Transport system with multiple-load-port stockers

Handling system and manufacturing system

This creation is related to a handling system, especially a handling system for handling products in the manufacturing system.

In wafer manufacturing plants, with the increase of wafer radius and the expansion of plant area, the method of manually transporting wafers in-process is gradually replaced by automated handling systems. The configuration of the process machines and handling systems of a general wafer manufacturing plant is shown in Figure 1. The manufacturing system 100 includes a large number of process machines, and these process machines are organized into machines according to their process capabilities and other factors. Groups, for example, the process machines 11a to 11h belong to the machine group 11, and the process machines 15a to 15h belong to the machine group 15. The transportation of wafers in-process between the machine groups is performed by the inter-machine group transfer system 19. The transportation of wafer WIP between each process tool in the tool group is performed by the transport system within the tool group corresponding to each tool group, that is, the transport system within the tool group 12 and 16 is used to transport wafers in process between the process tools in the tool groups 11 and 15 respectively. The wafers in process do not directly circulate between the above-mentioned inter-machine group handling systems and the intra-machine group handling systems. They must be transported through the storage system, where each storage system corresponds to a machine group, that is, Storage systems 13 and 17 correspond to machine groups 11 and 15, respectively. Warehousing systems 13 and 17 have inter-group access ports 139a, 139b, 179a, 179b, and intra-group access ports 131a, 131b, and 175a, 175b, respectively. When wafers in-process are in and out of the machine group transfer system The storage system must pass through the inter-group access port, and when the wafer in-process enters and exits the storage system from the intra-machine group handling system, the intra-group access port enters and exits the storage system.

Generally, a wafer manufacturing system contains a lot of machine groups, and each machine group contains a lot of process machines. When the process is executed, there are a large number of machine groups and process machines, so The work-in-process flow of the inter-machine group handling system and the intra-machine group handling system is very large. From the above, it can be seen that when wafers in process are transported between the inter-machine group handling system and the intra-machine group handling system, they must pass through the warehouse system, while the traditional warehouse system only has an inter-group access port ( Contains a loading port for loading wafer WIP from the inter-machine group handling system into the storage system; and a shipping out port for outputting wafer WIP from the storage system to the inter-machine group handling system ), and an access port in the group (including a load port for loading the wafer in-process from the in-machine group handling system to the warehouse system; and an out port for the wafer in-process from The storage system outputs to the handling system in the machine group). This single I/O pipeline design makes the inter-group access ports and intra-group access ports of the storage system one of the main bottlenecks in the handling of work-in-process in the entire manufacturing system.

From the above description, it can be seen that the transportation bottleneck problem caused by the storage system in the traditional manufacturing system prolongs the delivery time of the work-in-process, which increases the idle time of the process machine, which seriously affects the manufacturing efficiency. Refer to the schematic diagram of the operation time of the process machine in the traditional manufacturing system in the upper part of Figure 7. For a process machine, due to factors such as excessive flow of the products scheduled to be processed in the conveying system and other factors, it cannot be in the process When the machine completes the processing of the last processing batch, it arrives at the above-mentioned process machine, so that the process machine must wait for it to arrive, causing the process The overall efficiency of the machine is low, which in turn affects the manufacturing efficiency of the manufacturing system.

In view of this, the purpose of this creation is to provide a handling system that can solve the problem of the congestion of products in and out of the storage system in the traditional handling system, so as to increase the loading and unloading efficiency of the storage system and the overall problem manufacturing efficiency.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of cost creation, this creation provides a handling system suitable for manufacturing systems. The manufacturing system described above includes a plurality of process machines, and each process machine is used to process at least one product in process. The handling system of this creation includes a storage sub-system and a conveying track sub-system. The above-mentioned storage subsystem includes a storage body and a plurality of access ports. The above-mentioned access ports are set in the above-mentioned storage body, and the number and configuration of the above-mentioned access ports are determined according to the characteristics of the above-mentioned process machine. The above-mentioned conveying rail sub-system includes a conveying rail part and a storage loading and unloading part connected to each other. The storage loading and unloading part includes a plurality of track branches corresponding to the access ports, and each track branch is used to load or transport the work in process to or out of its corresponding access port.

