Automatic slot scanning device for transport containers used in glass substrate semiconductor packages.

Abstract

We provide an automatic slot scanning device for transport containers used in glass substrate semiconductor packages. [Solution] The system scans the position and quantity of substrates assigned in bundles to slots in each transport container to which an identification code is attached, and compares this with slot information in the manufacturing execution service system. The system consists of a list creation unit that creates a list for each transport container stored in each stocker, a scan work preparation unit that searches for process equipment capable of performing the scan and prepares the scan work, a scan work execution unit that selects one transport container from the list and loads it into the process equipment, and automatically scans the position and quantity of substrates in each slot of the transport container, and a scan information comparison unit that compares the scan information, which is the position and quantity of substrates in the slots of the transport container output by the automatic scan, with the slot information stored in the manufacturing execution service system to determine whether they match.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The embodiment relates to an automatic slot scanning device for a transport container for a glass substrate semiconductor package for the automation of a glass substrate semiconductor package factory.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, in order to replace plastic substrates used in the semiconductor packaging field, glass substrates made of glass have been developed and used. Such glass substrates have attracted attention as innovative substrate materials that change the trend in the semiconductor packaging field.

[0003] That is, the glass substrate has a smooth surface and excellent processability into large square panels. Therefore, it is not only suitable for implementing semiconductor packaging with ultra-fine line widths, but also has the advantage that the thickness of the substrate can be reduced and the power consumption can be reduced because an intermediate substrate is not required.

[0004] Here, the glass substrates are grouped into bundles of a certain number of units (Lots) in a glass substrate semiconductor package factory and are individually inserted into a plurality of slots provided at regular intervals inside a transport container (Cassette), and are handled in the glass substrate semiconductor package factory in this state.

[0005] That is, the glass substrates are transported by transport equipment in the form inserted into the slots of the transport container, pulled out from the slots of the transport container by transfer equipment according to the order of the processing steps, then inserted into process equipment for processing, and then inserted again into the slots of the transport container.

[0006] On the other hand, in order to operate a glass substrate semiconductor package factory in an automated manner, the position and quantity of the glass substrates by the slots of the transport container must be accurately grasped.

[0007] In other words, only by accurately determining which slot in the transport container each glass substrate is located in, and how many glass substrates are loaded into each slot, and by ensuring that this information matches the slot information in the Manufacturing Execution Service System (WFS), can a glass substrate semiconductor packaging plant be operated in an automated manner.

[0008] However, in current glass substrate semiconductor packaging factories, inventory alignment work, which involves checking the position and quantity of glass substrates using slots in transport containers, is entirely done manually. As a result, accurate synchronization with slot information in the manufacturing execution service system is not easy.

[0009] Therefore, research is needed on technology that can automatically scan the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container and synchronize them with the slot information of the manufacturing execution service system.

[0010] The aforementioned background technology is technical information that the inventor possessed for the purpose of deriving the present invention, or acquired during the process of deriving the present invention, and is not necessarily publicly known technology that was disclosed to the general public before the filing of the present invention.

[0011] Relevant prior art includes Korean Published Patent No. 10-2005-0067603 (Publication Date: 2005.07.05), Korean Published Patent No. 10-2008-0024375 (Publication Date: 2008.03.18), and Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0828972 (Publication Date: 2008.05.13). [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] The embodiment was invented to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an automatic scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor package transport container slots, which enables automated operation of a glass substrate semiconductor package factory by automatically scanning the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container and synchronizing them with the slot information of the manufacturing execution service system.

[0013] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objectives not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description and may be fully included in the objectives of the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] An automatic slot scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor packages, which is an embodiment of achieving the above objective, is for scanning the position and quantity of glass substrates assigned in bundles to the slots of each transport container, each of which has an identification code attached, and comparing them with slot information in a manufacturing execution service system. The device may consist of: a list creation unit that creates a list for each transport container stored in each stocker; a scan work preparation unit that searches for process equipment capable of performing the scan work and prepares for the scan work; a scan work execution unit that selects one of the transport containers included in the list, loads it into the process equipment, and automatically scans the position and quantity of glass substrates in each slot of the transport container; a scan information comparison unit that compares the scan information, which is the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container output by the automatic scan, with slot information pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system to determine whether they match; and an error occurrence notification unit that, if the scan information and the slot information do not match based on the determination result of whether they match, changes the transport container to a holding state and stores it in a stocker, and then transmits an error occurrence signal to an administrator terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages, according to the embodiment of the above configuration, automatically performs slot scanning to confirm the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of transport containers stored in a stocker and released. By detecting errors in the transport container slots in advance and promptly notifying the manager, it is possible to guide them to quickly address and correct the errors in the transport container slots, thereby effectively preventing damage caused by errors in the transport container slots. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a configuration diagram showing a control server for performing an automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0017] The concrete example relates to an automated scanning device for transport container slots for glass substrate semiconductor packages, for the automation of a glass substrate semiconductor package factory.

