Method for detecting a degree of droop of a robot and semiconductor process apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a method for detecting the sagging degree of a mechanical hand and a semiconductor process equipment. The method comprises the following steps: sending a mechanical hand detection instruction to a mechanical hand control unit, wherein the mechanical hand detection instruction is used for instructing the mechanical hand control unit to perform a sagging degree detection action on the mechanical hand and acquire a sagging distance of the mechanical hand; receiving the sagging distance sent by the mechanical hand control unit; and determining the sagging degree of the mechanical hand according to the sagging distance. The sagging degree of the mechanical hand is determined by performing the sagging degree detection action on the mechanical hand and acquiring the sagging distance of the mechanical hand, so that the automatic detection of the sagging degree of the mechanical hand is realized, the abnormality of the mechanical hand can be found in time and accurately, the transmission of wafers is prevented from failing and the machine is prevented from being down, and therefore the production capacity is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular relates to a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor process equipment, such as single-wafer stack cleaning machines, is currently equipped with seven-axis robotic arms, including an index transfer robot (ITR) and a process transfer robot (PTR). Each robotic arm has four arms and can perform actions such as picking up wafers, placing wafers, dual-arm simultaneous wafer picking, and dual-arm simultaneous wafer placing. After prolonged use, hardware issues may cause the arms to droop, leading to wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, requiring lengthy recovery times and impacting production capacity.

[0003] In related technologies, the status of the robotic arm is checked periodically by on-site hardware support personnel according to the maintenance manual. However, this may not be able to detect subtle abnormalities in time, leading to a higher risk of wafer transfer failures. On the other hand, when wafer transfer fails or the machine crashes and alarms, the supplier is contacted to conduct its own testing (integrated robotic arm testing) to determine if the problem is hardware-related. This approach cannot identify and repair risks in time before the situation becomes serious. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm and a semiconductor process equipment, so as to solve the problem in related technologies that it is impossible to detect abnormalities of robotic arms in a timely and accurate manner, which leads to wafer transfer failure and machine downtime, affecting production capacity.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, comprising: sending a robotic arm detection instruction to a robotic arm control unit, the robotic arm detection instruction being used to instruct the robotic arm control unit to perform a drooping degree detection action on the robotic arm and obtain the drooping distance of the robotic arm; receiving the drooping distance sent by the robotic arm control unit; and determining the degree of drooping of the robotic arm based on the drooping distance.

[0006] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, applied in a robotic arm control unit. The method includes: receiving a robotic arm detection command sent by a host computer; performing a drooping degree detection action according to the robotic arm detection command and obtaining the drooping distance of the robotic arm; and sending the drooping distance to the host computer so that the host computer can determine the degree of drooping of the robotic arm based on the drooping distance.

[0007] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a semiconductor process apparatus, including: a host computer, a robotic arm, and a robotic arm control unit. The host computer includes at least one first processor and at least one first memory. The first memory stores a first computer program. When the first computer program is executed by the first processor, it implements the steps of the method described in the first aspect. The robotic arm control unit includes at least one second processor and at least one second memory. The second memory stores a second computer program. When the second computer program is executed by the second processor, it implements the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0008] The above-described technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this application can achieve the following beneficial effects: In this embodiment, when detecting the drooping degree of the robotic arm, the host computer sends a robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit. This command instructs the control unit to perform a drooping degree detection action and acquire the drooping distance. The host computer receives the drooping distance from the control unit and determines the degree of drooping based on this distance. This embodiment achieves automatic detection of robotic arm drooping degree by performing a drooping degree detection action and acquiring the drooping distance. This allows for timely and accurate detection of robotic arm anomalies, preventing wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, thereby improving production capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process apparatus provided in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, provided as an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a robotic arm dangling according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4A schematic diagram illustrating the execution of a sag detection action according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, provided as another embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, provided as another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0010] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0011] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, "and / or" in this application indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship. It should be noted that all data involved in this application was obtained with the user's authorization.

[0012] To clearly illustrate the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm and the semiconductor process equipment in the embodiments of this application, the following is combined with... Figure 1 The application scenarios of the robotic arm drooping degree detection method according to embodiments of this application are described. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment in this application embodiment includes: a front robot ITR11, a rear robot PTR12, a buffer 13, and at least one chamber 14. The complete transfer path of the wafer in the semiconductor process equipment (i.e., the machine) is: wafer pod (FOUP) → ITR11 → Buffer 13 → PTR12 → chamber 14 → PTR12 → Buffer 13 → ITR11 → FOUP. The wafer completes the process in the chamber.

