process, or the target process tank being not in a process state, responding to the first liquid update requirement to perform a first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement.

[0016] Optionally, the responding to the first drug solution update requirement specifically includes:

[0017] Sending a first liquid medicine update request to the host computer;

[0018] In response to receiving a first drug liquid update instruction issued by the host computer based on the first drug liquid update request, the first drug liquid update operation is executed.

[0019] Optionally, after sending the first drug liquid update request to the host computer and before receiving the first drug liquid update instruction, in response to receiving a third drug liquid update requirement, the method further includes:

[0020] In response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being higher than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement and stop responding to the first liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and higher than the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, refuse to respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and equal to the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, detect whether the target process tank is in a process state; if the target process tank is in a process state and the third liquid medicine update operation corresponding to the third liquid medicine update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in a process state, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement until the first liquid medicine update instruction issued by the host computer is received.

[0021] Optionally, the liquid medicine renewal demand includes a liquid replenishment demand and an acid replacement demand; wherein the priority of the liquid replenishment demand is lower than the priority of the acid replacement demand.

[0022] Optionally, the acid exchange requirements include large acid exchange requirements and small acid exchange requirements; the liquid replenishment requirements include liquid replenishment level requirements and liquid replenishment concentration requirements; wherein,

[0023] The priority of the large acid exchange requirement is higher than the priority of the small acid exchange requirement; the priority of the liquid replenishment level requirement is equal to the priority of the concentration replenishment requirement.

[0024] Optionally, detecting the current state of the target process tank includes:

[0025] Determining whether the target process tank is currently in a state of responding to other liquid update requirements based on the value of the maintained state machine;

[0026] The state machine includes: a drug solution state, a spike addition state and a small acid exchange state.

[0027] A second aspect of the present application provides a liquid medicine management device, comprising:

[0028] A processor, and a memory connected to the processor;

[0029] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0030] The processor is used to call and execute the computer program in the memory to perform the drug solution management method as described in the first aspect of the present application.

[0031] The third aspect of the present application provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising at least one process chamber, a lower computer and an upper computer corresponding to each of the process chambers; wherein,

[0032] The lower computer implements the drug solution management method as described in the first aspect of the present invention by executing a computer program.

[0033] In the solution of the present application, a first liquid update demand for a target process tank is received, and the current state of the target process tank is detected; in response to the target process tank being in a state of responding to a second liquid update demand, the priorities of the first liquid update demand and the second liquid update demand are compared, and the liquid update demand with a higher priority is responded to first. In this way, different liquid update demands can be managed based on the different priorities of liquid replenishment and acid exchange, solving the interference problem between liquid replenishment and acid exchange, ensuring the orderly progress of liquid replenishment and acid exchange, and laying a foundation for improving semiconductor preparation efficiency and product quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0035] Figure 1It is a flow chart of a method for managing liquid medicine provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a method for managing liquid medicine provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 3 It is a state transition diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 4 This is another state transition diagram provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of a computing device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this specification shall have the common meanings understood by persons with ordinary skills in the field to which this specification belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to avoid confusion of constituent elements.

[0041] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification, "plurality" means "at least two", and "including" is interpreted as an open, inclusive meaning, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "examples", "specific examples" or "some examples" are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, material or characteristic associated with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the specification. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0042] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this specification to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this specification, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0043] The software control system of the tank cleaning machine can be divided into two parts: the upper computer control software and the lower computer control software. The upper computer control software (Wet Bench Tool Controller, referred to as BTC) of the tank cleaning machine is the central link of the software control system, managing and coordinating the lower computer control software, interacting with the factory service end, and providing a graphical user interface; while the lower computer control software can be divided into two parts: the transport module software control system (Transport Module Controller, referred to as TMC) responsible for the control of the transport module and the process module software control system (Process Module Controller, referred to as PMC) responsible for the control of the process module.

[0044] Among them, TMC mainly controls moving parts such as robots and slot covers to realize wafer transmission; PMC mainly controls each process slot and components configured in the module, such as heaters, circulation pumps, etc., to realize wafer processing.

[0045] During implementation, the wafer is sent into the machine, completes specific processes in each process tank, and is finally sent out of the machine after drying. The entire process requires the cooperation of BTC, TMC and PMC. Among them, PMC's management of the chemical solution in the chemical solution tank is particularly important, which directly affects the quality of the current wafer.

[0046] Chemical solution management mainly includes two parts: acid replacement and liquid replenishment. Acid replacement is the process of replacing the chemical solution after it reaches its life cycle, and liquid replenishment is the process of regularly and quantitatively replenishing the chemical solution in the tank after the acid is replaced, so that its consumption and replenishment reach a balance. Among them, wafer processing is not allowed during acid replacement (that is, acid replacement is incompatible with the process), while liquid replenishment can be selected according to user settings to allow it to be performed during the process (that is, whether liquid replenishment is compatible with the process depends on user configuration settings).

[0047] Acid change can be further divided into two parts: major acid change (Change, i.e. replacing the old acid in the entire process tank) and minor acid change (Partially-Change, i.e. replacing the old acid in part of the process tank). Major acid change and minor acid change each maintain their own life cycle; liquid replenishment can be further divided into two parts: replenishment (Replenish, i.e. replenishing the amount of liquid) and spike (Spike, i.e. replenishing the concentration of liquid). The trigger condition for replenishment is the liquid level sensor, so Replenish is also called "liquid replenishment level". The trigger condition for spike addition can be selected according to the user's settings, using a fixed time (replenishing the specified liquid at a fixed period) or liquid concentration (replenishing the low-concentration liquid in real time according to the feedback from the concentration meter), so Spike is also called "replenishment concentration".

[0048] For tank cleaning equipment, unreasonable liquid management will lead to conflicts between acid replacement and liquid replenishment, which will in turn affect the control software function and wafer process, and sometimes even cause control software crashes, product wafers scrapped and other adverse effects.

[0049] To this end, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for managing liquid medicine, such as Figure 1 As shown, the drug solution management method may include at least the following steps:

[0050] S101 : receiving a first liquid update request for a target process tank, and detecting a current state of the target process tank.

[0051] In the scenario where PMC is the execution entity, when PMC receives the first liquid update requirement for the target process tank, it can detect the current state of the target process tank to determine whether the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement can be executed in the current target process tank.

[0052] Detecting the current state of the target process tank may be detecting whether the target process tank is currently in a second liquid update state. The second liquid update operation corresponding to the second liquid update state and the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement are two different operations.

[0053] For example, the PMC detects that the target process tank needs to be replenished. In response to the replenishment demand for the target process tank, it can detect whether the target process tank is in an acid replacement state, that is, whether the target process tank is performing an acid replacement operation. In this way, it can provide a basis for judging whether to continue to respond to the replenishment demand and how to perform the replenishment operation corresponding to the replenishment demand, thereby avoiding interference between acid replacement and replenishment.