[0018] In particular, a key feature of the automated slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages, as exemplified by this device, is that it can automatically scan the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container and synchronize them with the slot information of a Manufacturing Execution Service System (MES).

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages, will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0020] The automatic slot scanning device 100 for a transport container for a glass substrate semiconductor package according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention automatically scans the position and quantity of glass substrates transported in a form stored in each transport container (cassette) stored in a stocker, compares them with slot information pre-stored in a manufacturing execution service system 400, determines whether there is an error based on whether they match, and notifies the administrator.

[0021] For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1, the automatic slot scanning device 100 for a transport container for a glass substrate semiconductor package according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may include a list creation unit 110, a scan operation preparation unit 120, a scan operation execution unit 130, a scan information comparison unit 140, an error occurrence notification unit 150, and a scan operation end unit 160.

[0022] Here, each transport container may be assigned an identification code for distinction from other transport containers, an RFID tag including identification information corresponding to the identification code may be attached to the outside of each transport container, and each transport container may be registered in the manufacturing execution service system 400 so as to be distinguished from each other via the identification code.

[0023] And inside each transport container, a plurality of slots for loading and storing a plurality of glass substrates so that their positions are distinguished from each other may be respectively provided, and a pair of optical sensors for automatically detecting the presence and breakage of a glass substrate using infrared rays may be provided in each slot.

[0024] Also, a unique number may be assigned to a glass substrate for distinction from other glass substrates, a transport container may be assigned in units of bundles of glass substrates, and assignment information for the transport container may be pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system 400. That is, the quantity of glass substrates stored in a transport container and the positions of the glass substrates by each slot of the transport container may be pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system 400.

[0025] On the one hand, the list creation unit 110, the scan operation preparation unit 120, the scan operation execution unit 130, the scan information comparison unit 140, the error occurrence notification unit 150, and the scan operation end unit 160 may be included in the control server 200 managed by an administrator.

[0026] And the control server 200 can receive, transmit, and store related information while communicating with the process management server 300 that controls all processing steps and all process equipment in the glass substrate semiconductor package factory, the manufacturing execution service system 400, and a pre-specified administrator terminal 500, etc., either wired or wirelessly.

[0027] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the control server 200 may be composed of a communication interface 210, a memory 220, and a processor 230. The communication interface 210 can communicate with an external electronic device, receive user input from the external electronic device, or provide the data processing result to the administrator's terminal. The memory 220 includes a computer-readable recording medium and can store an operating system and pre-set instructions. The processor 230 can perform processing operations such as parsing instruction words and calculating and comparing materials.

[0028] First, the list creation unit 110 can create and store a list for each transport container stored in each stocker existing in the glass substrate semiconductor package factory.

[0029] That is, the list creation unit 110 can create a list separately for each stocker, and the lists separately created for each stocker can be distinguished from each other via the identification code assigned to each transport container.

[0030] Next, the scan preparation unit 120 can reserve a scan operation with the process control server 300 so that the scan operation can be performed using available process equipment (EQ) from among the process equipment present in the glass substrate semiconductor package factory.

[0031] To this end, the scan work preparation unit 120 may consist of a process equipment search unit 121, a process equipment status change unit 122, and a scan work reservation unit 123, as shown in Figure 1.

[0032] The aforementioned process equipment search unit 121 can search for any process equipment currently available among the multiple process equipment pieces present in the glass substrate semiconductor packaging factory, via process management information stored in the process management server 300.

[0033] In this case, the process equipment may include sorter equipment. That is, the process equipment search unit 121 can search for process equipment that is currently usable, including sorter equipment.

[0034] The process equipment status changing unit 122 can change the currently available state of process equipment, which has been searched by the process equipment search unit 121, from an available state to an in-use state.

[0035] The scan operation reservation unit 123 can reserve a scan operation with the process management server 300 so that it can perform the scan operation through the process equipment that has been changed to the "in use" state by the process equipment state change unit 122.

[0036] Next, the scan operation execution unit 130 can use the process equipment for which the scan operation has been reserved by the scan operation reservation unit 120 to perform an automatic scan operation on the slots of the transport container according to one of the lists created by the list creation unit 110.

[0037] To this end, the scan operation execution unit 130 may consist of a transport container selection unit 131, a transport container unloading unit 132, a transport container transport unit 133, a transport container loading unit 134, a transport container slot scanning unit 135, a slot information transmission unit 136, and a transport container unloading unit 137, as shown in Figure 1.

[0038] The transport container selection unit 131 can select any one of the transport containers included in the list created by the list creation unit 110.