[0013] The technical solutions provided by the various embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 2As shown, the method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm according to an embodiment of this application, applied in a host computer, may specifically include the following steps: S201, send a robot detection command to the robot control unit. The robot detection command is used to instruct the robot control unit to perform a droop degree detection action on the robot and obtain the droop distance of the robot.

[0015] In this embodiment of the application, the execution subject of the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm is the host computer in the semiconductor process equipment (e.g., a single-wafer cleaning machine), specifically the cluster tool control (CTC) software in the host computer.

[0016] The CTC in the host computer sends a robot detection command to the robot control unit (Transfer Manager control, or TMC). The TMC receives the robot detection command from the CTC and performs a deflection detection action on the robot according to the command, obtaining the droop distance of the robot during the deflection detection action. Specifically, the robot can be a front-mounted ITR or a rear-mounted PTR.

[0017] Because the robotic arm Arm performs wafer pick-up (extend) and wafer placement (retract) actions for extended periods, there is a risk of it drooping vertically. A schematic diagram (side view) illustrating this drooping motion during robotic arm operation is shown below. Figure 3 As shown.

[0018] When the robot control unit (TMC) performs the droop detection action on the robot, it controls the robot to move to the detection area (i.e., the droop detection deflection action execution area) according to the robot detection command. A displacement sensor (such as a laser displacement sensor) can be installed at the top of the detection area. Figure 4 As shown, the transmitter in the displacement sensor is used to emit a light beam, and the receiver in the displacement sensor is used to receive the reflected light beam after the emitted light beam is reflected by the robot arm. Applying the measurement principle of triangulation, when the position of the robot arm changes, the incident light position of the displacement sensor will move. By detecting the incident light position, the change in the position of the robot arm can be measured.

[0019] The robotic arm control unit (TMC) controls the robotic arm to extend to a set position, and then controls the robotic arm to retract from the set position. During the retraction process, it acquires analog signal values ​​corresponding to multiple incident light positions collected by displacement sensors within a set distance. The multiple analog signal values ​​are converted into multiple candidate droop distances. The droop distance is determined based on the multiple candidate droop distances.

[0020] The detection area can be a buffer zone, because the buffer zone is located in the intersection of the front robot ITR and the rear robot PTR, and has the space to install displacement sensors. Therefore, it is suitable to perform sag detection in this area.

[0021] For the front-mounted robotic arm ITR and the rear-mounted robotic arm PTR, corresponding displacement sensors can be set separately, for example... Figure 4 Sensors 1 and 2 are used to collect analog signal values ​​corresponding to the incident light position.

[0022] In the buffer, the start and end positions of the ITR and PTR droop detection actions can be manually set separately using a manipulator (i.e., a handheld device). The distance between the start and end positions is the set distance. The position information is written into the robot control unit (TMC) program, and this distance is automatically applied to detect the droop when the robot retracts its hand from the set position. The position settings are shown in Table 1 below: Table 1. Position settings in the Buffer

[0023] During the sag detection process, the robot arm control unit (TMC) records analog signal values ​​(current values ​​in amperes) from multiple incident light positions collected by the displacement sensor. After the sag detection is completed, the TMC automatically converts the analog signal values ​​into position distances (candidate sag distances) using the following formula. Then, it determines the final sag distance based on these candidate distances, for example, by calculating the average, median, or mode of all candidate sag distances, and reports this final sag distance to the host computer's control unit (CTC). Value 1 = Analog signal value / 1000.0 (1) Candidate droop distance 1 = ((value 1 - 4mA) * 3.75) - 30.0 - offset (2) In formula (1), dividing by 1000 converts A to milliamperes (mA), and the value 1 ranges from 4 to 20 mA. In formula (2), 4 mA is the minimum output current of the displacement sensor, 3.75 is the sensitivity of the displacement sensor, and -30.0 is the offset of the displacement sensor. All of the above parameter values ​​are obtained from the specifications of the displacement sensor. The offset can be configured by the user and is set to 0 by default.

[0024] S202, receives the droop distance sent by the robot arm control unit.

