Photoresist system

• US 7,477,959 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yang, Yenni, Yeh, Fu-Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabrera; Zoila E
• Application Number:
  US10/180,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,393 Days
• Field of Search: 700115-117, 700/121, 700109-110, 700224-227
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70541 Tagging, i.e. hardware or software tagging of features or components, e.g. using tagging scripts or tagging identifier codes for identification of chips, shots or wafers

Abstract

A photoresist system is disclosed. A graphical user interface of the system allows an operator to initiate a bottle switching operation, among other operations. Barcode data of a photoresist bottle is obtained by an equipment server from a controller. Photoresist data relating to the bottle is obtained by the equipment server from a database through a constraint server. The equipment server, preferably with assistance from the constraint server, determines whether the bottle contains appropriate photoresist for the semiconductor processing to be performed on semiconductor wafers. If the bottle contains appropriate photoresist, the equipment server, through the constraint server, stores the expiration date of the bottle and the batch identifier of the bottle, as indicated by the barcode data, in the database. If the bottle contains inappropriate photoresist, then the system acts to prevent the semiconductor processing of the semiconductor wafers with the inappropriate photoresist contained in the bottle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining barcode data on a photoresist bottle in response to initiating a photoresist bottle switching operation by an operator;

then obtaining photoresist data relating to the photoresist bottle as indicated by the barcode data of the photoresist bottle, said photoresist data obtained from a database in response to obtaining the barcode data, said database comprising information on a plurality of photoresists associated with respective photoresist bottles and respective barcode data;

then determining whether the photoresist bottle contains appropriate photoresist based on the photoresist data;

in response to determining that the photoresist bottle contains appropriate photoresist, storing an expiration date of the photoresist bottle and a batch identifier of the photoresist bottle as indicated by the barcode data of the photoresist bottle in the database; and

,

in response to determining that the photoresist bottle contains inappropriate photoresist, acting to prevent semiconductor processing of semiconductor waters utilizing the inappropriate photoresist contained in the photoresist bottle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the photoresist bottle switching operation by an operator is performed through a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein initiating the photoresist bottle switching operation by the operator comprises the operator manually causing the barcode data of the photoresist bottle to be obtained through the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically initiating the photoresist bottle switching operation including automatically obtaining barcode data from a switched photoresist bottle switched by said photoresist bottle switching operation, said photoresist bottle switching operation initiated upon the operator lifting a previously positioned photoresist bottle for more than a predetermined length of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined length of time comprises fifteen seconds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the barcode data on the photoresist bottle is performed by an equipment server obtaining the barcode data from a controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the photoresist data relating to the photoresist bottle is performed by a constraint server obtaining the photoresist data from the database, the constraint server further providing the data to an equipment server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the photoresist bottle contains appropriate photoresist is performed by at least one of a constraint server and an equipment server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the expiration date of the photoresist bottle and the batch indicator of the photoresist bottle is performed by an equipment server through a constraint server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented as one or more computer programs.

11. A photoresist software system comprising:

a database within a computer system, said database adapted to store photoresist operation activity records and information concerning a plurality of photoresists, each photoresist associated with a respective barcode on a respective photoresist container within said database;

a graphical user interface adapted to initiate photoresist operations including initiating a photoresist container switching operation, activities of which comprise said photoresist operation activity records; and

,

a equipment server within said computer system, said equipment server adapted to process photoresist-related data received from a controller separate from said computer system and to process photoresist-related data stored in the database, said photoresist-related data received in response to initiating a barcode reading operation on a photoresist container, the equipment server adapted to prevent improper photoresist operations from occurring based on said barcode reading operation and receipt of said photoresist-related data from said database, the improper photoresist operations selected from the group consisting of;

using an expired photoresist contained in said photoresist container, and using an improper type of photoresist contained in said photoresist container;

said equipment server programmed to operate as follows;

in response to determining that said photoresist container contains appropriate photoresist, storing an expiration date of said photoresist container and a batch identifier of said photoresist container as indicated by the barcode data of said photoresist container in the database; and

,

in response to determining that said photoresist container contains inappropriate photoresist, acting to prevent semiconductor processing of semiconductor wafers utilizing the inappropriate photoresist contained in said photoresist container.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a constraint server to assist the equipment server in acting to prevent the improper photoresist operations from occurring.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the constraint server is communicatively coupled between the database and the equipment server, and obtains data from the database for the equipment server.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a run manager acting to prevent improper photoresist operations from occurring during receiving of a lot of said photoresist containers.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a manufacture execution system to execute operations initiated through the graphical user interface.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a report system to provide for querying of the database.

17. A photoresist hardware system comprising:

a photo track adapted to load and unload photoresist containers;

a barcode reader adapted to read barcodes of each of the photoresist containers in response to initiating a photoresist container switching operation;

a container sensor adapted to determine whether the photo track has loaded therein a photoresist container;

a controller communicating with the barcode reader and the container sensor, said controller adapted to initiate a barcode reading operation on said photoresist container in response to said container sensor, said controller further adapted to retrieve photoresist information concerning a photoresist contained in said photoresist container from a database in response to said barcode reading operation, said database within a computer, said computer separate from said controller, said database comprising information on a plurality of photoresists associated with respective photoresist containers and barcodes including a barcode on said photoresist container; and

,

said computer in communication with said controller, said computer adapted to prevent improper photoresist operations from occurring based on said photoresist information, the improper photoresist operations selected from the group consisting of;

using an expired photoresist contained in said photoresist container, and using an improper type of photoresist contained in said photoresist container;

said computer programmed to operate as follows;

in response to determining that said photoresist container contains appropriate photoresist, storing an expiration date of said photoresist container and a batch identifier of said photoresist container as indicated by the barcode data of said photoresist container in the database; and

,

in response to determining that said photoresist container contains inappropriate photoresist, acting to prevent semiconductor prodessing of semiconductor wafers utilizing the inappropriate photoresist contained in said photoresist container.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer comprises software running thereon comprising:

said database adapted to store photoresist operation activity records and photoresist information on a plurality of photoresists associated with respective photoresist containers;

a graphical user interface adapted to initiate photoresist operations including photoresist container switching operations and barcode reading operations for reading barcodes and retrieving information associated with a particular photoresist container from the database, activities of which comprise said photoresist operation activity records; and

,

an equipment server adapted to process photoresist-related data received from the controller and to process photoresist-related data received from the database including a photoresist type and a photoresist expiration date, the equipment server adapted to prevent the improper photoresist operations from occurring based on said photoresist-related data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the software further comprises a constraint server adapted to assist the equipment server in acting to prevent the improper photoresist operations from occurring, wherein the constraint server is communicatively coupled between the database and the equipment server, said constraint server adapted to obtain data from the database for the equipment server.