Material route establishment method, material scheduling method, and semiconductor process device

Abstract

The present application provides a material route establishment method, a material scheduling method, and a semiconductor process device. The method comprises: acquiring a process route, wherein the process route consists of a plurality of chambers that materials sequentially pass through in the process; determining whether a parallel process chamber exists; and if the parallel process chamber exists, splitting the process route into a basic route and N standby routes, wherein the parallel process chamber comprised in the basic route and the parallel process chamber comprised in the N standby routes are different, the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in the basic route is a first transfer chamber, the first transfer chamber is a transfer chamber directly connected to a loading / unloading chamber, and the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in an i-th standby route is an (i+1)-th transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber. The present solution is compatible with the condition that parallel process chambers execute the same process, so that the productivity can be improved.

Description

Material path establishment method, material scheduling method and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular, to a material path establishment method, a material scheduling method, an electronic device, and a semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] As the scale of the semiconductor industry gradually expands and production capacity demand gradually increases, the topological structure of multi-chamber thin film deposition equipment (such as chemical vapor deposition equipment, atomic layer deposition equipment) has gradually expanded from a single vacuum transfer robot to multiple vacuum transfer robots (VTR), cascading the transfer chambers to obtain more types and more process chambers to improve the overall process production capacity of the equipment.

[0003] As the topology becomes more complex, the scheduling calculation logic of the software also becomes more complex and challenging in order to achieve the same process requirements and effects under more complex material paths. The transmission and process of materials (such as chips) are generally defined by a route (Route / Sequence), and each step (Step) in the route corresponds to a step. When executing the step, the location of the material is, for example, a process chamber, a loading and unloading chamber, etc. For equipment equipped with two transfer chambers, if there are two process chambers connected to the two transfer chambers in the path that perform the same type of process, they are considered to be performing the same process, and the process chambers with different connected transfer chambers are called parallel modules (Parallel Model) or parallel process chambers (Parallel Chamber).

[0004] However, since one of the two transfer chambers cannot directly transfer the material, the material needs to be transferred to the other transfer chamber through the connecting chamber (PassThrough) connected between the two transfer chambers via one of the transfer chambers and the connecting chamber. That is, the material is transferred to one of the transfer chambers without passing through the connecting chamber, but is transferred to the other transfer chamber through the connecting chamber. This makes the number of path steps required to transfer the material to the two transfer chambers different, resulting in the number of path steps required to transfer the material to the process chambers respectively connected to the two transfer chambers being different, which makes the material path for executing the same process incompatible with the parallel process chambers, and it is impossible to implement the parallel process chambers to execute the same process, which in turn affects the improvement of production capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a material path establishment method, a material scheduling method, an electronic device and a semiconductor process equipment, which can solve the problem in the prior art that the material paths for executing the same process are incompatible with the parallel process chambers, making it impossible to implement the same process in parallel process chambers.

[0006] To achieve the purpose of the present application, a material path establishment method is provided. The method is applicable to semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment includes a loading and unloading chamber and N+1 transfer chambers connected in sequence, and each of the transfer chambers is connected to at least one process chamber. The method includes:

[0007] Obtaining a process path; the process path is composed of multiple chambers that the material passes through sequentially during the process;

[0008] Determining whether there is a parallel process chamber, wherein the parallel process chamber is the process chamber in the process path that performs the same process and is connected to a different transfer chamber;

[0009] In the case of the presence of the parallel process chamber, the process path is divided into a basic path and N backup paths; wherein,

[0010] The parallel process chambers included in the basic path and the N backup paths are different. The transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in the basic path is the first transfer chamber, and the first transfer chamber is the transfer chamber directly connected to the loading and unloading chamber; and the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in the i-th backup path is the i+1-th transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber, where i=1, 2, ..., N, and N is an integer greater than 0.