[0054] S102 , in response to the target process tank being in a state of responding to the second chemical liquid update demand, comparing the priorities of the first chemical liquid update demand and the second chemical liquid update demand, and preferentially responding to the chemical liquid update demand with a higher priority.

[0055] Comparing the priorities of the first medicine liquid update requirement and the second medicine liquid update requirement can provide a basis for the orderly execution of the two update requirements in subsequent medicine liquid management.

[0056] In this embodiment, a first liquid update requirement for a target process tank is received, and the current state of the target process tank is detected; in response to the target process tank being in a state of responding to a second liquid update requirement, the priorities of the first liquid update requirement and the second liquid update requirement are compared, and the liquid update requirement with a higher priority is responded to first. In this way, different liquid update requirements can be managed based on the different priorities of liquid replenishment and acid exchange, which solves the interference problem between liquid replenishment and acid exchange, ensures the orderly progress of liquid replenishment and acid exchange, and lays a foundation for improving semiconductor preparation efficiency and product quality.

[0057] Specifically, giving priority to responding to medicine liquid update requests with higher priorities may specifically include: in response to the priority of the second medicine liquid update request being lower than the priority of the first medicine liquid update request, responding to the first medicine liquid update request to perform the first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update request, and stopping responding to the second medicine liquid update request; and / or, in response to the priority of the second medicine liquid update request being higher than the priority of the first medicine liquid update request, refusing to respond to the first medicine liquid update request.

[0058] For example, if the first liquid medicine update requirement is a liquid replenishment requirement, the second liquid medicine update requirement is an acid replacement requirement, and the priority of the liquid replenishment requirement is lower than the priority of the acid replacement requirement, then stop responding to the liquid replenishment requirement. If the first liquid medicine update requirement is an acid replacement requirement, the second liquid medicine update requirement is a liquid replenishment requirement, and the priority of the liquid replenishment requirement is lower than the priority of the acid replacement requirement, then perform the acid replacement operation and stop the current liquid replenishment operation.

[0059] In this way, different priorities are set for the drug solution update requirements, and the corresponding drug solution update operations can be performed in order of priority, thereby achieving reasonable and orderly management of drug solution updates and avoiding interference problems between acid replacement and fluid replenishment.

[0060] In some embodiments, the medicine liquid management method may further include: in response to the priority of the first medicine liquid update requirement being the same as the priority of the second medicine liquid update requirement, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state; if the target process tank is in the process state and the first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in the process state, responding to execute the first medicine liquid update requirement to execute the first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update requirement.

[0061] Specifically, the compatibility relationship between the medicine liquid update operation and the process can be pre-set for the process tank. Based on this, when detecting whether the first medicine liquid update operation is compatible with the current process, it can be determined whether the first medicine liquid update operation is compatible with the current process based on the compatibility relationship between the medicine liquid update operation and the process corresponding to the target process tank, thereby improving the efficiency of medicine liquid management.

[0062] During implementation, two mutually compatible liquid medicine update requirements can be set as liquid medicine update requirements with the same priority. For example, the liquid replenishment level requirement and the concentration replenishment requirement correspond to the liquid replenishment level operation and the concentration replenishment operation, which are two mutually compatible liquid medicine update operations, and the liquid replenishment level requirement and the concentration replenishment requirement can be set as two liquid medicine update requirements with the same priority. Correspondingly, the first liquid medicine update requirement and the second liquid medicine update requirement can include liquid replenishment requirements; liquid replenishment requirements include liquid replenishment level requirements and concentration replenishment requirements.

[0063] Accordingly, considering the situation where there are simultaneous occurrences of drug liquid update demands with the same priority, such as detecting a concentration replenishment demand during the process of responding to a drug level replenishment demand, or detecting a drug level replenishment demand during the process of responding to a concentration replenishment demand, at this time, in order to avoid confusion in the drug liquid state, it is possible to detect whether the target process tank is in the process state. If the target process tank is in the process state, it is possible to detect whether the first drug liquid update operation is compatible with the current process to determine whether the first drug liquid update operation can be directly performed under the current process state.

[0064] If the preset current process is compatible with the first liquid medicine update state, it means that the first liquid medicine update operation can be performed during the current process, and the first liquid medicine update operation can be performed directly. If the preset current process is incompatible with the first liquid medicine update state, it means that the first liquid medicine update operation is not allowed during the current process, and the first liquid medicine update demand is stopped.

[0065] If the target process tank is not in the process state, it means that the current target process tank is in the idle state, and the first liquid update operation can be directly performed.

[0066] In this way, the two liquid medicine update needs with the same priority can be taken into account, and both needs can be responded to in a timely and rapid manner without affecting the process, thereby providing a better environment for process preparation and laying the foundation for improving preparation efficiency and product yield.

[0067] In some embodiments, three kinds of drug liquid update requirements may occur simultaneously during the process. In order to ensure the orderly management of the drug liquid and avoid confusion in the drug liquid status, the drug liquid management method may further include: if a third drug liquid update requirement is obtained in the process of responding to the second drug liquid update requirement and the first drug liquid update requirement, and the priority of the third drug liquid update requirement is higher than the priority of the first drug liquid update requirement, then in response to the third drug liquid update requirement, a third drug liquid update request is sent to the host computer so that the host computer issues a third drug liquid update instruction; in response to the third drug liquid update instruction issued by the host computer, the first drug liquid update operation and the second drug liquid update operation are terminated, and the third drug liquid update operation is executed.

[0068] The priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement is higher than that of the first liquid medicine update requirement, that is, the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement is higher than that of the first liquid medicine update requirement, and at the same time, it is also higher than the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, indicating that the third liquid medicine update requirement is the liquid medicine update requirement with the highest priority among the three liquid medicine update requirements. Then, the PMC can send a third liquid medicine update request to the host computer. Based on the scheduling plan, the host computer sends a third liquid medicine update instruction when the PMC can execute the third liquid medicine update operation. After receiving the third liquid medicine update instruction, the PMC ends the first liquid medicine update operation and the second liquid medicine update operation, that is, stops responding to the first liquid medicine update requirement and the second liquid medicine update requirement, and executes the third liquid medicine update operation.

[0069] For example, when the PMC obtains the demand for large acid change in the process of responding to the replenishment level demand and the replenishment concentration demand for the target process tank, it can send a large acid change request for the target process tank to the host computer. Based on the scheduling plan, the host computer sends a large acid change operation instruction to the PMC when the PMC can perform the large acid change operation on the target process tank. After receiving the large acid change operation instruction, the PMC stops executing the replenishment level operation and the replenishment concentration operation and executes the large acid change operation.

