JP5337639B2 - Semiconductor device manufacturing inspection apparatus, and semiconductor device manufacturing inspection apparatus control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus for manufacturing or inspecting a semiconductor device such as a semiconductor device, and a method for controlling the semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus.

  One manufacturing inspection apparatus is provided with two systems for carrying in and out a sample such as a semiconductor wafer, and when one sample is carried into the production inspection apparatus by one of the conveying apparatuses, the sample is taken by one of the conveying apparatuses. Is carried out from the production inspection apparatus, so that efficient operation is performed. When a problem occurs in one of the transport apparatuses, the degenerate operation mode that automatically switches to the operation of only one of the transport apparatuses is used.

  In this case, since the sample is carried in and out by one transport device, the time for transporting the sample is doubled. However, if this is not informed to the operator, the response of repairing the defective transport device or the like will be delayed, and the processing time of the sample will unnecessarily increase, and the operator will be late to notice. Even when the operation mode is automatically shifted to the degenerate operation mode, a technique for controlling the conveying device so as to prevent the processing time from becoming long is considered (for example, see Patent Document 1). However, since the failure is not transmitted to the operator, it is inevitable that the repair of the failure will be delayed. Currently, it is set so that the operator cannot shift to the degenerate operation mode, and is often made only possible by a service engineer. It is difficult to know how much the device has been degraded by confirming when the device has shifted to the degenerate operation mode and the history of changes in throughput and the like.

JP 2005-322727 A

  The present invention prevents a decrease in throughput due to processing being continued without knowing that the operator is in a degenerate operation state when an abnormality occurs in the transfer chamber of the semiconductor device manufacturing inspection apparatus, and prevents the transfer chamber from being abnormal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus and a method for controlling the semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus that can be repaired at an early stage.

  In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor that detects a state of each of two transfer chambers that transfer a sample to a sample chamber, and a transfer control device that performs monitoring based on a signal from the sensor. When the abnormality of one transfer chamber is detected, the transfer control device closes at least one of the inlet side and outlet side gate valves of the transfer chamber in which the error is detected, and the automatic mode is set in advance. If the manual mode is set in advance, it is displayed which of the two transfer chambers is abnormal. At the same time, a screen for selecting whether to perform the degenerate operation or to stop the apparatus is displayed on the display device, and when the degenerate operation is instructed, the operation control of the normal transfer chamber is switched to the degenerate operation and operated. To, with the arrangement to be displayed on the display device that normally transfer chamber is in degenerate operation state.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the transfer chamber of the semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus, by instructing in advance whether automatic degeneration operation or manual degeneration operation, in the case of manual degeneration operation, the operator Is displayed on the screen, and it is displayed on the screen that it is a degenerate operation even in the case of an automatic degenerate operation. It is possible to prevent a decrease in throughput due to continuing, and to repair the abnormality of the transfer chamber at an early stage.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the rough structure of the charged particle beam apparatus with which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the structure which looked at the charged particle beam apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the top. It is a top view which shows the structure which looked at the charged particle beam apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the top. It is a front view of the display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a screen figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the operation area of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of control of the degeneracy operation which the processor of a conveyance control apparatus performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of control of the degeneracy operation which the processor of a conveyance control apparatus performs.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As a specific example of a semiconductor device manufacturing inspection apparatus, in this embodiment, a charged particle beam such as an electron beam or an ion beam is irradiated on a sample, and a signal such as secondary electrons generated from the sample is detected and imaged. A charged particle beam apparatus for confirming or inspecting the state of a sample will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an approximate configuration of a charged particle beam apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The charged particle beam 2 generated by the charged particle source 1 is focused on the sample 4 by the objective lens 3. A sample stage 5 is provided in the sample chamber 6, and the charged particle beam 2 can be focused on a desired position of the sample 4 by moving the sample stage 5 in the sample chamber 6. The sample 4 is an example of a semiconductor wafer in the middle of the semiconductor device manufacturing process. A secondary signal 8 is generated from the sample 4, detected by the detector 9, imaged and displayed on the display device 10.