In the above manufacturing system, the plurality of process machines can be configured as a plurality of machine groups, and each of the machine groups includes a plurality of process machines with related or identical process capabilities. The manufacturing system includes a transport system within a plurality of machine groups, which respectively correspond to the plurality of machine groups, and are used to transport the work in progress between the process machines in the corresponding machine group. The above-mentioned manufacturing system also includes an inter-machine group transport system for transporting the above-mentioned work-in-process between the above-mentioned machine groups.

The aforementioned handling system provided by this creation can be applied to the aforementioned intra-machine group handling system, and can also be applied to the aforementioned aforementioned inter-machine group handling system.

When the above handling system is applied to the handling system in the machine group, the access port is the access port in the group, so that the work in process can be transported out and loaded by the corresponding handling system in the machine group The above storage body. The above-mentioned transportation track sub-system is applied to the above-mentioned transportation system in the machine group, and it includes a connecting transportation track part and a storage loading and unloading part. The storage loading and unloading part includes a plurality of track branches corresponding to the access ports, and each track branch is used to load or transport the work-in-process into or out of its corresponding access port in the group.

When the above-mentioned transport system is applied to the above-mentioned machine group transport system, the above-mentioned access port is an inter-group access port, which is set in the above-mentioned storage body, so that the above-mentioned work in progress can be transported by the above-mentioned machine group When the system is shipped out or loaded into the above-mentioned storage body, the quantity and configuration method are determined according to the characteristics of the above-mentioned process tool group. The above-mentioned inter-machine group transportation system includes a connected transportation track sub-system and a storage loading and unloading sub-system, wherein the storage loading and unloading sub-system includes a plurality of storage loading and unloading parts, and each of the above storage loading and unloading parts includes a plurality of track branches, Each track branch corresponds to one of the aforementioned inter-group access ports, and is used to load or transport the above-mentioned work-in-process into or out of its corresponding inter-group access port.

The above-mentioned transportation system is based on the following transportation method to carry out the transportation of the work in process in the above-mentioned manufacturing system. First, determine the target process machine for the above-mentioned work in process. Then, according to the characteristics of the target process tool of the WIP, the status of the storage loading and unloading part, and the status of the access port, the preferred access port of the WIP and the corresponding track branch are determined. Finally, according to the preferred access port and the corresponding track branch, a transport command is issued so that the transport system executes the transport of the work-in-process.

The above-mentioned transportation method can be realized by the execution of a computer program. The computer program described above is stored in a storage medium, which can be loaded into a computer system and execute a transport method. The above-mentioned transportation method first receives the target process machine information of the above-mentioned work-in-process. Then, according to the characteristics of the target process tool of the WIP, the status of the storage loading and unloading part, and the status of the access port, the preferred access port of the WIP and the corresponding track branch are determined. Finally, according to the preferred access port and the corresponding track branch, a transport command is issued so that the transport system executes the transport of the work-in-process.

As mentioned earlier, this creation is based on setting up multiple access ports on the storage body in the storage system, and establishing corresponding track branches, so that there are multiple channels for products in and out of the storage body to enter and exit the storage body. It will not block the storage system and delay the delivery time.

Take the wafer manufacturing system as an example to illustrate the implementation of this creation.

Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the delivery system based on this creation. The handling system 20 shown in Figure 2 is suitable for a manufacturing system (not shown in Figure 2), and the above manufacturing system includes a plurality of process machines (not shown in Figure 2), each of which is used to process at least one Work in progress (not shown in Figure 2).

