A method, device, medium and product for controlling the number of wafers in production

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method, device, medium and product for controlling the number of wafers in process, the method comprising: setting capacity reference information of a second manufacturing site; determining a preset number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site based on the capacity reference information; when the first manufacturing site supplies at least one second manufacturing site, if the actual number of wafers in process flowing from the first manufacturing site to a target second manufacturing site is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing site to the target second manufacturing site, controlling the first manufacturing site to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing site, and the target second manufacturing site is one of the at least one second manufacturing site. The method not only flexibly adapts to the actual wafer manufacturing scene of the FAB wafer factory, but also reduces the occurrence of excessive control or insufficient control of the number of wafers in process, thereby improving the capacity of the wafer manufacturing machine and ensuring the wafer yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of integrated circuit manufacturing technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, medium and product for controlling the number of wafers in production. Background Technology

[0002] As integrated circuit manufacturing capacity continues to increase, the number of wafers in process (WIP) at various wafer fabs is also rising. Since the number of process steps on a wafer production line is limited, an increase in the number of WIPs on a wafer fab's production line means a corresponding increase in the number of wafers in process for each process step.

[0003] In related technologies, wafer fabrication equipment has limited capacity. If there is a backlog of wafers waiting to be processed by the equipment, and the waiting time exceeds the process time limit, wafer yield cannot be guaranteed. Although some solutions exist, some solutions are prone to over- or under-controlling the number of wafers produced, affecting equipment capacity and yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A first aspect of this application provides a method for controlling the number of wafers in production, used to control the number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing station to a second manufacturing station, the method comprising:

[0005] Set the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing site;

[0006] Based on the capacity reference information, the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is determined;

[0007] When the same first manufacturing station supplies at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, then the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station, where the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

[0008] A second aspect of this application provides a control device for the number of wafers in production, according to another aspect of this disclosure, for controlling the number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing station to a second manufacturing station, the device comprising:

[0009] The first determining module is used to set the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station, and based on the capacity reference information, determine the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station.

[0010] The second determining module is used to determine the actual number of wafers in production that flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station;

[0011] The control module is used to control whether the first manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station;

[0012] Wherein, when the same first manufacturing station supplies at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, then the control module is used to control the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station, wherein the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

[0013] In one possible implementation, when multiple first manufacturing stations supply the same second manufacturing station, the second determining module is further configured to determine the blocking decision priority of multiple first manufacturing stations based on the control time of wafers flowing from each first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, and obtain the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station according to the order of the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing stations from high to low. The actual cumulative number of wafers in production is the sum of the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station and all first manufacturing stations with blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station.

[0014] A third aspect of this application also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing the computer to perform the method according to the first aspect of this application or any possible implementation thereof.

[0015] A fourth aspect of this application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in the first aspect of this application or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Further details, features, and advantages of this disclosure are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example system in which the various methods described herein may be implemented according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of a method for controlling the number of wafers in production according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the linear Qtime loop according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the equilateral triangular Qtime loop according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0021] Figure 5 This paper presents an example flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present application of controlling a first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on a second manufacturing station;

[0022] Figure 6 This paper shows a schematic diagram of the inverted triangle Qtime loop structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 7 This paper illustrates a schematic diagram of the selection process for the blocking decision strategy according to an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the in-process wafer search logic according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0025] Figure 9 A schematic block diagram of the functional modules of a control device for the number of wafers in production according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of a chip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 11 A structural block diagram of an exemplary electronic device that can be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0029] It should be understood that the steps described in the method embodiments of this disclosure may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel. Furthermore, the method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0030] The term "comprising" and its variations as used herein are open-ended, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment"; the term "some embodiments" means "at least some embodiments". Definitions of other terms will be given in the description below. It should be noted that the concepts of "first", "second", etc., used in this disclosure are only used to distinguish different devices, modules, or units, and are not intended to limit the order of functions performed by these devices, modules, or units or their interdependencies.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "a" and "a plurality of" used in this disclosure are illustrative rather than restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the context, they should be understood as "one or more".

[0032] As integrated circuit manufacturing capacity continues to increase, the number of wafers in process (WIP) in each fabrication (FAB) wafer fab is also rising. However, the number of wafer production lines is limited. Therefore, as the overall number of WIPs in a wafer fab increases, it means that the average number of WIPs in each step of the process flow of its wafer production line increases.

[0033] An increase in the number of wafers in process (WIP) at a certain step indicates a backlog of wafers at the second manufacturing station for that step. For some wafers, if they are not processed promptly at the second manufacturing station, their yield will be affected. For example, if a wafer is polished by a chemical mechanical polisher and a deposition film is not formed on the polished surface in time, oxidation of the polished surface may occur, thus affecting wafer yield. Therefore, in the wafer manufacturing process, it is necessary to set up a queue time loop (Qtime loop) for some manufacturing stations to ensure that wafers sent from upstream manufacturing stations are processed by downstream manufacturing stations within the Qtime range.

[0034] When a machine at a manufacturing station in the Qtime loop experiences an anomaly, its capacity will decrease. In this situation, if the upstream manufacturing station continues to supply the downstream station, a backlog of wafers will occur. This means that wafers from the upstream station cannot be processed by the downstream station within the Qtime range, causing timeout issues for the downstream station. Therefore, the number of wafers in production at the downstream station can be controlled based on Qtime.

[0035] The following example illustrates a scenario where control timeouts may occur. For ease of explanation, the first and second manufacturing stations in a wafer fabrication line can refer to manufacturing stations involved in two adjacent steps, or manufacturing stations involved in two steps separated by one or more steps. For example, the first manufacturing station could be the station corresponding to the earlier step in the sequence, and the second manufacturing station could be the station corresponding to the later step in the sequence.

[0036] The first scenario where control timeout occurs is when the wafer supply at the first manufacturing site increases rapidly over a certain period of time. These wafers are difficult to process by the second manufacturing site in a timely manner within the Qtime range, resulting in control timeout issues at the second manufacturing site.

[0037] The second scenario where control timeout occurs is when an alarm is detected at the second manufacturing station. If the supply to the first manufacturing station is controlled according to the original Qtime, then the control timeout problem is likely to occur at the second manufacturing station.

[0038] The third scenario for control timeouts is as follows: if a production component, such as a photomask, is sent for repair at the second manufacturing station, causing the wafer to exceed the control time limit at the second manufacturing station; or if there is an imbalance in the wafer production line, and the first manufacturing station has a larger supply volume, the wafers sent out by the first manufacturing station may be difficult for the second manufacturing station to process within the Qtime range, causing the wafer to exceed the control time limit at the second manufacturing station.

[0039] The fourth scenario involving timeouts occurs when phased, slow-speed delivery is required, which can be considered as the second manufacturing site processing wafers at a lower capacity. In this case, the second manufacturing site struggles to process wafers in progress in a timely manner, leading to timeouts at the second manufacturing site.

[0040] In related technologies, Q-zone or similar methods can be used to batch control the number of wafers in production from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station to solve the timeout problem. When using this method to solve the timeout problem, the wafer operation between the first and second manufacturing stations can be divided into multiple sub-steps during the Qtime loop, and a virtual Qtime is set for adjacent sub-steps. If a timeout occurs in a sub-step, the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation, making it difficult to increase the wafer manufacturing machine capacity of the wafer manufacturing station. Moreover, these methods have a strong lag, which easily leads to over-control or under-control of the number of wafers produced. When the number of wafers produced is over-controlled, the first manufacturing station may produce fewer wafers, and the wafers delivered by the first manufacturing station are quickly processed by the second manufacturing station within the Qtime, resulting in underutilization of Qtime. When the number of wafers produced is under-controlled, the first manufacturing station may produce more wafers, and the wafers delivered by the first manufacturing station are difficult to be processed by the second manufacturing station within the Qtime, leading to a timeout problem for the second manufacturing station.

