Plant for processing wafers

• US 6,594,546 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polaris Innovations Limited (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Elger, Jürgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/134,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700/214, 700/218, 700/225, 700/226, 700/95, 700/108, 700/112, 700/115, 700/121, 414/940
• US Class Current: 700/225
• 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: H01L 21/67294 using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A plant for processing wafers, having a plurality of fabrication units, a plurality of measuring units, and a transport system for transporting the wafers. The fabrication units and the measuring units are each assigned a registration system. The feeding-in and discharge of the wafers to and from the respective fabrication unit or measuring unit can be registered in order to determine the wafer occupancy in the unit. Depending on this occupancy, a supply request or disposal request can be generated for the respective fabrication unit and measuring unit.

Claims

1. A plant for processing wafers, comprising:

a plurality of units, each one of said plurality of said units including a device selected from the group consisting of a fabrication unit and a measuring unit; and

a transport system for transporting the wafers;

each respective one of said plurality of said units including a loading and unloading station having at least one loading port for feeding in the wafers, a processing flap for closing said loading port, at least one unloading port for discharging the wafers, and a processing flap for closing said unloading port;

each respective one of said plurality of said units including a registration system configured for registering a feeding-in and a discharging of the wafers to and from said respective one of said plurality of said units in order to determine a wafer occupancy in said respective one of said plurality of said units;

for each respective one of said plurality of said units, a selected request being generated as a function of the wafer occupancy in said respective one of said plurality of said units, the selected request being selected from the group consisting of a supply request for said respective one of said plurality of said units and a disposal request for said respective one of said plurality of said units;

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units having a sensor configuration for registering a number of the wafers that are fed-in to said respective one of said plurality of said units and that are discharged from said respective one of said plurality of said units;

said sensor configuration of said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units enabling registration of an actuation of said processing flap for closing said loading port of said respective one of said plurality of said units; and

said sensor configuration of said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units enabling registration of an actuation of said processing flap for closing said unloading port of said respective one of said plurality of said units.

2. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

containers containing the wafers;

said containers for feeding the wafers to said plurality of said units; and

said containers for discharging the wafers from said plurality of said units.

3. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

individual conveyors for transporting the wafers to and from said loading port and said unloading port of said loading and unloading station of each respective one of said plurality of said units.

4. The plant according to claim 3, wherein said sensor configuration of said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units enables registration of the wafers on said conveyors.

5. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said sensor configuration has a plurality of optical sensors.

6. The plant according to claim 5, wherein said optical sensors include devices selected from the group consisting of light barriers, light sensors, and bar-code readers.

7. The plant according to claim 1, wherein:

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units receives digital signals from said respective one of said plurality of said units indicating;

the actuation of said processing flap for closing said loading port of said respective one of said plurality of said units, and

the actuation of said processing flap for closing said unloading port of said respective one of said plurality of said units.

8. The plant according to claim 1, wherein:

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units has an actuator configuration for registering the number of wafers that are fed to said respective one of said plurality of said units and that are discharged from said respective one of said plurality of said units.

9. The plant according to claim 8, wherein said actuator configuration includes mechanical switches.

10. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

a process control system for generating the selected request for each respective one of said plurality of said units;

said process control system connected to said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units.

11. The plant according to claim 10, wherein:

said process control system receives a first number, from said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units, indicating the wafers being fed-in to said respective one of said plurality of said units;

said process control system receives a second number, from said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units, indicating the wafers being discharged from said respective one of said plurality of said units; and

said process control system uses the first number and the second number to determine the wafer occupancy in said respective one of said plurality of said units.

12. The plant according to claim 10, wherein:

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units includes an evaluation unit;

said evaluation unit using a number indicating the wafers being fed-in to said respective one of said plurality of said units and a number indicating the wafers being discharged from said respective one of said plurality of said units to determine the wafer occupancy in said respective one of said plurality of said units; and

said process control system receiving the wafer occupancy in said respective one of said plurality of said.

13. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units includes a device for identifying the wafers.

14. The plant according to claim 13, wherein:

said device for identifying the wafers is a bar-code reader for identifying the wafers.

15. The plant according to claim 13, wherein:

each respective one of said plurality of said units is formed with a plurality of chambers;

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units is configured for registering which ones of the wafers and how many of the wafers are allocated to individual ones of said plurality of said chambers.

16. The plant according to claim 15, comprising:

a process control system for generating the selected request for each respective one of said plurality of said units.

17. The plant according to claim 13, comprising:

a process control system for generating the selected request for each respective one of said plurality of said units;

containers containing the wafers being transported by said transport system; and

said process control system checking whether an immediately subsequent processing step for the wafers in one of said containers can be carried out in one of said plurality of said units.

18. The plant according to claim 13, comprising:

a process control system for generating the selected request for each respective one of said plurality of said units;

said process control system providing parameter sets to said plurality of said units; and

the parameter sets defining processing steps being carried out with the wafers of a specific batch.

19. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

a storage system having a plurality of storage devices including registration systems for registering a wafer occupancy in said plurality of said storage devices.

20. The plant according to claim 1, wherein said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units is a module that can be retrofitted to said respective one of said plurality of said units.

21. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

individual conveyors for transporting the wafers to and from said loading port and said unloading port of said plurality of said loading and unloading stations;

containers containing the wafers;

said containers for feeding the wafers to said plurality of said fabrication units and to said plurality of said measuring units;

said containers for discharging the wafers from said plurality of said fabrication units and from said plurality of said measuring units;

said sensor configuration enables registration of the wafers in said containers on said conveyors.

22. The plant according to claim 1, comprising:

containers for carrying the wafers;

said containers having bar codes; and

said registration system of each respective one of said plurality of said units including a bar code reader for identifying said containers carrying the wafers.