Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-29
2004-04-06
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S121000, C702S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06718220
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and system of monitoring in the factory of manufacturing integrated circuit (IC). More particularly, it is related to a method of monitoring apparatuses of manufacturing IC, and a system of replaying events and responding thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the process of manufacturing IC, in the case of increasing manufacturing quality of wafers, decreasing the production cost, and shortening production cycle, it is important to study the topic of automation manufacturing integrated by management information system (MIS). A complete integrated automation system includes production schedule system, quality management system, monitoring system, and automaton interface system etc. Due to the renovation of IC product and the complexities of the processes of manufacturing IC, the automation system must have a good production schedule system and a sound management system. On the other hand, considering the quality of manufacturing IC, the automation system must further have a quality management and a monitoring system to control the processes.
Referring to
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 1
illustrates the schematic connection diagram of a part of general IC production system. In the single-region production system, the control mainframe
10
connects with production apparatus
12
, production apparatus
14
and a plurality of data mainframes
16
by a network. The control mainframe
10
not only controls the actions of production apparatus
12
and production apparatus
14
, but also reads the database of data mainframes
16
that store a plurality of operation parameters and information. The data sent from the production apparatus
12
and production apparatus
14
to the control mainframe
10
, and the data sent from the control mainframe
10
to the production apparatus
12
and production apparatus
14
can be transformed by using the parameters and information in the database of data mainframes
16
.
The general factory monitoring system of manufacturing IC is mainly used to monitor wafers so as to know the structures and conditions of wafers after processing. Only when examining workstations have detected something wrong regarding with the dimensions of wafers after processing, the operators begin to collect the data from data mainframes
16
, and then check the problems one by one. The aforementioned monitoring method may take a lot of time and effort, and still may not confirm the problems completely, because the problems are checked artificially.
Besides, the production monitor of prior art controls the produced apparatus mostly by reading the information in the database of data mainframes
16
, like event occurring rates of production apparatus and production output. But, the actual process and result of manufacturing IC cannot be understood simply from the aforementioned information. If there is any problem in the actual process of manufacturing wafers, the problems are often not disclosed. When the problems happen again, the problems more or less would cause damages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the aforementioned system of prior art, there is no suitable method and system of monitoring apparatuses. Hence, the present invention provides a method of monitoring apparatuses of manufacturing IC and a system of replaying events and responding thereto.
When lots of wafers are processed in apparatuses, the method of monitoring apparatuses of manufacturing IC of the present invention is used to monitor the full course of apparatus events, the method including: providing a database; downloading data of apparatus events from the database; calculating a plurality of apparatus achievement indices by using the data of apparatus events; establishing a control chart by using the apparatus achievement indices; establishing a knowledge archive of rules by using the data of apparatus events, the apparatus achievement indices, and the control chart, and determining a plurality of limits to detect an abnormal point; forming a calendar file by sorting the apparatus events with time; executing a step of replaying apparatus events to proceed a rectification.
The method of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention can detect the abnormal points merely by replaying apparatus events, or by self-determined limits, so as to proceed a rectification. The data of apparatus events of the method of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention include: apparatus status, transferred out accounts, and data of work in process (WIP). The aforementioned apparatus achievement indices include production output (move), productive time (PT), pieces of hour (POH), time of waiting for material (loss time; LT), batch counts (batch), averaged waiting time of WIP (W), and waiting length of WIP (L). In addition, the calendar files include changes of apparatus status, transferred out accounts, and WIP. In the preferred embodiment of the method of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention, the aforementioned control chart is established by gathering about 60 data in 2 months, and the control limit therein is 3 standard deviations.
On the other hand, the method of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention is used to monitor production apparatus events, wherein the production apparatuses are used to process lots of wafers. In addition, the system of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention includes: a control mainframe to control the production apparatuses; a data mainframe, which has a plurality of operating parameters to record the production apparatus events and a plurality of process data; a monitoring mainframe to proceed a process of monitoring apparatuses so as to replay production apparatus events of manufacturing wafers. The aforementioned process of monitoring apparatuses is the method of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention.
The method and system of monitoring apparatus of manufacturing IC of the present invention is established by reviewing the past achievements and foreseeing the future problems, wherein reviewing the past achievements are aimed by establishing the model of replaying apparatus history and achievements, and foreseeing the future problems are aimed by establishing control charts and a knowledge archive of rules.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6240329 (2001-05-01), Sun
patent: 2002/0123816 (2002-09-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 2002/0143421 (2002-10-01), Wetzer
patent: 2002/0147518 (2002-10-01), Nguyen
patent: 2003/0093174 (2003-05-01), Nikulin
Cabrera Zoila
Picard Leo
Windbond Electronics Corporation
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