Patent ID: 8112167
Filing Date: 2012-02-07
Classification: G05B,H01L,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A process controller comprising: a manufacturing apparatus deciding unit which decides the number of lots to be input to a production line on the basis of a production schedule of a semiconductor device targeted for manufacture, calculates a first process capability serving as a judgment standard to find whether the production schedule is achieved, decides a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses used to manufacture the semiconductor device, and calculates the number of the decided manufacturing apparatuses from the number of input lots; a process condition deciding/adjusting unit which prescribes a process condition of the manufacturing apparatuses from a design layout of the semiconductor device, and adjusts the process condition in consideration of a performance variation among the plurality of manufacturing apparatuses, the performance variation affecting a finished shape of a pattern used to manufacture the semiconductor device; a simulator which runs a simulation of the finished shape under the adjusted process condition; a dangerous pattern identifying unit which extracts a dangerous point affecting satisfaction of a required specification from the result of the simulation, and prescribes a pattern containing the extracted dangerous point as a dangerous pattern; a process capability calculating/adjusting unit which calculates a second process capability different from the first process capability, the second process capability serving to form the prescribed dangerous pattern in the production line as a pattern having the desired shape, and compares the calculated second process capability with the first process capability, the process capability calculating/adjusting unit providing the calculated number of manufacturing apparatuses with a command to produce the semiconductor device under the adjusted process condition when the second process capability is equal to or higher than the first process capability; and a process capability improving unit which improves the second process capability when the calculated second process capability is lower than the first process capability.