[0011] In some embodiments, the semiconductor process equipment further includes a plurality of connecting chambers, and two adjacent transfer chambers are connected by the connecting chambers; the plurality of chambers in the process path further includes N+1 transfer chambers and a plurality of connecting chambers;

[0012] The basic path includes the first transfer chamber and the parallel process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber;

[0013] The i-th backup path includes the 1st transfer chamber to the i+1th transfer chamber, the connecting chamber connecting each adjacent two of the 1st transfer chamber to the i+1th transfer chamber, and the parallel process chamber connected to the i+1th transfer chamber.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining whether parallel process chambers exist includes:

[0015] Determining whether there are multiple process chambers performing the same process based on chamber process information of the material in the process path passing through each chamber;

[0016] If yes, then judging whether there is a process chamber connected to a different transfer chamber among multiple process chambers performing the same process according to the pre-stored number i of the transfer chamber connected to each process chamber; if yes, determining whether there is the parallel process chamber in the process path;

[0017] In the case where the parallel process chamber exists, splitting the process path into a basic path and N backup paths includes:

[0018] According to the number i of the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber, the process path is split into the basic path and N backup paths.

[0019] In some embodiments, obtaining the process path includes:

[0020] An editing interface for displaying the process path; the editing interface displays the sequence number of each chamber in which the material in the process path passes and chamber process information;

[0021] When receiving an editing instruction for the serial number and chamber process information, storing the edited serial number and chamber process information and displaying them on the editing interface;

[0022] The chamber process information includes chamber name, slot information and process recipe information; and the process recipe information of the plurality of parallel process chambers is the same.

[0023] In some embodiments, after splitting the process path into a basic path and N backup paths, the method further includes:

[0024] Displaying a first editing interface for the basic path and a second editing interface for each of the backup paths; the first editing interface displays the sequence number and chamber process information of each chamber that the material sequentially passes through in the basic path; the second editing interface displays the sequence number and chamber process information of each chamber that the material sequentially passes through in the corresponding backup path;

[0025] When an editing instruction for the chamber process information is received, the edited chamber process information is displayed on the first editing interface or the second editing interface where the chamber process information is located.

[0026] As another technical solution, the present application also provides a material scheduling method, comprising:

[0027] Acquiring material information, the material information including path information, the path information including the basic path and the N backup paths obtained by using the material path establishment method provided in the present application in the presence of the parallel process chamber;

[0028] According to the material information, when the material at the loading position starts to move, if the basic path is in an idle state, setting the basic path as the material path;

[0029] When the basic path is in an occupied state, each of the N backup paths that is in an idle state is set as a material path;

[0030] The material path is executed.

[0031] In some embodiments, when all the backup paths are in an occupied state, the basic path is set as the material path when the basic path is in an idle state.

[0032] In some embodiments, when the parallel process chamber does not exist, the path information includes the process path;

[0033] After obtaining the material information, the material scheduling method further includes:

[0034] The process path is set as the material path.

[0035] As another technical solution, the present application further provides an electronic device, including:

[0036] at least one processor;

[0037] a storage device having at least one program stored thereon;

[0038] When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the above-mentioned material path establishment method provided in this application; or, the above-mentioned material scheduling method provided in this application.

[0039] As another technical solution, the present application also provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a plurality of process chambers, a loading and unloading chamber, a plurality of transfer chambers connected in sequence, and a controller, wherein each of the transfer chambers is connected to the plurality of process chambers;

[0040] The controller includes:

[0041] at least one processor;

[0042] a memory storing at least one program;

[0043] When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the above-mentioned material path establishment method provided in this application; or, the above-mentioned material scheduling method provided in this application.

[0044] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0045] In the technical solutions of the material path establishment method, material scheduling method, electronic device, and semiconductor process equipment provided in the present application, when parallel process chambers exist in the process path, the process path is split into a basic path and N backup paths, wherein the basic path and the N backup paths include different parallel process chambers, the parallel process chamber in the basic path is connected to the first transfer chamber, and the parallel process chamber in the i-th backup path is connected to the i+1-th transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber. After the split, when parallel process chambers exist, materials can be scheduled according to multiple paths, that is, when materials at the loading position begin to move, if the basic path is idle, the basic path is set as the material path; if the basic path is occupied, each idle backup path among the N backup paths is set as the material path. This makes it possible to accommodate the situation where the parallel process chambers execute the same process, thereby improving production capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG1 is a structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment equipped with two cascaded and stacked transfer chambers;

[0047] FIG2 is a flow chart of a method for establishing a material path according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG3 is a flow chart of step S102 of the material path establishment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG4 is a flow chart of step S101 of the material path establishment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG5 is a display diagram of the editing interface used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG6 is another flow chart of a material path establishment method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG7 is a display diagram of the first editing interface used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG8 is a display diagram of the second editing interface used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG9 is a flow chart of a material scheduling method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the material path establishment method, material scheduling method, electronic equipment and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0056] There are various structures of semiconductor process equipment that cascade multiple transfer chambers. Taking two cascaded transfer chambers as an example, refer to FIG1 . The semiconductor process equipment includes at least:

