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：US20180082878A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-22

申请号：US15272706

申请日：2016-09-22

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou ,  Naiqi Wu ,  Zhiwu Li ,  Qinghua Zhu

IPC: H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/67167 ,  H01L21/67745

Abstract: A system and method for a cluster tool apparatus for processing a semiconductor product including processing modules located adjacent each other and configured to process a semiconductor module, loadlocks configured to retain and dispense unprocessed semiconductor products and each positioned adjacent one of the processing modules, a robot configured to load, transfer and unload a semiconductor product to and from the processing modules, a hardware controller in communication with the robot and executing a method to close down the cluster tool apparatus to an idle state, the method including determining a status of the processing modules, determining if a close down process is required based on the status or based on a close down signal, and, if required, determining a schedule for a close down process based on a semiconductor product residency parameter, and controlling the operation of the robot based on the schedule to perform the close down process.

公开(公告)号：US09618930B1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-11

申请号：US14918557

申请日：2015-10-20

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/418 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/68

CPC classification number: G05B19/41885 ,  B25J9/1669 ,  G05B19/41865 ,  G05B2219/39536 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  H01L21/67276 ,  H01L21/67745

Abstract: Due to the trend of using larger wafer diameter and smaller lot size, cluster tools need to switch from processing one lot of wafers to another frequently. It leads to more transient periods in wafer fabrication. Their efficient scheduling and control problems become more and more important. It becomes difficult to solve such problems, especially when wafer residency time constraints must be considered. This work develops a Petri net model to describe the behavior during the start-up transient processes of a single-arm cluster tool. Then, based on the model, for the case that the difference of workloads among the steps is not too large and can be properly balanced, a scheduling algorithm to find an optimal feasible schedule for the start-up process is given. For other cases schedulable at the steady state, a linear programming model is developed to find an optimal feasible schedule for the start-up process.

公开(公告)号：US20170083008A1

公开(公告)日：2017-03-23

申请号：US14918577

申请日：2015-10-21

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Qinghua Zhu ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: G05B19/418

CPC classification number: G05B19/4187 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/50291 ,  Y02P90/205 ,  Y02P90/26

Abstract: The scheduling problem of a multi-cluster tool with a tree topology whose bottleneck tool is process-bound is investigated. A method for scheduling the multi-cluster tool to thereby generate an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule for this multi-cluster tool is provided. A Petri net (PN) model is developed for the multi-cluster tool by explicitly modeling robot waiting times such that a schedule is determined by setting the robot waiting times. Based on the PN model, sufficient and necessary conditions under which a one-wafer cyclic schedule exists are derived and it is shown that an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule can be always found. Then, efficient algorithms are given to find the optimal cycle time and its optimal schedule. Examples are used to demonstrate the scheduling method.

公开(公告)号：US20170080563A1

公开(公告)日：2017-03-23

申请号：US14918557

申请日：2015-10-20

Applicant: Macau University of Science and Technology

Inventor： Naiqi Wu ,  Yan Qiao ,  Mengchu Zhou

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: G05B19/41885 ,  B25J9/1669 ,  G05B19/41865 ,  G05B2219/39536 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  H01L21/67276 ,  H01L21/67745

Abstract: Due to the trend of using larger wafer diameter and smaller lot size, cluster tools need to switch from processing one lot of wafers to another frequently. It leads to more transient periods in wafer fabrication. Their efficient scheduling and control problems become more and more important. It becomes difficult to solve such problems, especially when wafer residency time constraints must be considered. This work develops a Petri net model to describe the behavior during the start-up transient processes of a single-arm cluster tool. Then, based on the model, for the case that the difference of workloads among the steps is not too large and can be properly balanced, a scheduling algorithm to find an optimal feasible schedule for the start-up process is given. For other cases schedulable at the steady state, a linear programming model is developed to find an optimal feasible schedule for the start-up process.