Wafer state updating method, lower computer, upper computer and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer state updating method, a lower computer, an upper computer and semiconductor process equipment. The method comprises the steps of updating channel data in a database file after a first instruction for calling a chip taking and placing service in a lower computer is received; sending a wafer taking and placing instruction to a manipulator; updating the channel data in the lower computer after the manipulator executes the wafer taking and placing operation; and updating the channel data in the database file. According to the method and the device, the problem of asynchronous wafer states of the upper computer and the lower computer easily occurring in a subscription mechanism is solved, other risks such as fragments and needle collision possibly caused by wafer position errors displayed by the upper computer are avoided, and the stability of a semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular relates to a method for updating wafer status, a lower computer, an upper computer, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the complex process of semiconductor device manufacturing, wafers need to be transferred from a conventional atmospheric environment to a vacuum chamber. This process involves multiple key steps and components. The general atmospheric manipulator (Atmosphere Transport Module Robot, referred to as ATM Robot) first removes the wafer from the load port (LoadPort), and then places the wafer in the load lock (LoadLock). The load lock switches from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state. Then the vacuum manipulator (Vacuum Transport Module, referred to as VTM Robot) removes the wafer from the load lock and places the wafer in a dedicated process chamber (Process Module, referred to as PM). After the process is completed, the wafer is finally transferred back to the load port.

[0003] Each step in the above-mentioned wafer transfer process is completed by the host computer (Cluster Tool Controller, CTC) calling the wafer placement service of the lower computer (Transport Module Controller, TMC) of the transmission module. After completing each action, the lower computer will update the channel value (including the position of the wafer and the status of the robot). The host computer monitors the channel of the lower computer through a subscription mechanism to synchronously obtain the position of the wafer and the status of the robot, and updates the wafer status animation displayed on the host computer interface accordingly. However, the host computer will only update when the subscribed lower computer channel changes. The subscription mechanism has a delay, which can easily result in only receiving the robot status update, while the wafer status at the target position is not updated. The wafer status of the upper and lower computers is out of sync, causing the host computer to alarm. Moreover, when the wafer position displayed by the host computer is incorrect, the on-site operator performs the wafer transfer operation based on the incorrect wafer status, which may cause other risks such as debris and pin collision, affecting the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a wafer status update method, a lower computer, an upper computer and semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem in the related technology that the subscription mechanism is prone to the wafer status asynchrony between the upper and lower computers, causing the upper computer to alarm, and may cause other risks such as debris and collisions, affecting the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for updating the wafer status, which is applied to a lower computer, comprising: after receiving a first instruction from an upper computer to call a wafer pick-up and placement service in the lower computer, updating the channel data in the database file; sending a wafer pick-up and placement instruction to a robot corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement service; after the robot executes the wafer pick-up and placement operation corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement instruction, updating the channel data in the lower computer; and updating the channel data in the database file.

[0007] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another method for updating the wafer status, which is applied to an upper computer, including: sending a first instruction to a lower computer to call a wafer pick-up and placement service in the lower computer, so that the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file according to the first instruction, sending a wafer pick-up and placement instruction to a robot corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement service, and updating the channel data in the lower computer and the channel data in the database file after the robot performs the wafer pick-up and placement operation corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement instruction; sending a second instruction to the lower computer to call a channel data query service in the lower computer, so that the lower computer queries the channel data in the database file according to the second instruction; receiving the queried channel data sent by the lower computer; and updating the channel data in the upper computer after determining that the wafer pick-up and placement operation is completed based on the queried channel data.

[0008] In the third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a lower computer, including: a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application are implemented.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a host computer, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method described in the embodiment of the second aspect of the present application.

[0010] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a semiconductor process equipment, including: a transmission module, a process module, a robot module, a lower computer as described in the embodiment of the third aspect of the present application, and an upper computer as described in the embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present application, and the lower computer and the upper computer are communicatively connected.