[0041] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a method for controlling the number of wafers in production. This method can not only flexibly adapt to the actual wafer manufacturing scenarios of FAB wafer fabs, but also reduce the occurrence of over-control or under-control of the number of wafers in production, thereby improving the capacity of wafer manufacturing equipment and ensuring wafer yield.

[0042] The method described in this application is applicable to mass production wafer manufacturing, and can be an electronic device or a chip of an electronic device. The electronic device can be a terminal device or a server communicating with the terminal device. The terminal device can be a terminal with display functionality. This terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable device, in-vehicle device, laptop computer, super mobile personal computer, netbook, PDA, and wearable devices based on augmented reality and / or virtual reality technologies, etc.

[0043] For example, when the terminal is a wearable device, the term "wearable device" can also refer to any device that uses wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those focused on a specific application function that require interaction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0044] In one alternative approach, the method of this application embodiment is executed by a terminal device or a chip of the terminal device. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example system in which various methods described herein can be implemented according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the system 100 in this embodiment may include a terminal device 101, a production management system 102, and various manufacturing machines 103.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device 101 in this embodiment of the application can be communicatively connected to the production management system 102. The terminal device 101 can also be communicatively connected to various manufacturing machines 103. Each manufacturing machine 103 can be a machine from a manufacturing station included in the same wafer production line, or a machine from a manufacturing station included in different wafer production lines. These machines can include deposition equipment, chemical mechanical polishing equipment, photolithography equipment, dry etching equipment, ion implantation equipment, etc., but are not limited to these.

[0046] For example, the process flow of the wafer production line in this application embodiment may include multiple manufacturing steps. The manufacturing stations for different manufacturing steps may be the same or different, and each manufacturing station includes one or more manufacturing machines of the same type. In this application embodiment, every two manufacturing steps can be set as a pair of manufacturing steps. Each pair of manufacturing steps includes adjacent or non-adjacent manufacturing steps. The two manufacturing steps are divided into a first manufacturing step and a second manufacturing step according to the order of the steps. The manufacturing station corresponding to the first manufacturing step can be defined as the first manufacturing station, and the manufacturing station corresponding to the second manufacturing step can be defined as the second manufacturing station.

[0047] In one alternative approach, such as Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device 101 in this embodiment can generate a control request for the number of wafers in production in response to user input. Under the control request, it can query and read relevant data from the production management system 102 to determine whether the first manufacturing station needs to perform a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station. Simultaneously, the terminal device 101 can also obtain the operating status of the manufacturing machines at the first manufacturing station from the production management system. If it finds that the manufacturing machines at the first manufacturing station are blocking the second manufacturing station, and the first manufacturing station can release wafers to the second manufacturing station, the terminal device 101 can also control the first manufacturing station to perform the releasing operation on the second manufacturing station.

[0048] like Figure 1As shown, the terminal device 101 in this embodiment of the application can also display the operating status of the first manufacturing station on the second manufacturing station. For example, when the terminal device 101 controls the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station, the operating status of the first manufacturing station on the second manufacturing station can be displayed as a blocking state on the display interface of the terminal device 101.

[0049] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the production management system 102 of this application embodiment can also be communicatively connected to the manufacturing machines 103 of each manufacturing station, so that the production management system 102 can read the operating status of the manufacturing machines of each manufacturing station and save it in the production management system. The production management system 102 can also analyze the number of wafers in production from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station based on the operating status of each manufacturing machine, so as to provide a guarantee for the execution of the control strategy for the number of wafers in production.

[0050] In another alternative approach, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method in this embodiment of the application is provided by Figure 1 The production management system 102 shown may be executed by a chip applied to the production management system 102. The production management system 102 may exist as a server. In this case, the terminal device 101 may, in response to a user input operation, send a control request for the number of wafers in production to the production management system 102. The production management system 102 may, upon receiving the control request for the number of wafers in production, refer to... Figure 1 The decision-making method of the terminal equipment 101 is to decide whether it is necessary to perform blocking and releasing operations on the manufacturing machines of the first manufacturing station.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device 101 in this embodiment can also display the operating status of the manufacturing machine of the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. For example, when the production management system 102 controls the manufacturing machine of the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station, it can also send a status change command for the start manufacturing node. The terminal device 101 can respond to the status change command for the start manufacturing node and display on the display interface that the operating status of the manufacturing machine of the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is the blocking state.

[0052] like Figure 1As shown, the terminal device 101, production management system 102, and manufacturing machine 103 in this embodiment of the application can communicate via a network. This network may include one or more networks, and any suitable network can be considered. By way of example and not limitation, one or more parts of the network may include an ad hoc network, intranet, extranet, virtual private network (VPN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless wide area network (WWAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), a part of the Internet, a part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0053] This application provides a method for controlling the number of wafers in production, which can be used to control the number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing station to a second manufacturing station. The following describes the method for controlling the number of wafers in production in this application, with a production management system as the executing entity.

[0054] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the number of wafers in production according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the method for controlling the number of wafers in production according to embodiments of this application may include:

[0055] Step 201: Set the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing station. Here, a control request for the number of wafers in production can be sent to the production management system using a terminal device. The production management system can parse the control request for the number of wafers in production to obtain the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing station.

[0056] In practical applications, the terminal device can respond to user input operations by displaying the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station on the display interface, making it convenient for users to view the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station. It can also respond to user confirmation operations by sending the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station to the production management system in the form of a control request for the number of wafers in production.

[0057] Step 202: Based on the capacity reference information, determine the preset number of incoming wafers for the second manufacturing station corresponding to the first manufacturing station.

[0058] In practical applications, the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing site can include: control duration and wafer output. Control duration refers to the time it takes for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site; and / or, wafer output refers to the number of wafers output per unit time at the first manufacturing site (i.e., wafer yield). Here, when the capacity reference information for the manufacturing site includes the time it takes for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site, the historical wafer output per unit time at the first manufacturing site can be obtained from the production management system. When the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing site includes the wafer output per unit time at the first manufacturing site, the historical control duration for wafers flowing from the first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site can be obtained from the production management system.

[0059] Based on the above, the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station can be determined according to the control time for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station and the wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station. In this case, the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station can be regarded as the total number of wafers output by the first manufacturing station within the control time.

[0060] For example, the preset number of inflow wafers from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, LoopWIP = Q. time ×WPH, where Q time WPH indicates the control time for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site, while WPH indicates the number of wafers produced per unit time at the first manufacturing site.

[0061] As can be seen, the method of this application can determine the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station by setting the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station. The preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station can reflect the set capacity of the second manufacturing station on the wafer transfer path from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station (hereinafter referred to as the set capacity of the second manufacturing station on the wafer transfer path). Therefore, by setting the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station, the set capacity of the second manufacturing station on the wafer transfer path can be indirectly set, so that the set capacity of the second manufacturing station on the wafer transfer path can be adapted to the wafer manufacturing scenario of FAB wafer fab.

