Method of controlling display of operation of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and non-transitory computer readable storage medium therefor, and system for performing display concerning operation of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

• US 10,446,422 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiki, Masayuki, Aoyama, Hideharu, Koizumi, Ryuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/941,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20180286723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/00 Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 17/001 Apparatus specially adapted for electrolytic coating of wafers, e.g. semiconductors or solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 21/12 Process control or regulation controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/46 hydraulic
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method is provided, the method including: repeatedly acquiring a state of one or more devices included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; providing a first animation indicating an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying at least an image indicating the state of one or more devices on a display unit each time the state is acquired; storing, in a memory, the acquired state of one or more devices and a time related to the state; receiving an input for switching a display mode; and providing a second animation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying, one by one on the display unit, at least one or more images respectively indicating the state of one or more devices related to one or more times including a reference time stored in the memory, after receiving the input for switching a display mode.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display concerning a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising:

repeatedly acquiring a state of one or more devices included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;

providing a first animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying at least an image indicating the state of one or more devices on a display unit each time the state is acquired;

storing, in a memory, the acquired state of one or more devices and a time related to the state;

receiving an input for switching a display mode;

providing a second animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying, on the display unit, at least one or more images one by one after receiving the input for switching a display mode, the one or more images respectively indicating the state of one or more devices, which are stored in the memory, related to one or more times including a reference time;

displaying, on the display unit, a graph including a band which indicates an alarm generated in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the graph having an axis corresponding to a time, one end of the band corresponding to a generation time of the alarm, and the other end corresponding to a restoration time of the alarm; and

receiving a selection of a point or the band on the displayed graph such that a time corresponding to the selected point or the generation time or the restoration time related to the selected band is set as the reference time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, on the display unit, a log of a process executed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; and

receiving a selection of a process in the displayed log such that a time related to the selected process is set as the reference time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, on the display unit, a Gantt chart concerning the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the Gantt chart having one axis corresponding to a time, the Gantt chart including a band which indicates a process executed by at least one device included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, one end of the band corresponding to a start time of the state, and the other end corresponding to an end time of the state; and

receiving a selection of a point or the band on the displayed Gantt chart such that a time corresponding to the selected point or the start time or the end time related to the selected band is set as the reference time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, on the display unit, a control corresponding to at least one of playback, fast forward, frame-by-frame playback, pause, reverse frame-by-frame playback, fast rewind, and reverse playback;

receiving a selection of the displayed control; and

controlling, in accordance with the selected control, the second animation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a plating apparatus.

6. A system of performing a display concerning a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the system comprising:

a first computer configured to repeatedly acquire a state of one or more devices included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;

a second computer configured to store the acquired state of one or more devices and a time related to the state; and

a third computer configured to provide an animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the third computer being configured to;

provide a first animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying at least an image indicating the state of one or more devices each time the state is acquired if a display mode is set to a first mode,

provide a second animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying, on the display unit, at least one or more images one by one if the display mode is set to a second mode, the one or more images respectively indicating the state of one or more devices, which is stored in the second computer, related to one or more times including a reference time,

receive an input for switching the display mode at least between the first mode and the second mode,

display a graph including a band which indicates an alarm generated in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the graph having an axis corresponding to a time, one end of the band corresponding to a generation time of the alarm, and the other end corresponding to a restoration time of the alarm, and

receive a selection of a point or the band on the displayed graph such that a time corresponding to the selected point or the generation time or the restoration time related to the selected band is set as the reference time.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein

a plurality of the first computers exist, each of the plurality of the first computer repeatedly acquires a state of one or more devices included in a corresponding semiconductor manufacturing apparatus among different semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, and at least a part of a communication path among the plurality of first computer, the second computer, and the third computer is wireless.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing the computer readable instructions that upon execution on at least one computer cause a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus at least to:

repeatedly acquire a state of one or more devices included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;

provide a first animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying at least an image indicating the state of one or more devices on a display unit each time the state is acquired;

store, in a memory, the acquired state of one or more devices and a time related to the state;

receive an input for switching a display mode; and

provide a second animation which indicates an operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by displaying, on the display unit, at least one or more images one by one after receiving the input for switching a display mode, the one or more images respectively indicating the state of one or more devices, which are stored in the memory, related to one or more times including a reference time;

display, on the display unit, a graph including a band which indicates an alarm generated in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the graph having an axis corresponding to a time, one end of the band corresponding to a generation time of the alarm, and the other end corresponding to a restoration time of the alarm; and

receive a selection of a point or the band on the displayed graph such that a time corresponding to the selected point or the generation time or the restoration time related to the selected band is set as the reference time.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the at least one computer further cause the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus at least to:

display, on the display unit, a log of a process executed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; and

receive a selection of a process in the displayed log such that a time related to the selected process is set as the reference time.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the at least one computer further cause the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus at least to:

display, on the display unit, a Gantt chart concerning the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the Gantt chart having one axis corresponding to a time, the Gantt chart including a band which indicates a process executed by at least one device included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, one end of the band corresponding to a start time of the state, and the other end corresponding to an end time of the state; and

receive a selection of a point or the band on the displayed Gantt chart such that a time corresponding to the selected point or the start time or the end time related to the selected band is set as the reference time.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, further comprising computer readable instructions that upon execution on the at least one computer further cause the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus at least to:

display, on the display unit, a control corresponding to at least one of playback, fast forward, frame-by-frame playback, pause, reverse frame-by-frame playback, fast rewind, and reverse playback;

receive a selection of the displayed control; and

control, in accordance with the selected control, the second animation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a plating apparatus.