[0011] At least one of the above technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of the present application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0012] When synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, the embodiment of the present application updates the channel data in the database file after receiving the first instruction from the upper computer to call the wafer pick-up and placement service in the lower computer, sends the wafer pick-up and placement instruction to the robot corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement service, and after the robot performs the wafer pick-up and placement operation corresponding to the wafer pick-up and placement instruction, updates the channel data in the lower computer and the channel data in the database file. After receiving the second instruction from the upper computer to call the channel data query service in the lower computer, queries the channel data in the database file and sends the queried channel data to the upper computer, so that the upper computer can determine that the wafer pick-up and placement operation is completed based on the queried channel data, and then updates the channel data in the upper computer and the wafer status animation displayed on the interface. In an embodiment of the present application, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer placement operation, so that the upper computer can subsequently obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface, avoiding the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and collisions that may be caused by incorrect wafer position displayed by the upper computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of realizing upper and lower computer communication based on a subscription mechanism in related technologies;

[0015] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a method for updating wafer status provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of communication between a host and a computer during film transmission provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 4 A schematic flow chart of a method for updating wafer status provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of updating the wafer position after the host computer is restarted or before initialization provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 6 A schematic flow chart of a method for updating wafer status provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 7A schematic flow chart of a method for updating wafer status provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a slave computer provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a host computer provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 10 A schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided for one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of this application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0025] The terms "first", "second", etc. in this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here. In addition, "and / or" in this application represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship. It should be noted that the data involved in this application are all obtained under the premise of obtaining user authorization.

[0026] In the complex process of semiconductor device manufacturing, wafers need to be transferred from a conventional atmospheric environment to a vacuum chamber, a process involving multiple critical steps and components. A typical atmospheric robot first removes the wafer from the load port and then places the wafer in a load lock. The load lock switches from atmospheric to vacuum conditions. The vacuum robot then removes the wafer from the load lock and places it in a dedicated process chamber. After the process is complete, the wafer is finally transferred back to the load port.

[0027] Each step in the above-mentioned wafer transfer process is completed by the upper computer calling the wafer pick-up and placement service of the lower computer of the transmission module. After completing each action, the lower computer will update the channel value (including the position of the wafer and the status of the robot). The upper computer monitors the channel of the lower computer through the subscription mechanism to synchronously obtain the position of the wafer and the status of the robot, and updates the wafer status animation displayed on the upper computer interface accordingly. The specific process is as follows Figure 1As shown, the collaboration between the upper and lower computers is achieved through the communication mechanism of the upper computer subscribing to the lower computer channel: the upper computer calls the wafer pick-and-place service in the lower computer, including the pick / place service. When the wafer pick-and-place service starts, the lower computer sends a wafer pick-and-place instruction to the robot corresponding to the wafer pick-and-place service. After the robot performs the corresponding wafer pick-and-place operation, it updates the channel value in the lower computer. When the wafer pick-and-place service ends, the upper computer updates the channel value in the upper computer and updates the wafer status animation displayed on the upper computer interface accordingly.

[0028] However, in the above scheme, the upper computer will only be updated when the subscribed lower computer channel changes, and the subscription mechanism has a delay, which easily leads to the problem that only the status update of the manipulator is received, the wafer status of the target position is not updated, and the wafer status of the upper and lower computers are out of sync, causing the upper computer to alarm, and when the wafer position displayed by the upper computer is wrong, the on-site operator performs the wafer transfer operation according to the wrong wafer status, which may cause other risks such as debris and collisions, affecting the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. To this end, the present application proposes a wafer status update method, a lower computer, an upper computer and semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem in the related art that the subscription mechanism is prone to the problem that the wafer status of the upper and lower computers is out of sync, causing the upper computer to alarm, and may cause other risks such as debris and collisions, affecting the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer.