[0062] Step 203: When the same first manufacturing station supplies wafers to at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station. Here, the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

[0063] When the same first manufacturing site supplies multiple second manufacturing sites, it is equivalent to having one first manufacturing site and multiple second manufacturing sites. In this case, the wafers in production received by different second manufacturing sites come from one first manufacturing site. Therefore, the first manufacturing site has multiple supply paths, and one second manufacturing site is located on one supply path. In this scenario, it can be determined whether the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to each of the second manufacturing stations is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing into each of the second manufacturing stations. If there is a manufacturing station among the multiple second manufacturing stations with an actual number of wafers in production greater than the corresponding preset number of wafers flowing into, it indicates that there is a second manufacturing station with an overloaded number of wafers in production. Therefore, the identity information of the second manufacturing station with an overloaded number of wafers in production can be obtained. Based on the obtained identity information of the second manufacturing station, it can be identified as the target second manufacturing station, and the first manufacturing station can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station. This cuts off the supply path from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, reducing the problem of control timeout at the target second manufacturing station, without cutting off the supply path from the first manufacturing station to other non-target second manufacturing stations, ensuring that the first manufacturing station can normally perform supply operations to non-target second manufacturing stations.

[0064] In the process of implementing the method for controlling the number of wafers in production, the set capacity of the second manufacturing station in the wafer transfer path can be adapted to the wafer manufacturing scenario of the FAB wafer fab. Therefore, based on this, the system automatically decides whether to control the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station. This can not only reduce the situation of over-control or under-control of the number of wafers in production, but also effectively improve the capacity of the manufacturing equipment and ensure wafer yield.

[0065] Considering that the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station changes in real time, the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station can be retrieved from the production management system again after the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is less than or equal to the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station.

[0066] When it is necessary to reset the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, steps 201 and 202 can be referred to to redetermine the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. This ensures that the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station has good real-time performance and variability, reduces the additional delivery issues caused by untimed Qtime updates, and allows for more timely and accurate judgment of whether the wafers have timed out at the target second manufacturing station, avoiding issues such as timed out (under-control) or underutilization of Qtime (over-control).

[0067] In one possible implementation, the wafer output per unit time of the embodiments of this application can be set to be less than or equal to the saturated wafer output per unit time of the second manufacturing station. Here, the saturated wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station can refer to the maximum allowable wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station. Considering that the first manufacturing station has the highest production load when supplying wafers at its saturated wafer output, which is prone to causing failures, the possibility of the first manufacturing station supplying wafers at its saturated wafer output is relatively low. Therefore, the wafer output per unit time of the second manufacturing station can be less than the saturated wafer output per unit time of the second manufacturing station.

[0068] In practical applications, the output per unit time of the first manufacturing station is determined based on the saturated output per unit time of the first manufacturing station and the output buffer parameter of the first manufacturing station. Here, the output buffer parameter of the first manufacturing station can be considered as the ratio of the output per unit time of the first manufacturing station to the saturated output per unit time of the first manufacturing station, and its value can be greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0069] For example, the terminal device can respond to user input by displaying the saturated wafer output per unit time and the wafer output buffer parameters of the first manufacturing station, setting the wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station to be equal to WPH × ratio. At this time, the preset inflow wafer quantity LoopWIP from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is Q. time ×WPH×ratio, where ratio represents the wafer output buffer parameter of the first manufacturing station, and 0 < ratio < 1. The wafer output buffer parameter of the first manufacturing station can be used to adjust the saturated wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station to determine the wafer output per unit time of the second manufacturing station, so that the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station matches the actual wafer output scenario of the first manufacturing station.

[0070] When a first manufacturing site includes multiple wafer fabrication machines, the wafer throughput per unit time of the first manufacturing site can be determined based on the wafer throughput per unit time of the multiple wafer fabrication machines. For example, when the first manufacturing site includes sum wafer fabrication machines, the wafer throughput per unit time (WPH) of the first manufacturing site can be calculated using the following formula:

[0071]

[0072] Among them, WPH i This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time by the i-th wafer fabrication equipment at the first manufacturing site.

[0073] When the wafer output per unit time of each wafer manufacturing equipment is equal to the saturated wafer output per unit time of the wafer manufacturing equipment, the wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station is determined based on the wafer output per unit time of multiple wafer manufacturing equipment. For example, the saturated wafer output per unit time of the first manufacturing station can be determined by the saturated wafer output per unit time of multiple wafer manufacturing equipment.

[0074] In one possible implementation, when the first manufacturing station is paired with the second manufacturing station on a one-to-one basis, or when the same first manufacturing station corresponds to multiple second manufacturing stations, the wafers in production received by different second manufacturing stations originate from the same first manufacturing station. This ensures that the capacity of each second manufacturing station is only affected by the number of wafers produced by one first manufacturing station. The following describes the different scenarios.

[0075] When the first manufacturing station only supplies wafers to the second manufacturing station, and the second manufacturing station only processes wafers sent from the first manufacturing station, the correspondence between the first and second manufacturing stations is a one-to-one relationship. There may be one or more intermediate manufacturing steps between the first manufacturing step corresponding to the first manufacturing station and the second manufacturing step corresponding to the second manufacturing station. However, the impact on wafer yield is relatively low if the intermediate manufacturing stations corresponding to these intermediate manufacturing steps do not process wafers in a timely manner. Therefore, it is not necessary to set up virtual Qtime over to frequently trigger wafer blocking at the first manufacturing station, thereby improving the capacity of the second manufacturing station. Table 1 shows the Qtime loop table for the one-to-one relationship in this application embodiment.

[0076] Table 1. Qtime loop table for one-to-one relationships

[0077]

[0078]

[0079] As shown in Table 1, when manufacturing step ID = 050300, the manufacturing step is the first manufacturing step, and the corresponding machine ID of the first manufacturing station is A. When manufacturing step ID = 050800, the manufacturing step is the second manufacturing step, and the corresponding machine ID of the second manufacturing station is C. The relationship between the first and second manufacturing stations shown in Table 1 can be expressed as follows: Figure 3 The diagram shows a linear Qtime loop. The first manufacturing station is located at... Figure 3 According to Section 301, the second manufacturing site is located in... Figure 3 The Chinese character is represented by 302.

[0080] Moreover, from Table 1 and Figure 3 As can be seen, when the machine ID of the first manufacturing station 301 is A and the machine ID of the second manufacturing station 302 is C, the first manufacturing station 301 and the second manufacturing station 302 also have machine IDs for the first intermediate manufacturing step (050400), the second intermediate manufacturing step (050500), the third intermediate manufacturing step (050600), and the fourth intermediate manufacturing step (050700). However, the system does not detect whether the machines in these intermediate manufacturing steps have timeout issues, thereby avoiding frequent interruptions at the first manufacturing station 301 that could lead to capacity constraints at the second manufacturing station 302, and ensuring that the second manufacturing station 302 can process wafers at a relatively fast speed.

[0081] When the same primary manufacturing station supplies wafers to multiple secondary manufacturing stations, it's equivalent to having one primary manufacturing station and multiple secondary manufacturing stations. The wafers received by different secondary manufacturing stations originate from a single primary manufacturing station. Therefore, the capacity of each secondary manufacturing station is only affected by the number of wafers produced by the primary manufacturing station. In this case, when the primary manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on a target secondary manufacturing station, it can be controlled to interrupt the target supply path for that secondary manufacturing station without interrupting non-target supply paths, ensuring that the primary manufacturing station can continue supplying wafers to non-target secondary manufacturing stations normally.

[0082] For example, the relationship between the first manufacturing station and the second manufacturing station in this application embodiment can be referred to the Qtime loop table with a one-to-many relationship shown in Table 2. For ease of understanding, when describing Table 2 below, the first manufacturing station can be defined as the start manufacturing station, and the second manufacturing station can be defined as the end manufacturing station, the first manufacturing step can be defined as the start manufacturing step, and the second manufacturing step can be defined as the end manufacturing step.

[0083] Table 2. Qtime loop table for one-to-many relationships.