  The display device 10 includes a screen 11 on which an image of the above-described secondary signal and a message to the operator are displayed. Moreover, input devices, such as a console 12, the keyboard 13, and the mouse | mouth 14, are provided, and a charged particle beam apparatus can be controlled. An indicator lamp 15 is provided in addition to the display device 10 for the purpose of promptly notifying the operator when there is an abnormality in the charged particle beam device.

  A transport chamber A22 and a transport chamber B23 for transporting the sample 4 are connected to the sample chamber 6, and a two-system transport mechanism is employed so that loading and unloading can be performed simultaneously. The transfer chamber not only carries the sample 4 into and out of the sample chamber 6, but also has a function of adjusting the pressure of air between the atmosphere in the sample chamber 6 such as a vacuum and the outside air of the production inspection apparatus.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the charged particle beam apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. The position where the sample 4 is arranged is indicated by a broken line. One of the samples 4 is stored on the sample cassette A16, placed on the opener A17, and is transported to the aligner 20 by the transport robot 21 controlled by the transport control device 28 incorporating the processor. And the coordinates are determined, and are transferred from the opened transfer side gate valve A24 to the transfer chamber A22. Next, the transfer side gate valve A24 is closed, and when the inside of the transfer chamber A22 is exhausted to reach or approach the vacuum degree of the sample chamber 6, the exhaust is stopped and the apparatus side gate valve A26 is opened. The sample 4 is transferred from the transfer chamber A22 to the sample chamber 6 by a transfer device (not shown), and is placed on the sample stage 5 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, the sample 4 that has been processed in the sample chamber 6 is carried out by the following procedure. The transfer-side gate valve B25 of the transfer chamber B23 is closed, and there is no sample 4 in the transfer chamber B23, and the apparatus-side gate valve B27 is opened in a state where the degree of vacuum is the same as or close to that of the sample chamber 6. Is transferred to the transfer chamber B23 by a transfer device (not shown). Next, the apparatus side gate valve B27 is closed, and the outside air is introduced so that the degree of vacuum in the transfer chamber B23 is the same as or slightly higher than the outside air. Next, the transfer side gate valve B25 is opened, and the sample 4 is unloaded by the transfer robot 21 and stored in the sample cassette B18 on the opener B19.

  By controlling the transport control device 28 to carry in the sample 4 from the sample cassette A16 to the sample chamber 6 and carry out the sample 4 from the sample chamber 6 to the sample cassette B18 at the same time, the transport chamber becomes 1 Compared to the case of individual pieces, the sample transport time can be halved.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the charged particle beam apparatus shown in FIG. The position where the sample 4 is arranged is indicated by a broken line. A state sensor A29 is newly installed in the transfer chamber A22, and a state sensor B30 is newly installed in the transfer chamber B23, and the operation state of each transfer chamber is monitored by the transfer control device 28. As an example of the operating status, the pressure in the transfer chamber and the degree of vacuum are measured over time and compared with control commands for pressure and vacuum to detect whether the pressure and vacuum are controlled according to the control command. be able to. The operating state may be an open / closed state of the gate valve or an operating state of a transporter (not shown) for transporting the sample 4 to the sample chamber 6.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the display device 10 shown in FIG. A message indicating the operating state of the transfer chamber to the operator is displayed in the operation area 31 displayed together with the image of the sample 4 in the screen 11 of the display device 10.

  FIG. 5 is a screen diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the operation area 31 of FIG. When the signal from the state sensor A29 shown in FIG. 3 indicates an abnormality in the transfer chamber A22, the transfer control device 28 displays information as shown in FIG. 5 in the operation area 31 of the screen 11 of the display device 10. The operation area 31 is composed of at least one of a device state display area 32 for displaying whether or not the operation is in a degenerate operation, a degenerate operation display area 33, and a degenerate operation operation area 34, and all the areas may be displayed. Alternatively, only necessary information may be displayed when the degenerate operation is performed.