[0029] The following describes in detail the technical solutions provided by various embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a method for updating wafer status is provided as a flow chart for an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may specifically include the following steps:

[0031] S201 , after receiving a first instruction from a host computer to call a fetch and place service in a slave computer, updating channel data in a database file.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the execution subject of the wafer status update method of the embodiment of the present application is a lower computer.

[0033] The slave computer is equipped with a chip placement service and a database file for storing channel data. When the master computer needs to perform a chip placement operation, it sends a first instruction to the slave computer. This first instruction is used to call the chip placement service in the slave computer to perform the chip placement operation. After receiving the first instruction, the slave computer activates the chip placement service and updates the channel data in the database file before performing the chip placement operation.

[0034] Channel data may specifically include but is not limited to a channel name (Channel Name) and a channel value (Channel Value) corresponding to the channel name. Channel data is stored in a database file in the form of key-value pairs, as shown in Table 1. The meaning column in Table 1 is only used to describe the meaning of the corresponding row channel data and is not stored in the database file.

[0035] Table 1 Format and meaning of channel data in database file

[0036]

[0037] The database can specifically be a Redis database, in which only the value (corresponding to the channel value) corresponding to the key (corresponding to the channel name) needs to be updated, and the number of key-value pairs is fixed. In addition, the database has the advantages of supporting simultaneous read and write operations, a simple data model, persistence (even if the system restarts or fails, the data can also be protected and restored) and high performance.

[0038] For example, when the upper computer needs to execute the action of vacuum manipulator A placing a film on PM1, it first sets the channel of the lower computer as follows: TR1_XferSts=Placing, TR1_S1Wfr=Present, PM1_S1Wfr=Absent, and updates the corresponding channel data in the database file, as shown in Table 2.

[0039] Table 2 Channel data before the film playing action in the database file

[0040] Channel Name Channel Value TR1_XferSts Placing TR1_S1Wfr Present PM1_S1Wfr Absent

[0041] S202, sending a pick-and-place instruction to the robot arm corresponding to the pick-and-place service.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, after completing the update of the channel data in the database file, the lower computer sends a wafer placement instruction to the robot corresponding to the wafer placement service. For example, in the above example, the lower computer sends a wafer placement instruction (i.e., APlace instruction) to vacuum robot A to place the wafer into PM1. Vacuum robot A executes the placement instruction and places the wafer into PM1.

[0043] S203, after the robot arm completes the pick-and-place operation corresponding to the pick-and-place instruction, the channel data in the lower computer is updated.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, for example, in the above example, after the vacuum robot A places the wafer into PM1, the channel data in the lower computer are set as follows: TR1_XferSts=Placed, TR1_S1Wfr=Absent, PM1_S1Wfr=Present.

[0045] S204: Update the channel data in the database file.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, for example, in the above example, the corresponding channel data in the database file is updated, as shown in Table 3.

[0047] Table 3 Channel data after the film playing action in the database file

[0048] Channel Name Channel Value TR1_XferSts Placed TR1_S1Wfr Absent PM1_S1Wfr Present

[0049] Furthermore, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may also include the following steps S205-S206.

[0050] S205 , after receiving the second instruction sent by the upper computer to call the channel data query service in the lower computer, query the channel data in the database file.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present application, when the host computer needs to update the wafer position, it sends a second instruction to the slave computer. The second instruction is used to invoke the channel data query (i.e., Check™ Module) service in the slave computer. After receiving the second instruction, the slave computer searches the database file for the channel value corresponding to the channel name to be queried based on the query parameter in the second instruction, i.e., the channel name to be queried.

[0052] For example, in the above example, assuming that the channel name to be queried in the second instruction is TR1_XferSts, the lower computer searches the database file and finds that the corresponding channel value is Placed.

[0053] S206 , sending the queried channel data to the host computer, so that the host computer can determine that the chip placement operation is completed based on the queried channel data, and then update the channel data in the host computer.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the lower computer sends the queried channel data TR1_XferSts=Placed to the upper computer. After the upper computer determines that the wafer placement operation is completed based on the queried channel data TR1_XferSts=Placed, it updates the channel data in the upper computer and updates the wafer status animation displayed on the interface based on the updated channel data.

