RETICLE STOCKING AND SORTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract: A system and method for stocking and sorting reticles used in a semiconductor fabrication facility, the facility having a material handling system that presents a reticle to a photolithography process area. In an example embodiment of the reticle management system, a reticle storage system and a reticle sorting apparatus are coupled to a host system that is adapted to track and control the movement of reticles in the material handling system. The host system is capable of interfacing with a management input module that integrates management directives into the reticle flow plan in the manufacturing process. The result is a reticle management system that is flexible enough to manage a finite number of reticles and pods in minimizing the delivery time of a reticle to the desired location while responding to changing conditions external to the manufacturing process.

Description: RETICLE STOCKING AND SORTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Technical Field The present invention generally relates to manufacturing processes and equipment using masks and masking structures and, more particularly, to a system and method for managing reticles and reticle stocking locations as part of an entire semiconductor processing system Background Art A conventional semiconductor fabrication plant typically includes multiple fabrication areas or bays interconnected by a path, such as a conveyor belt Each bay generally includes the requisite fabrication tools (interconnected by a subpath) to process semiconductor wafers for a particular purpose, such as photolithography, chemical-mechanical polishing, or chemical vapor deposition Material stockers or stocking tools generally are located about the plant and store semiconductor wafers waiting to be processed The wafers are typically stored in containers, such as cassettes, each of which can hold up to 25 wafers The cassettes are then stored in carriers that facilitate movement throughout the plant The carriers can move material in lots, primarily between stocking locations, such as production wafers, test wafers, or empty cassettes to ensure that the process is moving smoothly Integrated mto the wafer processmg line is a photolithography process that occupies a substantial amount of floor space and involves a high level of capital investment to maintain A wafer is subjected to a photolithography process of some type and usually involves applying a layer of photoresist material, such as silicon dioxide, over the surface of a wafer using a coating machine The wafer is then moved to an exposure tool, such as a photolithography stepper that exposes the photoresist layer to a patterned light source The light source is patterned using a mask structure or a reticle The reticle contains clear and opaque features that generally define the pattern to be created m the photoresist layer The exposed photoresist is then developed and regions of the photoresist are dissolved leaving a pattern on the photoresist layer The exposed portions of the underlying wafer are then subjected to further processing Depending on the type of IC device being manufactured, the wafer may be subjected to the photolithography process several times as layers are formed successively over prior layers to ultimately form the semiconductor device To perform the various photolithography processes, a semiconductor plant has a photolithography area that has a number of steppers that utilize an entire cataloged library of reticles The number of reticles that need to be readily available can easily exceed one thousand, due to the number of different products that can be manufactured in one facility, with each reticle having a replacement cost of about $ 15K The reticles are usually stored in a reticle storage system, centrally located within the photolithography area, and are cataloged by reticle identification number The retιcle(s) are transported via a conveyor system to the particular stepper(s) m need of a certain reticle One of the problems with managing reticles is that they are very delicate structures and can be damaged easily by excessive handling They also need to be routinely inspected to ensure that they are still viable for use in making the intended product Cycle times of the photoresist process are limited by the wafer processing system's limited resources to manage all of the options available on the processing line Manual intervention is required m managing the finite number of reticles m inventory, the limited number of the duplicate reticles available and the finite number of pods that move the reticles around the photolithography area Further, midstream changes in production cannot be acted upon as quickly or efficiently due to the lack of centralized management of reticles and reticle storage locations In view of the above, there is a need for a system and method that will allow for on-demand reticle selection in order to improve cycle time and flexibility on the manufacturing line and for a system that will to reduce the amount of handling of reticles Disclosure of the Invention The present invention is directed to addressing the above, and other needs in connection with improving efficiencies of reticle stocking and sorting processes Semiconductor fabrication facilities have material handling systems that manage production/test wafers as well as empty cassettes and carriers throughout the system Reticles and reticle storage systems have to be manually integrated with these subsystems and any changes to the reticle flow or storage plan must be manually coordinated by the operators on the line This