[0057] 6 process chambers (Ch1 to Ch6), each of which may have a dual cavity, for example;

[0058] Four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, LD), each LoadLock connected to an atmospheric transfer chamber for converting atmospheric conditions to a vacuum environment. The atmospheric transfer chamber houses an atmospheric robot (ATR) for transferring materials (e.g., wafers) between the cassettes (Foup) in the three storage chambers (LP1, LP2, LP3) and the LoadLock.

[0059] The first transfer chamber, Buffer, is connected to four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD), two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2), and two connection chambers (ChA and ChB). Each connection chamber, PassThrough, is connected between the first transfer chamber, Buffer, and the second transfer chamber, Transfer. The first transfer chamber, Buffer, is equipped with a first robot VTR1 for transferring materials between the loading and unloading chamber and the two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2), as well as between the loading and unloading chamber and the two connection chambers (ChA and ChB).

[0060] The second transfer chamber Transfer is connected to two connecting chambers (ChA and ChB) and to four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6); a second robot VTR2 is provided in the second transfer chamber Transfer, which is used to transfer materials between the two connecting chambers (ChA and ChB) and the four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6).

[0061] In some embodiments, the two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2) connected to the first transfer chamber Buffer are of different types and are used to respectively complete two different types of processes, that is, perform two different process steps. The type of process chamber Ch1 is, for example, the same as the type of two of the four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6) connected to the second transfer chamber Transfer, such as process chambers Ch3 and Ch5. That is, the three process chambers Ch1, Ch3, and Ch5 complete the same type of process, that is, perform the same process step; the type of process chamber Ch2 is the same as the type of the other two of the four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6) connected to the second transfer chamber Transfer, such as process chambers Ch4 and Ch6. That is, the three process chambers Ch2, Ch4, and Ch6 complete the same type of process, that is, perform the same process step. The above-mentioned process chambers that perform the same process and are connected to different transfer chambers are called parallel process chambers. For example, the process chamber Ch1 and process chamber Ch3, and process chamber Ch1 and process chamber Ch5 are all parallel process chambers; the process chamber Ch2 and process chamber Ch4, and process chamber Ch2 and process chamber Ch6 are all parallel process chambers.

[0062] By using multiple process chambers to complete the same process step, the production capacity of that process step can be increased. For example, if a process step takes 30 minutes and is performed by a single process chamber, two materials can be processed per hour. However, if the process step is performed by a parallel process chamber consisting of two process chambers, four materials can be processed per hour. Therefore, combining multiple process chambers of the same process type into a parallel process chamber can exponentially increase production capacity.

[0063] However, since a connecting chamber PassThrough is provided between the first transfer chamber Buffer and the second transfer chamber Transfer, the material does not need to pass through the connecting chamber PassThrough when being transferred to the first transfer chamber Buffer, but needs to pass through the connecting chamber PassThrough when being transferred to the second transfer chamber Transfer. This makes the number of steps required to transfer the material to the first transfer chamber Buffer different from the number of steps required to transfer the material to the second transfer chamber Transfer, resulting in different number of path steps to reach the process chambers connected to the first transfer chamber Buffer and the second transfer chamber Transfer respectively. For example, the pre-step before transferring the material to the process chamber Ch1 is to transfer the material to the loading and unloading chamber LoadLock; the pre-step before transferring the material to the process chamber Ch3 is to transfer the material to the loading and unloading chamber LoadLock. Transfer to the loading and unloading chamber LoadLock, and then transfer the material to the connecting chamber PassThrough. It can be seen that the number of path steps to the process chamber connected to the second transfer chamber Transfer is one more than the number of path steps to the process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber Buffer. Currently, the software can only establish a path to transfer materials to the process chamber connected to the second transfer chamber Transfer, or a path to transfer materials to the process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber Buffer. However, these paths are not compatible with transferring multiple materials to the process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber Buffer and the process chamber connected to the second transfer chamber Transfer. As a result, the material paths for executing the same process are incompatible with the parallel process chambers, and the parallel process chambers cannot execute the same process steps, thereby affecting the improvement of production capacity.