  By displaying a large cross 35 on the transfer chamber A in the apparatus status display area 32, the operator can see that the transfer chamber A is defective at a glance. In the degenerate operation display area 33, the contents of the degenerate operation, specifically, the state indicating whether the transfer chamber is operating or not operating, the history of the degenerate operation start time and the accumulated time, the number of processed sheets until the start of the degenerate operation are displayed. Items such as normal processing capacity and current processing capacity are displayed. All of these items may be displayed, or any one or more of them may be displayed. In the figure, the transfer chamber is indicated as a port.

  Here, the processing capability is expressed by, for example, a throughput indicating the number of wafers processed per unit time often used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, so that the operator can easily determine the capability of the current apparatus. In addition, from this information, the operator can easily grasp the state of the processing capability of the apparatus and make a plan for the operation and recovery of the apparatus based on this.

  The degenerate operation area 34 is a screen that indicates the switching state of the degenerate operation. If it is set in advance so that it automatically shifts to a degenerate operation when a problem occurs in one of the transfer chambers, it will be emphasized by making the area displayed as automatic brighter or changing color. If it is set in advance so as to manually shift to the degenerate operation, the region displayed as manual is emphasized when the region becomes brighter or changes color. In the case of manual operation, an instruction input area for displaying whether to stop the apparatus or switch to the degenerate operation and continue the operation is displayed and waits for input.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the degenerate operation control executed by the processor of the transport control device 28 by being specified in the degenerate operation area 34 shown in FIG. The processor of the transfer control device 28 monitors the transfer chamber (step 60), and when an abnormality in one transfer chamber is detected (step 61), it is determined whether the automatic mode or the manual mode input in advance by the operator (step 61). 62). When in the automatic mode, the flow proceeds to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the manual mode, in order to minimize the influence on the charged particle beam apparatus, at least one of the transfer side gate valve and the apparatus side gate valve of the transfer chamber determined to be abnormal is closed, and the sample chamber 6 is closed. Is not directly exposed to the outside air (step 63). Next, in the apparatus status display area 32 shown in FIG. 5, which transfer chamber is abnormal is displayed, and the information described in FIG. 5 is displayed in the degenerate operation display area 33 to determine whether or not to perform the degenerate operation. Is displayed (step 64). The operator's instruction input is judged (step 65), and if the operator gives an instruction to stop without performing the degenerate operation, the operation of the normal transfer chamber as well as the transfer chamber in which the abnormality has occurred is stopped (step 66). ), The display area of the stop character is highlighted (step 67). In the case of a degenerate operation instruction, the execution character display area is highlighted, and normal operation control of the transfer device is switched to a degenerate operation in which both carry-in and carry-out are carried out (step 68). It is displayed that the operation is a degenerate operation (step 69). And it returns to the monitoring step 60 of a conveyance chamber.

  When both of the transfer chambers are abnormal, two cross marks are displayed in the apparatus state display area 32 shown in FIG. 5 and only the stop character is displayed in the degenerate operation area 34.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the degenerate operation executed by the processor of the transport control device 28, and is connected to a part of FIG. When it is determined in step 63 of FIG. 6 that the automatic mode is set, as shown in FIG. 7, the processor of the transfer control device 28 determines which transfer chamber is abnormal (step 71), and the transfer chamber A Is abnormal, the gate valve of at least one of the transfer chambers A is closed (step 72), and the operation control of the transfer chamber B is switched from the carry-in only to the degenerate operation in which both the carry-in and the carry-out are performed ( Step 73). And the information which shows that it is degeneracy driving | operation is displayed on each area shown in FIG. 5 (step 74). If the transfer chamber B is abnormal, at least one of the gate valves of the transfer chamber B is closed (step 75), and the operation control of the transfer chamber A is switched from the carry-in only to the degenerate operation that carries both the carry-in and the carry-out. Operate (step 76). And the information which shows that it is degeneracy driving | operation is displayed on each area shown in FIG. 5 (step 77). Then, the process returns to the transfer chamber monitoring step 60 shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the transfer chamber of the semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus, the automatic degeneration operation or the manual degeneration operation is instructed in advance. In the case of driving, an abnormality is displayed to the operator, and it is possible to manually instruct whether or not to perform degenerate operation, and even in the case of automatic degenerate operation, since it is displayed on the screen that it is degenerate operation, it is in a degenerate operation state It is possible to prevent the throughput from being lowered due to the processing being continued without knowing this, and to repair the abnormality of the transfer chamber at an early stage.

