Fail-over System for Semiconductor Equipment Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor fabrication equipment servers often malfunction or stop operations due to errors or faulty operations, disrupting the continuous process of semiconductor device fabrication, and existing fail-over systems are inadequate in managing these failures effectively.
Innovation Solution
A fail-over system and method for semiconductor equipment servers that includes a management server to detect errors in equipment servers, execute a fail-over policy by reallocating applications from faulty servers to healthy ones based on CPU occupancy rates, and communicate using protocols like SECS and TCP/IP to ensure continuous operation of semiconductor fabrication processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single equipment server is used to control semiconductor fabrication equipment, then the system structure is simple, but the reliability decreases when the server malfunctions or stops operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the equipment server functionality into multiple independent servers (first equipment server, second equipment server, third equipment server) that can operate autonomously. Each server can control specific fabrication equipment, and if one server fails, others can take over its functions, thereby improving reliability without requiring a completely complex redundant system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The management server is configured to detect errors or faulty operations in equipment servers before they cause complete system failure. By monitoring server status proactively and executing fail-over policies in advance, the system prepares for potential failures by pre-identifying backup servers and their capabilities, allowing seamless transition when needed.
2Reliability
If equipment servers are monitored continuously for errors, then the reliability improves, but the complexity of the monitoring system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management server performs multiple functions: it manages the equipment server group, detects errors in servers, determines server capabilities, and executes fail-over policies. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional management server, the system achieves comprehensive monitoring and control without requiring separate specialized systems for each function, thus limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If applications are reallocated from faulty servers to normal servers automatically, then the productivity is maintained, but the complexity of the fail-over system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-service fail-over where the management server autonomously detects server failures, identifies suitable backup servers based on capability matching, and reallocates applications without human intervention. The normal equipment servers automatically assume the roles of failed servers, maintaining fabrication continuity while the system handles the complexity of automatic reallocation internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The fail-over policy is executed by changing the operational status parameters of servers - transitioning from normal operation to error state, and from backup status to active operation. By managing fail-over through parameter changes in server status and capability assignments rather than physical reconfiguration, the system maintains productivity while managing complexity through software-based state transitions.
Data Source
AI summary
A fail-over system and method relates to a fail-over technology of an equipment server managing a semiconductor fabrication equipment server. The fail-over system includes a semiconductor fabrication equipment group including a plurality of semiconductor fabrication equipment and configured to perform semiconductor fabrication processes; an equipment server group including a plurality of equipment servers and configured to control an operation of the semiconductor fabrication equipment group; and a management server configured to detect an error or a faulty operation in at least one equipment server in the equipment server group by communicating with the equipment server group, and execute a fail-over policy for a faulty equipment server in which the faulty operation is detected, wherein executing the fail-over policy includes allocating at least one application running in the faulty equipment server to at least one normal equipment server in which no faulty operation is detected in the equipment server group.