CN114378840B - Control method of transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and semiconductor process equipment - Google Patents

Control method of transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and semiconductor process equipment Download PDF

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Publication number
CN114378840B
CN114378840B CN202111566524.3A CN202111566524A CN114378840B CN 114378840 B CN114378840 B CN 114378840B CN 202111566524 A CN202111566524 A CN 202111566524A CN 114378840 B CN114378840 B CN 114378840B
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Prior art keywords
station
stations
manipulator
coordinates
interference area
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CN114378840A (en
Inventor
周明
王凯
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Xi'an North Huachuang Microelectronic Equipment Co ltd
Beijing Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co Ltd
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Xi'an North Huachuang Microelectronic Equipment Co ltd
Beijing Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co Ltd
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
    • B25J11/0095—Manipulators transporting wafers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G49/00—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for
    • B65G49/05—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles
    • B65G49/07—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles for semiconductor wafers Not used, see H01L21/677
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P90/00—Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
    • Y02P90/02—Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and the semiconductor process equipment, which are applied to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and the method comprises the following steps: and acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinates of each station, respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station, and for the stations with overlapped interference area coordinates and position coordinates, sending an interlocking start signal corresponding to the stations to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment, and prohibiting the motion of a motion mechanism of the stations. When the manipulator fails, it is unnecessary to stop all the movement mechanisms related to the manipulator, and it is possible to avoid lowering the production efficiency of the semiconductor processing apparatus.

Description

Control method of transmission system in semiconductor process equipment and semiconductor process equipment
Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular, to a method for controlling a transmission system in semiconductor processing equipment and the semiconductor processing equipment.
Background
A transport system in a semiconductor processing tool typically includes one or more robots and a plurality of stations corresponding to the robots. The robot may transfer articles such as wafers or pods (Front Opening Unified Pod, FOUPs) between stations. The station includes a motion mechanism, which can adjust the position and state of the object in the station by controlling the motion of the motion mechanism, such as an elevating mechanism such as a cylinder and an Elevator (Elevator).
In order to avoid collision between the manipulator and the object in the station, the control host computer can only control the movement mechanism of the station to act when the manipulator is located at a specific position (such as a HOME position). In the prior art, when the controller of the manipulator controls the manipulator to complete a certain action, notification information is sent to the control host, and the control host can indirectly determine the position of the manipulator according to the notification information. The method can avoid collision between the manipulator and the object in the station to a certain extent, but when the information is wrong or the manipulator fails, the position of the manipulator cannot be determined, and the motion mechanisms in all stations related to the manipulator need to be stopped, so that the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment can be reduced.
Disclosure of Invention
The technical problem to be solved by the embodiment of the invention is that when the notification information sent by the controller is wrong or the mechanical arm is in fault, the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment is reduced.
In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention discloses a control method of a transmission system in a semiconductor process apparatus, where the transmission system includes a manipulator, and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, where the stations include a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of the manipulator, and comprises the following steps:
acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinates of each station; the interference area coordinates of the stations correspond to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the stations;
Respectively judging whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station;
and for the station with the interference area coordinates overlapped with the position coordinates, sending an interlocking start signal corresponding to the station to the control host of the semiconductor process equipment, and prohibiting the motion mechanism of the station from acting.
The second aspect of the embodiment of the invention discloses a control method of a transmission system in semiconductor process equipment, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment and comprises the following steps:
under the condition that an interlocking start signal corresponding to one or more stations is received, the movement mechanism of the one or more stations is forbidden to act;
The stations corresponding to the interlocking start signals are stations in which the interference area coordinates determined from the stations overlap with the position coordinates after the controller acquires the position coordinates of the current moment of the manipulator and the interference area coordinates of each station.
The third aspect of the embodiment of the invention discloses a semiconductor process device, which comprises a transmission system, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism; the semiconductor process equipment further comprises a control host and a controller of the manipulator; the controller is configured to perform the method according to the first aspect and the control host is configured to perform the method according to the second aspect.