has led to delays m the system m processing the wafers and inefficiencies in manufacturing One aspect of the invention is directed to an automated and integrated reticle management system that reduces delays caused by event changes in the line or management directives external to the line, and that reduces the handling of reticles by havmg a system that allocates reticles more precisely According to another aspect of the invention, a mask stocking and sorting management system is used in a manufacturing facility havmg a material handling system that presents a mask to a photolithography process area The system includes an arrangement of pods, each of the pods including at least one mask, and a host system adapted to rearrange the pods at a mask storage location as a function of a mask identification code and an externally provided directive indicating a masking sequence change In another related embodiment at least one mask sorting apparatus can be coupled to the mask storage system and to the host system to provide more flexibility m the overall mask management system An important advantage is that the host system reduces the delivery time of a mask to the photolithography area and reduces the number of buffer pods used in the material handling According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of stocking and sorting masks is used in a manufacturing facility having a material handling system for presenting a mask to a photolithography process area An arrangement of pods is provided with each of the pods including at least one mask The pods are then rearranged at a mask storage location as a function of a mask identification code and an externally provided directive indicating a masking sequence change An important advantage is that the method reduces the delivery time of a mask to the photolithography area and reduces the number of buffer pods used in the material handling In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of stocking and sorting masks in a manufacturing piocess involv es a photolithography piocess aiea and a material handling system The method includes conducting a status check of all of the masks m the manufacturing process and then preparing a mix of masks within a mask storage system to be transported to the photolithography area \ la the material handling system A host system is polled to determine the existence of an instruction change that can change the flow of masks in the manufacturing process The masks are then used in the photolithography process, are returned to the storage location and the status of the masks are communicated to the host system The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present invention The figures in the detailed description that follow moie particularly exemplify these embodiments Brief Description of Drawings The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the follow ing detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying diawings, in which FIG 1 illustrates an exemplary semiconductor fabrication facility m accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 2 illustrates a process flow for a reticle management system in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics theteof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withm the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims Modes for Carrying Out the Invention The present invention is generally directed to a system and method for managing and handling masks in an IC manufacturing environment, particularly where an automated material handling system is used. It has been discovered that the present invention is particularly suited for stocking and sorting reticles m a semiconductor fabrication facility such that delivery time of the reticle is minimized while the system is responsive to changing conditions external to the manufacturing process While the present invention is not so limited, a better understanding of the invention will be found by reading the detailed description and exemplary embodiments that follow Moreov ei while the exemplary embodiment is used primarily in a semiconductor \\ afer processing facility it should be appreciated that the invention is not necessarily so limited In an example embodiment, a mask stocking and sorting management system is used m a manufacturing facility having a material handling system that presents a mask to a photolithography piocess area The system includes an arrangement of pods, each of the pods including at least one mask, and a host system adapted to rearrange the pods at a mask storage location as a function of a mask identification code and an externally provided directive indicating a masking sequence change In another related embodiment at least one mask sorting apparatus can be coupled to the mask storage system and to the host system to provide moie flexibility m the overall mask management system An important advantage is that the method reduces the delivery time of a mask to the photolithography area and reduces the number of buffer pods used in the material handling In another application of the present invention, reticles are substituted for the masks The reticle management system can include a management input module that is coupled to the host svstem to integrate high level management directives into the selection and usage of reticles Reticles and reticle storage locations can be managed as a system, however reticle sorters can be optionally integrated to provide more flexibility in the reticle management system closer to the steppers According to the present invention, FIG 1 illustrates an exemplary fabrication facility having a reticle stocking and sorting