[0064] To address the above technical issues, referring to FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the present application provides a material path establishment method applicable to semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment includes a loading and unloading chamber and N+1 sequentially connected transfer chambers, where N is an integer greater than 0. Each transfer chamber is connected to at least one process chamber.

[0065] Material path creation methods include:

[0066] S101, obtaining a process path;

[0067] The process route (Route / Sequence) consists of multiple chambers that the material passes through during the process. Specifically, each step in the process route corresponds to a chamber. That is, the process route includes the chambers through which the material is transported, such as the process chamber, the loading and unloading chamber (LoadLock), the connecting chamber (PassThrough), and so on.

[0068] S102 , determining whether there are parallel process chambers.

[0069] The parallel process chambers are process chambers that perform the same process in a process path and are connected to different transfer chambers.

[0070] S103 : In the case of a parallel process chamber, split the process path into a basic path and N backup paths.

[0071] The basic path and the N backup paths include different parallel process chambers.

[0072] Multiple cascaded and stacked transfer chambers refer to multiple transfer chambers connected in sequence through the connecting chamber PassThrough, wherein the transfer chamber directly connected to the loading and unloading chamber LoadLock is the first transfer chamber, the adjacent transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber is the second transfer chamber, the second transfer chamber is connected to the first transfer chamber through the connecting chamber PassThrough, the adjacent transfer chamber arranged after the second transfer chamber is the third transfer chamber, the third transfer chamber is connected to the second transfer chamber through the connecting chamber PassThrough, it can be seen that the adjacent transfer chamber arranged after the i-th transfer chamber is the i+1-th transfer chamber, the i+1-th transfer chamber is connected to the i-th transfer chamber through the connecting chamber PassThrough, wherein i=1,2,...,N, and N is the number of transfer chambers other than the first transfer chamber.

[0073] The parallel process chambers in the basic path are connected to the first transfer chamber; the parallel process chambers in the i-th backup path are connected to the i+1-th transfer chamber, which is arranged after the first transfer chamber. Considering multiple connecting chambers and N+1 transfer chambers, the basic path includes the first transfer chamber and the parallel process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber; the i-th backup path includes the first to the i+1-th transfer chambers, the connecting chambers connecting each adjacent transfer chamber from the first to the i+1-th transfer chambers, and the parallel process chamber connected to the i+1-th transfer chamber.

[0074] Taking the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1 as an example, the basic path includes the first transfer chamber Buffer, the process chamber Ch1 that performs the first process step (Step 1), and the process chamber Ch2 that performs the second process step (Step 2); the first backup path includes the first transfer chamber Buffer, the second transfer chamber Transfer, the process chambers Ch3 and Ch5 that perform the first process step (Step 1), and the process chambers Ch4 and Ch6 that perform the second process step (Step 2). In some embodiments, taking the example of two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2) connected between the first transfer chamber Buffer and the second transfer chamber Transfer, the basic path includes the first transfer chamber Buffer, the process chamber Ch1 for performing the first process step (Step1), and the process chamber Ch2 for performing the second process step (Step2); the first backup path includes the first transfer chamber Buffer, two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2), the second transfer chamber Transfer, the process chambers Ch3 and Ch5 for performing the first process step (Step1), and the process chambers Ch4 and Ch6 for performing the second process step (Step2).

[0075] In the case of parallel process chambers, by splitting the above process paths, materials can be scheduled according to multiple paths (including a basic path and N backup paths), that is, when the material in the loading position starts to move, when the basic path is in an idle state, the basic path is set as the material path; when the basic path is in an occupied state, each idle backup path among the N backup paths is set as the material path. In other words, in the case of parallel process chambers, the basic path and the N backup paths can be executed sequentially according to the occupancy of the basic path and the N backup paths, so as to realize the execution of the same process (i.e., the execution of the same process step) in process chambers with different transfer chambers, thereby being compatible with the execution of the same process in parallel process chambers, thereby improving production capacity.

[0076] In some embodiments, the above step S102 may be implemented by software. As shown in FIG3 , the above step S102 , i.e., determining whether there are parallel process chambers, specifically includes:

[0077] S1021, judging whether there are multiple process chambers performing the same process based on the chamber process information of the material in the process path passing through each chamber;

[0078] The chamber process information includes, for example, the chamber name, slot information, and process recipe information. This chamber process information can be used to determine whether multiple process chambers are performing the same process. For example, in the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1, the process chambers performing the same process, namely, the first process step (Step 1), are process chambers Ch1, Ch3, and Ch5; and the process chambers performing the second process step (Step 2) are process chambers Ch2, Ch4, and Ch6.