[0039] In this case, when the transport container selection unit 131 selects the transport containers to be scanned, it may select them in the order they are created on the list, select them arbitrarily regardless of the order in which they were created, or select them based on their location in the stocker.

[0040] The transport container retrieval unit 132 can retrieve the transport container selected by the transport container selection unit 131 from the stocker.

[0041] In other words, the transport container retrieval unit 132 can retrieve transport containers from the stocker using a Rack Master installed in the stocker.

[0042] The transport container transport unit 133 can transport the transport containers that have been taken out of the stocker by the transport container retrieval unit 132 to the process equipment via transport equipment.

[0043] The transport container loading unit 134 can load the transport containers, which have been transported to the process equipment by the transport container transport unit 133, into the transfer equipment (EFEM) of the process equipment.

[0044] The transport container slot scanning unit 135 can perform a scan operation on the slots of the transport containers loaded into the transport equipment of the process equipment by the transport container loading unit 134 and acquire scan information.

[0045] In other words, the transport container slot scanning unit 135 analyzes the slot image acquired via a camera attached to the transport equipment of the process equipment and can acquire scan information including the number of glass substrates placed in each slot and the position of the glass substrates based on the position of each slot in which the glass substrates were placed.

[0046] The scan information transmission unit 136 can transmit scan information, including the position and number of glass substrates, acquired through the scanning operation by the transport container slot scan unit 135, to the manufacturing execution service system 400.

[0047] The transport container unloading unit 137 can unload transport containers from the transport equipment of the process equipment after the scan information transmission unit 136 has completed the transmission of scan information.

[0048] On the other hand, the scanning operation execution unit 130 can sequentially perform scanning operations on all transport containers using the list created by the list creation unit 110.

[0049] Next, the scan information comparison unit 140 can compare the scan information transmitted to the manufacturing execution service system 400 by the scan work execution unit 130 with the slot information pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system 400 to determine whether they match or not.

[0050] To this end, the scan information comparison unit 140 may consist of an information receiving unit 141, a position quantity comparison unit 142, and a comparison result output unit 143, as shown in Figure 1.

[0051] The information receiving unit 141 can receive scan information transmitted to the manufacturing execution service system 400 and slot information pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system 400.

[0052] The position and quantity comparison unit 142 can compare the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container based on scan information received by the information receiving unit 141 with the position and quantity of glass substrates in the slots of the transport container based on slot information.

[0053] The comparison result output unit 143 can output a first result indicating a match or a second result indicating a mismatch, depending on whether the positions and quantities of the glass substrates in the slots of the transport container, as compared by the position and quantity comparison unit 142, match.

[0054] Next, the error notification unit 150 is activated when the comparison result output by the scan information comparison unit 140 is the second result. It interrupts the use of the transport container, stores the transport container in the stocker, and then transmits an error signal to the administrator's terminal to inform the administrator of the error situation.

[0055] To this end, the error notification unit 150 may consist of a first error determination unit 151, a second error determination unit 152, a transport container transport unit 153, a transport container storage unit 154, and an error information transmission unit 155, as shown in Figure 1.

[0056] The first error determination unit 151, when the scan information and slot information do not match and the transport containers are allocated in bundles, determines that there was an error in the process of allocating the transport containers in bundles, and can output first error information accordingly.

[0057] The second error determination unit 152 can determine that an error has occurred in the transport container itself if the scan information and slot information do not match and the transport containers are not assigned in bundles, and can output second error information accordingly.

[0058] The container transport unit 153 can transport containers that have been determined to have a first error and a second error by the first error determination unit 151 and the second error determination unit 152 to a storage unit via transport equipment.

[0059] The container receiving section 154 can receive the containers transported by the container transporting section 153 and store them in the stocker via the rack master.

[0060] The error information transmission unit 155 can transmit first error information or second error information regarding transport containers that have been placed in the stocker by the transport container storage unit 154 to a terminal designated by the administrator, informing the administrator to correct the error.

[0061] Finally, once the scanning completion unit 160 has completed scanning all transport containers included in the list, which is performed by the scanning execution unit 140, it can cancel the scanning operation reserved with the process management server 300 and terminate the scanning operation using the process equipment.

[0062] To that end, the scan operation completion unit 160 may consist of a scan operation release unit 161 and a process equipment state return unit 162, as shown in Figure 1.

[0063] The scan operation cancellation unit 161 can cancel the scan operation reserved by the process management server 300 if there are no transport containers in the list for which the scan operation has not been completed.

[0064] The aforementioned process equipment state restoration unit 162 can restore the process equipment, which has been changed to a state of use for scanning, back to a usable state.

[0065] As a result, all slot information for each transport container stored in each stocker has been acquired, and the scan operation for the transport containers can be completed. If a new transport container is later stored in the stocker, the slot scan operation for that transport container can be performed again.

[0066] The above embodiments are merely illustrative, and any person with ordinary skill in the art could devise many other variations therefrom.