[0055] It should be noted here that after sending the first instruction to call the chip placement service in the lower computer, the upper computer can periodically send the second instruction to call the channel data query service in the lower computer to the lower computer, for example, sending the second instruction to the lower computer once every 100 milliseconds (ms) to obtain channel data.

[0056] In addition, the channel data in the database file can also include the timestamp data of the start and end of the film transmission. The timestamp data is stored in the form of time key-value pairs. For example, the timestamp data of the start of the film transmission is<Time,2023-10-10 21:25:20> , the timestamp data at the end of the transmission is<Time,2023-10-10 21:25:23> , which can be used to further analyze information about semiconductor machines, such as machine transmission efficiency, robot utilization efficiency, etc.

[0057] To clearly illustrate the communication process between the upper and lower computers when transmitting the film in the embodiment of the present application, the following is combined with Figure 3 Describe it in detail. Figure 3 Shown, including:

[0058] S301: The upper computer sends a first instruction to the lower computer to call the chip placement service in the lower computer.

[0059] S302, the fetching and placing service of the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before transferring the film. For example: before vacuum manipulator A places the film on PM1, TR1_XferSts=Placing, TR1_S1Wfr=Present, PM1_S1Wfr=Absent.

[0060] S303, the lower computer sends a pick-and-place instruction to the robot arm corresponding to the pick-and-place service.

[0061] S304, after the robot executes the pick-and-place operation corresponding to the pick-and-place instruction, the lower computer updates the channel data in the lower computer. For example, after the vacuum robot A completes placing the film to PM1, TR1_XferSts=Placed, TR1_S1Wfr=Absent, PM1_S1Wfr=Present.

[0062] S305, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file.

[0063] S306, the chip placement service ends.

[0064] S307 , the host computer sends a second instruction to call the channel data query service in the slave computer every 100 milliseconds (ms), such as a second instruction to query the channel value of TR1_XferSts, until the feedback channel value is Picked / Placed.

[0065] S308, the channel data query service of the lower computer queries and feeds back the channel value as Picked / Placed, for example, the channel value of TR1_XferSts is fed back as Placed, and the upper computer ends the query.

[0066] S309: The host computer updates the channel data in the host computer according to the channel value obtained through feedback.

[0067] S310: The host computer updates the wafer status animation displayed on the interface according to the updated channel data.

[0068] Further, such as Figure 4 As shown, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps:

[0069] S401, after receiving a third instruction sent by the upper computer to call the channel data query service in the lower computer, query the channel data in the database file, the third instruction is sent by the upper computer after restarting or before performing an initialization action.

[0070] In an embodiment of the present application, after the host computer is restarted or before performing an initialization action, it sends a third instruction to the slave computer. The third instruction is used to call the channel data query service in the slave computer. After receiving the third instruction, the slave computer searches the database file for the channel value corresponding to the channel name to be queried based on the query parameter in the third instruction, that is, the channel name to be queried.

[0071] S402: Send the queried channel data to the host computer so that the host computer can update the channel data in the host computer and perform initialization actions.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, the lower computer sends the queried channel data to the upper computer. The upper computer updates the channel data in the upper computer according to the queried channel data, updates the wafer status animation displayed on the interface according to the updated channel data, and then starts to perform the initialization action until the initialization action is completed.

[0073] To clearly illustrate the communication process between the upper and lower computers when transmitting the film in the embodiment of the present application, the following is combined with Figure 5 Describe it in detail. Figure 5 Shown, including:

[0074] S501: After the host computer is restarted or before executing the initialization action, the host computer sends a third instruction to the slave computer to call the channel data query service in the slave computer.

[0075] S502 , the channel data query service in the lower computer queries and feeds back the channel data in the database file according to the third instruction, for example, TR1_XferSts=Placed, TR1_S1Wfr=Absent, PM1_S1Wfr=Present.