[0070] Among them, the liquid replenishment level demand and the concentration replenishment demand are both liquid replenishment demands. The large acid change demand and the small acid change demand are both acid change demands. The priority of liquid replenishment demand is lower than that of acid change demand. Specifically, the priority of large acid change demand is higher than that of small acid change demand; the priority of liquid replenishment level demand is equal to the priority of concentration replenishment demand.

[0071] In some embodiments, the drug liquid management method may further include: in response to the target process tank currently being in a state of not responding to any drug liquid update demand, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state; in response to the target process tank being in the process state and the first drug liquid update operation is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in the process state, responding to the first drug liquid update demand to perform the first drug liquid update operation corresponding to the first drug liquid update demand.

[0072] If the target process tank is currently in a state of not responding to any liquid medicine update demand, it means that there is only a first liquid medicine update demand at present, and then it can be detected whether the target process tank is in a process state to determine whether the first liquid medicine update operation can be performed at present.

[0073] In this way, it is possible to realize medicine liquid management in a single medicine liquid update scenario, achieve timely response to single medicine liquid update needs, and ensure the timeliness and efficiency of medicine liquid management.

[0074] In some implementations, the above-mentioned response to the first drug liquid update demand may specifically include: sending a first drug liquid update request to a host computer; in response to receiving a first drug liquid update instruction issued by the host computer based on the first drug liquid update request, executing a first drug liquid update operation.

[0075] For example, when the first liquid medicine update requirement is an acid replacement requirement, it is necessary to send a first liquid medicine update request to the host computer so that the host computer responds to the first liquid medicine update request and sends a first liquid medicine update instruction to the PMC when the PMC can perform the first liquid medicine update operation based on the scheduling plan. After receiving the first liquid medicine update instruction, the PMC responds to the received first liquid medicine update instruction and performs the corresponding first liquid medicine update operation.

[0076] For another example, if the first liquid medicine update requirement is a small acid change requirement, and the second liquid medicine update requirement is a liquid filling level requirement, and the priority of the small acid change requirement is higher than the priority of the liquid filling level requirement, then it is necessary to send a small acid change request to the host computer so that the host computer issues a small acid change instruction. After obtaining the small acid change instruction issued by the host computer, the small acid change operation can be executed in response to the small acid change instruction, and the liquid filling level operation is terminated.

[0077] It should be noted that, when the first liquid medicine update request is sent but the first liquid medicine update instruction is not obtained, if the target process tank is in the process of the second liquid medicine update operation, the second liquid medicine update operation may be maintained until the first liquid medicine update instruction issued by the host computer is obtained, and then the second liquid medicine update operation is terminated. In this way, the concurrent needs of the two liquid medicine update requirements are taken into account. While waiting for the first liquid medicine update instruction to be issued, the second liquid medicine update operation is maintained. While ensuring the acid environment of the current process, ensuring the efficiency of process preparation and product yield, the conflict between the two liquid medicine update operations is avoided, thereby improving the rationality and comprehensiveness of liquid medicine management.

[0078] In some implementations, after sending the first liquid medicine update request to the host computer and before the host computer sends the first liquid medicine update instruction, Figure 2 As shown, the drug solution management method may further include the following steps:

[0079] S201, obtaining a third medicine liquid update requirement.

[0080] The first liquid medicine update requirement may include a liquid replenishment requirement, the second liquid medicine update requirement may include an acid replacement requirement, and the third liquid medicine update requirement may be either an acid replacement requirement or a liquid replenishment requirement. The priority of the liquid replenishment requirement is lower than that of the acid replacement requirement.

[0081] Specifically, the priority of large acid change demand is higher than the priority of small acid change demand; the priority of replenishment level demand is equal to the priority of replenishment concentration demand.

[0082] S202: In response to the fact that the priority of the third medical liquid update request is higher than the priority of the first medical liquid update request, respond to the third medical liquid update request and stop responding to the first medical liquid update request.

[0083] Responding to the third medicine liquid update requirement and stopping responding to the first medicine liquid update requirement may include sending a third medicine liquid update request to a host computer, so that the host computer issues a third medicine liquid update instruction and stops responding to the first medicine liquid update requirement.

[0084] For example, if the first liquid medicine update requirement is a large acid change requirement and the first liquid medicine update requirement is a small acid change requirement, then after obtaining the large acid change requirement, the large acid change requirement can be sent to the host computer so that the host computer can issue the corresponding large acid change instruction. At the same time, since the small acid change instruction has not been issued, the large acid change request can replace the small acid change request. Therefore, it is necessary to stop responding to the small acid change requirement, that is, there is no need to issue the small acid change instruction anymore.

[0085] In this way, the occurrence of large acid change needs can be effectively dealt with in the process of responding to small acid change needs and liquid replenishment needs, ensuring the orderliness of liquid management and avoiding affecting the wafer process effect.

[0086] S203: In response to the fact that the priority of the third medical liquid update request is lower than the priority of the first medical liquid update request and higher than the priority of the second medical liquid update request, the third medical liquid update request is rejected.

[0087] For example, the third liquid medicine update demand is a small acid change demand, the first liquid medicine update demand is a large acid change demand, and the second liquid medicine update demand is a liquid replenishment demand (such as a liquid level replenishment demand or a concentration replenishment demand). After obtaining the small acid change demand, since the large acid change instruction has not been issued, and the large acid change demand can replace the small acid change demand, it is necessary to refuse to respond to the small acid change demand and retain the large acid change demand.

[0088] In this way, the occurrence of small acid change needs can be effectively dealt with in the process of responding to large acid change needs and fluid replenishment needs, ensuring the comprehensiveness and orderliness of liquid medicine management.

[0089] S204. In response to the fact that the priority of the third liquid update requirement is lower than the priority of the first liquid update requirement and equal to the priority of the second liquid update requirement, it is detected whether the target process tank is in the process state; if the target process tank is in the process state and the third liquid update operation corresponding to the third liquid update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in the process state, the third liquid update requirement is responded to until the first liquid update instruction issued by the host computer is received.

[0090] For example, the first liquid medicine update requirement may be an acid replacement requirement, the third liquid medicine update requirement may be a liquid level replenishment requirement, and the second liquid medicine update requirement may be a concentration replenishment requirement. After obtaining the liquid level replenishment requirement, it is possible to detect whether the target process tank is in a process state to determine whether the liquid level replenishment operation can be performed directly. If the target process tank is in a process state, it is possible to detect whether the liquid level replenishment operation is compatible with the current process. If the liquid level replenishment operation is compatible with the current process, the liquid level replenishment operation can be performed directly. If the target process tank is not in a process state, the liquid level replenishment operation can be performed directly until the acid replacement instruction issued by the host computer is obtained.