[0079] If yes, that is, there are multiple process chambers performing the same process, then based on the pre-stored numbers i of the transfer chambers connected to each process chamber, it is determined whether any of the multiple process chambers performing the same process have different connected transfer chambers; if yes, it is determined that there are parallel process chambers in the process path;

[0080] Taking the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1 as an example, the first transfer chamber Buffer is the first transfer chamber, that is, numbered 1; the second transfer chamber Transfer is the second transfer chamber, that is, numbered 2; based on the numbering, it can be determined that the process chamber Ch1 performing the same process is connected to a different transfer chamber than the process chambers Ch3 and Ch5, and the process chamber Ch2 performing the same process is connected to a different transfer chamber than the process chambers Ch4 and Ch6. Therefore, it can be determined that there are parallel process chambers in the process path.

[0081] Furthermore, the above step S103 can be implemented by software, specifically including:

[0082] According to the number i of the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber, the process path is divided into a basic path and N backup paths.

[0083] That is, the parallel process chambers in the base path are connected to the first transfer chamber; the parallel process chambers in the i-th backup path are connected to the i+1-th transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber. Taking the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1 as an example, N is the number of transfer chambers excluding the first transfer chamber, i.e., N = 1. In this case, there is one backup path, and the parallel process chambers in this backup path are connected to the second transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber, i.e., the second transfer chamber, Transfer.

[0084] In some embodiments, when there are no parallel process chambers in a process path, there is no need to split the process path.

[0085] In some embodiments, the above step S101, i.e., obtaining the process path, can be implemented by software, as shown in FIG4 , and specifically includes:

[0086] S1011, displaying the editing interface of the process path;

[0087] The editing interface displays the sequence number of each chamber in the process path and the chamber process information;

[0088] The sequence number of the order in which the material passes through each chamber is the sequence number of each step in the process path.

[0089] S1012: When an instruction to edit the serial number and chamber process information is received, the edited serial number and chamber process information are stored and displayed on an editing interface.

[0090] In a specific embodiment of the present application, taking the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1 as an example, the editing interface of the above-mentioned process path is shown in Figure 5. On this editing interface, the serial number of the order in which the materials in the process path pass through each chamber is the "step", wherein step 1 represents the chamber with serial number 1, specifically the two loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB); step 2 represents the chamber with serial number 2, specifically the process chamber Ch1; step 3 represents the chamber with serial number 3, specifically the connecting chamber ChA; step 4 represents the chamber with serial number 4, specifically the process chambers Ch3 and Ch4; step 5 represents the chamber with serial number 5, specifically the connecting chamber ChA; step 6 represents the chamber with serial number 6, specifically the two loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB). It can be seen that the chambers in the process path are, in the order in which the materials pass through, the two loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB), the process chamber Ch1, the connecting chamber ChA, the process chambers Ch3 and Ch4, the connecting chamber ChA and the two loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB). On the editing interface, the chamber process information includes, for example, "chamber" (ie, chamber name), "slot" (ie, slot information), and "recipe" (ie, process recipe information).

[0091] The editing interface can be used to receive editing instructions for the sequence number and chamber process information input by the user to implement the editing function of the process path.

[0092] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , after completing the above step S103, the process further includes:

[0093] S104, displaying a first editing interface for the basic path and a second editing interface for each backup path;

[0094] The first editing interface displays the sequence numbers and process information for each chamber that the material passes through in the basic path. The second editing interface displays the sequence numbers and process information for each chamber that the material passes through in the corresponding backup path. The number of second editing interfaces is the same as the number of backup paths, i.e., each backup path corresponds to a second editing interface.

[0095] S105 . When an editing instruction for the chamber process information is received, the edited chamber process information is displayed on the first editing interface or the second editing interface where the chamber process information is located.