[0025] In this embodiment of the application, the robot control unit TMC sends the acquired drooping distance of the robot to the CTC of the host computer, and the CTC of the host computer receives the drooping distance of the robot sent by the robot control unit TMC.

[0026] S203, determine the degree of droop of the robotic arm based on the droop distance.

[0027] In this embodiment of the application, the CTC of the host computer determines the degree of descent of the robotic arm based on the received descent distance of the robotic arm.

[0028] As a feasible implementation, if the droop distance exceeds a preset droop distance threshold (DeflectionReference), the droop is determined to be excessive, and a corresponding alarm message (Deflection checkAlarm) is output. The robotic arm is then set to an inoperable state, awaiting on-site inspection and restoration by hardware support personnel. If the droop distance is equal to or less than the droop distance threshold, the droop is determined to be normal.

[0029] Furthermore, considering that performing the sag detection action requires a certain amount of working time from the robotic arm, it is necessary to determine when it is appropriate to perform the sag detection action before doing so. Correspondingly, step S201, "sending a robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit," can specifically include the following steps: determining whether the robotic arm is currently suitable for performing the sag detection action; if the robotic arm is currently suitable for performing the sag detection action, then sending a robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit to control the robotic arm to perform the sag detection action. Conversely, if the robotic arm is currently not suitable for performing the sag detection action, then outputting an alarm message to indicate that the sag detection action has not been performed.

[0030] Furthermore, the above step of "determining whether the robot is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action" may specifically include the following steps: if the robot can accept the instruction control of the CTC of the host computer, and the robot meets at least one of the following conditions: the robot is in an idle state, the number of wafers in the cavity of the semiconductor process equipment is greater than the preset wafer number threshold, the remaining wafer process time in the cavity is greater than the time for the robot to take the wafer from the cavity and place it in the buffer area, there are no wafers with completed processes in the buffer area, and there are no other robots performing actions in the adjacent slots of the slot corresponding to the robot performing the droop detection action, then it is determined that the robot is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action.

[0031] In this application embodiment, the key points for determining whether it is suitable to perform the sag degree detection action mainly include the following: a. Any robot arm performing a droop detection action must meet at least one of the following conditions: the robot arm is in an idle state (currently not performing any action, and based on the current wafer status of each module and the robot arm's action time, the robot arm has no urgent wafer transfer tasks waiting to be executed); the execution of this droop detection action does not affect the machine's capacity, i.e., WPH (Wafers Per Hour, the average number of wafers completed per hour) (the number of wafers in the chamber is greater than the customer's required wafer quantity threshold); the execution of this droop detection action does not block the timely transfer of wafers that have completed the process in the chamber (meeting the customer's requirement for the dwell time of wafers that have completed the process in the chamber, for example, the remaining wafer process time in the chamber is greater than the time it takes for the robot arm to take the wafer from the chamber and place it in the buffer).

[0032] b. Before performing the droop detection operation, prioritize transferring wafers with completed processes from the buffer to the machine, and block the transfer of wafers from the FOUP to the machine. Before performing the droop detection operation, since there is a possibility of failure, to avoid more wafers remaining in the machine and requiring manual handling and recovery in case of detection failure, prioritize transferring wafers with completed processes to the FOUP. That is, the robot arm should only perform the droop detection operation if there are no wafers with completed processes in the buffer.

[0033] c. The transmission paths of ITR and PTR all involve buffers. It is important to avoid interference when ITR and PTR operate in adjacent slots of the buffer. Since the spacing between adjacent slots in the buffer is the same as the spacing between the arm's ARMs, there is a risk of vertical collision if ITR and PTR operate simultaneously in the buffer.

[0034] Following the above principles, examples of situations that may occur during actual scheduling are shown in Table 2 below: Table 2 Examples of whether a sag detection procedure is suitable

[0035] Additionally, if the robotic arm is currently unsuitable for performing droop detection, it will not send a detection command to the robotic arm control unit and will output a corresponding alarm message to indicate that the droop detection action has not been performed, which may require on-site troubleshooting by a hardware maintenance engineer. Specifically, if the robotic arm can accept command control from the host computer's CTC (InService) but is in a working state or other state unsuitable for performing droop detection, it will output the alarm message "Deflection start timeout". The alarm level can be set according to customer needs. Setting it to 0 will only provide a prompt message, and the robotic arm can still work. Setting it to 1 will directly set the robotic arm to an out-of-service state, waiting for a hardware maintenance engineer to arrive on-site for troubleshooting. If the robotic arm is in a state where it cannot accept command control from the host computer's CTC due to human control or alarm abnormalities (OutService), it will output the alarm "Deflection Start Fail", waiting for a hardware maintenance engineer to arrive on-site for troubleshooting.