[0091] In this way, while responding to the demand for acid replacement and a certain type of fluid replenishment, the occurrence of another type of fluid replenishment demand can be effectively dealt with, further ensuring the comprehensiveness and orderliness of drug solution management.

[0092] In some embodiments, detecting the current state of the target process tank may specifically include: determining whether the target process tank is currently in a state of responding to other liquid update requirements based on the value of a maintained state machine; wherein the state machine may include: liquid state, spike state, and small acid change state.

[0093] Specifically, the liquid status is used to indicate whether the chemical liquid or water in the process tank meets the conditions for the process, or whether any related treatment is required. This status is provided by the PMC and is managed and used by the PMC and BTC. This is a persistent data status. The status data should be saved in a local file or database, and loaded into the memory status channel for use when the PMC software is started.

[0094] The spike status is used to characterize the execution status of the current spike (concentration supplement) action, and this status is maintained internally by the PMC.

[0095] The small acid exchange status is used to characterize the execution status of the current small acid exchange action. This status is maintained internally by the PMC.

[0096] The state machine is used to mark and maintain the status of the target process tank, providing a reliable basis for the orderly updating of the chemical solution.

[0097] The liquid medicine management method provided in the embodiment of the present application can pre-set the priorities of different liquid medicine update requirements, and then manage different liquid medicine update requirements based on different priorities, thereby solving the interference problem between liquid replenishment and acid exchange, ensuring the orderly progress of liquid replenishment and acid exchange, and laying the foundation for improving semiconductor preparation efficiency and product quality.

[0098] Furthermore, for ease of understanding, the specific implementation methods of this application are described in more detail below with PMC as the execution entity:

[0099] "ChemicalStatus" indicates the status of the chemical liquid, which is used to indicate whether the chemical liquid or water in the process tank meets the conditions for the process, or whether relevant treatment is required. This status is provided by PMC and is jointly managed and used by PMC and BTC. In actual application, this status data can be saved in a local file or database, and when the PMC software is started, the data is loaded into the memory status channel for use.

[0100] "SpikeState" represents the spike state, which is used to indicate the execution status of the current spike operation. This state is maintained internally by the PMC.

[0101] "PartiallyChangeState" represents the state of the minor acid change, which is used to indicate the execution status of the current minor acid change operation. This state is maintained internally by the PMC.

[0102] The status values ​​of ChemicalStatus are detailed in Table 1, and the status values ​​of SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState are detailed in Table 2.

[0103] Table 1 ChemicalStatus status values

[0104]

[0105] Table 2 SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState state values

[0106] Status value describe Idle Process not executed. Running The process is being executed.

[0107] The state transition diagram of ChemicalStatus is as follows Figure 3 As shown, it is mainly used to maintain the Change and Replenish states. After the PMC is started, it reads the local data to obtain the latest liquid state (that is, the last state data is continued), and then during the operation, it switches the state according to the triggered event, and avoids conflicts through strict priority settings (Change>Replenish).

[0108] In the high priority (before the Change process is executed), all actions in the low priority are eliminated. In the low priority (during the Replenish process), in each time-consuming step, the Change status is detected in real time to see if it is triggered. Once triggered, the low priority action is immediately terminated without executing all subsequent steps (since the high priority will eliminate all low priority actions once it is started, the low priority process can be terminated).

[0109] The state transition diagram of SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState is as follows Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the state transition diagrams of SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState maintain the Spike and PartiallyChange states respectively. These two states have only two state values, which are used to indicate whether the current process is being executed.

[0110] After adding the SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState states, the drug solution management also uses strict priorities to avoid conflicts. The priority order can be: Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish=Spike. Among them, all actions in the low priority are eliminated before the process executes the high priority action.

[0111] In the Spike process, it is necessary to detect in real time whether the ChemicalStatus value is "Ready", "RequestChange" or "WaitReplenish", and the PartiallyChangeState value is "Idle". Once it is not in the above state, it means that a high-priority process has started, and the Spike process will terminate the process immediately.

[0112] In the PartiallyChange process, it is necessary to detect in real time whether the ChemicalStatus status value is "Unready" or "Changing". Once it is in these two states, it means that the large acid change action is ready to be executed or is being executed, and the PartiallyChangeState process is terminated immediately. Since the Replenish priority is lower than PartiallyChange, it is also necessary to detect in real time whether the PartiallyChangeState status value is "Idle" in the Replenish process, that is, once the PartiallyChange process starts, the Replenish process is terminated immediately.

[0113] Replenish and Spike are on the same level and can be executed at the same time, so no special processing is required.

[0114] During implementation, there are five key maintenance points for ChemicalStatus: 1) PMC leads status maintenance and fluid replenishment. BTC combines the scheduling sequence and issues the corresponding large acid change instruction at the appropriate time after receiving the large acid change request from PMC; 2) Large acid change can be performed at any time, that is, ChemicalStatus can be switched to Changing at any time, and the execution of large acid change requires the termination of the fluid replenishment process; 3) Except for the large acid change process, ChemicalStatus will switch to Unready at any time when draining (as long as the draining process is entered, regardless of whether the process is completed); 4) Acid change has a higher priority than fluid replenishment. Therefore, if an acid change request is received during the fluid replenishment process, the fluid replenishment process will be stopped immediately and the acid change process will be started; 5) During the "RequestChange" process, the fluid replenishment conditions are met, and ChemicalStatus is in the RequestChange state (such as Figure 3 If the ChemicalStatus is switched to RequestChangeWhileReplenishing during the refilling process and then switched back to RequestChange after the refilling is completed, then the ChemicalStatus is switched to RequestChangeWhileReplenishing during the refilling process and then back to RequestChange after the refilling is completed.

[0115] There are four key maintenance points for SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState: 1) SpikeState and PartiallyChangeState each run independently externally through a monitor. The monitor is turned on when Change is completed and turned off when Change or drainage begins; 2) The priority relationship from high to low is: Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish=Spike, and the high-priority process can immediately terminate the low-priority process; 3) Before the high-priority process is executed, the corresponding state value needs to be switched, and the actions and monitors involved in the low-priority process need to be turned off; in the low-priority process, it is necessary to determine whether the high-priority state value is triggered at each time-consuming point, and the process ends immediately once it is determined to be triggered; 4) Since small acid change is not standard for all slot machines, and spike addition is relatively independent, two separate states are maintained separately to facilitate function selection.

[0116] In practical applications, combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the drug solution management scenario is as follows:

[0117] 1. Single event scenario

[0118] 1) When the tank is idle, the Change condition is reached (the chemical solution life cycle is reached):

[0119] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. After receiving the RequestChange signal, BTC sends the PMC a large acid change instruction. PMC starts to execute the large acid change operation and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During this period, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank until the large acid change is completed, and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready.