The invention has the following advantages: in the embodiment of the invention, the position coordinates of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinates of each station are acquired, whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station is respectively judged, and for the stations with the overlapped interference area coordinates and the position coordinates, an interlocking start signal corresponding to the stations is sent to a control host in semiconductor process equipment, and the movement mechanism of the stations is forbidden. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention can determine whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station by comparing the position coordinates of the manipulator with the interference area coordinates of the stations, and when determining the moving range of the moving mechanism of the manipulator entering the station, the control host machine only prohibits the moving mechanisms in the stations from acting, so that the collision of the manipulator and objects in the stations can be avoided. Therefore, when the robot fails or notifies of an error, it is unnecessary to stop the movement mechanisms in all the stations related to the robot, and it is possible to avoid lowering the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in a semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present embodiment;
Fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present embodiment;
fig. 3 shows a schematic coordinate diagram of a manipulator according to the present embodiment;
fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a target station determining process provided in this embodiment;
Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in a semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Detailed Description
In order that the above-recited objects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the embodiments of the invention is rendered by reference to the appended drawings and appended drawings.
Referring to fig. 1, a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in a semiconductor processing apparatus according to the present embodiment may include the following steps:
and 101, acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinates of each station.
The interference area coordinates of the stations correspond to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the stations.
In this embodiment, the transmission system in the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a manipulator, and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, the stations including a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of the manipulator. The controller is connected with the driving mechanism of the manipulator, and can send a control instruction to the driving mechanism to control the manipulator to act, so that the manipulator can transfer objects such as wafers or wafer boxes among a plurality of stations in the semiconductor process equipment. As shown in fig. 2, fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus provided in this embodiment, where the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a station a, a station B, a station C, a station D, and a station E, and a first robot 201 and a second robot 202, the first robot 201 is used to transfer the articles in the station a and the station B to the station C and the station D, and the second robot 202 is used to transfer the articles in the station C and the station D to the station E. Taking a vertical furnace as an example, a station A and a station B can be load ports, a station C and a station D can be wafer transfer stations in a front end module (Equipment Front End Module, EFEM) of the equipment, and a wafer boat is arranged in a station E. The load port is used for placing a wafer cassette for loading wafers, and a plurality of wafers can be accommodated in the wafer cassette. The first robot 201 may grasp the cassette from the stations a and B and then place the grasped cassette into the station C or D, and the second robot 202 may grasp the wafer from the cassettes on the stations C and D and place the wafer into the boat in the station E. The above is merely an exemplary example, and the specific structure and type of the semiconductor process apparatus may be set according to requirements, which is not limited in this embodiment.
In practical application, a user can preset the interference area coordinates of the station according to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station, and input the interference area coordinates into a preset position in the controller for storage. The moving range of the moving mechanism can comprise the moving range of the moving mechanism and the moving range of an object driven by the moving mechanism, and the interference area coordinates of the station consist of the maximum coordinates and/or the minimum coordinates of the moving mechanism of the station in each coordinate direction. Taking the station D in fig. 2 as an example, the user may set the coordinates of the interference area of the station D according to the movement mechanism in the station D and the movement range of the object driven by the movement mechanism. As shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 shows a schematic coordinate diagram of a manipulator provided in this embodiment, in fig. 3, the position coordinates of the first manipulator and the coordinates of the interference area of the station D are located in the same coordinate system, the origin of the coordinate system is the origin of coordinates of the first manipulator 201, the coordinate system includes an X axis and an a axis that are perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction, and a Z axis in the vertical direction, in fig. 2, symbol a+ represents a positive direction in the a axis direction, symbol z+ represents a positive direction in the Z axis direction, and symbol x+ represents a positive direction in the X axis direction. The first robot may move up and down in the Z-axis direction, move back and forth in