Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-02
2003-07-08
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S229000, C700S213000, C700S215000, C700S218000, C414S273000, C414S274000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591163
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lot managing technique in semiconductor device carrying facilities; and in particular to a system, process, apparatus and recording medium for achieving an automation of the carrying of, for example, a lot of special purpose wafers used for monitoring dust, which are not processed in semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In association with an advance in very fine fabrication technology of semiconductor devices, the problem of foreign material such as particles (dust) has become more serious. Clean rooms of the semiconductor manufacturing factory are equipped with detecting instrument for checking the dust in an air cleaning system, air conditioning system and the air depending upon the class of required cleanness. The dust having a size of, for example, about 0.18 &mgr;m or less, which is adhered to wafers is measured by a dust measuring instrument (also referred to as “wafer foreign material inspecting instrument”) relying upon light scattering method using laser light etc.
Modularization of the clean rooms in the semiconductor factory has been promoted basically for each process. Modules are usually partitioned by bays. Carrying of lots of wafers between steps (between stockers) and within a step is automatically conducted by means of inter-step (i.e., interoperation) carrying vehicle and interoperation carrying robot, respectively.
FIG. 9
is a diagram schematically showing an exemplary floor in a clean room for manufacturing semiconductor devices.
Referring to
FIG. 9
, reference a denotes the whole of line. The whole of line is divided into areas b for each step. Each area b comprises a plurality of manufacturing apparatus c and at least one stocker or stock bin d (also referred to as “clean stocker). Carrying of a lot (one lot comprises, for example, 25 wafers) within an area b is conducted by an in step carrying robot e. The lot of wafers accommodated in a carrier is carried on a path g disposed between the stockers d by an interoperation carrying vehicle h. The interoperation carrying vehicle h is adapted to carry the lots between different areas, and takes the lots from the stocker d and moves along a path g and gives the lots to the stocker d at different area. The manufacturing apparatus (in a step is adapted to process the wafers of the lot and includes various apparatus for washing, diffusion, oxidation, exposure, developing processes, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), RIE (reactive ion etching) for different steps. The path g (also referred to as “interoperation carrying facility clean way”) comprises, for example, an elevated rail way. Receiving and issuing of wafers to and from the stockers are conducted by means of lifter.
A conventional method of measuring the cleanness of the carrying facilities in a clean room includes measuring dust by carrying wafers for monitoring dust between steps. As is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication 10-199945, a measuring operator sets wafers for monitoring dust on a carrier, places them into a stocker together with the carrier, sequentially carries the wafers used for monitoring dust which are accommodated in the carrier between stockers, takes the carrier out from a final stocker to a wafer dust measuring instrument by a platform car for measuring the dust.
A conventional system for controlling carrying of wafers used for monitoring the dust will be described with reference to FIG.
8
. Referring now to
FIG. 8
, the carrying control system comprises a host computer
10
′ for production managing, a carrying host computer
20
′, and stockers (stock bins)
40
. An interoperation carrying vehicle
50
for carrying a carrier
52
which accommodates, for example, one lot of wafers
51
is advanced on a path (rail: g in
FIG. 9
) disposed between the stockers
40
1
and
40
2
at different areas. Interoperation carrying controllers
30
1
,
30
2
are controllers which are provided for the stockers
40
1
,
40
2
, respectively, and are in communication with the carrying host computer
20
′ and host computer
10
′, respectively, via a network
60
. The carrying host computer
20
′ receives and transmits necessary control data between the interoperation controllers
30
1
and
30
2
for controlling automatic carrying of wafer lot from the stocker
40
1
to the stocker
40
2
(between steps).
FIG. 10
is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of the database which the host computer
10
′ and the carrying host computer
20
′ include. Referring to
FIG. 10
, the host computer
10
includes a lot table
11
which manages the processing conditions and the advance of each lot for registering its purpose in relation to the lot ID. The lot table
11
is a table which is a list of all lots registered in the host. Registration of lots is conducted by a managing operator. The lot IDs and the purposes (applications) of lots are registered in the lot table
11
.
The carrying host computer
20
′ is adapted to coordinate the carrying of lots and to instruct to carry the lots to the stocker
40
and includes a storage lot table
21
which is a list of lots stored in the stocker
40
. The storage lot table
21
includes the lot ID and the purpose of the lot stored in the stocker as one entry. The storage lot table
21
is a table which is a list of the lots stored in the stocker. The carrying host computer
20
′ automatically updates its contents at will in response to a report from the stocker (receipt/issue notification information).
The stockers
40
are storage warehouses each of which stores a plurality of lots to be processed and is adapted to control the receipt/issue and carrying of the lots in response to a carrying instruction from the carrying host computer
20
′.
FIG. 12
is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of the conventional carrying control system.
The lots of the special purpose wafers which are not processed in the manufacturing apparatus, such as the lots of wafers used for dust monitoring are treated as special lots and are discriminated from the product lots of wafers which are processed in a wafer processing apparatus. The lot IDs and the purposes are registered in the lot table
11
of the host computer.
The special lot is received by the stocker
40
(step S
20
). The lot ID of the received lot is reported to the carrying host computer
10
′ from the stocker
40
and the stocker which stores the special lot is also reported to the carrying host computer
20
1
. The carrying host computer
20
′ updates the lot ID of the special lot and registers the updated lot ID in the storage lot table
21
corresponding to the stocker (step S
21
).
The carrying host computer
20
′ conducts the task control of the carrying of the lot in interest in the same timing relationship when it receives the report of the lot ID from the stocker
40
.
The host computer
10
′ determines the purpose of the lot in interest with reference to the lot table
11
based upon the reported lot ID (step S
22
). At this time, the in-process stocker (i.e. next stocker to which the lot is to be carried) is determined depending upon the processing condition of the lots whatever purpose or use the lot has. Accordingly, dummy processing conditions for the special lot (not shown in
FIG. 10
) are preset in the lot table
11
differently from the product lot. The next step of the product lot for the current step is determined in accordance with preset processing conditions (processing pattern). In contrast to this, the dummy processing condition become in-process state for any stockers irrespectively of order of steps.
The operator selects the special lot stored in the current stocker from an operation terminal (not shown) of the carrying host computer
10
′ based upon the lot ID and inputs a carrying instruction for carrying the selected special lot to desired next stocker from the current stocker (step S
23
). Since the special lot is carried to a manu
Hayes & Soloway P.C.
Masinick Michael D
NEC Electronics Corporation
Picard Leo
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