[0120] 2) During the Tank run job, the Change condition is reached (the chemical solution life cycle is reached):

[0121] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. Although BTC receives the RequestChange signal, since there are process tasks being executed in the machine, it needs to complete the process tasks in the machine first to prevent the start of new process tasks using this Tank. After all the process tasks running on the machine have completed the process in this Tank, BTC sends the PMC a major acid change instruction, and PMC starts to execute the major acid change operation and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During this period, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank until the major acid change is completed, and then switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready. After receiving the Ready signal, BTC resumes the blocked new job using this Tank.

[0122] 3) When the tank is idle, the Replenish condition is reached (the liquid level signal is not triggered, that is, the liquid level in the outer tank is lower than the normal liquid level):

[0123] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish, PMC automatically performs the replenishment level operation, and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from WaitReplenish to Replenishing, until the replenishment level is completed and the ChemicalStatus of the state machine is switched from Replenishing to Ready. During this period, if a signal is received that the ChemicalStatus changes to Changing or Unready, or a signal is received that the PartiallyChangeState changes to Running, the replenishment level operation is terminated immediately (that is, the replenishment level process ends early, the subsequent actions are no longer executed, and the large acid change or small acid change process is directly entered).

[0124] 4) When the Tank runs a job, the Replenish condition is reached (the liquid level signal is not triggered):

[0125] PMC makes selections based on user configuration:

[0126] If the user sets the process to allow the refilling level operation, that is, the process of the process tank is compatible with the refilling level operation, the execution is the same as that of the above-mentioned Tank idle.

[0127] If the user sets the process to not allow the refilling operation, that is, the process of the process tank is incompatible with the refilling operation, the PMC will switch the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish, and wait for the wafers processed by the tank to complete the process and leave. The PMC will start to perform the refilling operation and switch the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from WaitReplenish to Replenishing. During this period, the wafers that will enter the tank will wait in the previous tank until the refilling is completed. The PMC will switch the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to Ready, and the BTC will continue to send wafers to the tank for processing. And during the refilling operation, if the ChemicalStatus of the state machine changes to Changing or Unready or the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine changes to Running, the refilling operation will be terminated immediately (that is, the refilling process ends early, the subsequent actions are no longer executed, and the large acid change or small acid change process is directly entered).

[0128] 5) When the tank is idle, the PartiallyChange condition is reached (the small acid change life cycle is reached):

[0129] PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Idle to Running and automatically performs a small acid change operation until the small acid change is completed and PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle.

[0130] 6) When the tank runs, the PartiallyChange condition is reached (the small acid change life cycle is reached):

[0131] After PMC waits for the wafers in the Tank to complete the process and leave, PMC starts to execute the small acid change operation and switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Idle to Running. During the small acid change operation, BTC controls the wafers that are about to enter the Tank to wait in the previous Tank. After the small acid change is completed, PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle, and BTC continues to send wafers to the Tank for processing.

[0132] 7) When the tank is idle, the spike condition is reached (the concentration replenishment cycle is reached or the concentration of the drug solution is low):

[0133] PMC switches the SpikeState of the state machine from Idle to Running and automatically performs the concentration compensation operation. After the concentration compensation is completed, PMC switches the SpikeState of the state machine from Running to Idle.

[0134] 8) When the tank runs, the Spike condition is reached (the concentration replenishment period is reached or the concentration of the drug solution is low):

[0135] PMC makes selections based on user configuration:

[0136] If the user sets the process to allow concentration replenishment, that is, the concentration replenishment operation is compatible with the process, the execution is the same as that in the above Tank idle state.

[0137] If the user sets that concentration adjustment is not allowed in the process, that is, the concentration adjustment operation is incompatible with the process, the PMC will wait for the wafers in the tank to complete the process and leave, then perform the concentration adjustment operation and switch the SpikeState of the state machine from Idle to Running. During the concentration adjustment operation, BTC controls the wafer to enter the tank to wait in the previous tank. After the concentration adjustment operation is completed, the PMC switches the SpikeState of the state machine from Running to Idle, and BTC continues to send wafers to the tank for processing.

[0138] (II) Two parallel event scenarios:

[0139] 1) Change and Replenish concurrently:

[0140] (a) During the Change process, the Replenish condition is met:

[0141] The large acid change operation continues until the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready after the large acid change is completed. During this period, the PMC refuses to respond to the replenishment level demand.

[0142] (b) During the Replenish process, the Change condition is met:

[0143] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to RequestChangeWhileReplenishing. Before BTC sends the PMC large acid change instruction, the replenishment level operation continues. If the large acid change instruction is not received until the replenishment level operation is completed, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChangeWhileReplenishing to RequestChange. If the large acid change instruction is received during the execution of the replenishment level operation, the replenishment level operation is immediately terminated and the large acid change operation is directly executed. At the same time, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChangeWhileReplenishing to Changing. During this period, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank until the large acid change is completed, and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready.

[0144] (c) The Change condition is reached first, and then the Replenish condition is reached: PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. After receiving the RequestChange signal, the BTC software chooses to send a large acid change instruction to PMC without executing the process task of the Tank. PMC executes the large acid change operation in response to the large acid change instruction, and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During this period, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank (that is, all actions including Replenish are not executed) until the ChemicalStatus of the state machine is switched from Changing to Ready after the large acid change is completed. If the Tank has been running a process task before BTC issues a major acid change instruction, when the Replenish condition is met, the PMC will automatically perform the liquid replenishment operation based on whether the user allows the liquid replenishment operation to be performed during the process (i.e., whether the liquid replenishment operation is compatible with the process). When performing the liquid replenishment operation, the PMC will switch the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to RequestChangeWhileReplenishing, and after the liquid replenishment operation is completed, the ChemicalStatus of the state machine will be switched from RequestChangeWhileReplenishing to RequestChange. If a major acid change instruction is received from BTC during the liquid replenishment period, the liquid replenishment operation will be stopped directly, the major acid change operation will be performed, and the PMC will switch the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChangeWhileReplenishing to Changing.

[0145] (d) Replenish condition is reached first, then Change condition is reached: PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish. PMC selects the appropriate time to automatically perform the replenishment operation according to whether the user allows the replenishment operation during the process (i.e., whether the replenishment operation is compatible with the process). When PMC performs the replenishment operation, it switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from WaitReplenish to Replenishing. When the large acid change condition is reached, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to RequestChange. If PMC does not receive the large acid change instruction until the replenishment operation is completed, it switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to RequestChange after the replenishment is completed. If a large acid change instruction issued by BTC is received during the execution of the replenishment operation, the replenishment operation is terminated immediately and the large acid change operation is executed (i.e., the replenishment process ends early, subsequent actions are no longer executed, and the large acid change process is directly entered). If the large acid change condition is reached when the refill level operation is not performed, the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from WaitReplenish to RequestChange, and when the refill level operation is subsequently performed, the ChemicalStatus of the state machine is switched from RequestChange to RequestChangeWhileReplenishing.