the X-axis direction, and extend or retract in the a-axis direction. For example, if the motion mechanism in the station D drives the wafer in the station D to move, in the Z-axis direction, the maximum coordinate of the wafer or the motion mechanism is Z N-TOP, the minimum coordinate is Z N-BIM, and the interference area coordinates of the station D may be set to include Z N-TOP and Z N-BIM. Similarly, in the direction of the axis a, the maximum coordinate that can be achieved by the wafer or the motion mechanism is a N-TOP, the minimum coordinate is a N-BIM, and the interference area coordinates of the station D can be set to include a N-TOP and a N-BIM; in the X-axis direction, the maximum coordinate of the wafer or the motion mechanism is X N-TOP, the minimum coordinate is X N-BIM, and the interference area coordinates of the station D can be set to include X N-TOP and X N-BIM. Further, the interference area coordinate of the station D may be set to d= { Z N-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP;AN-BIM＜A1＜AN-TOP;XN-BIM＜X1＜XN-TOP }, (Z1, A1, X1) represents any one coordinate point within the interference area coordinate of the station D, the range of Z1 is between Z N-BIM and Z N-TOP, the range of A1 is between a N-BIM and a N-TOP, and the range of X1 is between X N-BIM and X N-TOP. Alternatively, since the station D is located on the left side of the first manipulator 201 in fig. 2, the first manipulator can only appear on the right side of the station D, and the manipulator can enter the moving range of the moving mechanism in the station D when the coordinate of the manipulator on the a axis is smaller than a N-TOP, so that the interference area coordinate of the station D can be set to d= { Z N-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP;A1＜AN-TOP;XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOP }. Conversely, when the manipulator can only appear on the left side of the workstation, A1 > A N-TOP in the interference zone coordinates can be set. Similarly, the interference area coordinates of each station corresponding to the first manipulator and the interference area coordinates of each station corresponding to the second manipulator may be set. In each coordinate direction, the coordinate of the interference area can be slightly larger than the maximum coordinate of the object and slightly smaller than the minimum coordinate of the object.
The position coordinates of the manipulator may be default coordinates of the manipulator in a motion process, and may be coordinates of the forefront end of the fingers of the manipulator. The position coordinates of the robot arm may be expressed as (Z2, A2, X2).
In this embodiment, the controller records the coordinate position of the manipulator in real time during the process of controlling the motion of the manipulator, so that the position coordinates (Z2, A2, X2) of the manipulator at the current moment can be obtained at any time, and the interference area coordinates of all stations related to the manipulator stored in advance can be obtained. The position coordinates at the current moment are the position coordinates at each time point in the actual motion process of the manipulator. Taking a first manipulator as an example, the first manipulator grabs the wafer box from the station A and the station B and then puts the wafer box into the station C and the station D, the first manipulator only operates the objects in the station A, the station B, the station C and the station D, and the controller can acquire the position coordinates of the first manipulator and the interference area coordinates of the station A, the station B, the station C and the station D corresponding to the first manipulator from the preset position. Similarly, the controller may also obtain the position coordinates of the second manipulator, and obtain the interference area coordinates of the station C, the station D, and the station E corresponding to the second manipulator from the preset position.
It should be noted that the above is merely an exemplary example, and the specific forms of the position coordinates and the interference region coordinates may be set according to the requirement, which is not limited in this embodiment. When the first manipulator and the second manipulator are controlled by one controller, the controller can acquire the position coordinates of the first manipulator and the position coordinates of the second manipulator respectively, and acquire the interference area coordinates of a plurality of stations corresponding to each manipulator respectively. The first manipulator may be provided with a controller, and the second manipulator may be provided with a controller, where each controller obtains the position coordinates of the corresponding manipulator and the interference area coordinates of the plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator.
And 102, respectively judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station.
When the interference area coordinates of the stations are overlapped with the position coordinates of the manipulators, the movable range of the movement mechanism for the manipulators to enter the stations is represented. For convenience of distinction, the present embodiment designates a station where the interference region coordinates overlap with the position coordinates of the robot as a first target station.
In this embodiment, after the controller obtains the position coordinates of the manipulator and the interference area coordinates of the stations corresponding to the manipulator, the controller may compare the position coordinates of the manipulator with the interference area coordinates of each station, and determine whether the position coordinates of the manipulator overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station, respectively, so as to determine the interference area coordinates overlapping with the position coordinates of the manipulator, where the interference area coordinates belong to the station, that is, the first target station into which the manipulator enters.