[0036] Furthermore, the above step "determining whether the robot is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action" may specifically include the following steps: when the preset time for the robot to perform the droop detection action is reached, determine whether the robot is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action at set time intervals within the preset opening time limit.

[0037] Among them, the time interval between two consecutive sagging degree detection actions is greater than the activation time limit, and the activation time limit is greater than the set time interval. For example, the time interval between two consecutive sagging degree detection actions can be set to 24 hours (i.e., 1440 minutes), the preset activation time limit can be set to 5 minutes, and the set time interval can be set to 100 milliseconds (ms).

[0038] It should be noted here that for the two robotic arms, ITR and PTR, each robotic arm can correspond to the same or different preset timing for performing the droop detection action, the time interval between two consecutive droop detection actions, the preset start time limit, and the set time interval.

[0039] Furthermore, the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm in this embodiment may further include the following steps: if the preset time for the robotic arm to perform a drooping degree detection action has arrived, then the detection flag is set to a preset first flag, for example, setting Deflection Flag to True. If the robotic arm is currently suitable to perform a drooping degree detection action, then the detection flag is set to a preset second flag, for example, setting Deflection Flag to False.

[0040] Determining when it is appropriate to perform a sag detection action requires comprehensive consideration of the complex factors of production capacity, machine status, and robot status.

[0041] a. If the robot arm performs a sag detection action at any time during normal wafer transfer (i.e., process running) on ​​the machine, it may cause wafers that have completed the process to wait in the chamber for a long time to be transferred out, or wafers in the FOUP to wait and be unable to be transferred to the machine, which will affect the process effect and machine capacity to a certain extent. However, if the sag detection action is not performed automatically for a long time, the sag of the robot arm will continuously increase with each movement, and the possibility of wafer transfer failure will gradually increase. Once the transfer fails, it will cause the entire machine to crash, requiring on-site personnel to restore it, which will greatly reduce the machine capacity. Moreover, all wafers in the machine will be at risk of being discarded when the machine fails, which will greatly damage the property interests of the machine user.

[0042] b. When the machine is in the wafer recovery state, it usually means that the wafer process has failed and all wafers in the machine need to be urgently transferred to FOUP for unified processing in the next stage. At this time, the sag detection action is not the highest priority, and the wafer transfer process should be executed first.

[0043] c. It is also necessary to consider whether the relevant modules and the robot itself meet the execution conditions and to avoid interference and collision issues. When the robot itself is in an abnormal state, it cannot perform the droop detection action to avoid uncontrolled abnormal situations. At this time, an alarm should be set up in time to prompt the hardware maintenance engineer to troubleshoot on site.

[0044] Taking all the above factors into consideration, before the step of "determining whether the preset time for the robot arm to perform the droop detection action has been reached", the robot arm droop detection method of this application embodiment may further include the following steps: obtaining the current process state of the semiconductor process equipment; if the process state is wafer recycling state, controlling the robot arm to transfer all wafers in the semiconductor process equipment to the wafer cassette, and stopping the removal of wafers from the wafer cassette to the semiconductor process equipment; if the process state is normal wafer transfer state, determining whether the detection identifier is the first identifier; if the identifier is the first identifier, controlling the robot arm to transfer all wafers with completed processes in the buffer to the wafer cassette; if the identifier is not the first identifier, determining whether the number of wafers with completed processes in the buffer is greater than the number of empty slots in the cavity of the semiconductor process equipment; if it is greater than the number of empty slots, controlling the robot arm to transfer all wafers with completed processes in the buffer to the wafer cassette; if it is equal to or less than the number of empty slots, controlling the robot arm to remove wafers from the wafer cassette to the semiconductor process equipment.