[0084] Manufacturing Step ID Machine ID Qtime type 002800 A Qtime start 022700 B Qtime ends 024600 C Qtime ends 079600 D Qtime ends

[0085] As shown in Table 2, when manufacturing step ID = 002800, the manufacturing step is the start of manufacturing, and the corresponding machine ID at the first manufacturing station is A; when manufacturing step ID = 022700, the manufacturing step is the end of manufacturing, and the corresponding machine ID at the second manufacturing station is B; when manufacturing step ID = 024600, the manufacturing step is the end of manufacturing, and the corresponding machine ID at the second manufacturing station is C; when manufacturing step ID = 079600, the manufacturing step is the end of manufacturing, and the corresponding machine ID at the second manufacturing station is D. The relationship between the start and end manufacturing stations shown in Table 2 can be expressed as follows: Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the equilateral triangle Qtime loop.

[0086] like Figure 4 As shown, there is one start manufacturing station 401, with machine ID = A; while there are three end manufacturing stations: the first end manufacturing station 402A (with machine ID = B), the second end manufacturing station 402B (with machine ID = C), and the third end manufacturing station 402C (with machine ID = D). The actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A is... A→B The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A is less than or equal to the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. A→B At that time, the start manufacturing station 401 performs continuous delivery operations to the first end manufacturing station 402A; the actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A... A→B The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. A→B At this time, the start manufacturing station 401 can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the first end manufacturing station 402A. For example, LoopWIP A→B =Q timeA→B ×WPH A→B ×ratio A→B , where Q timeA→B This indicates the control time for the wafer to flow from the start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A, WPH A→B The ratio represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 401 to the first end of manufacturing station 402A. A→B This indicates the output buffer parameters from the start manufacturing station 401 to the first end manufacturing station 402A.

[0087] The actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the starting manufacturing station 401 to the second ending manufacturing station 402B A→C The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the second end manufacturing station 402B is less than or equal to the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. A→C At that time, the start manufacturing station 401 performs a continuous delivery operation to the second end manufacturing station 402B; the actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the second end manufacturing station 402B... A→C The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the second end manufacturing station 402B is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. A→C At this time, the starting manufacturing station 401 can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the second ending manufacturing station 402B. For example, LoopWIP A→C =Q timeA→C ×WPH A→C ×ratio A→C , where Q timeA→C This indicates the control time for the wafer to flow from the start manufacturing station 401 to the second end manufacturing station 402B, WPH A→C The ratio represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 401 to the end of manufacturing station 402B. A→C This indicates the output buffer parameters from the start manufacturing station 401 to the second end manufacturing station 402B.

[0088] The actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the starting manufacturing station 401 to the third ending manufacturing station 402C A→D The actual number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the starting manufacturing station 401 to the third ending manufacturing station 402C is less than or equal to this number. A→D At that time, the start manufacturing station 401 performs continuous delivery operations to the third end manufacturing station 402C; the actual number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the start manufacturing station to the third end manufacturing station 402C... A→D The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the start manufacturing station 401 to the third end manufacturing station 402C is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. A→D At this time, the start manufacturing station 401 can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the third end manufacturing station 402C. For example, LoopWIP A→D =Q timeA→D ×WPH A→D ×ratio A→D , where Q timeA→D This indicates the control duration from the start of manufacturing station 401 to the end of manufacturing station 402C, in WPH. A→D This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 401 to the end of manufacturing station 402C, expressed as ratio. A→DThis indicates the output buffer parameters from the start manufacturing station 401 to the third end manufacturing station 402C.

[0089] In one possible implementation, when multiple first manufacturing sites supply the same second manufacturing site, the number of wafers in production at the second manufacturing site is affected by the supply volume of each first manufacturing site. Therefore, when the actual number of wafers in production flowing from a first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site is less than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site, the wafers in production at the second manufacturing site may have accumulated, leading to a timeout problem for the second manufacturing site.

[0090] In response to the above problems, Figure 5 This illustration shows an example flowchart of an embodiment of the present application showing how a first manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on a second manufacturing station. Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment of the application, controlling the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station includes:

[0091] Step 501: Based on the control time of wafers flowing from each first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site, determine the priority of the blocking decision for multiple first manufacturing sites.

[0092] Specifically, the priority of the blocking decision at the first manufacturing station is negatively correlated with the control time for wafers to flow from the first to the second manufacturing station. In other words, the shorter the control time for wafers to flow from the first to the second manufacturing station, the fewer wafers the first manufacturing station is allowed to send out within that control time. The actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first to the second manufacturing station can easily exceed the preset inflow number. Therefore, the shorter the control time, the higher the priority of the blocking decision at the first manufacturing station.

[0093] Step 502: Based on the order of the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing station from high to low, obtain the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. The actual cumulative number of wafers in production is the sum of the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station and all first manufacturing stations with a blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station.

[0094] For example, when the blocking decision priority of the target first manufacturing station is equal to the highest decision priority, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is equal to the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. When the blocking decision priority of the target first manufacturing station is less than the highest decision priority, for example, if the target first manufacturing station is a third priority station, and there are second priority stations and first priority stations before the target first manufacturing station, then the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is equal to the sum of the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station (third priority station), the second priority station, and the first priority station to the second manufacturing station.

[0095] Step 503: Determine whether the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station.

[0096] In practical applications, when making a blocking decision for the target first manufacturing site, the number of wafers in production at the second manufacturing site is affected by the number of wafers in production at the first manufacturing sites that have already made blocking decisions (i.e., all first manufacturing sites with blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing site). In this case, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site can be obtained according to the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing sites from high to low. This results in the actual cumulative number of wafers in production being the sum of the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing site and all first manufacturing sites with blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site.

[0097] When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, a blocking operation can still be performed even if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is less than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. This ensures that the second manufacturing station can process the wafers from each of the first manufacturing stations normally, guarantees wafer yield, and reduces the occurrence of Qtime underutilization or control timeout issues at the second manufacturing station.

[0098] When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is less than or equal to the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, it indicates that the second manufacturing station can process the wafers in production from each of the first manufacturing stations normally and does not need to perform a cut-off operation.

[0099] In some embodiments, each first manufacturing site can be sequentially set as a target first manufacturing site, and then each target first manufacturing site can be traversed in descending order of priority for the blocking decision. For example, when traversing the current target first manufacturing site, the target first manufacturing site and all first manufacturing sites with higher priority can be obtained from multiple first manufacturing sites, thereby determining the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site.

[0100] When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, the second manufacturing station is also prone to wafer backlog problems even if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is less than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. Therefore, step 504 can be executed.

[0101] When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is less than or equal to the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, it indicates that the second manufacturing station is less likely to experience wafer backlog issues, and each first manufacturing station performs continuous delivery operations to the same second manufacturing station. Based on this, the method in this embodiment may further include step 505.

[0102] Step 504: Control all first manufacturing stations to perform a blocking operation on the same second manufacturing station. When multiple first manufacturing stations supply the same second manufacturing station, if the target first manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on the same second manufacturing station, while other first manufacturing stations continue to supply wafers to the second manufacturing station, the second manufacturing station may experience a backlog of wafers in production, leading to a timeout issue. When the second manufacturing station experiences a timeout issue, wafers from multiple first manufacturing stations cannot be processed by the second manufacturing station in a timely manner within the Qtime range. Therefore, controlling each first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station gradually reduces the actual number of wafers in production at the second manufacturing station, thereby reducing the backlog of wafers in production at the second manufacturing station and ensuring wafer yield.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present application, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production is positively correlated with the control duration. However, since the priority of the blocking decision is negatively correlated with the control duration, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production is negatively correlated with the priority of the blocking decision.

