JP2009135255A - Communication logging device and fault analyzing apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication logging device for quickly detecting a cause of an automatic transmitting fault with the simplified structure, and also to provide a fault analyzing apparatus including the same communication logging device. <P>SOLUTION: The communication logging device 20 is respectively connected to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 and an AMHS controller 12 via a D-sub25 interface. The communication logging device 20 includes a system clock 42 constituted to measure time data as the basic data of time stamp. Moreover, the communication logging device 20 also includes a microcomputer 30 constituted for logging contents of change of signals communicated between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 and the AMHS controller 12 to a RAM 44 as the first communication data after addition of the time stamp for each content of change. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication recording apparatus for recording a communication state between a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an automatic transfer system for transferring a wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a failure analysis apparatus including the communication recording apparatus.

  With the increase in size of wafers, in recent years, automatic transfer in semiconductor manufacturing plants has been promoted. A typical example of this automatic transfer technology is the SEMI standard E84 widely used in 300 mm semiconductor factories around the world.

  However, in a semiconductor manufacturing factory that adopts automatic conveyance, an automatic conveyance failure sometimes occurs when the factory is started up. Since it is preferable to start up the factory in as short a time as possible, it is important to take measures to appropriately cope with the automatic conveyance failure at the time of factory startup.

As an example of measures for appropriately dealing with an automatic conveyance failure, conventionally, a technique for appropriately emergency stopping AMHS (Automated Material Handling Systems) has been developed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-31579 A

  In order to start up a factory in as short a time as possible, it is preferable to realize an early cause investigation in the event of a failure, in addition to developing measures to stop when a failure occurs.

  However, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and AMHS are manufactured by different manufacturers and installed in semiconductor manufacturing factories. For this reason, it is necessary to confirm the automatic transport failure of the SEMI standard E84 with the information of both the semiconductor manufacturing equipment manufacturer and the AMHS manufacturer, and as a result, it is difficult to realize early cause investigation when the failure occurs. There was.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a communication recording apparatus and a failure analysis apparatus including the communication recording apparatus that enable early cause investigation of an automatic conveyance failure with a simple configuration.

  The communication recording apparatus according to the present invention is for recording a communication state between a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an automatic transfer system for transferring a wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The communication recording apparatus includes first connection means, second connection means, clock means, first recording means, recording control means, and third connection means.

  The first connecting means is configured to be connectable to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The second connecting means is configured to be connectable to the automatic conveyance system. A typical example of the first connection means and the second connection means is a D-sub25 interface.

  The clock means is configured to measure time information. This time information is information that is the basis of a time stamp such as date and time. The first recording unit is configured to be able to record the communication state. An example of the first recording means is an SRAM.

  The recording control means associates the information related to the change of the signal passing between the first connection means and the second connection means with the time state of the clock means for each change, and the first communication information As described above, it is configured to record in the first recording means. As an example of the operation of the recording control means, a time stamp is added to signal change content information based on the time state of the clock means, and then recorded as first communication information in the first recording means. .

  The third connecting means is configured to make the first recording means accessible from an external device. The third connection means is used for supplying the first communication information to the external device.

  In this configuration, each change in signal in the communication between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the automatic transfer system is recorded on the recording means with a time stamp added thereto. For this reason, by using the first communication information, it becomes easy to detect at which timing of the communication between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the automatic transfer system the failure has occurred. Furthermore, by using the first communication information, it becomes easy to detect whether a failure has occurred in either the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or the automatic transfer system.

  In this invention, since a simple configuration in which a communication recording device is arranged between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the automatic transfer system is adopted, it is possible to easily add a fault detection function to existing equipment. Become.

  In this way, as a result of the ingenuity of focusing on directly monitoring the communication status of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and automatic transfer systems, large-scale construction such as the introduction of a new communication monitoring system at the semiconductor manufacturing plant is no longer necessary. I can say that.