[0045] If the process status is wafer recovery (the machine is unsuitable for continuing the process due to abnormalities such as leakage, and the user controls the machine to stop the process, transferring all wafers in the machine, regardless of whether they have been processed, to the FOUP), then ITR Recovery (a program logic segment specifically controlling ITR actions to transfer all wafers in the machine to the FOUP) and PTR Recovery (a program logic segment specifically controlling PTR actions to transfer all wafers in the machine to the FOUP) mechanisms are executed respectively to output the optimal actions for ITR and PTR under the current conditions (referring to the actions that ITR and PTR are suitable to execute at this time under the condition of comprehensively considering the wafer status of each module of the machine and its own status, in order to meet the customer's requirements for the number of wafers in the machine's process). The basic rule is to transfer wafers from various locations in the machine and no longer take wafers from the FOUP and transfer them to the machine.

[0046] If the process status is normal wafer transfer (i.e., normal process execution) and the detection flag is the first flag (e.g., True), it indicates that the preset time for the robot arm to perform the droop detection action has arrived. The ITRscheduling (a program logic segment specifically controlling ITR actions to meet customer requirements for the number of processes on the machine) and PTRscheduling (a program logic segment specifically controlling PTR actions to meet customer requirements for the number of processes on the machine) mechanisms need to be executed separately to output the optimal actions for the current conditions of ITR and PTR. The basic rule is to prioritize transferring wafers with completed processes from the buffer to the machine to avoid the robot arm performing the droop detection action. The degree detection action will not block the timely output of wafers that have completed the process; when the detection flag is the second flag (e.g., False), it means that the preset time for the robot to perform the droop degree detection action has not yet arrived, and the process can be executed normally: it determines whether the number of wafers that have completed the process in the buffer is greater than the number of empty slots in the semiconductor process equipment chamber. If the number of wafers that have completed the process in the buffer is greater than the number of empty slots, the wafers that have completed the process in the buffer are given priority to be output from the machine to ensure the timely output of wafers that have completed the process. If the number of wafers that have completed the process in the buffer is equal to or less than the number of empty slots, the wafers in the FOUP are given priority to be input into the machine to increase the production capacity.

[0047] Furthermore, considering that the robot arm is already performing the droop detection action, there is no need to execute the above scheduling process. Therefore, before the above step "obtain the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment", the robot arm droop detection method of this application embodiment may also include the following steps: determining whether the robot arm is performing the droop detection action; if the robot arm is not performing the droop detection action, then executing the step of obtaining the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0048] To clearly illustrate the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm in this application embodiment, the following is combined with... Figure 5 The overall process of the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm according to embodiments of this application is described in detail. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm in this embodiment of the application may specifically include the following steps: In step S501, the CTC of the host computer determines whether the robot arm is performing a droop detection action. If so, subsequent steps are not executed to avoid interrupting the robot arm's droop detection action, and the system returns to step S501 to continue the determination. If not, step S502 is executed.

[0049] S502, Obtain the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment. If the process status is wafer recycling status, proceed to step S503. If the process status is normal wafer transfer status, proceed to step S504.

[0050] S503, control the robotic arm to transfer all wafers from the semiconductor process equipment to the wafer cassette, and stop removing wafers from the wafer cassette into the semiconductor process equipment. Execute step S509.

[0051] S504, determine if the detection flag is True. If yes, it means the preset time for the robot arm to perform the droop detection action has arrived, and step S505 needs to be executed to prevent the robot arm's droop detection action from blocking the timely output of wafers that have completed the process. If no, it means the preset time for the robot arm to perform the droop detection action has not yet arrived, and the process can be executed normally, i.e., execute step S506.

[0052] S505, Control the robot arm to transfer all completed wafers from the buffer to the wafer cassette. Execute step S509.

[0053] S506: Determine whether the number of wafers with completed processes in the buffer is greater than the number of empty slots in the semiconductor process equipment's cavity. If yes, it indicates that there are more wafers in the buffer, and the wafers with completed processes in the buffer should be transferred out first, i.e., proceed to step S507 to avoid affecting production capacity. If no, it indicates that there are fewer wafers in the cavity, and the wafers should be transferred to the machine first, i.e., proceed to step S508 to avoid affecting production capacity.

[0054] S507, Control the robotic arm to transfer all completed wafers from the buffer to the wafer cassette. Execute step S509.

[0055] S508, Control the robotic arm to remove the wafer from the wafer cassette and place it into the semiconductor process equipment. Execute step S509.