[0104] If the priority of the blocking decision at the target first manufacturing station is lower, the second manufacturing station will be more affected by the number of first manufacturing stations that have already made blocking decisions. Therefore, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production will be higher. When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, controlling all first manufacturing stations to perform blocking operations on the same second manufacturing station can reduce the problem of underutilization of Qtime caused by performing blocking operations too early.

[0105] If the blocking decision priority of the target first manufacturing station is higher, then the second manufacturing station is less affected by the number of first manufacturing stations that have already made blocking decisions. Therefore, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production is relatively small. When the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, controlling all first manufacturing stations to perform blocking operations on the same second manufacturing station can reduce the problem of control timeouts that may be caused by making decisions too late.

[0106] It is evident that by using the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station as a basis, and determining whether the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, the decision-making results can be made accurate and closer to the real-world scenario.

[0107] Step 505: Based on the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing station, obtain the first manufacturing station with the lowest blocking decision priority and update it as the target first manufacturing station. Then, referring to the relevant descriptions in steps 501 and 502, determine the actual cumulative number of wafers in production at the second manufacturing station relative to the updated target first manufacturing station.

[0108] In scenarios where multiple first manufacturing sites supply the same second manufacturing site, the process of determining the actual number of wafers in production for each second manufacturing site corresponding to the first manufacturing site can be illustrated using the many-to-one relationship Qtime loop table shown in Table 3. For ease of understanding, when describing Table 3 below, the first manufacturing site can be defined as the starting manufacturing site, and the second manufacturing site as the ending manufacturing site; the first manufacturing step can be defined as the starting manufacturing step, and the second manufacturing step as the ending manufacturing step.

[0109] Table 3. Qtime loop table for many-to-one relationships

[0110]

[0111] <24P05731CN>

[0112]

[0113] As shown in Table 3, when manufacturing step ID = 082500, this manufacturing step is the start of manufacturing, and the machine ID of the corresponding start manufacturing station is B; when manufacturing step ID = 083300, this manufacturing step is the start of manufacturing, and the machine ID of the corresponding start manufacturing station is C; when manufacturing step ID = 088200, this manufacturing step is the start of manufacturing, and the machine ID of the corresponding start manufacturing station is D; when manufacturing step ID = 095000, this manufacturing step is the start of manufacturing, and the machine ID of the corresponding start manufacturing station is E.

[0114] When manufacturing step ID = 083200, 087900, 094300, and 095800, the manufacturing step is the end of the manufacturing process, and the machine ID of the corresponding end-of-manufacturing station is A. The relationship between the start and end manufacturing stations shown in Table 3 can be represented as follows: Figure 6 The diagram shows the structure of an inverted triangle Qtime loop. Figure 6 As shown, the end of the manufacturing station is indicated by 602, and its corresponding machine ID is A; the first start of the manufacturing station is indicated by 601A, and its corresponding machine ID is B; the second start of the manufacturing station is indicated by 601B, and its corresponding machine ID is C; the third start of the manufacturing station is indicated by 601C, and its corresponding machine ID is D; the fourth start of the manufacturing station is indicated by 601D, and its corresponding machine ID is E.

[0115] Combined with Table 3 and Figure 6 As can be seen, there are four Qtime loops: the first Qtime loop from the start manufacturing station 601A to the end manufacturing station 602, which can be represented as B→A; the second Qtime loop from the start manufacturing station 601B to the end manufacturing station 602, which can be represented as C→A; the third Qtime loop from the start manufacturing station 601C to the end manufacturing station 602, which can be represented as D→A; and the fourth Qtime loop from the start manufacturing station 601D to the end manufacturing station 602, which can be represented as E→A. These four Qtime loops all have machines at different start manufacturing stations and machines at the same end manufacturing station; therefore, they can be called an inverted triangle Qtime loop structure.

[0116] Let Q timeB→A Q represents the control time for a wafer to flow from the first manufacturing station 601A to the last manufacturing station 602. timeC→AQ represents the control time for the wafer to flow from the second manufacturing station 601B to the final manufacturing station 602. timeD→A Q represents the control time for the wafer to flow from the third manufacturing station 601C to the last manufacturing station 602. timeE→A WIP1 indicates the control time for wafers to flow from the fourth starting manufacturing station 601D to the ending manufacturing station 602. WIP2 indicates the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first starting manufacturing station 601A to the ending manufacturing station 602. WIP3 indicates the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the third starting manufacturing station 601C to the ending manufacturing station 602. WIP4 indicates the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the fourth starting manufacturing station 601D to the ending manufacturing station 602<24P05731CN>.

[0117] When Q timeB→A <Q timeC→A <Q timeD→A <Q timeE→A At that time, the priority of the rejection decision at the first starting manufacturing station 601A is higher than that at the second starting manufacturing station 601B, the priority of the rejection decision at the second starting manufacturing station 601B is higher than that at the third starting manufacturing station 601C, and the priority of the rejection decision at the third starting manufacturing station 601C is higher than that at the fourth starting manufacturing station 601D. Therefore, the actual cumulative number of wafers in process (WIP) at the ending manufacturing station 602 corresponding to the first starting manufacturing station 601A is... B→A =WIP1, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the second manufacturing station 601B to the final manufacturing station 602. C→A =WIP1 + WIP2, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the third manufacturing station 601C to the final manufacturing station 602. D→A =WIP1 + WIP2 + WIP3, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from manufacturing station 601D to manufacturing station 602 (the fourth manufacturing station). E→A =WIP1+WIP2+WIP3+WIP4.

[0118] The actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the first manufacturing station 601A to the final manufacturing station 602 B→A LoopWIP number less than or equal to the preset number of inflow wafers from the first start manufacturing station 601A to the end manufacturing station 602 B→A At that time, the first start manufacturing station 601A performs continuous delivery operations to the end manufacturing station 602; the actual cumulative number of wafers in process (WIP) flowing from the first start manufacturing station 601A to the end manufacturing station 602... B→AThe number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station 601A to the final manufacturing station 602 is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. B→A At this time, the first start manufacturing station 601A, the second start manufacturing station 601B, the third start manufacturing station 601C, and the fourth start manufacturing station 601D can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the end manufacturing station 602. For example, LoopWIP B→A =Q timeB→A ×WPH B→A ×ratio B→A Among them, WPH B→A This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 601A to the end of manufacturing station 602, expressed as ratio. B→A This indicates the output buffer parameters from the first manufacturing station 601A to the end manufacturing station 602.

[0119] The actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the second starting manufacturing station 601B to the ending manufacturing station 602 C→A The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the second starting manufacturing station 601B to the ending manufacturing station 602 is less than or equal to the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. C→A At that time, the second start manufacturing station 601B performs continuous delivery operations to the end manufacturing station 602; the actual cumulative number of wafers in process (WIP) flowing from the second start manufacturing station 601B to the end manufacturing station 602. C→A The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the second starting manufacturing station 601B to the ending manufacturing station 602 is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. C→A At this time, the first start manufacturing station 601A, the second start manufacturing station 601B, the third start manufacturing station 601C, and the fourth start manufacturing station 601D can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the end manufacturing station 602. For example, LoopWIP C→A =Q timeC→A ×WPH C→A ×ratio C→A Among them, WPH C→A This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 601B to the end of manufacturing station 602, expressed as ratio. C→A This indicates the output buffer parameters from the second start manufacturing station 601B to the end manufacturing station 602.

