Semiconductor Tool Interlock Recovery With AR Fault Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses lack efficient methods to quickly identify and recover from abnormal states, hindering timely operation resumption.
Innovation Solution
A method involving status information acquisition from processing units, judgment on operation feasibility, interlock control, and augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) guided navigation to address abnormal states, enabling operation resumption through a portable terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If interlock control is used to prevent apparatus operation when conditions are not satisfied, then safety is improved, but operation recovery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal acts as an intermediary device between the apparatus control system and the operator. It receives status information from the control unit, processes abnormal state classifications, and provides guided navigation to the specific processing unit requiring attention. This intermediary role enables operators to quickly locate and resolve abnormalities without compromising the interlock control safety mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring status information from multiple processing units, classifying abnormal states, and providing real-time guidance to operators through the portable terminal. The control unit receives feedback from sensors and operators, processes this information, and updates the status display accordingly, creating a closed-loop system that accelerates abnormality resolution while maintaining safety.
2Measurement precision
If status information from multiple processing units is monitored, then abnormality detection accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it controls the operation of multiple processing units, collects status information from various sensors, classifies abnormal states, and communicates with the portable terminal. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single control unit, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the monitoring, classification, and communication functions into an integrated control unit that works with a single portable terminal interface. Instead of having separate systems for each processing unit monitoring and alerting, the patent combines these functions into a unified system that manages multiple processing units through a common control and communication architecture.
3Ease of operation
If AR or MR screen is displayed on portable terminal for position guiding, then operator guidance efficiency is improved, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portable terminal displays an AR or MR screen that creates a virtual copy or overlay of the physical apparatus layout, showing the positions of processing units and guiding the operator through visual cues. This virtual representation provides intuitive spatial guidance without requiring complex physical modifications to the apparatus, balancing enhanced operator guidance with manageable information processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Objects are to allow an operator to easily grasp cause of abnormality in an apparatus, and to thereby allow quick recovering of the apparatus from the abnormality. A present method comprises steps for: obtaining one or multiple pieces of status information relating to one or multiple processing units in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; and making, based on the one or multiple pieces of status information, a judgment as to whether a predetermined operation step in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is allowed to be performed; and, in the case that a judgment that disallows performing of the predetermined operation step is made, steps for: performing control to disallow performing of the predetermined operation step; classifying each of the one or multiple pieces of status information into that corresponding to an abnormal state or that corresponding to a normal state and displaying the classified status information; and displaying, on a portable terminal in response to user input that designates status information corresponding to an abnormal state, an AR or MR screen for position guiding to a processing unit corresponding to the designated status information in the one or multiple processing units.