[0076] S503: The upper computer updates the channel data in the upper computer according to the channel data fed back by the lower computer.

[0077] S504: The host computer updates the wafer status animation displayed on the interface according to the updated channel data.

[0078] S505, the host computer performs initialization action;

[0079] S506, initialization action completed.

[0080] In summary, the method for updating the wafer status of the embodiment of the present application, when synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer pick-up and placement operation, so that the subsequent upper computer can obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface, avoiding the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and pins that may be caused by the wafer position error displayed by the upper computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. After the upper computer is restarted or before performing the initialization action, the channel data in the upper computer is updated by querying the channel data in the database file, avoiding the risk of pins or debris caused by transmitting the wafer again due to the wafer position remaining in the state before the upper computer is restarted or initialized. It can solve the problem that when the transfer process is terminated by manually clicking Abort or other actions, and the lower computer has completed the transfer action, the upper computer cannot update the wafer status in time, resulting in incorrect wafer position, and the wafer position displayed on the interface after initialization or restart of the upper computer still remains in the state before the transfer, and transferring the film again may cause collisions or fragments.

[0081] Figure 6 A schematic flow chart of a method for updating wafer status is provided as another embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may specifically include the following steps:

[0082] S601, send the first instruction to the lower computer to call the pick-and-place service in the lower computer, so that the lower computer can update the channel data in the database file according to the first instruction, send the pick-and-place instruction to the robot corresponding to the pick-and-place service, and after the robot executes the pick-and-place operation corresponding to the pick-and-place instruction, update the channel data in the lower computer and the channel data in the database file.

[0083] S602: Send a second instruction for invoking a channel data query service in the lower computer to the lower computer, so that the lower computer can query the channel data in the database file according to the second instruction.

[0084] S603: Receive the queried channel data sent by the lower computer.

[0085] S604: After determining that the chip placement operation is completed based on the queried channel data, the channel data in the host computer is updated.

[0086] Furthermore, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may also include the following step S605.

[0087] S605 , updating the wafer status animation displayed on the interface according to the channel data in the host computer.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, the execution entity of the wafer status update method of the embodiment of the present application is a host computer.

[0089] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, step S602 of “sending a second instruction to the subordinate computer for invoking a channel data query service in the subordinate computer” may specifically include the following steps: periodically sending the second instruction to the subordinate computer.

[0090] Further, such as Figure 7 As shown, the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps:

[0091] S701 , after the host computer is restarted or before the initialization action is performed, a third instruction for calling a channel data query service is sent to the slave computer, so that the slave computer can query the channel data in the database file according to the third instruction.

[0092] S702, receiving the queried channel data sent by the lower computer.

[0093] S703, update the channel data in the host computer.

[0094] S704, perform initialization action.

[0095] Furthermore, before step S704 , the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application may further include the following step S705 .

[0096] S705 , updating the wafer status animation displayed on the interface according to the channel data in the host computer.

[0097] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned channel data may specifically include a channel name and a channel value corresponding to the channel name.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the specific process of each step in the wafer status updating method of the embodiment of the present application can be found in the relevant description in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0099] In summary, the method for updating the wafer status of the embodiment of the present application, when synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer pick-up and placement operation, so that the subsequent upper computer can obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface, avoiding the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and pins that may be caused by the wafer position error displayed by the upper computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. After the upper computer is restarted or before performing the initialization action, the channel data in the upper computer is updated by querying the channel data in the database file, avoiding the risk of pins or debris caused by transmitting the wafer again due to the wafer position remaining in the state before the upper computer is restarted or initialized. It can solve the problem that when the transfer process is terminated by manually clicking Abort or other actions, and the lower computer has completed the transfer action, the upper computer cannot update the wafer status in time, resulting in incorrect wafer position, and the wafer position displayed on the interface after initialization or restart of the upper computer still remains in the state before the transfer, and transferring the film again may cause collisions or fragments.