Optionally, step 102 may include:
And for any one station, in any coordinate direction, if the coordinate data of the position coordinate corresponding to the coordinate direction is positioned in a section between the maximum coordinate and the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is more than or equal to the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is less than or equal to the maximum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, determining that the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate.
In this embodiment, the coordinates of the interference area of the station are composed of the maximum coordinates and/or the minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the station in each coordinate direction. In combination with the above examples, the interference area coordinates of the station consist of the maximum coordinates and the minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the station in each coordinate direction. After the controller obtains the position coordinates (Z2, A2, X2) of the first manipulator and the prestored interference area coordinates of the station a, the station B, the station C and the station D, the controller may compare the position coordinates of the first manipulator with the interference area coordinates of each station, and coordinate data of the position coordinates is Z2, A2 and X2. For example, for station D, the position coordinates (Z2, A2, X2) may be compared with the interference zone coordinates d= { Z N-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP;AN-BIM＜A1＜AN-TOP;XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOP }, if Z2 is greater than Z N-BIM and less than Z N-TOP, then it is determined that Z2 is located in the interval between Z N-BIM and Z N-TOP, and Z2 overlaps with Z1. Similarly, if A2 is greater than a N-BIM and less than a N-TOP, A2 is determined to be in the interval between a N-BIM and a N-TOP, A2 overlaps A1, and if X2 is greater than X N-BIM and less than X N-TOP, X2 is determined to be in the interval between X N-BIM and X N-TOP, and X2 overlaps X1. Or when d= { Z N-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP;A1＜AN-TOP;XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOP } if A2 is smaller than a N-TOP, it is determined that A2 overlaps A1. When comparing the position coordinates of the first manipulator with the interference area coordinates of the station D, the controller only needs to overlap the coordinate data of the position coordinates and the interference area coordinates of the station D on any one coordinate axis among the Z axis, the X axis and the A axis, namely, determines that the position coordinates overlap the interference area coordinates of the station D, and can determine the movement range of the first manipulator entering the movement mechanism of the station D by taking the station D as a first target station. As shown in fig. 3, since the first robot enters the movement range of the movement mechanism in the station D, if the movement mechanism in the station D is actuated, the movement mechanism and the wafer in the station D may collide with the first robot, and damage the movement mechanism, the wafer and the first robot. Similarly, it can be determined whether the first manipulator enters the range of motion corresponding to the station a, the station B, and the station C.
It should be noted that, the method for determining the overlapping of the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate may be set according to the specific form of the position coordinate and the interference area coordinate, which is not limited in this embodiment.
Step 103, for the station with the overlapped interference area coordinates and position coordinates, sending an interlocking start signal corresponding to the station to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment, and prohibiting the motion mechanism of the station from acting.
Wherein, the control host, such as a computer in the semiconductor process equipment, can control the actions of the components in the semiconductor process equipment to process the wafer in the semiconductor process equipment.
In this embodiment, after determining that the position coordinates of the manipulator overlap with the interference area coordinates of the first target station, the controller may send an interlock start signal corresponding to the first target station to the control host, so that the control host starts the interlock between the first target station and the manipulator, and inhibits the motion of the motion mechanism in the first target station. In combination with the above example, the controller may send an interlock initiation signal corresponding to the station D to the control host after the position coordinates of the first manipulator overlap with the interference area coordinates of the station D. Correspondingly, after receiving the interlocking start signal sent by the controller, the control host machine can send a stop instruction to the movement mechanism in the station D if the movement mechanism in the station D is in action, and stop the movement mechanism in the station D, so that the movement mechanism and the object in the station D stop moving and avoid collision with the first manipulator. If the movement mechanism in the station D is in a stop state, the movement mechanism in the station D is forbidden to send an action instruction to avoid the movement of the movement mechanism. The specific method for the control host to prohibit the motion of the motion mechanism in the first target station may be set according to the requirement, which is not limited in this embodiment.