[0096] The first editing interface for the basic path is shown in Figure 7, and the second editing interface for each backup path is shown in Figure 8. The editable options displayed on the first and second editing interfaces are the same as those in the editing interface shown in Figure 5. For example, in a case where three process chambers (Ch1, Ch3, and Ch5) are used to perform one process type, and the remaining three process chambers (Ch2, Ch4, and Ch6) are used to perform another process type, on the first editing interface, as shown in Figure 7, the chambers in the basic path, in the order in which materials pass through, are: four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD), process chamber Ch1, process chamber Ch2, and four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD). On the second editing interface, as shown in Figure 8, the chambers in the first backup path, in the order in which materials pass through, are: four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD), connecting chambers ChA and ChB, process chambers Ch3 and Ch5, process chambers Ch4 and Ch6, connecting chambers ChA and ChB, and four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD).

[0097] The first editing interface and the second editing interface can be used to display the split basic path and the backup path respectively, and receive the editing instructions of the chamber process information input by the user to implement the editing function of the basic path and the backup path.

[0098] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the acquisition, splitting, and determination of parallel process chambers of the process path are all implemented by software. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. In actual applications, at least one of the acquisition, splitting, and determination of parallel process chambers of the process path can be achieved by obtaining relevant information input by the user on the above-mentioned first editing interface and second editing interface, that is, the basic path and the backup path can be directly obtained by receiving the corresponding information input by the user.

[0099] As another technical solution, referring to FIG. 9 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a material scheduling method, including:

[0100] S301, obtain material information;

[0101] The material information includes path information, which includes a basic path and N backup paths obtained by using the material path establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the presence of parallel process chambers;

[0102] S302. When the material at the loading position starts to move according to the above material information, if the basic path is in an idle state, execute step S303; if the basic path is in an occupied state, execute step S304;

[0103] S303, setting the basic path as the material path;

[0104] S304: If there is an idle state among the N backup paths, set each idle backup path among the N backup paths as a material path;

[0105] S305: When all backup paths are occupied and the basic path is idle, set the basic path as the material path;

[0106] S306: Execute the material path.

[0107] The material scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present application can schedule materials according to multiple paths in the presence of parallel process chambers. That is, when the material in the loading position starts to move, if the basic path is in an idle state, the basic path is set as the material path; if the basic path is in an occupied state, each idle backup path among the N backup paths is set as the material path. This can be compatible with the situation where parallel process chambers execute the same process, thereby improving production capacity.

[0108] In some embodiments, when there are no parallel process chambers in the process path, the process path does not need to be split. In this case, in step S301, the acquired material information includes the process path. After step S301, the material scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes:

[0109] Set the process path as the material path.

[0110] As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including:

[0111] at least one processor;

[0112] a storage device having at least one program stored thereon;

[0113] When at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the above-mentioned material path establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application; or, the above-mentioned material scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0114] As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a plurality of process chambers, a loading and unloading chamber, a plurality of sequentially connected transfer chambers, and a controller, wherein each transfer chamber is connected to the plurality of process chambers; the controller comprises:

[0115] at least one processor;

[0116] a storage device having at least one program stored thereon;

[0117] When at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the above-mentioned material path establishment method provided in the embodiment of the present application; or, the above-mentioned material scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0118] Taking the semiconductor process equipment shown in FIG1 as an example, it at least includes:

[0119] 6 process chambers (Ch1 to Ch6), each with dual cavity;

[0120] Four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, LD), each LoadLock connected to an atmospheric transfer chamber for converting atmospheric conditions to a vacuum environment. The atmospheric transfer chamber houses an atmospheric robot (ATR) for transferring materials (e.g., wafers) between the cassettes (Foup) in the three storage chambers (LP1, LP2, LP3) and the LoadLock.

[0121] The first transfer chamber, Buffer, is connected to four loading and unloading chambers (LA, LB, LC, and LD), two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2), and two connection chambers (ChA and ChB). Each connection chamber, PassThrough, is connected between the first transfer chamber, Buffer, and the second transfer chamber, Transfer. The first transfer chamber, Buffer, is equipped with a first robot VTR1 for transferring materials between the loading and unloading chamber and the two process chambers (Ch1 and Ch2), as well as between the loading and unloading chamber and the two connection chambers (ChA and ChB).

[0122] The second transfer chamber Transfer is connected to two connecting chambers (ChA and ChB) and to four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6); a second robot VTR2 is provided in the second transfer chamber Transfer for transferring objects between the two connecting chambers (ChA and ChB) and the four process chambers (Ch3 to Ch6).