[0056] S509: Determine whether the preset time for the robotic arm to perform the droop detection action has elapsed. If yes, continue with the subsequent droop detection process, i.e., proceed to step S510. If no, restart the next droop detection process, i.e., return to step S501.

[0057] S510: Set the detection flag to True, and within a preset time limit, determine at set time intervals whether the robot arm is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action. If yes, proceed to step S511. If no, control the robot arm not to perform the droop detection action, i.e., proceed to step S512.

[0058] S511, Set the detection flag to False and send a robot detection command to the robot control unit TMC to control the robot to perform the droop degree detection action. Execute step S513.

[0059] S512 sets the detection flag to False and outputs an alarm message indicating that the sag detection action was not executed.

[0060] S513, the robot control unit TMC executes the droop degree detection action according to the robot detection command, and sends the obtained droop distance of the robot to the CTC of the host computer.

[0061] In step S514, the CTC of the host computer determines the degree of droop of the robot arm based on the droop distance. If the degree of droop is normal, the next droop degree detection process is restarted, i.e., returning to step S501. If the droop is too large, step S515 is executed.

[0062] S515 outputs alarm information and sets the robotic arm to an inoperable state.

[0063] The following example illustrates the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm according to an embodiment of this application: Taking the preset execution time of the droop detection action in ITR and PTR as an example, the time interval between two consecutive droop detection actions is preset to 1440 minutes, and the start time limit for the droop detection action is set to 5 minutes. Within the start time limit, the status of the robotic arm and the chamber is read once every 100 milliseconds (i.e., the set time interval). At 9:00:00, the interval for droop detection actions of ITR and PTR is reached. At this time, the machine is in normal process operation; ITR is transferring wafers from the buffer to the FOUP, and PTR is transferring wafers to the chamber. Both ITR and PTR are active at this time, making it unsuitable to perform droop detection. Therefore, the ITR and PTR are controlled not to perform droop detection actions to avoid interrupting the normal wafer transfer process. Figure 5 Steps S509, S510, and S512 in the process.

[0064] At 9:00:10, the remaining wafer processing time in the chamber is 3 seconds, which is less than the time required for the PTR to retrieve the wafer from the chamber and place it in the buffer. Therefore, the PTR is not suitable for performing droop detection. Instead, the PTR waits in front of the chamber and does not perform droop detection. At this time, transferring the completed wafer to the buffer area has the highest priority and will not interrupt the normal wafer transfer process. Figure 5 Steps S510 and S512 in the process.

[0065] At 9:00:10, the buffer has no wafers to be transferred to the FOUP, the ITR has no wafer transfer task, and the PTR waits in the chamber area. At this time, the buffer is unaffected, and the ITR is suitable to perform the droop detection action. Therefore, the ITR is controlled to perform the droop detection action. Figure 5 Steps S510 and S511 in the process.

[0066] At 9:00:13, the ITR completed the sag detection action, and the detection result did not exceed the sag distance threshold.

[0067] At 9:00:13, the wafer process in the chamber is completed, and the PTR executes to retrieve the wafer whose process in the chamber is completed and transmits it to the buffer.

[0068] At 9:00:16, the wafer on the PTR was transferred to the buffer, and the ITR performed the operation to retrieve the wafer from the buffer region.

[0069] At 9:00:18, the buffer has no wafers. The ITR executes the transfer of its wafers to the FOUP. At this time, the buffer is unaffected, all wafers in the chamber are in process, and the remaining process time is >10s. The PTR has no wafer transfer task, and the PTR is suitable for performing droop detection. Therefore, the PTR is controlled to perform droop detection. Figure 5 Steps S510 and S511 in the process.

[0070] At 9:00:21, the PTR completed the sag detection action, and the detection result did not exceed the sag distance threshold.

[0071] The timer for starting the sag detection action terminates at 9:05:00, and the timer for the time interval between two consecutive sag detection actions starts at 9:00:00. After waiting for 1440 minutes, the ITR and PTR will start the next sag detection process.

[0072] The above example illustrates that performing the sag detection action does not affect the normal wafer transfer process, and the control process is automatic.