After receiving the interlocking start signal corresponding to the first target station, the control host can prohibit other manipulators from entering the moving range of the moving mechanism of the first target station. For example, after determining that the station D corresponding to the first manipulator is the first target station, the controller may send the interlocking start signal of the station D to the control host, and at the same time, send the manipulator identifier corresponding to the first manipulator. At this time, the control host machine can determine that the first target station corresponds to the first manipulator according to the manipulator identifier, and determine that the first manipulator is in the station D. Meanwhile, if the second manipulator executes the grabbing action, and when the wafers in the station D need to be grabbed, the control host can prohibit the second manipulator from grabbing the wafers in the station D, so that the second manipulator is prevented from entering the station D and is prevented from being collided with the first manipulator.
Optionally, the method may further include:
for the station with the interference area coordinates not overlapped with the position coordinates, an interlocking release signal corresponding to the station is sent to the control host, and the movement mechanism of the station is allowed to act.
In this embodiment, the controller may determine, from the plurality of stations, a station where the interference area coordinates do not overlap with the position coordinates of the manipulator, that is, a station where the manipulator does not enter. For convenience of distinction, a station where the interference region coordinates do not overlap with the position coordinates of the robot arm is named a second target station in this embodiment. In combination with the above example, during the comparison of station D, if the controller determines that Z2 < Z N-BIM or Z2 > Z N-TOP, then Z2 is determined to be non-overlapping with Z1, similarly if X2 < X N-BIM or X2 > X N-TOP, then X2 is determined to be non-overlapping with X1, and if A2 < A N-BIM or A2 > A N-TOP, then A2 is determined to be non-overlapping with A1. Or when d= { Z N-BIM＜Z1＜ZN-TOP;A1＜AN-TOP;XN-BIM＜X2＜XN-TOP } if A2 is greater than a N-TOP, it is determined that A2 overlaps A1. When the controller determines that Z2 and Z1 are not overlapped, A2 and A1 are not overlapped and X2 and X1 are not overlapped, the controller determines that the position coordinates of the first manipulator are not overlapped with the interference area coordinates of the station D, at the moment, the controller can determine that the first manipulator does not enter the moving range of the moving mechanism in the station D, and can take the station D as a second target station. Similarly, the interference area coordinates of the first manipulator and other stations can be compared to determine other second target stations. After determining the second target station, the controller may send an interlock release signal to the control host to cause the control host to release the interlock of the first manipulator and the second target station. At this time, the control host can continue to control the motion mechanism in the second target station to act.
In one embodiment, the interlock activation signal and the interlock release signal may be opposite signals for the same station, for example, the interlock activation signal may be 1 and the interlock release signal may be 0. The specific forms of the interlock initiation signal and the interlock release signal may be set according to the need, and the present embodiment is not limited thereto.
In practical applications, the manipulator mainly has a target workpiece (GET) taking action, a target workpiece (PUT) placing action, a target station (MAP) scanning action, and a HOME position (HOME) returning action. When the controller controls the manipulator to complete a certain action, notification information is sent to the control host, and the control host indirectly determines whether the manipulator is separated from the movement range of the movement mechanism of the station according to the notification information so as to determine whether to control the movement of the movement mechanism of the station. When the robot fails, the controller may send notification information, but the position of the robot is not determined due to the robot failure. Since the control host cannot determine the specific position of the manipulator, in order to avoid collision between the manipulator and the object in the station, the motion mechanisms in all stations corresponding to the manipulator need to be stopped. At this time, according to the process requirement, the wafer in the station may need to enter the next process immediately, and the movement mechanism in the station may be directly stopped, so that the wafer cannot enter the next process in time, and the wafer is damaged. Moreover, stopping the motion mechanisms of all the associated stations may cause interruption of the flow, reducing the production efficiency of the semiconductor processing equipment. Meanwhile, as the action of the mechanical arm is more, the number of the notification information is more, so that the notification information is easy to make mistakes, and when the notification information is wrong, the control host can make misjudgment, and the possibility that the mechanical arm collides with an object in a station exists.