  According to the present invention, an early cause of an automatic conveyance failure can be investigated with a simple configuration.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a semiconductor manufacturing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The semiconductor manufacturing system 10 includes an automatic transfer information network 106 and a manufacturing process information network 108. A host computer 102 and an AMHS (Automated Material Handling Systems) controller 12 are connected to the automatic conveyance information network 106. A host computer 104 and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 are connected to the manufacturing process information network 108. The number of AMHS controllers 12 connected to the automatic transfer information network 106 and the number of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses 16 connected to the manufacturing process information network 108 are not limited to one. It is possible to connect an arbitrary number of AMHS controllers 12 to the automatic transfer information network 106 according to the scale of the semiconductor manufacturing system 10 and connect an arbitrary number of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses 16 to the manufacturing process information network 108.

  The host computer 102 is configured to comprehensively control an AMHS controller group (here, the AMHS controller 12) connected to the automatic conveyance information network 106. Further, the host computer 102 can communicate with a management server (not shown) that manages the semiconductor manufacturing system 10. The AMHS controller 12 is configured to control the operation of the AMHS 14 configured to transport the wafer stored in the carrier to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16.

  The host computer 104 is configured to centrally control all the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus groups (here, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16) connected to the manufacturing process information network 108. The host computer 104 can communicate with a management server (not shown) that manages the semiconductor manufacturing system 10. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 is configured to perform a set process on the wafer transferred by the AMHS 14. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 includes a controller 18. The controller 18 is configured to control the operation of each part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16.

  The AMHS controller 12 and the controller 18 described above are defined for communication based on the SEMI standard E84. Usually, the AMHS controller 12 and the controller 18 are directly connected by a custom-made cable adjusted to a desired length. However, in this embodiment, a communication recording device 20 having a signal capture function for collecting a signal conforming to the SEMI standard is interposed between the AMHS controller 12 and the controller 18.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the communication recording apparatus 20. The communication recording device 20 includes a first terminal 22, a second terminal 24, and a third terminal 26. The first terminal 22 is configured to be connectable to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 via an E84 connector 222 having D-sub 25 pins. The second terminal 24 is configured to be connectable to the AMHS controller 12 via an E84 connector 242 having a D-sub 25 pin. The third terminal 26 is configured to be connectable to a personal computer via the USB cable 262. In this embodiment, a magnet sheet is attached to the communication recording apparatus 20 and attached to the outer surface of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 using this magnet sheet. The reason why the communication recording apparatus 20 is attached to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 is because it is considered to improve visibility from the operator. However, the installation method of the communication recording apparatus 20 is not limited to a method using magnetic force, and any installation method can be employed. For example, a portion that engages with the communication recording device 20 may be provided in the housing of the semiconductor manufacturing device 16. It is also possible to install the communication recording apparatus 20 at a place other than the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the communication recording apparatus 20. The communication recording device 20 includes a battery 25 and is driven by the battery 25. The communication recording apparatus 20 includes a system clock 42, a first interface unit 32, a second interface unit 34, a third interface unit 36, a RAM 44, a ROM 40, and a microcomputer 30. The system clock 42 is a clock provided for centrally managing information based on time stamps, and is configured to measure time information such as date and time. The first interface unit 32 controls communication executed via the first terminal 22. The second interface unit 34 controls communication executed through the second terminal 24. The third interface unit 36 controls communication executed through the third terminal 26. The RAM 44 is configured to record information to be temporarily recorded. In this embodiment, an SRAM is used as the RAM 44, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to use a type of RAM other than the SRAM. The ROM 40 stores a plurality of programs necessary for the operation of the microcomputer 30. The microcomputer 30 is configured to comprehensively control the operation of the communication recording device 20 based on a program stored in the ROM 40.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the interrupt process of the microcomputer 30. When the AMHS controller 12 and the controller 18 start communication based on the SEMI standard E84, the microcomputer 30 executes an interrupt process as shown in this flowchart every predetermined interval (1 ms in this embodiment). Specifically, the microcomputer 30 monitors the signal (SEMI standard E84 signal 1) output from the AMHS controller 12 (S21). At the same time, the microcomputer 30 monitors the signal (SEMI standard E84 signal 2) output from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 (S22). The step of S1 and the step of S2 are performed by detecting the on / off change of the signal at each pin of the D-sub25 pin.

