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US 2014/0277668 A1Published application
Methods and systems for fabricating integrated circuits utilizing universal and local processing management
AssigneeGlobalfoundries Inc.
InventorsChinmay Oza, William John Fosnight
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for semiconductor fabrication. In one embodiment, a method of semiconductor fabrication includes performing a process on substrates with an equipment unit to form processed substrates, communicating processing data from the equipment unit to a local scheduler and a universal scheduler, determining a priority of the processed substrates, and scheduling removal of processed substrates from the equipment unit and delivery of unprocessed substrates to the equipment unit by the local scheduler based on the processing data and the priority of the processed substrates.
Claims20
A method for fabricating semiconductors utilizing a semiconductor fabrication system, the method comprising the steps of:
- performing a semiconductor fabrication process on a first lot of unprocessed semiconductor substrates with a semiconductor fabrication equipment unit to form a first lot of processed substrates;
- communicating processing data regarding the first lot of processed substrates from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit to a local scheduler and a universal scheduler of the semiconductor fabrication system;
- determining a processing priority of the first lot of processed substrates and a processing priority of a second lot of unprocessed substrates at the local scheduler and the universal scheduler;
- and
- scheduling removal of the first lot of processed substrates from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit and delivery of the second lot of unprocessed substrates to the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit by either the local scheduler or the universal scheduler based on the processing data and the priority of one or both of the first lot of processed substrates and the second lot of unprocessed substrates.
2 more elements
A semiconductor fabrication system comprising:
- a semiconductor fabrication equipment unit configured to perform a semiconductor fabrication process on a first lot of unprocessed substrates to form a first lot of processed substrates, wherein the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit is further configured to produce processing data regarding the first lot of processed substrates;
- a local storage device configured to hold both processed and unprocessed substrate lots and to transport both processed and unprocessed substrate lots to and from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit;
- a local scheduler in communication with the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit and the local storage device and configured to schedule removal of the first lot of processed substrates from the equipment unit and delivery of a second lot of unprocessed substrates to the equipment unit based on the processing data;
- a universal transportation system configured to transport both processed and unprocessed substrate lots to and from the equipment unit;
- and
- a universal scheduler in communication with the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit and the universal transportation system and configured to schedule removal of the first lot of processed substrates from the equipment unit and delivery of a second lot of unprocessed substrates to the equipment unit based on the processing data.
3 more elements
A method for fabricating semiconductors utilizing a semiconductor fabrication system, the method comprising the steps of:
- performing a semiconductor fabrication process on a first lot of unprocessed semiconductor substrates with a semiconductor fabrication equipment unit to form a first lot of processed substrates;
- communicating processing data regarding the first lot of processed substrates from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit to a local scheduler and a universal scheduler of the semiconductor fabrication system;
- determining a processing priority of the first lot of processed substrates and a processing priority of a second lot of unprocessed substrates at the local scheduler and the universal scheduler;
- and
- scheduling removal of the first lot of processed substrates from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit and delivery of the second lot of unprocessed substrates to the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit by either the local scheduler or the universal scheduler based on the processing data and the priority of one or both of the first lot of processed substrates and the second lot of unprocessed substrates,
- wherein:
- for relatively lower priority substrates, the second lot of unprocessed substrates is delivered to the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit from a local storage device, wherein the first lot of processed substrates is removed from the equipment unit to the local storage device, and wherein a local storage controller in communication with the local scheduler directs delivery of the second lot of unprocessed substrates and removal of the first lot of processed substrates, and
- for relatively higher priority substrates, the second lot of unprocessed substrates is delivered to the equipment unit from a universal transportation system, wherein the first lot of processed substrates is removed from the semiconductor fabrication equipment unit to the universal transportation system, and wherein a universal controller in communication with the universal scheduler directs delivery of the second lot of unprocessed substrates and removal of the first lot of processed substrates.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.