In summary, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position coordinates of the current moment of the manipulator and the interference area coordinates of each station are obtained, whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station is respectively determined, and for the station where the interference area coordinates overlap with the position coordinates, an interlock start signal corresponding to the station is sent to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment, so that the motion of the motion mechanism of the station is prohibited. Therefore, whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station or not can be determined by comparing the position coordinates of the manipulator with the interference area coordinates of the stations, and when the moving range of the moving mechanism of the manipulator entering the stations is determined, the control host machine only prohibits the moving mechanisms in the stations from acting, so that the manipulator can be prevented from colliding with objects in the stations. Therefore, when the robot fails or notifies of an error, it is unnecessary to stop the movement mechanisms in all the stations related to the robot, and it is possible to avoid lowering the production efficiency of the semiconductor process equipment. Meanwhile, when the manipulator fails and stays at a certain station, the movement mechanisms in other stations are not required to be stopped, and wafers in other stations can continue to enter the next process treatment, so that the wafers can be prevented from being damaged. And the interlocking start signals are sent to the stations, compared with the method that notification information is sent after each action of the manipulator, the number of the interlocking signals is small, the method is simple and not prone to error, and the probability of collision between the manipulator and objects in the stations can be reduced.
Optionally, step 102 may include:
And according to the priority order of the stations, starting from the station with the largest priority, judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station in sequence.
In one embodiment, for a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, the controller may compare the interference area coordinates of each station with the position coordinates of the manipulator in turn from the station with the largest priority according to the priority of the plurality of stations. As shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a target station determining process provided in this embodiment, a user may configure a station number for each station, the smaller the station number is, the higher the priority of the station is, and at the same time, for each station to which the station number belongs, a corresponding interference area coordinate is set, and the station number and the corresponding interference area coordinate are input in advance. In fig. 4, symbol N denotes a station number, and a smaller N denotes a higher priority of a station, and 1 denotes a station number of a station with the largest priority. After receiving the interference area coordinates input by the user, the controller can firstly acquire the position coordinates of the manipulator in the process of controlling the action of the manipulator, then compare the interference area coordinates of the station with the position coordinates of the manipulator from the station with the highest priority, and if the interference area coordinates of the station are overlapped with the position coordinates of the manipulator, take the station as a first target station and generate a corresponding interlocking start signal. Otherwise, if the interference area coordinates of the station are not overlapped with the position coordinates of the manipulator, the station is used as a second target station, and a corresponding interlocking release signal is generated. After the interlocking signal of each station corresponding to the manipulator is obtained, the interlocking signals of all stations can be output to the control host, and the interlocking release signal and the interlocking start signal are collectively called as interlocking signals. The controller may cyclically execute the step of acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator during the process of controlling the manipulator to operate, the step of comparing and determining the first target station and the second target station, and the step of generating and outputting the interlocking signal until a stop command is received, and stop the manipulator from operating.
In practical application, the user can set priority for each station according to the importance of the station, and the controller can compare the interference area coordinates of the station with higher priority with the position coordinates of the manipulator according to the priority of the station, so as to output an interlocking start signal after determining whether the manipulator enters the moving range of the moving mechanism of the station with higher priority as soon as possible, so that the control host stops the moving mechanism in the station, and the probability of collision is reduced.
Note that, the symbol N in fig. 4 may only represent the station number of the station, and is irrelevant to the priority, and after each time the position coordinates of the manipulator are obtained, the controller may sequentially compare the interference area coordinates of each station with the position coordinates of the manipulator according to the station number of each station, determine the first target station and the second target station, generate an interlock start signal of the first target station and an interlock release signal of the second target station, and after generate the interlock signals of all stations corresponding to the manipulator, send the interlock signals of all stations to the control host.
Optionally, the method may further include:
and under the condition that a stop signal corresponding to the current station is received, which is sent by the control host, stopping judging whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of the current station.