  When a change in signal ON / OFF at each pin of the D-sub 25 pin is detected, the microcomputer 30 adds a time stamp to the information regarding the change contents based on the date and time information of the system clock 42. After that, the first communication information is stored in the RAM 44 (S23). As shown in FIG. 5, the first communication information recorded in the RAM 44 is usually information indicating the change contents such as “ON → OFF” or “OFF → ON” (in FIG. 5, “upward arrow ( ↑) ”or“ downward arrow (↓) ”) and date / time information are recorded in the RAM 44 in association with each other.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing system 10 described above, the AMHS controller 12 and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 have a failure detection function. For example, when an automatic wafer transfer failure occurs, the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 detects the failure. Then, the first communication information recorded in the communication recording device 20 is used to investigate the cause of the failure.

  That is, the communication recording device 20 collects the first communication information described above while constantly passing a signal related to SEMI standard E84 communication between the AMHS controller 12 and the controller 18. The communication recording device 20 is configured to be able to supply the first communication information described above to a device used for investigating the cause of the automatic conveyance failure when a failure occurs.

  Specifically, when analyzing the cause of the automatic conveyance failure, the personal computer 50 is connected to the communication recording apparatus 20 as shown in FIG. An application program 52 for communicating with the communication recording device 20 is installed in the personal computer 50 in advance. The function of the application program 52 allows the personal computer 50 to communicate with the communication recording device 20 and acquire the first communication information from the communication recording device 20. Further, the application program 52 causes the personal computer 50 to realize a function of analyzing the first communication information. That is, the application program 52 supplies the personal computer 50 with the second communication information indicating the communication state that should be originally executed in the SEMI standard E84 communication. From the second communication information, it is grasped what signal output should have been output from which device at what timing. For this reason, it is detected which part of the first communication information is abnormal by comparing the first communication information and the second communication information. If the signal shifts more than the tolerance between the signal change timing and the actual signal change timing in the scenario that should have been originally executed, it is possible to estimate that a failure has occurred in that portion. For this reason, it is detected which of the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 has an abnormal signal output, and as a result, which of the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 causes the failure. Is detected relatively easily.

  Therefore, even when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16 and the AMHS controller 12 are manufactured by different manufacturers and installed in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, it is easy to contact each manufacturer, and it is possible to recover from a failure relatively early. Become.

  In addition, by providing the application program 52 with a function of charting the first communication information, it is possible to display the first communication information on the screen in a state where it can be easily viewed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, it is possible to monitor the transition of the transfer time in the semiconductor manufacturing system 10 and to apply the charted data to the improvement of the tact time in the semiconductor manufacturing system 10. . In addition, long-term monitoring is possible for the purpose of improving the SEMI standard E84 handoff time depending on the aging of the semiconductor manufacturing system 10.

  According to the above embodiment, even when a failure occurs in the semiconductor manufacturing system 10, it is possible to easily determine whether the failure has occurred in the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16. Further, by using a low power consumption microcomputer, it is possible to save power and make the communication recording device 20 compact.

  Subsequently, a communication recording apparatus 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The basic configuration of the communication recording device 21 is the same as that of the communication recording device 20. However, the communication recording device 21 includes an indicator 38. The communication recording device 21 includes a ROM 402 instead of the ROM 40.

  The indicator 38 is configured to indicate that a failure has occurred in the semiconductor manufacturing system 10 and whether the failure has occurred in the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16. The ROM 402 stores a scenario when communicating based on the SEMI standard E84.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the microcomputer 30. The microcomputer 30 executes an initialization process when the operation of the communication recording device 21 is started (S1). Subsequently, the microcomputer 30 refers to various inspection parameters used for failure detection in the automatic conveyance process (S2).

  The microcomputer 30 determines whether or not a command from the personal computer is detected (S3). If a command from the connected personal computer is detected in the determination step of S3, the microcomputer 30 supplies the recorded communication information (S10), sets inspection parameters based on designation from the personal computer (S11), Then, a recording content setting process (S12) such as deletion of the communication information storage area is appropriately executed.