[0100] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lower computer provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the lower computer 800 of the embodiment of the present application may specifically include: a processor 801, a memory 802, and a program or instruction stored in the memory 802 and executable on the processor 801. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor 801, the above-mentioned Figure 2-Figure 5 The steps of the method for updating the wafer status of any embodiment are shown.

[0101] In summary, the lower computer of the embodiment of the present application, when synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer pick-up and placement operation, so that the subsequent upper computer can obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface, avoiding the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and pins that may be caused by the wafer position error displayed by the upper computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. After the upper computer is restarted or before performing the initialization action, the channel data in the upper computer is updated by querying the channel data in the database file, avoiding the risk of pins or debris caused by transmitting the wafer again due to the wafer position remaining in the state before the upper computer is restarted or initialized. It can solve the problem that when the transfer process is terminated by manually clicking Abort or other actions, and the lower computer has completed the transfer action, the upper computer cannot update the wafer status in time, resulting in incorrect wafer position, and the wafer position displayed on the interface after initialization or restart of the upper computer still remains in the state before the transfer, and transferring the film again may cause collisions or fragments.

[0102] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lower computer provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 As shown, the host computer 900 of the embodiment of the present application may specifically include: a processor 801, a memory 802, and a program or instruction stored in the memory 802 and executable on the processor 801. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor 801, the above-mentioned Figure 6-Figure 7 The steps of the method for updating the wafer status of any embodiment are shown.

[0103] In summary, the host computer of the embodiment of the present application, when synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer pick-up and placement operation, so that the subsequent host computer can obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface, avoiding the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and pins that may be caused by the wafer position error displayed by the host computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. After the host computer is restarted or before performing the initialization action, the channel data in the host computer is updated by querying the channel data in the database file, avoiding the risk of pins or debris caused by transmitting the wafer again due to the wafer position remaining in the state before the host computer is restarted or initialized. It can solve the problem that when the transfer process is terminated by manually clicking Abort or other actions, and the lower computer has completed the transfer action, the upper computer cannot update the wafer status in time, resulting in incorrect wafer position, and the wafer position displayed on the interface after initialization or restart of the upper computer still remains in the state before the transfer, and transferring the film again may cause collisions or fragments.

[0104] The present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment. Figure 10 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment 1000 of the embodiment of the present application includes: a transmission module 300, a process module 400 and a manipulator module, wherein the manipulator module may include an atmospheric manipulator 110 located in the loading and unloading module 100 and a vacuum manipulator 310 located in the transmission module 300. The semiconductor process equipment 1000 of the embodiment of the present invention also includes a lower computer (not shown) as shown in the above embodiment and an upper computer (not shown) as shown in the above embodiment, and the lower computer and the upper computer are communicatively connected. Further, the semiconductor process equipment 1000 also includes a load locking module 200, which is arranged between the loading and unloading module 100 and the transmission module 300 for switching between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment. Further, the semiconductor process equipment 1000 also includes a display device (not shown), which is electrically connected to the upper computer for displaying wafer status animation.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the specific process of the lower computer and the upper computer in the semiconductor process equipment 1000 of the embodiment of the present application to realize their functions can be referred to the relevant description in the above-mentioned embodiment of the wafer status updating method, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] In summary, the semiconductor process equipment of the embodiment of the present application, when synchronizing the upper and lower computers on the wafer status, the lower computer updates the channel data in the database file before and after performing the wafer pick-up and placement operation, so that the upper computer can obtain the channel data by querying the database file and update the wafer status animation displayed on the interface. This avoids the problem of asynchronous wafer status between the upper and lower computers that is prone to occur in the subscription mechanism, as well as other risks such as debris and pins that may be caused by the wafer position error displayed by the upper computer, thereby ensuring the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the integrity of the wafer. After the upper computer is restarted or before performing the initialization action, the channel data in the upper computer is updated by querying the channel data in the database file, thereby avoiding the risk of pins or debris being caused by transmitting the wafer again due to the wafer position remaining in the state before the upper computer is restarted or initialized. It can solve the problem that when the transfer process is terminated by manually clicking Abort or other actions, and the lower computer has completed the transfer action, the upper computer cannot update the wafer status in time, resulting in incorrect wafer position, and the wafer position displayed on the interface after initialization or restart of the upper computer still remains in the state before the transfer, and transferring the film again may cause collisions or fragments.

