Process Chamber Maintenance Scheduling for Stable Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor device manufacturing, the timing of maintenance processes in substrate processing can affect the quality of substrates, as maintenance can disrupt processing conditions and is often decided by personnel, leading to excessive burden and uncertainty in ensuring optimal timing.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves receiving maintenance reservation information to determine the maintenance timing, allowing continuous substrate processing until completion, then setting the process chamber to a maintenance enable state, with options to advance or delay the timing within a predetermined range, and notifying personnel of maintenance reservations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If maintenance process is performed during substrate processing, then process chamber can be maintained, but processing quality varies and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scheduling of maintenance processes by receiving maintenance reservation information before substrate processing. The scheduling unit determines optimal maintenance timing in advance, allowing the maintenance process to be executed at predetermined intervals without interrupting ongoing substrate processing, thus maintaining both chamber reliability and processing quality consistency
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the scheduling unit continuously monitors substrate processing status and adjusts maintenance timing based on received maintenance reservation information. This feedback loop ensures maintenance is performed at optimal times that balance chamber maintenance needs with processing quality requirements
2Reliability
If maintenance timing is decided by personnel, then maintenance can be performed, but operator burden increases and timing accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the scheduling unit automatically determines and executes maintenance timing based on pre-received maintenance reservation information. The system serves itself by autonomously scheduling maintenance without requiring continuous human intervention, thereby reducing operator burden while ensuring reliable maintenance execution at optimal times
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual system of operator-based maintenance scheduling with an automated information processing system. The scheduling unit processes maintenance reservation information electronically to determine maintenance timing, substituting human decision-making with automated computational logic that reduces operator burden while maintaining reliability
3Productivity
If maintenance process is postponed, then substrate processing continues, but appropriate maintenance timing may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scheduling by receiving maintenance reservation information in advance before substrate processing begins. This advance scheduling allows the system to plan maintenance at optimal intervals, ensuring maintenance timing accuracy is maintained while minimizing interruptions to substrate processing throughput
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling unit dynamically adjusts maintenance timing based on received maintenance reservation information and current substrate processing status. This dynamic scheduling capability allows the system to optimize the balance between maintaining processing throughput and ensuring maintenance is performed at appropriate intervals
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of a maintenance process. According to one aspect, there is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) transferring a substrate to a process chamber, and performing substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of the process chamber; (c) continuously performing the substrate processing related to the received maintenance reservation information, stopping a next substrate from being transferred into the process chamber after the substrate processing is completed, and thereafter setting the process chamber to the maintenance enable state; (d-1) receiving an instruction of advancing or delaying the maintenance timing within a predetermined range; and (d-2) starting the next substrate processing without setting the process chamber to the maintenance enable state when the instruction of delaying the maintenance timing is received in (d-1), and terminating the substrate processing when the instruction of advancing the maintenance timing is received in (d-1).