The current station is a station which is determined by the control host and needs to be stopped, and can be also called a third target station. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 2, the station C and the station D are two stations in parallel, when the control host determines that the station D fails, the control host may stop the station D, and execute the process flow through the station C alone, where the station D is the third target station. At this time, the control host can send a shutdown signal corresponding to the station D to the controller, and after the controller receives the shutdown signal corresponding to the station D, the controller does not compare the interference area coordinates of the station D with the position coordinates of the manipulator after obtaining the position coordinates of the first manipulator each time, so that the comparison quantity is reduced, and the operation efficiency of the controller is improved.
Referring to fig. 5, a flowchart illustrating steps of an embodiment of a method for controlling a transmission system in a semiconductor process apparatus according to the present embodiment is shown, where the method is applied to a control host in the semiconductor process apparatus, and may specifically include the following steps:
Under the condition that an interlocking start signal corresponding to one or more stations is received, the motion of a motion mechanism of the one or more stations is forbidden;
under the condition that an interlocking release signal corresponding to one or more stations is received, which is sent by a controller, the motion mechanism of the one or more stations is allowed to act;
The stations corresponding to the interlocking start signals are stations in which the interference area coordinates and the position coordinates are overlapped, wherein the interference area coordinates and the position coordinates are determined from the stations after the position coordinates of the current moment of the manipulator and the interference area coordinates of the stations are obtained by the controller. The stations corresponding to the interlock release signals are stations in which the interference area coordinates determined from the plurality of stations do not overlap with the position coordinates after the controller acquires the position coordinates and the interference area coordinates of each station.
As shown in fig. 5, the N-station in fig. 5 represents any one station in the semiconductor process equipment, when the control host controls the motion mechanism of each station to act, if an interlock start signal corresponding to a certain station sent by the controller is received, the motion mechanism in the station is prohibited from acting, otherwise, when an interlock start signal corresponding to a certain station is not received (i.e. an interlock release signal is received), the motion mechanism in the station is permitted to act.
Optionally, after receiving the interlock initiation signal, the method may further include:
Under the condition that the interlocking start signal corresponding to the station is received, if the interlocking release signal corresponding to the station is not received within a preset time period, an alarm signal indicating that the manipulator is abnormal is output.
In one embodiment, when the control host receives the interlock start signal corresponding to a certain station, if the interlock release signal corresponding to the station is not received within a preset time period, the control host can determine that the manipulator is always located in the moving range of the movement mechanism of the station, at this time, the manipulator fault can be determined, an alarm signal indicating the manipulator fault can be output, and the user is prompted to the manipulator fault. In combination with the above example, the preset duration is, for example, 10 seconds, and corresponds to the normal residence time of the manipulator in the station D. After receiving the interlocking start signal of the station D, the control host prohibits the motion of the movement mechanism in the station D, and simultaneously starts the timer to start timing, when the timing time reaches 10 seconds, if the interlocking release signal corresponding to the station D is still not received, the control host can determine that the residence time of the first manipulator in the station D exceeds the normal residence time, and at the moment, alarm information can be output to prompt the user of the mechanical hand failure.
Optionally, the method may further include:
And under the condition that the interlocking start signal and the interlocking release signal are not received, the motion mechanisms of all stations are forbidden to act.
In one embodiment, when the control host does not receive the interlock start signal and the interlock release signal corresponding to any of the stations, it may be determined that the controller is malfunctioning, at which time the movement mechanisms in all of the stations need to be stopped. In combination with the above example, when the controller controls the manipulator to operate, the controller continuously compares the position coordinates of the manipulator with the coordinates of the interference area of the station, and outputs an interlocking signal corresponding to the station. When the control host does not receive any interlocking signals, the controller is indicated to be faulty or communication between the controller and the control host is interrupted, and at this time, as it is uncertain in which station the manipulator is, in order to avoid collision, the motion mechanisms in all stations can be forbidden to act.
The embodiment also provides semiconductor process equipment, which comprises a transmission system, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism; the controller is configured to perform the method performed by the controller as described above and the control host is configured to perform the method performed by the control host as described above.
