公开(公告)号：US10073444B2

公开(公告)日：2018-09-11

申请号：US14919720

申请日：2015-10-21

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/41 ,  G05B19/418

CPC classification number: G05B19/4187 ,  G05B2219/31429 ,  G05B2219/45032 ,  Y02P90/205 ,  Y10S901/02 ,  Y10S901/41

Abstract: Since single and dual-arm tools behave differently, it is difficult to coordinate their activities in a hybrid multi-cluster tool that is composed of both single- and dual-arm tools. Aiming at finding an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule for a treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck tool is process-bound, the present work extends a resource-oriented Petri net to model such system. By the developed Petri net model, to find a one-wafer cyclic schedule is to determine robot waiting times. By doing so, it is shown that, for any treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck tool is process-bound, there is always a one-wafer cyclic schedule. Then, computationally efficient algorithms are developed to obtain the minimal cycle time and the optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. Examples are given to illustrate the developed method.

公开(公告)号：US10101721B2

公开(公告)日：2018-10-16

申请号：US14920026

申请日：2015-10-22

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/04 ,  G05B19/41 ,  G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/418

Abstract: A method determines an optimized production schedule of a production line including a hybrid multi-cluster tool formed by a plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools interconnected with each other. The method includes determining time for individual operations of a robotic arm and a processing module in the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools; determining robot waiting time of the single-arm tools and dual-arm tools based on the time for individual operations and different connection relationships of the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools; determining whether the optimized production schedule exists using the determined waiting time, wherein the optimized production schedule only exists if the hybrid multi-cluster tool is process-dominant where the robot activity time of the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools is substantially shorter than processing time at the processing module; and determining the optimized production schedule if the optimized production schedule exists.

公开(公告)号：US20170115651A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-27

申请号：US14920026

申请日：2015-10-22

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/042 ,  G05B15/02

CPC classification number: G05B19/0426 ,  G05B19/41865 ,  G05B2219/32291 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  Y02P90/20 ,  Y10S901/09

Abstract: A method determines an optimized production schedule of a production line including a hybrid multi-cluster tool formed by a plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools interconnected with each other. The method includes determining time for individual operations of a robotic arm and a processing module in the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools; determining robot waiting time of the single-arm tools and dual-arm tools based on the time for individual operations and different connection relationships of the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools; determining whether the optimized production schedule exists using the determined waiting time, wherein the optimized production schedule only exists if the hybrid multi-cluster tool is process-dominant where the robot activity time of the plurality of single-arm tools and dual-arm tools is substantially shorter than processing time at the processing module; and determining the optimized production schedule if the optimized production schedule exists.

公开(公告)号：US09223307B1

公开(公告)日：2015-12-29

申请号：US14639980

申请日：2015-03-05

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  MengChu Zhou

IPC: G06F19/00 ,  G05B19/418 ,  B25J9/00 ,  G06F17/50

CPC classification number: G05B19/41865 ,  B25J9/009 ,  G05B2219/32245 ,  G05B2219/45032 ,  G06F17/5013 ,  H01L21/67745

Abstract: In semiconductor manufacturing, there are wafer fabrication processes in cluster tools that need a wafer to visit some processing steps for more than once, leading to a revisiting process. Also, wafers may be subject to wafer residency time constraints. By considering atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a typical wafer revisiting process, this invention studies the challenging scheduling problem of single-arm cluster tools for the ALD process with wafer residency time constraints. By recognizing that the key to this problem is to schedule the robot tasks, the present invention presents different robot task sequencing strategies. With these strategies for different cases, the present invention performs the schedulability analysis and derives the schedulability conditions for such tools for the first time. If schedulable, the present invention proposes scheduling algorithms to obtain an optimal schedule efficiently. Illustrative examples are given to show the application of the proposed concepts and approach.