[0107] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments may be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products having certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, the computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or a combination of any of these devices.

[0108] For the convenience of description, the above devices are described as being divided into various units according to their functions. Of course, when implementing this application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in the same or multiple software and / or hardware.

[0109] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0110] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the steps in the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0111] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0112] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0113] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0114] Memory may include non-permanent storage in a computer-readable medium, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. Memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

[0115] Computer-readable media includes permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. The information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules 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 technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transitory computer-readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0116] It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0117] The present application may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The present application may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0118] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to in conjunction with each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences between the other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are generally similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple. For relevant parts, refer to the description of the method embodiments.

[0119] The above are merely embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should all be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for updating wafer status, characterized in that: Applied in a lower computer, the method includes: After receiving a first instruction from the upper computer to call a fetch and place service in the lower computer, updating the channel data in the database file; Sending a piece-pick-and-place instruction to the robot corresponding to the piece-pick-and-place service; After the manipulator completes the pick-and-place operation corresponding to the pick-and-place instruction, updating the channel data in the lower computer; The channel data in the database file is updated.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: After receiving the second instruction sent by the upper computer to call the channel data query service in the lower computer, querying the channel data in the database file; The queried channel data is sent to the host computer, so that the host computer can update the channel data in the host computer after determining that the chip placement operation is completed according to the queried channel data.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: After receiving a third instruction sent by the host computer to call a channel data query service in the slave computer, querying the channel data in the database file, the third instruction being sent by the host computer after restart or before performing an initialization action; The queried channel data is sent to the host computer so that the host computer updates the channel data in the host computer and performs an initialization action.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The channel data includes a channel name and a channel value corresponding to the channel name.

5. A method for updating wafer status, characterized in that: Applied to a host computer, the method includes: Sending a first instruction for calling a pick-and-place service in the lower computer to a lower computer, so that the lower computer updates the channel data in a database file according to the first instruction, sending a pick-and-place instruction to a manipulator corresponding to the pick-and-place service, and updating the channel data in the lower computer and the channel data in the database file after the manipulator performs the pick-and-place operation corresponding to the pick-and-place instruction; Sending a second instruction for calling a channel data query service in the lower computer to the lower computer, so that the lower computer can query the channel data in the database file according to the second instruction; Receiving the channel data queried and sent by the lower computer; After determining that the chip placement operation is completed according to the queried channel data, the channel data in the host computer is updated.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The sending of the second instruction to the slave computer to call the channel data query service in the slave computer includes: The second instruction is periodically sent to the lower computer.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: After the host computer is restarted or before the initialization action is performed, a third instruction for calling the channel data query service is sent to the slave computer, so that the slave computer queries the channel data in the database file according to the third instruction; Receiving the channel data obtained by querying sent by the lower computer; Updating the channel data in the host computer; Perform initialization actions.

8. The method according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that Also includes: The wafer status animation displayed on the interface is updated according to the channel data in the host computer.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The channel data includes a channel name and a channel value corresponding to the channel name.

10. A lower computer, characterized in that: include: A processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. A host computer, characterized in that: include: A processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 5 to 9.

12. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: A transmission module, a process module, a manipulator module, the lower computer according to claim 10 and the upper computer according to claim 11, wherein the lower computer and the upper computer are communicatively connected.

13. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 12, wherein: Also includes: A display device is electrically connected to the host computer and is used to display wafer status animation.

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