[0120] The actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the third starting manufacturing station 601C to the ending manufacturing station 602 D→A The actual number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the third manufacturing station (601C) to the final manufacturing station (602) is less than or equal to the number of LoopWIP wafers in production. D→AAt that time, the third start manufacturing station 601C performs continuous delivery operations to the end manufacturing station 602; the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the third start manufacturing station 601C to the end manufacturing station 602... D→A The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the third manufacturing station (601C) to the final manufacturing station (602) is greater than the preset number of LoopWIP wafers. D→A At this time, the first start manufacturing station 601A, the second start manufacturing station 601B, the third start manufacturing station 601C, and the fourth start manufacturing station 601D can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the end manufacturing station 602. For example, LoopWIP D→A =Q timeD→A ×WPH D→A ×ratio D→A Among them, WPH D→A This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 601C to the end of manufacturing station 602, expressed as ratio. D→A This indicates the output buffer parameters from the third manufacturing station 601C to the end manufacturing station 602.

[0121] The actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the fourth manufacturing station 601D to the final manufacturing station 602 E→A The actual number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from manufacturing station 601D (starting from the fourth manufacturing station) to manufacturing station 602 (ending from the fourth manufacturing station) is less than or equal to the number of LoopWIP wafers in production. E→A At that time, the fourth start manufacturing station 601D performs continuous delivery operations to the end manufacturing station 602; the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the fourth start manufacturing station 601D to the end manufacturing station 602... E→A The number of LoopWIP wafers flowing from the fourth manufacturing station 601D to the final manufacturing station 602 is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing into the LoopWIP. E→A At this time, the first start manufacturing station 601A, the second start manufacturing station 601B, the third start manufacturing station 601C, and the fourth start manufacturing station 601D can be controlled to perform a blocking operation on the end manufacturing station 602. For example, LoopWIP E→A =Qtime E→A ×WPH E→A ×ratio E→A Among them, WPH E→A This represents the number of wafers produced per unit time from the start of manufacturing station 601D to the end of manufacturing station 602, expressed as ratio. E→A This indicates the output buffer parameters from the fourth manufacturing station 601D to the end manufacturing station 602.

[0122] For example, let Q timeB→A =3hr, Q timeC→A =8hr, Q timeD→A=15hr, Q timeE→A =30hr, let WPH A =100 units / hr, ratio A =1, therefore, the preset inflow wafer count for each site is as follows: LoopWIP B→A =300, LoopWIP C→A =800, LoopWIP D→A =1500, LoopWIP E→A = 3000.

[0123] In the following scenario, the actual number of wafers in process (WIP) at each site are: WPH1 = 200, WPH2 = 500, WPH3 = 700, and WPH4 = 1500; the actual cumulative number of wafers in process (WIP) at each site are as follows: WIP B→A =200, WIP C→A =700, WIP D→A =1400, WIP E→A = 2900. Table 4 shows the inventory decision table for Scenario 1 of this application. In Scenario 2, the actual number of wafers in production (WIP collected) at each site are as follows: WPH1 = 200, WPH2 = 700, WPH3 = 700, WPH4 = 1500; the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP calculated) at each site are as follows: WIP B→A =200, WIP C→A =900, WIP D→A =1600, WIP E→A = 3100. Table 5 shows the blocking decision table for Scenario 2 of this application embodiment.

[0124] Table 4. Decision Table for Blocking Goods in Scenario 1

[0125] Qtime loop <![CDATA[WPH A (units / hr)]]> Qtime(hr) LoopWIP (units) Collect WIPs (number) Calculate WIP (number of WIPs) Is it a blockade? B→A 100 3 300 200 200 no C→A 100 8 800 500 700 no D→A 100 15 1500 700 1400 no E→A 100 30 3000 1500 3100 no

[0126] Table 5. Decision Table for Blocking Goods in Scenario 2

[0127]

[0128]

[0129] In Tables 4 and 5, WIP (Work in Process) represents the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the starting manufacturing site to the ending manufacturing site, and WIP (Work in Process) represents the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the starting manufacturing site to the ending manufacturing site. As can be seen from Tables 4 and 5, Q... timeB→A <Q timeC→A <Q timeD→A <QtimeE→A Therefore, the blocking decision priority of the first starting manufacturing station is higher than that of the second starting manufacturing station, the blocking decision priority of the second starting manufacturing station is higher than that of the third starting manufacturing station, and the blocking decision priority of the third starting manufacturing station is higher than that of the fourth starting manufacturing station.

[0130] As shown in Table 4, WIP can be compared first. B→A and LoopWIP B→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed. (Due to WIP) B→A <LoopWIP B→A Therefore, we can continue comparing WIP. C→A and LoopWIP C→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed. (Due to WIP) C→A <LoopWIP C→A Therefore, we can continue comparing WIP. D→A and LoopWIP D→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed. (Due to WIP) D→A <LoopWIP D→A Therefore, we can continue comparing WIP. E→A and LoopWIP E→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed.

[0131] As shown in Table 5, WIP can be compared first. B→A and LoopWIP B→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed. (Due to WIP) B→A <LoopWIP B→A Therefore, we can continue comparing WIP. C→A and LoopWIP C→A Based on the size relationship between them, determine whether a blocking operation is needed. (Due to WIP) C→A >LoopWIP C→A Therefore, a blocking operation needs to be performed, and subsequent comparison operations will not continue. Since the first, second, third, and fourth starting manufacturing stations all ship to the ending manufacturing station, when performing the blocking operation, blocking operations can be performed on all of the first, second, third, and fourth starting manufacturing stations until WPH1, WPH2, WPH3, and WPH4 decrease to meet the scenario shown in Table 4, at which point the first, second, third, and fourth starting manufacturing stations will all perform shipping operations.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the method disclosed in this application embodiment can not only set the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station, but also other relevant information. For example, the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps and the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step can be set. In this case, the method of this application embodiment also includes: a selection process for a blocking decision strategy.

[0133] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the selection process of the blocking decision strategy according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the process for determining the actual number of wafers in production in this application embodiment may include:

[0134] Step 701: Obtain the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps and the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step. Here, the terminal device can respond to the user's input operation, input the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps and the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step on the display interface, and send them to the production management system in the form of a control request for the number of wafers in production, together with the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station. This allows the production management system to parse the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps and the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step from the control request for the number of wafers in production.

[0135] Step 702: Select the identity information of the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing step from the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps.

[0136] In practical applications, the terminal device can also respond to user input by displaying the category information of the wafers in production on the interface. In this case, the production management system can also parse the category information of the wafers in production from the control request for the number of wafers in production, and determine the wafer production line to which the wafers in production belong based on the category information.

[0137] For example, the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps in the embodiments of this application may belong to the same wafer production line or may partially belong to different wafer production lines. The sequence information of the manufacturing steps may exist in the form of a manufacturing step identifier (step ID). Through the identifier of each manufacturing step, the order of the two manufacturing steps included in each pair of manufacturing steps can be obtained. Then, based on the order of the two manufacturing steps, the first manufacturing step and the second manufacturing step included in each pair of manufacturing steps can be defined.

[0138] Step 703: Based on the identity information of the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing step, determine the identity information of the first manufacturing station corresponding to the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing station corresponding to the second manufacturing step.

[0139] In practical applications, when the identity information of the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing step in the embodiments of this application are known, the identity information of the first manufacturing station corresponding to the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing station corresponding to the second manufacturing step can be obtained from the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step.

[0140] Step 704: Based on the identity information of the first manufacturing station and the identity information of the second manufacturing station, determine the actual number of wafers in production that flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station.

[0141] In practical applications, embodiments of this application can use the identity information of the first manufacturing station and the identity information of the second manufacturing station as query parameters to obtain the actual number of wafers in production from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station from the production management system.

[0142] In some alternative approaches, the sequence information of any two manufacturing steps can be obtained from the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps to form multiple pairs of manufacturing steps. Each pair of manufacturing steps includes a first manufacturing step that appears earlier in the sequence and a second manufacturing step that appears later in the sequence.