The handling system 20 includes a storage sub-system and a handling rail sub-system. The aforementioned storage subsystem includes a storage body 21, access ports 22 and 23 (including load ports 22a, 23a and outgoing ports 22b, 23b, respectively). The above-mentioned conveyance rail sub-system includes a connected conveyance rail part 24 (including two conveyance rail sections 24a and 24b shown in FIG. 2) and a storage loading and unloading part 25. The storage loading and unloading part 25 includes two track branches 25a and 25b, which correspond to the access ports 22 and 23, respectively, wherein the track branches 25a and 25b are used to load or transport the above-mentioned work-in-process into or out of their corresponding access ports, respectively. 22 and 23.

In this embodiment, the storage main body 21 is provided with access ports 22 and 23, and they are located on the same wall of the storage main body 21. This is only an example, and is not intended to limit the implementation of the creative handling system. The number of access ports is designed according to actual needs, especially according to factors such as the characteristics of the process machine and space configuration mentioned above, and the number of track branches of the storage loading and unloading section is designed according to its corresponding access ports. When the process machine in the above manufacturing system can handle a larger number of products in each processing batch than the number of products that can be transported by each carrier in the handling system, the access port provided by the storage body 21 may be possible More, so that the flow of each access port will not exceed its load and cause congestion. For example, the handling system 20 includes several process machines with the function of testing wafers, and the amount of wafers processed in each processing batch is 50 pieces, and the handling system 20 is used to transport the wafers in process The vehicle can carry up to 10 pieces. That is, the wafers processed in each processing batch of the above-mentioned process machine must be transported completely by at least 5 carrier times, and the above-mentioned process machine must wait for all the wafers scheduled to be processed in a processing batch. Only when the products are ready, the processing can begin. And because the amount of work-in-process processed in each batch of the process machine is 5 times the carrying capacity of the carrier, the overall transportation volume in the transportation system will therefore be relatively large, which may easily cause congestion. In this case, multiple access ports can be provided on the storage body 21 to share the traffic load, so as to maintain the smooth transportation of the work-in-process in the transportation system 20.

Different ways of applying the handling system 20 in the manufacturing system can achieve different performances. For example, in the manufacturing system described above, the plurality of process machines are configured as a plurality of machine groups, and each of the machine groups includes a plurality of process machines with related or identical process capabilities. The manufacturing system includes a transport system within a plurality of machine groups, which respectively correspond to the plurality of machine groups, and are used to transport the work in progress between the process machines in the corresponding machine group. The above-mentioned manufacturing system also includes an inter-machine group transport system for transporting the above-mentioned work-in-process between the above-mentioned machine groups. The transport system 20 can be applied to the aforementioned intra-machine group transport system and can also be applied to the aforementioned inter-machine group transport system. The two different implementation modes can achieve different performances.

Referring to Figure 3, the above-mentioned handling system is applied to the above-mentioned handling system within the machine group. The machine group 30 includes a plurality of process machines such as process machines 31 and 33 for processing at least one work in process (other process machines are not shown in FIG. 3) and a handling system. The storage body 21 in the handling system is provided with access ports 22 and 23 (including load ports 22a, 23a and outgoing ports 22b, 23b, respectively), which are access ports in the group, so that the storage body can transfer the above The work-in-process is shipped out to each process machine in the above-mentioned machine group, or the work-in-process is loaded into the storage body 21 from the above-mentioned process machine. The above-mentioned transportation track sub-system is applied to the above-mentioned transportation system in the machine group, and it includes a transportation track part 24 and a storage loading and unloading part 25 connected to each other. The storage loading and unloading part 25 includes two track branches 25a and 25b, which correspond to the access ports 22 and 23, respectively, wherein the track branches 25a and 25b are used to load or transport the above-mentioned work in process into or out of its corresponding access port 22, respectively. And 23. The conveying rails and 24 connect the processing machines 31 and 33 in the machine group 30, so that the above-mentioned work in process can be transported between the above-mentioned processing machines. The storage body 21 is also connected to the inter-machine group handling system 35 through an inter-group access port 34 (including the load port 34a and the outgoing port 34b, respectively), so that it can be connected to other machine groups.