  If the command from the personal computer is not detected in the determination step of S3, the microcomputer 30 waits until a scenario based on the SEMI standard E84 is started (S4).

  When the start of the scenario conforming to SEMI standard E84 is detected in step S4, it is detected whether or not the signal being communicated conforms to the scenario conforming to SEMI standard E84 (S5). At this time, the microcomputer 30 compares the first communication information indicating the actual communication state with the second communication information that should have been originally executed based on the scenario stored in the ROM 402. Then, the microcomputer 30 determines that an abnormality has occurred when the signal shift timing exceeds the tolerance between the signal change timing indicated in the second communication information and the actual signal change timing (S6).

  If an abnormality has occurred, the microcomputer 30 displays an abnormality occurrence on the indicator 38 (S9). In step S9, the indicator 38 displays whether an abnormality has occurred in the AMHS controller 12 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 16.

  When the scenario is finished without any abnormality (S7), the microcomputer 30 displays a normal message on the indicator 38 (S8).

  In the communication recording apparatus 21 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to analyze a failure without using the personal computer 50. For this reason, it is not essential to provide the third terminal 26 in the communication recording device 21. However, since the communication state can be confirmed on the display of the relatively large personal computer 50 by providing the third terminal 26, it can be said that it is preferable to provide the third terminal 26.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the communication recording device 20 and the personal computer 50 are separated has been described. However, the device in which the function of the communication recording device 20 or the communication recording device 21 and the function of the personal computer 50 are integrated. You may make it comprise. For example, a communication recording unit 200 having the same function as the communication recording device 20 or the communication recording device 21, a communication analysis unit 500 having the same function as the personal computer 50, and a display device 202 capable of displaying detailed analysis results are provided. It is also possible to configure the failure analysis apparatus 100 having the same.

  The description of the above-described embodiment is an example in all respects and should be considered as not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above embodiments but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

It is a figure showing the outline of the semiconductor manufacturing system concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of a communication recording device. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of an internal structure of a communication recording device. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the operation | movement procedure of a microcomputer. It is a figure which shows the example of communication information. It is a figure which shows the analysis method of communication information. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of an internal structure of a communication recording device. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the operation | movement procedure of a microcomputer. It is a figure which shows the outline of a failure analyzer.

Explanation of symbols

10-semiconductor manufacturing system 12-AMHS controller 14-AMHS
16-Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 20-Communication recording equipment 30-Microcomputer 50-Personal computer 100-Failure analysis equipment

Claims (4)

A communication recording apparatus for recording a communication state between a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an automatic transfer system for transferring a wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus,
First connection means connectable to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
Second connection means connectable to the automatic transport system;
A clock means for measuring time information and a first recording means capable of recording a communication state;
Information relating to a change in the signal passing between the first connecting means and the second connecting means is associated with the time state of the clock means for each change, and as first communication information, Recording control means configured to record in the first recording means;
A third connecting means configured to make the first recording means accessible from an external device;
A communication recording apparatus comprising: A communication recording apparatus for recording a communication state between a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and an automatic transfer system for transferring a wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus,
First connection means connectable to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
Second connection means connectable to the automatic transport system;
A clock means for measuring time information and a first recording means capable of recording a communication state;
Information relating to a change in the signal passing between the first connecting means and the second connecting means is associated with the time state of the clock means for each change, and as first communication information, Recording control means configured to record in the recording means;
Second recording means for recording second communication information indicating an original communication state in a scenario to be executed;
Analyzing means for analyzing communication between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the automatic transfer system based on a comparison result between the first communication information and the second communication information;
A communication recording apparatus comprising: The first connection means is configured to be connected to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus via a D-sub25 interface,
The communication recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second connection unit is configured to be connected to the automatic conveyance system via a D-sub 25 interface. Communication recording means according to claim 1;
Second recording means for recording second communication information indicating an original communication state in a scenario to be executed;
Analyzing means for analyzing communication between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the automatic transfer system based on a comparison result between the first communication information and the second communication information;
Failure analysis device with

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