[0067] Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention must include not only the embodiments described above, but also other diversely modified embodiments, based on the technical concept of the invention as described in the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 100 Automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages 110 List Creation Section 120 Scanning Preparation Department 121 Process Equipment Search Unit 122 Process Equipment Status Change Section 123 Scanning Schedule Reservation Department 130 Scanning Execution Unit 131 Transport container selection section 132 Transport Container Dispatch Section 133 Transport Container Transport Section 134 Transport container loading section 135 Transport container slot scanning unit 136 Slot Information Transmission Unit 137 Transport container unloading section 140 Scan Information Comparison Section 150 Error Notification Unit 151 First Error Judgment Unit 152 Second Error Judgment Unit 153 Transport Container Conveying Section 153 Transport Container Receiving Section 154 Error Information Transmission Unit 160 Scanning completion section 161 Scan operation release unit 162 Process Equipment State Recovery Section 200 control servers 210 Communication Interfaces 220 memory 230 processors 300 Process Management Server 400 Manufacturing Execution Service System 500 Administrator terminals

Claims

1. This system is used to scan the location and quantity of glass substrates, which are handled within a glass substrate semiconductor packaging factory and assigned in bundles to slots in each transport container, each with an attached identification code, and to compare them with slot information in a manufacturing execution service system. A list creation unit that creates a list for each transport container stored in each stocker, A scan preparation unit searches for process equipment capable of performing the scan and prepares for the scan, A scanning operation unit selects one of the transport containers included in the list and loads it into the process equipment, and automatically scans the position and quantity of glass substrates in each slot of the transport container. A scan information comparison unit that compares scan information, which consists of the position and quantity of glass substrates relative to the slots of the transport container output by the automatic scan, with slot information pre-stored in the manufacturing execution service system to determine whether they match or not. An automatic slot scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor packages, comprising: an error notification unit that, if the scan information and the slot information do not match based on the determination result of whether or not they match, changes the transport container to a holding state and stores it in a stocker, and then transmits an error occurrence signal to an administrator terminal.

2. The aforementioned scanning preparation unit is: A process equipment search unit searches for process equipment that is currently usable among multiple process equipment units located within a glass substrate semiconductor packaging factory. A process equipment status changing unit that changes the status of the searched process equipment from a usable state to a state in use, Automatic glass substrate semiconductor package transport container slot scanning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a scan operation reservation unit that reserves a scan operation in the manufacturing execution service system so that a scan operation can be performed using the process equipment which has been changed to a state in use.

3. The aforementioned scanning operation unit, A transport container selection unit that selects one of the transport containers included in the above list, A transport container retrieval unit that retrieves the selected transport container from the stocker via a rack master, A transport container transport unit transports the transport containers that have been taken out of the stocker to the distribution equipment via transport equipment, A transport container loading unit loads the transport containers transported to the distribution equipment into the process equipment, A slot scanning unit scans the position and quantity of glass substrates relative to the slots of the transport container loaded into the process equipment, A scan information transmission unit transmits the scan information, which includes the position and quantity of glass substrates relative to the slots of the scanned transport container, to a manufacturing execution service system. Automatic scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor package transport container slots according to claim 1, characterized by comprising: a transport container unloading unit for unloading the scanned transport container from the process equipment.

4. The aforementioned scan information comparison unit, An information receiving unit that receives the scan information and the slot information respectively from the manufacturing execution service system, A position and quantity comparison unit that determines whether the position and quantity of glass substrates by slots based on the scan information matches the position and quantity of glass substrates by slots based on the slot information, The automatic slot scanning device for transport containers for glass substrate semiconductor packages according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a comparison result output unit that outputs a comparison result based on whether or not they match.

5. The error notification unit, Based on the comparison results, if the scan information and the slot information do not match and the transport containers are assigned in bundle units, the first error determination unit determines that there was an error in the process of assigning the transport containers in bundle units and outputs first error information. If, based on the comparison results, the scan information and the slot information do not match and the transport container is not assigned in bundle units, the second error determination unit determines that there is an error in the transport container itself and outputs second error information. A transport container transport unit transports the transport containers that have been determined to be erroneous by the first error determination unit and the second error determination unit to a stocker via transport equipment, A transport container receiving unit that stores the transport containers that have been transported to the stocker into the stocker via a rack master, Automatic slot scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor package transport containers according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises an error information transmission unit that transmits the first error information or the second error information output by the first error determination unit and the second error determination unit to an administrator terminal and notifies the administrator to correct the error.

6. Automatic scanning device for glass substrate semiconductor package transport container slots according to claim 3, further comprising a scan operation termination unit that cancels the scan operation reserved on the process management server so that the scan operation using the process equipment is terminated when the scan operation execution unit completes the scan operation for all the transport containers included in the list.

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