If the access ports 22 and 23 are still insufficient, or for other reasons, an intra-group access port must be added, the existing inter-group access port 34 can also be used to share the storage body 21 and the machine group For the WIP transport flow between the various process machines in the process, a track branch must be established to connect the inter-group access port 34 and the transport rail part 24, so that the storage body can use the inter-group access port 34 to transfer the above The work-in-process is shipped out to each process machine in the above-mentioned machine group, or the work-in-process is loaded into the storage body 21 from the above-mentioned process machine.

The handling system 20 is applied to the handling system in the above-mentioned machine group. It provides multiple track branches and multiple access ports for the transport of products in progress between the storage body 21 and each process machine in the machine group, which can relieve storage The congestion of the work in process transportation between the main body and the process machines in the machine group is to improve the efficiency of the work in process transportation between the storage main body and the process machines in the machine group.

Refer to Figure 4, the above-mentioned handling system is applied to the above-mentioned machine-group handling system. The manufacturing system 40 includes a plurality of machine groups, a corresponding plurality of machine group transport systems, a corresponding plurality of storage systems, and a machine group transport system. In Figure 4, only one machine group is taken as an example for illustration. The machine group 41 includes process machines 41a-41h for processing at least one work in process. The transfer system 42 in the machine group connects the process machines 41a to 41h, and is connected to the warehouse body 21 through the access ports 43a and 43b provided in the warehouse body 21, so that the above-mentioned work in progress can be placed in the warehouse body 21 and the process machine Transport between platforms 41a to 41h. Here, the access ports 22 and 23 (including the dedicated access ports 22a, 23a for loading and the dedicated access ports 22b, 23b, respectively) set by the storage body 21 are the access ports between the machine groups, so that The above-mentioned work-in-process can be transported from the warehouse body 21 to other machine groups or loaded into the warehouse body 21 by other machine groups. The above-mentioned conveying rail sub-system is applied to the above-mentioned machine group conveying system, which includes a conveying rail part and 24 a storage loading and unloading part 25 connected to each other. The storage loading and unloading part 25 includes two track branches 25a and 25b, which correspond to the access ports 22 and 23, respectively, wherein the track branches 25a and 25b are used to load or transport the above-mentioned work in process into or out of its corresponding access port 22, respectively. And 23. The conveying rail part and 24 include two rail sections 24a and 24b, which connect the machine group 41 and other machine groups in the manufacturing system 40, so that the above-mentioned work in progress can be transported between the machine groups. The storage body 21 is also connected to the handling system 42 in the machine group through an access port 43 in the group (including the load port 43a and the outgoing port 43b respectively), so that each process in the machine group 41 can be connected. Machine.

If the access ports 22 and 23 are still insufficient, or an inter-group access port must be added due to other reasons, the existing intra-group access port 43 can also be used to share the storage body 21 and each machine group For the flow of work in progress between groups, another track branch must be established to connect the access port 43 in the group with the transport rail 24, so that the storage body can transfer the above work in progress from the storage through the access port 43 in the group. The main body 21 is shipped out to other machine groups or loaded into the storage main body 21 by other machine groups.

The handling system 20 is applied to the aforementioned inter-machine group handling system. It provides multiple track branches and access ports for the transportation of products between the warehouse main body 21 and each machine group in the manufacturing system, which can relieve the storage main body and each machine group. The congestion of work-in-process transportation between machine groups is to improve the efficiency of work-in-process transportation between the storage body and each machine group.

The handling system 20 can be applied to a handling system in a machine group or a handling system between a machine group alone, or can be applied to a handling system in a machine group and a handling system between a machine group at the same time, depending on the actual situation.