[0073] In summary, the robot arm droop detection method of this application embodiment involves the host computer sending a robot arm detection command to the robot arm control unit when detecting the droop degree. This command instructs the control unit to perform a droop degree detection action on the robot arm and obtain its droop distance. The method receives the droop distance from the control unit and determines the droop degree based on this distance. This application embodiment achieves automatic detection of robot arm droop degree by performing a droop degree detection action on the robot arm and obtaining its droop distance. This allows for timely and accurate detection of robot arm anomalies, thereby preventing wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, and ultimately improving production capacity.

[0074] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, provided as another embodiment of this application. Figure 6 As shown, the method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm according to an embodiment of this application is applied in a robotic arm control unit and may specifically include the following steps: S601 receives robot arm detection commands sent by the host computer.

[0075] S602 executes a sag detection action according to the robot arm detection command and obtains the sag distance of the robot arm.

[0076] S603 sends the droop distance to the host computer so that the host computer can determine the degree of droop of the robot arm based on the droop distance.

[0077] Furthermore, step S602 above, "execute the droop degree detection action according to the robot arm detection command and obtain the droop distance of the robot arm," may specifically include the following steps: controlling the robot arm to move to the detection area according to the robot arm detection command; a displacement sensor is set at the top of the detection area; the transmitter in the displacement sensor is used to emit a light beam, and the receiver in the displacement sensor is used to receive the reflected light beam after the emitted light beam is reflected by the robot arm; controlling the robot arm to extend to a set position; controlling the robot arm to retract its hand from the set position; obtaining the analog signal values ​​corresponding to multiple incident light positions collected by the displacement sensor within the set distance during the retraction process; converting the multiple analog signal values ​​into multiple candidate droop distances; and determining the droop distance based on the multiple candidate droop distances.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, the specific process of the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm can be found in the relevant descriptions in any of the embodiments of the method for detecting the degree of drooping of the robotic arm described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0079] In summary, the robot arm droop detection method of this application embodiment involves the host computer sending a robot arm detection command to the robot arm control unit when detecting the droop degree. This command instructs the control unit to perform a droop degree detection action on the robot arm and obtain its droop distance. The method receives the droop distance from the control unit and determines the droop degree based on this distance. This application embodiment achieves automatic detection of robot arm droop degree by performing a droop degree detection action on the robot arm and obtaining its droop distance. This allows for timely and accurate detection of robot arm anomalies, thereby preventing wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, and ultimately improving production capacity.

[0080] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment includes: a host computer ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image), robotic arms (including the front robotic arm ITR11 and the rear robotic arm PTR12), and robotic arm control unit ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image) The host computer includes at least one first processor and at least one first memory. The first memory stores a first computer program. When the first computer program is executed by the first processor, it implements the steps of the above-described embodiment of the method for detecting the drooping degree of any robotic arm with the host computer as the execution subject. The robotic arm control unit includes at least one second processor and at least one second memory. The second memory stores a second computer program. When the second computer program is executed by the second processor, it implements the steps of the above-described embodiment of the method for detecting the drooping degree of any robotic arm with the robotic arm control unit as the execution subject.

[0081] In this embodiment of the semiconductor process equipment, when detecting the drooping degree of a robotic arm, the host computer sends a robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit. This command instructs the control unit to perform a drooping degree detection action on the robotic arm and obtain its drooping distance. The host computer receives the drooping distance from the control unit and determines the degree of drooping based on this distance. This embodiment of the application achieves automatic detection of the robotic arm's drooping degree by performing a drooping degree detection action and obtaining its drooping distance. This allows for timely and accurate detection of robotic arm anomalies, thereby preventing wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, and ultimately improving production capacity.

[0082] This application also proposes a readable storage medium storing one or more computer programs, the one or more computer programs including instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor in a semiconductor process apparatus including multiple applications, the processor in the semiconductor process apparatus is able to execute the various processes of the above-described robot arm drooping degree detection method embodiments, and is specifically used to execute the steps of any of the above-described robot arm drooping degree detection method embodiments.

[0083] In this embodiment of the application, the readable storage medium, when detecting the drooping degree of the robotic arm, sends a robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit. The robotic arm detection command instructs the control unit to perform a drooping degree detection action on the robotic arm and obtain the drooping distance. The host computer receives the drooping distance sent by the control unit and determines the drooping degree of the robotic arm based on the drooping distance. This embodiment of the application, by performing a drooping degree detection action on the robotic arm and obtaining the drooping distance, can determine the drooping degree of the robotic arm, achieving automatic detection of the drooping degree of the robotic arm. This allows for timely and accurate detection of robotic arm abnormalities, thereby avoiding wafer transfer failures and machine downtime, and ultimately improving production capacity.

