Methods of self-diagnosing software for driving processing apparatus

• US 7,386,423 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Akira Iwami, Akira Obi, Hisato Tanaka, Kazushi Tahara, Shigeaki Kato
• Original Assignee: Akira Iwami, Akira Obi, Hisato Tanaka, Kazushi Tahara, Shigeaki Kato
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hisato, Kato, Shigeaki, Iwami, Akira, Tahara, Kazushi, Obi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/986,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 702/184, 702182-183, 702/185, 702/188, 700/21
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4067 Restoring data or position after power failure or other interruption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• 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

Abstract

According to the present invention, as processing apparatus drive starts, the operating state of software used to drive the processing apparatus is monitored in real time to diagnose whether or not an abnormality has occurred (S110). If it is judged through the diagnosis performed in S110 that no abnormality has occurred, the workpiece processing is allowed to continue uninterrupted and then a decision is made as to whether or not the workpiece processing has been completed (S130). If the processing has been completed, the processing apparatus is stopped (S140). If, on the other hand, it is judged through the diagnosis performed in S110 that an abnormality has occurred, a log of the diagnosis item with regard to which the abnormality has occurred is recorded (S120). The processing apparatus is then stopped (S140).

Claims

1. A method of self-diagnosing software used to drive a processing apparatus, comprising:

a monitoring step in which predetermined diagnostic items are checked to monitor in real time the operating state of the software used to drive said processing apparatus;

a maintenance step for maintaining the processing apparatus; and

a down processing step in which, if an abnormality is detected in the software during the monitoring step, said processing apparatus is stopped after recording a log of the diagnostic item with regard to which the abnormality has occurred.

2. A method of self-diagnosing software used to drive a processing apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein:

said diagnostic items include at least one of;

the memory state, the CPU load state, the queue state, the number of open files, the network communication load, the stack state and the resource state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintenance step for maintaining a processing apparatus comprises:

a registration step in which unit operations corresponding to each part of said processing apparatus undergoing maintenance are registered in advance;

a macro writing step in which a maintenance macro is configured for executing said unit operations as at least one of individual operations and a combination of unit operations, the combination of unit operations being executed through at least one of a sequence operation and a parallel operation; and

a macro execution step in which maintenance is performed by executing said maintenance macro.

4. A method of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an evaluation step in which the sequence operation and/or the parallel operation executed in said macro execution step is evaluated.

5. A method of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said unit operations include an inspection operation through which said part undergoing maintenance is inspected.

6. A method of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said unit operations include an initialization operation through which said part undergoing maintenance is initialized.

7. A method of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said macro writing step includes a target monitoring operation macro writing step, in which a target monitoring operation macro is configured for monitoring whether or not a control value has been achieved in a unit operation of said part undergoing the maintenance.

8. A method of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

said macro writing step includes a loop macro writing step in which a loop macro is configured for repeating a unit operation of said part undergoing maintenance.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus that processes a workpiece, comprising:

a registration step in which at least inspection items to be checked in an inspection process and a time point for the inspection process are registered in advance;

a verification step in which the operating state of said processing apparatus is verified when the registered inspection time point arrives;

an inspection step in which the inspection process to check the registered inspection items is automatically and immediately executed if said processing apparatus is determined not to be engaged in operation or after the operation in said verification step of said processing apparatus ends if said processing apparatus is determined to be engaged in operation in said verification step; and

a decision-making step in which a decision is made as to whether or not the inspection process has been completed.

10. A method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

said processing apparatus is provided with an inline inspection device and the inspection items include an inspection item to be checked by utilizing said inline inspection device.

11. A method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

said inspection process includes an abnormality detection response step, in which, upon detecting an abnormality, the maintenance personnel are notified of details of the abnormality and the inspection process is interrupted.

12. A method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the inspection items include at least one of;

a target vacuum inspection, a leak inspection, a flow rate inspection, a discharge inspection, a high-frequency power supply system inspection, a plasma light emission inspection, a particle inspection, an etching characteristics inspection, a test transfer and a test wafer processing inspection.

13. A method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the inspection step comprises at least one of:

detecting an abnormality during the inspection process; and

deciding whether or not the inspection process has been completed through a multivariate analysis.

14. A method of self-diagnosing software used to drive a processing apparatus, comprising:

a monitoring step in which predetermined diagnostic items are checked to monitor in real time the operating state of the software used to drive said processing apparatus;

a maintenance step for maintaining the processing apparatus;

an automatic resetting step in which the registered inspection items are automatically checked in conformance to the registered inspection procedures when resetting said processing apparatus from the maintenance step; and

a down processing step in which, if an abnormality is detected in the software during the monitoring step, said processing apparatus is stopped after recording a log of the diagnostic item with regard to which the abnormality has occurred.

15. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said processing apparatus is provided with an inline inspection device and the inspection items include an inspection item to be checked by utilizing said inline inspection device.

16. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said automatic resetting step includes an abnormality detection response step in which, upon detecting an abnormality, the maintenance personnel is notified of details of the abnormality and the inspection process is interrupted.

17. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

the inspection items include at least one of;

a target vacuum inspection, a leak inspection, a flow rate inspection, a discharge inspection, a high-frequency power supply system inspection, a plasma light emission inspection, a particle inspection, an etching characteristics inspection, a test transfer and a test wafer processing inspection.

18. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

an abnormality is detected during the inspection process and/or a decision is made as to whether or not the inspection process has been completed through a multivariate analysis.