In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment is mainly described by differences from other embodiments, and identical and similar parts between the embodiments are all enough to be referred to each other.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. It is therefore intended that the following claims be interpreted as including the preferred embodiment and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the embodiments of the invention.
Finally, it is further noted that relational terms such as first and second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or mobile device that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or mobile device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or mobile device that includes the element.
The above describes the control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment and the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention in detail, and specific examples are applied to the description of the principle and implementation of the embodiment of the invention, and the description of the above embodiment is only used for helping to understand the method and core idea of the embodiment of the invention; meanwhile, as for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the embodiment of the present invention, there are various changes in the specific implementation and application scope, and in summary, the present disclosure should not be construed as limiting the embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. The control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment is characterized in that the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a controller of the manipulator, and comprises the following steps:
acquiring the position coordinates of the manipulator at the current moment and the interference area coordinates of each station; the interference area coordinates of the stations correspond to the moving range of the moving mechanism of the stations;
Respectively judging whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station;
for a station with the interference area coordinates overlapped with the position coordinates, sending an interlocking start signal corresponding to the station to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment, and prohibiting the motion of a motion mechanism of the station; the manipulator is used for transferring wafers or wafer boxes among a plurality of stations;
The step of respectively judging whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station comprises the following steps:
and according to the priority order of the stations, starting from the station with the largest priority, judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station in sequence.
2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
And for the station with the interference area coordinate not overlapped with the position coordinate, sending an interlocking release signal corresponding to the station to the control host, and allowing a movement mechanism of the station to act.
3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
And under the condition that a stop signal corresponding to the current station is received, which is sent by the control host, stopping judging whether the position coordinate is overlapped with the interference area coordinate of the current station.
4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the interference zone coordinates of the station consist of the maximum and/or minimum coordinates of the movement mechanism of the station in each coordinate direction;
The step of respectively judging whether the position coordinates overlap with the interference area coordinates of each station comprises the following steps:
And for any one of the stations, in any one coordinate direction, if the coordinate data of the position coordinate corresponding to the coordinate direction is located in a section between the maximum coordinate and the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is greater than or equal to the minimum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, or is less than or equal to the maximum coordinate of the interference area coordinate in the coordinate direction, determining that the position coordinate overlaps with the interference area coordinate.
5. The control method of the transmission system in the semiconductor process equipment is characterized in that the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism; the control method is applied to a control host in the semiconductor process equipment and comprises the following steps:
under the condition that an interlocking start signal corresponding to one or more stations is received, the movement mechanism of the one or more stations is forbidden to act;
The stations corresponding to the interlocking start signals are stations in which the interference area coordinates determined from the stations overlap with the position coordinates after the controller acquires the position coordinates of the current moment of the manipulator and the interference area coordinates of each station; the manipulator is used for transferring wafers or wafer boxes among a plurality of stations;
the station where the interference area coordinates determined from the plurality of stations overlap with the position coordinates includes:
and according to the priority order of the stations, starting from the station with the largest priority, judging whether the position coordinates are overlapped with the interference area coordinates of each station in sequence.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:
Allowing the movement mechanism of one or more stations to act under the condition that the interlocking release signals corresponding to the one or more stations are received, wherein the signals are sent by the controller;
The stations corresponding to the interlocking release signals are stations in which the interference area coordinates determined from the stations are not overlapped with the position coordinates after the controller acquires the position coordinates and the interference area coordinates of each station.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:
And under the condition that the interlocking start signal corresponding to the station is received, outputting an alarm signal indicating that the manipulator is abnormal if the interlocking release signal corresponding to the station is not received within a preset time length.
8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:
and under the condition that the interlocking start signal and the interlocking release signal are not received, inhibiting the movement mechanisms of all the stations from acting.
9. The semiconductor process equipment is characterized by comprising a transmission system, wherein the transmission system comprises a manipulator and a plurality of stations corresponding to the manipulator, and the stations comprise a movement mechanism;
The semiconductor process apparatus further comprises a controller for controlling a host configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-4 and the robot, the controller configured to perform the method of any one of claims 5-8.
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