The conveying system 20 is used to convey the work in process in the above-mentioned manufacturing system according to the following conveying method. See the flowchart of the conveying method shown in FIG. 5. First, determine the target process tool of the above-mentioned work in process (step S51). Then, according to the characteristics of the target process tool of the WIP, the status of the storage loading and unloading part, and the status of the access port, the preferred access port of the WIP and the corresponding track branch are determined (step S53). Finally, according to the preferred access port and the corresponding track branch, a transport command is issued, so that the transport system executes the transport of the work in process (step S55).

The above-mentioned transportation method can be realized by the execution of a computer program. The above-mentioned computer program is stored in a storage medium, which can be loaded into a computer system and execute a transport method. As shown in FIG. 6, the computer program 60 includes: a target process machine message receiving module 61, a preferred access port and track branch determination module 63, and a handling instruction issuing module 65.

To execute the computer program, the target process tool message receiving module 61 first receives the target process tool message of the work in process. Then, the preferred access port and track branch determination module 63 determines the preferred access port and the above-mentioned WIP based on the above-mentioned WIP target process machine characteristics, the above-mentioned warehouse loading and unloading part status, and the above-mentioned access port status. It corresponds to the above track branch. Finally, the handling instruction issuing module 65 issues a handling instruction according to the preferred access port and the corresponding track branch, so that the handling system executes the handling of the work in progress.

Refer to Figure 7, applying the handling system 20 to the handling system within the machine group or the handling system between the machine groups can enable the process machine to process the next batch of processing after each processing batch is completed. Without waiting for the arrival of the work-in-progress and wasting idle time, the overall performance of the process tool is improved, thereby improving the operating performance of the process tool. As shown in Figure 7, the process machine in this creative manufacturing system The table can handle 5 processing batches, while the process machine in the traditional manufacturing system can only handle 4 processing batches.

Although this creation has been disclosed in a preferred embodiment as above, it is not intended to limit this creation. Anyone familiar with this art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of this creation. Therefore, this creation The scope of protection shall be subject to the scope of the attached patent application.

<p>100. . . Manufacturing system</p><p>11, 15. . . Machine group</p><p>11a~11h; 15a~15h. . . Process Machine</p><p>12, 16. . . Handling system in machine group</p><p>13, 17. . . Warehousing system</p><p>131a, 131b, 175a, 175b. . . In-group access port</p><p>139a, 139b, 179a, 179b. . . Inter-group access port</p><p>19. . . Machine group transfer system</p><p>20. . . Handling system</p><p>twenty one. . . Warehouse ontology</p><p>22, 23. . . Access port</p><p>22a, 23a. . . Load port</p><p>22b, 23b. . . Outbound</p><p>twenty four. . . Transport rail department</p><p>24a, 24b. . . Transport track section</p><p>25. . . Warehouse loading and unloading department</p><p>25a, 25b. . . Track branch</p><p>30. . . Machine group</p><p>31, 33. . . Process Machine</p><p>34. . . Inter-group access port</p><p>35. . . Machine group transfer system</p><p>40. . . Manufacturing system</p><p>41. . . Machine group</p><p>41a~41h. . . Process Machine</p><p>42. . . Handling system in machine group</p><p>43. . . In-group access port</p><p>43a. . . Load port</p><p>43b. . . Outbound</p><p>S51. . . Determine the target process machine for the work-in-progress</p><p>S53. . . Determine the better access port and its corresponding track branch of the work-in-progress</p><p>S55. . . Issue a handling instruction</p><p>60. . . Computer program</p><p>61. . . Target process machine message receiving module</p><p>63. . . Optimal access port and track branch determination module</p><p>65. . . Handling instruction release module</p>

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of this creation more obvious and understandable, this article specially presents some embodiments, together with the accompanying drawings, to explain in detail as follows:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the process machine and the handling system of a conventional wafer manufacturing system.

Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the delivery system based on this creation.

Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the manufacturing system according to the first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the manufacturing system according to the second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 shows the flow chart of the transfer method based on this creation.

Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the storage medium according to this creative embodiment.

Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of this creation to improve the operating efficiency of the process machine.