[0123] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible implementation architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, program segment, or a part of code, and the aforementioned module, program segment, or a part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in an order different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0124] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and substance of the present application, and such modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a material path, the method being applicable to semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment including a loading / unloading chamber and N + 1 transfer chambers connected in sequence, and each of the transfer chambers being connected to at least one process chamber, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining a process path; the process path is composed of a plurality of chambers that the material sequentially passes through during the process; Judging whether there are parallel process chambers, where the parallel process chambers are the process chambers that perform the same process in the process path and are connected to different transfer chambers; In the case where there are parallel process chambers, splitting the process path into a basic path and N spare paths; where The parallel process chambers included in the basic path and the N spare paths are different, the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in the basic path is the first transfer chamber, and the first transfer chamber is the transfer chamber directly connected to the loading / unloading chamber; and the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber in the i-th spare path is the (i + 1)-th transfer chamber arranged after the first transfer chamber, i = 1, 2,..., N, and N is an integer greater than 0.

2. The method for establishing a material path according to claim 1, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment further includes a plurality of connection chambers, and adjacent two transfer chambers are connected through the connection chambers; the plurality of chambers in the process path further include N + 1 transfer chambers and a plurality of connection chambers; The basic path includes the first transfer chamber and the parallel process chamber connected to the first transfer chamber; The i-th spare path includes the first transfer chamber to the (i + 1)-th transfer chamber, the connection chambers connected between each adjacent two of the first transfer chamber to the (i + 1)-th transfer chamber, and the parallel process chamber connected to the (i + 1)-th transfer chamber.

3. The material path establishment method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The judging whether there are parallel process chambers includes: Judging whether there are multiple process chambers performing the same process according to the chamber process information of the material passing through each chamber in the process path; If so, judging whether there are process chambers with different connected transfer chambers among the multiple process chambers performing the same process according to the pre-stored numbers i of the transfer chambers connected to each process chamber; if so, determining that there are parallel process chambers in the process path; The splitting the process path into a basic path and N spare paths in the case where there are parallel process chambers includes: Splitting the process path into the basic path and N spare paths according to the number i of the transfer chamber connected to the parallel process chamber.

4. The material path establishment method according to claim 3, wherein The obtaining the process path includes: Displaying an editing interface of the process path; the editing interface displays the sequence numbers and chamber process information of the material passing through each chamber in the process path; When receiving an editing instruction for the sequence number and chamber process information, storing the edited sequence number and chamber process information and displaying them on the editing interface; Wherein, the chamber process information includes chamber name, slot information, and process recipe information; the process recipe information of the multiple parallel process chambers is the same.

5. The material path establishment method according to claim 3, wherein After splitting the process path into a basic path and N spare paths, it further includes: Display a first editing interface for the base path and a second editing interface for each of the alternative paths; the first editing interface displays the serial numbers and chamber process information of the chambers through which the material sequentially passes in the base path; the second editing interface displays the serial numbers and chamber process information of the chambers through which the material sequentially passes in the corresponding alternative path; When an editing instruction for the chamber process information is received, display the edited chamber process information on the first editing interface or the second editing interface where the chamber process information is located.

6. A material scheduling method, characterized in that, Comprising: Obtain material information, the material information includes path information, and the path information includes the base path and the N alternative paths obtained by using the method according to any one of claims 1-5 in the case of the existence of the parallel process chambers; According to the material information, when the material at the loading position starts to move, and when the base path is in an idle state, set the base path as the material path; In the case where the base path is in an occupied state, set each of the alternative paths in an idle state among the N alternative paths as the material path; Execute the material path.

7. The material scheduling method according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the case where all the alternative paths are in an occupied state, wait until the base path is in an idle state, and set the base path as the material path.

8. The material scheduling method according to claim 6, characterized in that In the case where there are no parallel process chambers, the path information includes the process path; After obtaining the material information, the material scheduling method further includes: Set the process path as the material path.

9. An electronic device, comprising: At least one processor; A storage device having at least one program stored thereon; When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to implement the material path establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 5; or, the material scheduling method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, Comprising a plurality of process chambers, a loading / unloading chamber, a plurality of transfer chambers connected in sequence, and a controller, wherein each of the transfer chambers is connected to a plurality of the process chambers; The controller includes: At least one processor; A memory having at least one program stored thereon; When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to implement the material path establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 5; or, the material scheduling method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

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