[0084] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products with certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, a computer can be, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, cellular phone, camera phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant, media player, navigation device, email device, game console, tablet computer, wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0085] For ease of description, the above devices are described separately by function as various units. Of course, in implementing this application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0087] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0088] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0089] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of action steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0090] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0091] Memory may include non-persistent storage in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of computer-readable media.

[0092] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0093] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0094] This application can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, that are executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. This application can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In distributed computing environments, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0095] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0096] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the degree of drooping of a robotic arm, characterized in that, The method, applied in a host computer for semiconductor process equipment, includes: Send a robot detection command to the robot control unit. The robot detection command is used to instruct the robot control unit to perform a droop degree detection action on the robot and obtain the droop distance of the robot. Receive the droop distance sent by the robotic arm control unit; The degree of drooping of the robotic arm is determined based on the drooping distance; Sending robot detection commands to the robot control unit includes: Determine whether the robotic arm is currently suitable to perform the droop detection action; If the robotic arm is currently suitable to perform the droop degree detection action, then send the robotic arm detection command to the robotic arm control unit to control the robotic arm to perform the droop degree detection action; The step of determining whether the robotic arm is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action includes: If the robotic arm can accept the command control of the host computer, and the robotic arm meets at least one of the following conditions: the number of wafers in the cavity of the semiconductor process equipment is greater than a preset wafer number threshold, the remaining wafer process time in the cavity is greater than the time it takes for the robotic arm to take a wafer from the cavity and place it in the buffer area, there are no wafers with completed processes in the buffer area, and there are no other robotic arms performing actions in the adjacent slots of the slot corresponding to the slot where the robotic arm performs the droop degree detection action, then it is determined that the robotic arm is currently suitable to perform the droop degree detection action; When the preset time for the robotic arm to perform the droop detection action is reached, the robotic arm is judged at set time intervals within the preset opening time limit to determine whether it is suitable to perform the droop detection action at present. The method further includes: If the preset time for the robotic arm to perform the droop detection action is reached, the detection flag is set to the preset first flag; If the robotic arm is currently suitable for performing the droop detection action, then the detection identifier is set to a preset second identifier; Before determining whether the preset time for the robotic arm to perform the droop detection action has been reached, the method further includes: Obtain the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment; If the process state is wafer recycling state, then control the robot to transfer all wafers in the semiconductor process equipment to the wafer cassette, and stop taking wafers out of the wafer cassette and into the semiconductor process equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the degree of droop of the robotic arm based on the droop distance includes: If the drooping distance is greater than the preset drooping distance threshold, the degree of drooping is determined to be excessive, an alarm message is output, and the robotic arm is set to an inoperable state. If the drooping distance is equal to or less than the drooping distance threshold, then the degree of drooping is determined to be normal.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: If the robotic arm is not currently suitable for performing the sag detection action, an alarm message will be output to indicate that the sag detection action has not been performed.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time interval between two consecutive executions of the droop degree detection action is greater than the activation time limit, and the activation time limit is greater than the set time interval.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining whether the robotic arm is currently suitable to perform the droop detection action, the method further includes: If the process state is normal wafer transfer state, then determine whether the detection identifier is the first identifier; If the identifier is the first identifier, then control the robot arm to transfer all the wafers with completed processes in the buffer to the wafer cassette; If the identifier is not the first identifier, then determine whether the number of wafers with completed processes in the buffer is greater than the number of empty slots in the cavity of the semiconductor process equipment; if it is greater than the number of empty slots, control the robot to transfer all wafers with completed processes in the buffer to the wafer cassette; if it is equal to or less than the number of empty slots, control the robot to take out the wafers from the wafer cassette and put them into the semiconductor process equipment.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before obtaining the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment, the method further includes: Determine whether the robotic arm is performing the droop detection action; If the robotic arm is not performing the droop detection action, then the step of obtaining the current process status of the semiconductor process equipment is performed.

7. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, include: A host computer, a robotic arm, and a robotic arm control unit, wherein the host computer includes at least one first processor and at least one first memory, the first memory storing a first computer program, and the first computer program, when executed by the first processor, implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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