[0146] 2) Change and PartiallyChange concurrently:

[0147] (a) During the Change process, the PartiallyChange condition is met:

[0148] The large acid change operation continues until the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready after the large acid change is completed. During this period, the PMC refuses to respond to small acid change requests.

[0149] (b) During the PartiallyChange process, the Change condition is met:

[0150] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. Before PMC receives the large acid change instruction issued by BTC, the small acid change process continues. Once PMC receives the large acid change instruction, it immediately terminates the small acid change operation and directly enters the large acid change process. At the same time, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During the large acid change operation, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank until the large acid change operation is completed, at which time PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready.

[0151] (c) The Change condition is reached first, and then the PartiallyChange condition is reached: PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. After BTC receives the RequestChange signal, it chooses to send a large acid change instruction to PMC when the Tank does not perform a process task. PMC performs a large acid change operation in response to the received large acid change instruction, and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During this period, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank (that is, all actions including PartiallyChange are not executed) until the large acid change operation is completed. PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready. During the period when the Change condition is reached (regardless of whether the large acid change operation is performed), PMC refuses to respond to the small acid change request.

[0152] (d) The PartiallyChange condition is met first, and then the Change condition is met: During the period when the Change condition is met (regardless of whether a major acid change is performed), the PMC refuses to respond to the request for a minor acid change.

[0153] 3) Change and Spike concurrency:

[0154] (a) During the Change process, the Spike condition is met:

[0155] The large acid exchange operation continues until the large acid exchange operation is completed, and the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready. During this period, the PMC refuses to respond to the concentration replenishment demand.

[0156] (b) During the Spike process, the Change condition is met:

[0157] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. Before PMC receives the large acid exchange instruction from BTC, the concentration replenishment operation continues. Once PMC receives the large acid exchange instruction, it immediately terminates the concentration replenishment operation and directly enters the large acid exchange process. At the same time, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During the large acid exchange operation, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the Tank. Until the large acid exchange operation is completed, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready.

[0158] (c) The Change condition is met first, and then the Spike condition is met:

[0159] PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to RequestChange. After BTC receives the RequestChange signal, it chooses to send a large acid change instruction to PMC when the tank is not performing a process task. PMC responds to the large acid change instruction to perform a large acid change operation and switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from RequestChange to Changing. During the large acid change operation, PMC refuses to respond to all other actions of the tank (that is, all actions including Spike are not executed). After the large acid change operation is completed, PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Changing to Ready. If the tank has been performing a process task before BTC sends the large acid change instruction, when the Spike condition is reached, PMC automatically performs the concentration replenishment operation at an appropriate time according to whether the user allows the setting of the concentration replenishment during the process (whether the process and the concentration replenishment operation are compatible). If PMC receives the large acid change instruction issued by BTC during the execution of the concentration replenishment operation, it directly executes the large acid change operation and immediately ends the concentration replenishment operation.

[0160] (d) The Spike condition is reached first, and then the Change condition is reached: PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish. PMC selects the appropriate time to automatically perform the concentration replenishment operation based on whether the user allows the concentration replenishment setting during the process. During the concentration replenishment operation, if PMC receives a large acid change instruction issued by BTC, it immediately terminates the concentration replenishment operation and performs the large acid change operation (that is, the concentration replenishment process ends early, and subsequent actions are no longer executed, and the large acid change process is directly entered).

[0161] 4) PartiallyChange and Replenish concurrently:

[0162] (a) During the PartiallyChange process, the Replenish condition is met:

[0163] The small acid change operation continues until the small acid change is completed, and the PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle. During this period, the PMC refuses to respond to the replenishment level demand.

[0164] (b) During the Replenish process, the PartiallyChange condition is reached:

[0165] The replenishment operation ends immediately, the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to Ready, and starts the small acid change operation, the PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Idle to Running. Until the small acid change operation ends, the PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle, during which time the PMC refuses to respond to the replenishment demand.

[0166] (c) The PartiallyChange condition is reached first, and then the Replenish condition is reached: The PMC continuously monitors the small acid change conditions, and once they are met, it immediately starts the small acid change operation. Before the PMC performs the small acid change operation, if the liquid level conditions are not met, the replenishment level operation is performed normally. During the replenishment level operation, the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish and then to Replenishing, and switches to Ready again after the replenishment level operation is completed. Once the PMC detects that the small acid change conditions are met, the replenishment level operation is immediately stopped, the small acid change operation is started, and the ChemicalStatus of the state machine is switched from Replenishing to Ready.

[0167] (d) The Replenish condition is reached first, and then the PartiallyChange condition is reached: The PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish. Before the PMC starts to perform the small acid change operation, the liquid replenishment operation is carried out normally. The PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Ready to WaitReplenish to Replenishing, and then switches to Ready after the liquid replenishment operation is completed. Once the PMC starts to perform the small acid change operation, the liquid replenishment operation is stopped immediately, and the ChemicalStatus of the state machine is switched from Replenishing to Ready.

[0168] 5) PartiallyChange and Spike concurrency:

[0169] (a) During the PartiallyChange process, the Spike condition is met:

[0170] The small acid exchange operation continues until the PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle after the small acid exchange is completed. During this period, the PMC refuses to respond to the concentration replenishment demand.

[0171] (b) During the Spike process, the PartiallyChange condition is reached:

[0172] The replenishment operation ends immediately, and the PMC switches the ChemicalStatus of the state machine from Replenishing to Ready. The PMC starts the small acid change operation and switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Idle to Running. After the small acid change operation ends, the PMC switches the PartiallyChangeState of the state machine from Running to Idle, during which time the PMC refuses to respond to the replenishment operation.

[0173] (c) PartiallyChange condition is reached first, then Spike condition is reached: PMC continuously monitors the small acid change condition, and immediately starts the small acid change operation once it is met. Before PMC performs the small acid change operation, the concentration replenishment operation is carried out normally. Once PMC monitors that the small acid change condition is met, it immediately stops the liquid replenishment operation and starts the small acid change operation.

[0174] (d) The Spike condition is reached first, and then the Partially Change condition is reached: Before the PMC performs the small acid change operation, the concentration replenishment operation proceeds normally. Once the PMC detects that the small acid change conditions are met, the liquid replenishment operation is immediately stopped and the small acid change operation is started.