[0143] This application embodiment can also utilize the identity information of manufacturing stations corresponding to different pairs of manufacturing steps to determine the supply method from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. For example, based on the identity information of the first manufacturing station and the second manufacturing station corresponding to multiple pairs of manufacturing steps, it can be determined whether the first manufacturing station and / or the second manufacturing station corresponding to at least two pairs of manufacturing steps are the same.

[0144] When at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to different first manufacturing stations and at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to different second manufacturing stations, it can be determined that the first manufacturing station supplies goods to the second manufacturing station on a one-to-one basis. The blocking decision can be executed with reference to steps 201 to 203 above.

[0145] When at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to the same first manufacturing station and at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to different second manufacturing stations, it is determined that the same first manufacturing station supplies goods to different second manufacturing stations. Similarly, steps 201 to 203 can be referred to to make a blocking decision.

[0146] When at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to different first manufacturing stations, and at least two pairs of manufacturing steps correspond to the same second manufacturing station, it is determined that multiple first manufacturing stations supply the same second manufacturing station. In this case, the blocking decision can be performed with reference to steps 501 to 505.

[0147] In some alternative approaches, wafers in production flowing from multiple first manufacturing sites to the same second manufacturing site belong to different batches. When wafers in production from the same batch flow from a certain first manufacturing site to a certain second manufacturing site, wafers from that batch cannot flow from other first manufacturing sites to the second manufacturing site. Therefore, by setting the wafers in production flowing from multiple first manufacturing sites to the same second manufacturing site to belong to different batches, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production can be more accurate, ensuring the reliability of wafer in production quantity control.

[0148] In a mass production FAB scenario, if wafers in production from the same batch pass through the same second manufacturing station, the capacity of that second manufacturing station is consumed only once. However, if wafers in production from the same batch belong to different Qtime loops and are processed simultaneously by the same second manufacturing station, the batch of wafers will be counted repeatedly. This does not align with the mass production FAB scenario where wafers in production from the same batch pass through the same second manufacturing station. Therefore, when multiple first manufacturing stations supply the same second manufacturing station, the wafers from multiple first manufacturing stations to the same second manufacturing station can be designated as belonging to different batches, making the actual number of wafers in production at the second manufacturing station corresponding to the target first manufacturing station more accurate.

[0149] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the in-process wafer search logic according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment of the application, two wafer production lines with identical processes but producing different types of wafers can be set up, namely the first wafer production line prodA and the second wafer production line prodB. There is a first batch of wafers A between the first step and the second step of the first wafer production line prodA, and there is a second batch of wafers B between the second step and the third step of the second wafer production line prodB.

[0150] If you need to fill in the addressing information for the first wafer production line (e.g., the type of the first batch of wafers) and the second wafer production line (e.g., the type of the second batch of wafers) on the display interface, but one of these addresses is missing—for example, filling in the type of the first batch of wafers but not the type of the second batch—the production management system can perform a global search across all wafer production lines in the FAB wafer fab. The search results will include not only the first wafer production line (prodA) and the second wafer production line (prodB), but also the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB). The third wafer production line (prodA+prodB) includes not only the first batch of wafers and the second batch of wafers (B), but also the first batch of wafers (A) located between the first and second steps of the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB), and the second batch of wafers (B) located on the third wafer production line. <24P05731CN>

[0151] The second and third steps of prodA+prodB.

[0152] When the third step of the first wafer production line (prodA), the second wafer production line (prodB), and the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB) all use the same second manufacturing station, the first manufacturing station of the first wafer production line (prodA) is the same as the manufacturing station used in the first step of the first wafer production line (prodA), and is defined as the first start manufacturing station. Similarly, the start manufacturing station of the second wafer production line (prodB) is the same as the manufacturing station used in the second step of the second wafer production line (prodB), and is defined as the second start manufacturing station. Finally, the start manufacturing station of the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB) is the same as the manufacturing station used in the first step of the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB), and is defined as the third start manufacturing station. In this case, a many-to-one work-in-process wafer quantity control strategy can be used.

[0153] Let the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station be equal to WIP1, the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the second starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station be equal to WIP2, and the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the third starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station be equal to WIP1 + WIP2. If the blocking decision priority of the first starting manufacturing station is higher than that of the second starting manufacturing station, and the blocking decision priority of the second starting manufacturing station is higher than that of the third starting manufacturing station, then the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the first starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station is WIP1. 1→3 =WIP1, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the second manufacturing station to the final manufacturing station. 2→3=WIP1 + WIP2, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the third manufacturing station to the last manufacturing station. 1→3 =WIP1+WIP2+WIP1+WIP2.

[0154] It can be seen that the actual cumulative number of wafers in production (WIP) flowing from the third manufacturing station to the final manufacturing station... 1→3 During the calculation process, there is a problem of double counting of the actual number of wafers in production from the first starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station (WIP1) and the second starting manufacturing station to the ending manufacturing station (WIP2). Therefore, the third wafer production line (prodA+prodB) can be abandoned, while the first wafer production line (prodA) and the second wafer production line (prodB) are retained. This ensures that the first wafer production line (prodA) and the second wafer production line (prodB) do not have wafers from the same batch.

[0155] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure from the perspective of electronic devices. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the electronic device includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0156] This disclosure embodiment can divide the electronic device into functional units according to the above method example. For example, it can divide each function into a separate functional module, or it can integrate two or more functions into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this disclosure embodiment is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. <24P05731CN>

[0157] There are other ways to classify it now.

[0158] By dividing the functional modules according to their respective functions, an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure provides a control device for the number of wafers in production, used to control the number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing station to a second manufacturing station. This control device for the number of wafers in production can be an electronic device or a chip applied to an electronic device. Figure 9A schematic block diagram of the functional modules of a control device for the number of wafers in production according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 9 As shown, the in-process wafer quantity control device 900 includes:

[0159] The first determining module 901 is used to set the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station, and determine the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station based on the capacity reference information.

[0160] The second determining module 902 is used to determine the actual number of wafers in production that flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station;

[0161] Control module 903 is used to control whether the first manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station;

[0162] Wherein, when the same first manufacturing station supplies at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, then the control module 903 is used to control the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station, wherein the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station includes control duration and wafer yield, wherein the control duration refers to the time it takes for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station; and the wafer yield refers to the number of wafers produced per unit time at the first manufacturing station.

[0164] The preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is determined based on the control duration and the wafer yield.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the first manufacturing site includes multiple wafer fabrication equipment, and the wafer yield is determined based on the wafer output per unit time of the multiple wafer fabrication equipment.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the control module 903 is used to determine whether the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to each of the second manufacturing stations is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing into each of the second manufacturing stations. When there is a manufacturing station among the multiple second manufacturing stations whose actual number of wafers in production is greater than the corresponding preset number of wafers flowing into, the identity information of the second manufacturing station is obtained. Based on the obtained identity information of the second manufacturing station, it is determined as the target second manufacturing station, and the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station.

[0167] In one possible implementation, when multiple first manufacturing sites supply the same second manufacturing site, the second determining module 902 is further configured to determine the blocking decision priority of multiple first manufacturing sites based on the control time of wafers flowing from each of the first manufacturing sites to the second manufacturing site, and to obtain the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site according to the order of the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing sites from high to low. The actual cumulative number of wafers in production is the sum of the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing site and all first manufacturing sites with blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site.

[0168] If the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, the control module 903 is used to control each of the first manufacturing stations to perform a blocking operation on the same second manufacturing station.

[0169] Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of a chip according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 10 As shown, the chip 1000 includes one or more (including two) processors 1001 and a communication interface 1002. The communication interface 1002 can support the server to perform the data transmission and reception steps in the above method, and the processor 1001 can support the electronic device to perform the data processing steps in the above method.