Abstract translation: 在半导体制造中，在集群工具中存在晶片制造工艺，其需要晶片多次访问一些处理步骤，导致重新审视过程。 此外，晶片可能受到晶片驻留时间限制。 通过考虑原子层沉积（ALD）作为典型的晶片再访问过程，本发明研究了具有晶圆驻留时间约束的ALD工艺的单臂簇工具的具有挑战性的调度问题。 通过认识到这个问题的关键是计划机器人任务，本发明提出了不同的机器人任务排序策略。 利用这些针对不同情况的策略，本发明首次执行可调度性分析并得出这些工具的可调度条件。 如果可调度，本发明提出调度算法以有效地获得最佳调度。 给出说明性的例子来说明所提出的概念和方法的应用。

公开(公告)号：US10520914B2

公开(公告)日：2019-12-31

申请号：US15268851

申请日：2016-09-19

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Liping Bai ,  Mengchu Zhou ,  Zhiwu Li

IPC: G05B19/29 ,  G05B19/418

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a multi cluster tool system configured to process a semiconductor product includes a plurality of cluster tools arranged adjacent each other, a buffer module positioned between a pair of cluster tools, each cluster tool including a plurality of processing modules and a robot, the method of controlling a multi cluster tool system including receiving a plurality of system parameters from a user interface, wherein the system parameters correspond to one or more processing steps in a system cycle, wherein the system cycle is a cycle of processing the semiconductor product, determining a system schedule for defining the system cycle for processing a semiconductor product, the system schedule providing robot waiting times for each robot of each cluster tool, controlling, via a controller, the operation of each robot of each cluster tool based on the determined schedule.

公开(公告)号：US20180081336A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-22

申请号：US15268851

申请日：2016-09-19

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Liping Bai ,  Mengchu Zhou ,  Zhiwu Li

IPC: G05B19/042 ,  G05B19/29

CPC classification number: G05B19/29 ,  G05B19/41815 ,  G05B19/41865 ,  G05B2219/25419 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  Y02P90/08 ,  Y02P90/20

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a multi cluster tool system configured to process a semiconductor product includes a plurality of cluster tools arranged adjacent each other, a buffer module positioned between a pair of cluster tools, each cluster tool including a plurality of processing modules and a robot, the method of controlling a multi cluster tool system including receiving a plurality of system parameters from a user interface, wherein the system parameters correspond to one or more processing steps in a system cycle, wherein the system cycle is a cycle of processing the semiconductor product, determining a system schedule for defining the system cycle for processing a semiconductor product, the system schedule providing robot waiting times for each robot of each cluster tool, controlling, via a controller, the operation of each robot of each cluster tool based on the determined schedule.

公开(公告)号：US20180076064A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-15

申请号：US15263615

申请日：2016-09-13

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou ,  Zhiwu Li

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/67167 ,  G05B19/41865 ,  G05B2219/32165 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  H01L21/67745 ,  Y10S901/41

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a cluster tool apparatus, wherein the cluster tool includes one or more processing modules and a robot that is configured to move a semiconductor product to and from the one or more processing modules, the cluster tool configured for processing semiconductor products. The method of controlling the cluster tool apparatus to perform a processing cycle includes receiving a plurality of system parameters from a user interface, wherein the system parameters relate to one or more processing steps of the processing cycle, determining a schedule for performing the processing cycle utilizing the one or more processing modules, wherein the schedule being determined based on a semiconductor product residency parameter.

公开(公告)号：US20170083009A1

公开(公告)日：2017-03-23

申请号：US14919720

申请日：2015-10-21

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Fajun Yang ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/418

CPC classification number: G05B19/4187 ,  G05B2219/31429 ,  G05B2219/45032 ,  Y02P90/205 ,  Y10S901/02 ,  Y10S901/41

Abstract: Since single and dual-arm tools behave differently, it is difficult to coordinate their activities in a hybrid multi-cluster tool that is composed of both single- and dual-arm tools. Aiming at finding an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule for a treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck tool is process-bound, the present work extends a resource-oriented Petri net to model such system. By the developed Petri net model, to find a one-wafer cyclic schedule is to determine robot waiting times. By doing so, it is shown that, for any treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck tool is process-bound, there is always a one-wafer cyclic schedule. Then, computationally efficient algorithms are developed to obtain the minimal cycle time and the optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. Examples are given to illustrate the developed method.