[0175] 6) Replenish and Spike concurrency:

[0176] Each maintains its own status (ChemicalStatus and SpikeState) and is not interfered with by the other. However, if the two refills use the same source, then both parties will use the same solution during the overlapped usage time. For example: both refills use solution A, Replenish needs to inject solution A for 60 seconds, and Spike needs to inject solution A for 10 seconds. If Spike is triggered during Replenish, then Spike will not control the opening and closing of the solution injection valve at the beginning and end (because Spike's 10 seconds are within Replenish's 60 seconds). If Replenish is triggered during Spike, then after Spike uses up solution A (after 10 seconds), the solution A injection valve will not be closed, and the injection will continue for 60-X seconds before the valve is closed by the Replenish process (X is the injection time of solution A shared by Spike and Replenish).

[0177] (III) Three parallel event scenarios:

[0178] 1) Change, PartiallyChange and Replenish concurrency:

[0179] The specific implementation method of PMC refusing to respond to the small acid change operation and executing the large acid change operation and the liquid replenishment operation can refer to the description of the above Change and Replenish concurrent processing.

[0180] 2) Change, PartiallyChange and Spike concurrency:

[0181] The specific implementation method of PMC refusing to respond to the small acid change operation and executing the large acid change operation and the concentration replenishment operation can refer to the description of the above Change and Spike concurrent processing.

[0182] 3) Change, Replenish and Spike concurrency:

[0183] Before the PMC starts to perform the large acid exchange operation, the specific implementation methods of the liquid level replenishment operation and the concentration replenishment operation can refer to the description of the above-mentioned Replenish and Spike concurrency processing. Once the PMC starts to perform the large acid exchange operation, the liquid level replenishment operation and the concentration replenishment operation are stopped immediately.

[0184] 4) PartiallyChange, Replenish and Spike concurrency:

[0185] Before the PMC starts to perform a small acid exchange operation, the specific implementation methods of the liquid level replenishment operation and the concentration replenishment operation can refer to the description of the above-mentioned concurrent Replenish and Spike operations. Once the PMC starts to perform a small acid exchange operation, the liquid level replenishment operation and the concentration replenishment operation are stopped immediately.

[0186] It should be noted that, since the equipment must ensure production capacity, there may be two situations: early acid change or delayed acid change, that is, the triggering of the large acid change condition and the start of the large acid change process are not the same event (triggering the large acid change condition does not mean that the large acid change must be started immediately, nor does it mean that the acid can be changed only when the large acid change condition is triggered). Therefore, before the large acid change is started, the specific implementation methods of the other three liquid maintenance actions (small acid change, replenishment level and replenishment concentration) can refer to the above description of PartiallyChange, Replenish and Spike concurrent maintenance. At any time, once the PMC receives the large acid change instruction issued by BTC, all other processes will be immediately terminated and the large acid change operation will be started.

[0187] In addition, considering the process status, the priority can be divided as follows:

[0188] During the process, based on the user's settings of whether to allow the process to respond to replenishment requirements, the priority division may include: 1) Process>Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish=Spike (the process is incompatible with replenishment level operation); 2) Process>Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish (the process is incompatible with concentration replenishment operation, but compatible with liquid replenishment level operation); 3) Process>Change>PartiallyChange>Spike (the process is incompatible with liquid replenishment level operation, but compatible with concentration replenishment operation).

[0189] Before the process starts, according to the status of the material process task, the priority division may include: 1) Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish=Spike>Process (the process is incompatible with the replenishment level, the process tank first completes the liquid maintenance, and then sends the material into the process tank for the process); 2) Change>PartiallyChange>Replenish=Process (the process is compatible with the replenishment concentration. The process tank first completes the liquid maintenance except the replenishment concentration, and then sends the material into the process tank for the process. The replenishment concentration operation can be carried out simultaneously with the process); 3) Change>PartiallyChange>Spike=Process (the process is compatible with the replenishment level. The process tank first completes the liquid maintenance except the replenishment level, and then sends the material into the process tank for the process. The non-liquid level operation can be carried out simultaneously with the process).

[0190] As another optional implementation of the contents disclosed in the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a liquid medicine management device, which may include: a receiving and detecting module, for receiving a first liquid medicine update requirement for a target process tank, and detecting a current state of the target process tank; a responding module, for responding to the target process tank being in a state of responding to a second liquid medicine update requirement, comparing the priorities of the first liquid medicine update requirement and the second liquid medicine update requirement, and preferentially responding to the liquid medicine update requirement with a higher priority.

[0191] Optionally, when giving priority to responding to a medicine liquid update request with a higher priority, the response module can be specifically used to: in response to the second medicine liquid update request having a lower priority than the first medicine liquid update request, respond to the first medicine liquid update request to execute the first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update request and stop responding to the second medicine liquid update request; and / or, in response to the second medicine liquid update request having a higher priority than the first medicine liquid update request, refuse to respond to the first medicine liquid update request.

[0192] Optionally, the response module can also be used to: in response to the priority of the first liquid update requirement being the same as the priority of the second liquid update requirement, detect whether the target process tank is in a process state; if the target process tank is in the process state and the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in the process state, then respond to execute the first liquid update requirement to execute the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement.

[0193] Optionally, the response module can also be used to: in response to the target process tank currently being in a state of not responding to any liquid medicine update demand, detect whether the target process tank is in a process state; in response to the target process tank being in the process state and the first liquid medicine update operation is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in the process state, respond to the first liquid medicine update demand to perform the first liquid medicine update operation corresponding to the first liquid medicine update demand.

[0194] Optionally, in response to the first medicine liquid update requirement, the response module can be specifically used to: send a first medicine liquid update request to the host computer; in response to receiving a first medicine liquid update instruction issued by the host computer based on the first medicine liquid update request, execute the first medicine liquid update operation.

[0195] Optionally, after sending the first liquid medicine update request to the host computer and before receiving the first liquid medicine update instruction, the response module can also be used to: respond to receiving a third liquid medicine update requirement. Specifically, the response module can be used to: respond to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being higher than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement and stop responding to the first liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and higher than the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, refuse to respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and equal to the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, detect whether the target process tank is in a process state; if the target process tank is in a process state and the third liquid medicine update operation corresponding to the third liquid medicine update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in a process state, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement until the first liquid medicine update instruction issued by the host computer is received.

[0196] Optionally, the liquid medicine renewal requirements may include liquid replenishment requirements and acid replacement requirements; wherein the priority of the liquid replenishment requirements is lower than the priority of the acid replacement requirements.

[0197] Optionally, acid exchange demands may include large acid exchange demands and small acid exchange demands; liquid replenishment demands may include liquid replenishment level demands and concentration replenishment demands; wherein, the priority of large acid exchange demands is higher than the priority of small acid exchange demands; and the priority of liquid replenishment level demands is equal to the priority of concentration replenishment demands.