[0170] Optional, such as Figure 10 As shown, the chip 1000 also includes a memory 1003, which may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides operation instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0171] In some implementations, such as Figure 10As shown, processor 1001 executes corresponding operations by calling operation instructions stored in memory (which may be stored in the operating system). Processor 1001 controls the processing operations of any terminal device; processor can also be called a central processing unit (CPU). Memory 1003 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to processor 1001. A portion of memory 1003 may also include NVRAM. For example, in applications, memory, communication interfaces, and other components are coupled together via a bus system, which may include, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus, etc. However, for clarity, in... Figure 10 The general labeled all buses as Bus System 1004.

[0172] The methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above methods can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above methods.

[0173] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide an electronic device, including: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor. The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, the computer program being executed by the at least one processor to cause the electronic device to perform a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0174] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a computer's processor, is used to cause the computer to perform a method according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0175] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product, including a computer program, wherein, when executed by a processor of a computer, the computer program is used to cause the computer to perform a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0176] refer to Figure 11 The present invention describes a structural block diagram of an electronic device 1100 that can serve as a server or client of the present disclosure, which is an example of a hardware device that can be applied to various aspects of the present disclosure. The electronic device is intended to represent various forms of digital electronic computer devices, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processors, cellular phones, smartphones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present disclosure described and / or claimed herein.

[0177] like Figure 11 As shown, the electronic device 1100 includes a computing unit 1101, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a computer program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1102 or a computer program loaded from a storage unit 1108 into a random access memory (RAM) 1103. The RAM 1103 may also store various programs and data required for the operation of the device 1100. The computing unit 1101, ROM 1102, and RAM 1103 are interconnected via a bus 1104. An input / output (I / O) interface 1105 is also connected to the bus 1104.

[0178] like Figure 11As shown, multiple components in electronic device 1100 are connected to I / O interface 1105, including: input unit 1106, output unit 1107, storage unit 1108, and communication unit 1109. Input unit 1106 can be any type of device capable of inputting information to electronic device 1100. Input unit 1106 can receive input digital or character information and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and / or function control of the electronic device. Output unit 1107 can be any type of device capable of presenting information and may include, but is not limited to, a display, speaker, video / audio output terminal, vibrator, and / or printer. Storage unit 1108 may include, but is not limited to, disks and optical discs. Communication unit 1109 allows electronic device 1100 to exchange information / data with other devices through computer networks such as the Internet and / or various telecommunications networks, and may include, but is not limited to, modems, network cards, infrared communication devices, wireless communication transceivers, and / or chipsets, such as Bluetooth™ devices, WiFi devices, WiMax devices, cellular communication devices, and / or the like.

[0179] like Figure 11 As shown, computing unit 1101 can be various general-purpose and / or dedicated processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of computing unit 1101 include, but are not limited to, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), various dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, digital signal processor (DSP), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. Computing unit 1101 performs the various methods and processes described above. For example, in some embodiments, the methods of the embodiments of this application can be implemented as computer software programs tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 1108. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed on electronic device 1100 via ROM 1102 and / or communication unit 1109. In some embodiments, computing unit 1101 can be configured to perform the methods of the embodiments of this application by any other suitable means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0180] The program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0181] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0182] As used in this disclosure, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, device, and / or apparatus (e.g., disk, optical disk, memory, programmable logic device (PLD)) for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable media that receive machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0183] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a computer having: a display device for displaying information to the user (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor); and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user provides input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including sound input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0184] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in computing systems that include backend components (e.g., as a data server), or computing systems that include middleware components (e.g., an application server), or computing systems that include frontend components (e.g., a user computer with a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with embodiments of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication of any form or medium (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet.

[0185] Computer systems can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally located far apart and typically interact through communication networks. Client-server relationships are created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other.

[0186] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure are performed, in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0187] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and are to be considered as covering any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this disclosure. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this disclosure without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, this disclosure is also intended to include any such modifications and modifications that fall within the scope of the claims of this disclosure and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the number of wafers in production, characterized in that, The method for controlling the number of wafers flowing from a first manufacturing station to a second manufacturing station includes: Set the capacity reference information for the second manufacturing site; Based on the capacity reference information, the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is determined; When the same first manufacturing station supplies at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, then the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station, where the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The capacity reference information for the second manufacturing station includes control time and wafer yield. The control time refers to the time it takes for wafers to flow from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station; the wafer yield refers to the number of wafers produced per unit time at the first manufacturing station. The preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is determined based on the control duration and the wafer yield.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first manufacturing site includes multiple wafer manufacturing equipment, and the wafer yield is determined based on the wafer output per unit time of the multiple wafer manufacturing equipment.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The control of the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station includes: Determine whether the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to each of the second manufacturing stations is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing into each of the second manufacturing stations; When there is a manufacturing station among multiple second manufacturing stations where the actual number of wafers in production is greater than the corresponding preset number of wafers flowing in, the identity information of that second manufacturing station is obtained. Based on the obtained identity information of the second manufacturing station, it is identified as the target second manufacturing station, and the first manufacturing station is controlled to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When multiple first manufacturing sites supply the same second manufacturing site, the method further includes: Based on the control time of the wafers flowing from each of the first manufacturing sites to the second manufacturing site, the blocking decision priority of multiple first manufacturing sites is determined, and the blocking decision priority is negatively correlated with the control time. Based on the order of priority of the blocking decisions of the first manufacturing station from high to low, the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is obtained. The actual cumulative number of wafers in production is: the number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station and all first manufacturing stations with a blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. The cumulative number of actual wafers in production at the manufacturing site; If the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, control all first manufacturing stations to perform a blocking operation on the same second manufacturing station.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method for determining the actual number of wafers in production includes: Obtain the sequence information of multiple manufacturing steps and the identity information of the manufacturing station corresponding to each manufacturing step; Obtain the identity information of the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing step from the sequence information of the multiple manufacturing steps; Based on the identity information of the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing step, the identity information of the first manufacturing station corresponding to the first manufacturing step and the identity information of the second manufacturing station corresponding to the second manufacturing step are determined. Based on the identity information of the first manufacturing station and the identity information of the second manufacturing station, the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is determined.

7. A device for controlling the number of wafers in production, characterized in that, The apparatus for controlling the number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station includes: The first determining module is used to set the capacity reference information of the second manufacturing station, and based on the capacity reference information, determine the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station. The second determining module is used to determine the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station; and The control module is used to control whether the first manufacturing station performs a blocking operation on the second manufacturing station; Wherein, when the same first manufacturing station supplies at least one second manufacturing station, if the actual number of wafers in production flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the first manufacturing station to the target second manufacturing station, then the control module is used to control the first manufacturing station to perform a blocking operation on the target second manufacturing station, wherein the target second manufacturing station is one of the at least one second manufacturing station.

8. The control device according to claim 7, characterized in that, When multiple first manufacturing sites supply the same second manufacturing site, the second determining module is further configured to determine the blocking decision priority of multiple first manufacturing sites based on the control time of wafers flowing from each first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site, and obtain the actual cumulative number of wafers in production from the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site according to the order of the blocking decision priority of the first manufacturing sites from high to low. The actual cumulative number of wafers in production is the sum of the actual number of wafers in production from the target first manufacturing site and all first manufacturing sites with blocking decision priority higher than the target first manufacturing site to the second manufacturing site. <24P05731CN> If the actual cumulative number of wafers in production flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station is greater than the preset number of wafers flowing from the target first manufacturing station to the second manufacturing station, the control module is used to control each of the first manufacturing stations to perform a blocking operation on the same second manufacturing station.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for causing the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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