2 charged particle beam 4 sample 6 sample chamber 10 display device 11 screen 22 transfer chamber A
23 Transfer chamber B
24 Transport side gate valve A
25 Transport side gate valve B
26 Device side gate valve A
27 Device side gate valve B
28 Transport control device 29 Status sensor A
30 Status sensor B
31 Operation area 32 Device status display area 33 Reduced operation display area 34 Reduced operation operation area 35 Cross mark

Claims (4)

  A semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus used for manufacturing or inspecting a sample in the middle of a semiconductor device manufacturing process, the sample chamber storing the sample, and two transfer chambers for transferring the sample to the sample chamber, , A sensor for detecting each state of the transfer chamber, and a transfer control device for monitoring the state of the transfer chamber based on a signal from the sensor, the transfer control device comprising: When an abnormality in one of the transfer chambers is detected, at least one of the inlet side and outlet side gate valves of the transfer chamber in which the abnormality is detected is closed, and if the automatic mode is set in advance, automatic degeneration When the operation mode is shifted to display on the display device and the manual mode is set in advance, which of the two transfer chambers is abnormal is displayed and the degenerate operation is performed. A screen for selecting whether to stop the apparatus is displayed on the display device, and when a degenerate operation is instructed, the normal transfer chamber operation control is switched to the degenerate operation and the normal transfer chamber is operated in a degenerate operation. An apparatus for manufacturing and inspecting a semiconductor device, characterized in that the display device displays the state.   2. The transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein when the automatic mode is set, the transfer control device switches the operation control of a normal transfer chamber of the two transfer chambers to a degenerate operation and operates, and An apparatus for manufacturing and inspecting a semiconductor device, wherein the display device displays that a normal transfer chamber is in a degenerate operation state.   The transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer control device displays on the display device a state indicating whether the two transfer chambers are operating or not operating, a degenerate operation start time, an accumulated time, the number of processed sheets until the start of the degenerate operation, A semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus for displaying at least one of a normal processing capacity and a current processing capacity.   A method for controlling a semiconductor device manufacturing / inspection apparatus used for manufacturing or inspecting a sample in the course of a semiconductor device manufacturing process, the manufacturing / inspection apparatus transporting the sample to a sample chamber for storing the sample 2 Two transfer chambers, a sensor for detecting the state of each of the transfer chambers, and a transfer control device for monitoring the status of the transfer chamber based on a signal from the sensor. When an abnormality is detected in one of the two transfer chambers, at least one of the inlet side and outlet side gate valves of the transfer chamber in which the abnormality is detected is closed, and an automatic mode is set in advance. In this case, the display device displays that the operation is in the degenerate operation by shifting to the automatic degenerate operation, and when the manual mode is set in advance, which of the two transfer chambers is abnormal is displayed. A screen for selecting whether to perform the degenerate operation or stop the apparatus is displayed on the display device. When the degenerate operation is instructed, the normal transfer chamber operation control is switched to the degenerate operation and the normal operation is performed. A control method for a semiconductor device manufacturing inspection apparatus, wherein the display device displays that the transfer chamber is in a degenerate operation state.

Images