[0198] Optionally, when detecting the current state of the target process tank, the receiving and detecting module can be specifically used to: determine whether the target process tank is currently in a state that responds to other liquid update requirements based on the value of the maintained state machine; the state machine includes: liquid state, spike state and small acid change state.

[0199] For the specific definition of the liquid medicine management device, please refer to the definition of the liquid medicine management method above, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the above-mentioned liquid medicine management device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware and their combination. The above-mentioned modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0200] As another optional implementation of the contents disclosed in the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a liquid medicine management device for managing liquid medicine in semiconductor process equipment. The liquid medicine management device may include a processor and a memory connected to the processor; the memory is used to store computer programs; the processor is used to call and execute the computer program in the memory to execute the liquid medicine management method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0201] In some implementations, the liquid medicine management device is, for example, a host computer of a semiconductor process device, and this specification does not limit this, and the specific implementation depends on the actual situation.

[0202] As another optional implementation of the contents disclosed in the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process equipment, which may include: at least one process chamber, a lower computer and an upper computer corresponding to each process chamber.

[0203] The lower computer implements the liquid medicine management method as described in any of the above embodiments by executing a computer program.

[0204] During implementation, the semiconductor process equipment includes a tank cleaning machine.

[0205] As another optional implementation of the content disclosed in this application, another embodiment of this application also proposes a computing device, see Figure 5 As shown, the computing device may include: a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it executes the steps of the liquid medicine management method according to various embodiments of this specification described in the above embodiments of the present application.

[0206] The internal structure of the computing device can be as follows Figure 5As shown, the computing device includes a processor, a memory, a network interface and an input device connected through a system bus. Among them, the processor of the computing device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computing device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface of the computing device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the liquid medicine management method according to various embodiments of the present specification are described in the above embodiments of the present specification.

[0207] The processor may include a main processor and may also include a baseband chip, a modem, etc.

[0208] The memory stores a program for executing the technical solution of the present invention, and may also store an operating system and other key services. Specifically, the program may include a program code, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. More specifically, the memory may include a read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, a disk storage, a flash, and the like.

[0209] The processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, etc., or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the scheme of the present invention. It may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component.

[0210] The input device may include a device for receiving data and information input by a user, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a scanner, a light pen, a voice input device, a touch screen, a pedometer, or a gravity sensor.

[0211] Output devices may include means that allow information to be output to a user, such as display screens, printers, speakers, etc.

[0212] The communication interface may include using any transceiver or the like to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

[0213] The processor executes the program stored in the memory and calls other devices, which can be used to implement each step of any one of the drug solution management methods provided in the above embodiments of the present application.

[0214] The computing device may also include a display component and a voice component. The display component may be a liquid crystal display or an electronic ink display. The input device of the computing device may be a touch layer covered on the display component, or a button, trackball or touchpad provided on the housing of the computing device, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse.

[0215] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 5 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the scheme of this specification, and does not constitute a limitation on the computing device to which the scheme of this specification is applied. The specific computing device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0216] In addition to the above-mentioned methods and devices, the liquid medicine management method provided in the embodiments of this specification may also be a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to execute the steps of the liquid medicine management method according to various embodiments of this specification described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of this specification.

[0217] The computer program product may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to write program code for performing the operations of the embodiments of the present specification, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a separate software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0218] In addition, an embodiment of the present specification also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program is executed by a processor to execute the steps of the liquid medicine management method according to various embodiments of the present specification described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of the present specification.

[0219] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this specification can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

[0220] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0221] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of this specification, and the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the solutions provided by the embodiments of this specification. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of this specification, which all belong to the protection scope of this specification. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of this specification shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for managing liquid medicine, characterized in that: include: receiving a first liquid update request for a target process tank, and detecting a current state of the target process tank; In response to the target process tank being in a state of responding to a second chemical liquid update demand, priorities of the first chemical liquid update demand and the second chemical liquid update demand are compared, and the chemical liquid update demand with a higher priority is responded to first.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The priority response to the high priority liquid medicine update demand includes: In response to the priority of the second medicine liquid update requirement being lower than the priority of the first medicine liquid update requirement, responding to the first medicine liquid update requirement to perform a first medicine liquid update operation corresponding to the first medicine liquid update requirement and stopping responding to the second medicine liquid update requirement; and / or, In response to the second medical fluid update request having a higher priority than the first medical fluid update request, the first medical fluid update request is rejected.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: In response to the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement being the same as the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state; If the target process tank is in a process state and the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in a process state, then respond to the first liquid update requirement to perform the first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: In response to the target process tank currently being in a state of not responding to any liquid medicine update demand, detecting whether the target process tank is in a process state; In response to the target process tank being in a process state and the first liquid update operation being compatible with the current process, or the target process tank being not in a process state, responding to the first liquid update requirement to perform a first liquid update operation corresponding to the first liquid update requirement.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The responding to the first drug solution update requirement specifically includes: Sending a first liquid medicine update request to the host computer; In response to receiving a first drug liquid update instruction issued by the host computer based on the first drug liquid update request, the first drug liquid update operation is executed.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that After sending the first liquid medicine update request to the host computer and before receiving the first liquid medicine update instruction, in response to receiving a third liquid medicine update requirement, the method further includes: In response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being higher than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement and stop responding to the first liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and higher than the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, refuse to respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement; and / or, in response to the priority of the third liquid medicine update requirement being lower than the priority of the first liquid medicine update requirement and equal to the priority of the second liquid medicine update requirement, detect whether the target process tank is in a process state; if the target process tank is in a process state and the third liquid medicine update operation corresponding to the third liquid medicine update requirement is compatible with the current process, or the target process tank is not in a process state, respond to the third liquid medicine update requirement until the first liquid medicine update instruction issued by the host computer is received.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The liquid medicine renewal requirements include liquid replenishment requirements and acid replacement requirements; wherein the priority of the liquid replenishment requirements is lower than the priority of the acid replacement requirements.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The acid exchange requirements include large acid exchange requirements and small acid exchange requirements; the liquid replenishment requirements include liquid replenishment level requirements and liquid replenishment concentration requirements; wherein, The priority of the large acid exchange requirement is higher than the priority of the small acid exchange requirement; the priority of the liquid replenishment level requirement is equal to the priority of the concentration replenishment requirement.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The detecting the current state of the target process tank includes: Determining whether the target process tank is currently in a state of responding to other liquid update requirements based on the value of the maintained state machine; The state machine includes: a liquid medicine state, a spike addition state and a small acid exchange state.

10. A liquid medicine management device, characterized in that: include: A processor, and a memory connected to the processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to call and execute the computer program in the memory to perform the liquid medicine management method according to any one of claims 1-9.

11. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: It includes at least one process chamber, a lower computer and an upper computer corresponding to each process chamber; wherein, The lower computer implements the drug solution management method as described in any one of claims 1-10 by executing a computer program.

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