management system that is integrated into a wafer processing system The exemplaiy fabrication facility 100 includes a transportation path 105 such as a conveyor belt, foi moving reticles around the facility, but primarily withm the photolithography area, a reticle storage system 1 10 (storage of reticles withm cassettes) and a number of photolithography exposure tools such as steppers 120 The steppers generally use a number of different reticles for fabricating layers of semiconductor wafers The invention is however not necessarily limited to the use of photolithography steppers, but extends to cover any type of exposure tool that uses a reticle or a mask to transfer a pattern onto a wafer While not shown, it should be appreciated that each of the reticle storage system 110, reticle sorters 130 and photolithography steppers 120 are communicatively coupled to a host system 140 and operate under instructions from the host system. The reticle storage system 110 may also include a buffer for storing reticles and cassettes and an inspection system for inspecting various characteristics of the reticles that are transmitted to the host system for database storage A sorting system capable of rearranging the reticles withm the cassettes as dictated b> the host system is also included in reticle storage system In another embodiment, one or more reticle sorters 130 each associated with a group of one oi more of the photolithography steppers 120 is incorporated into the reticle management system and interfaces with steppers 120 The reticle sorters can interface with multiple storage systems that can be incorporated into the current wafer processing system The illustrated embodiment includes four reticle sorters 130 each of which handle the reticle sorting for an associated cell of photohthographv steppers 120 Exemplary cell groupings A, B, C. and D are shown m FIG 1 For many applications, one reticle sorter for every 2 to 8 photolithography steppers would be suitable A number of pods with reticles stored therein are stored withm the reticle sorters and w ithm the reticle stoiage system Path 105 can include a mechanism such as a conv eyor system for coupling the reticle storage system and the reticle sorter to the material handling system A host system 140 is coupled to the reticle sorter, the leticle storage system and the material handling system The host system is programmed to track and control the mov ement of reticles and the pods m the material handling system such that the dehverv time of a leticle to the photolithography piocess area is minimized In one specific implementation the leticle sortei 130 is implemented as descπbed in L S Patent No 5 972 ^27 issued Octobei 26 1999 to Ryan et al entitled "Reticle Sorter ' The reticle management system further includes a management input module 150 that is coupled to host system 140 and the material handling system for integrating management directives into the reticle management system Management input module 150 can change the selection of masks to be used in the manufacturing process m response to high le el directives that mav need to override the current manufacturing program In one embodiment, module 150 incorporates a business rule module that interfaces with the host system and material handling system to direct other portions of the manufacturing line to work vv ith the reticle management system to comply with the instructions coming from management module 150 The management input module is also coupled to subsystems that include empty cassette management test wafer management, carrier management and a business rules module This ensures that the reticles are managed integrally with these other materials that are important in the wafei manufacturing system The management input module also assists in out of order processing management of masks and wafers that may occur due to the integration of new instructions into the wafer manufacturing system For further details on the business rule module and its mode of operation, reference is made to the concurrently filed patent application entitled "Integration of Business Rule Parameters in Priority Setting of Wafer Processing," filed on February 2, 2000 with Attorney Docket No AMDA 443PA (TT3753 ; Host system 140 can be programmed to create a pod sequence at the reticle storage system location in order to generate the desired mix of reticles as they are being released to the photolithography area The host system can also be programmed to dim ish conflict problems when more than one location in the photolithography area requires use of the same reticle at about the same time In an alternative embodiment, the host system can manage the reticle stocking and sorting operations v\ ith only reticle stocking locations that are coupled to the material handling svstem via a transport path Howev er, adding reticle sorters to the system adds to the flexibility of the management system The host system is programmed to work with a finite number of pods and reticles since these resources are expensiv e and supply is limited Referring to FIG 2, a flowchart 200 illustrates the steps that the reticle management system follows to manage the reticles, the reticle sorters and the reticle storage locations as a subsystem of the wafer manufacturing system The host system conducts a reticle status check at 202 by leticle identification number to determine location and condition of the entire reticle inventory The reticle mix at 204 is prepared for release into the material handling system Reticles are selected bv the hosts system based on product types and are associated with a particulai wafer lot In an alternate e system the reticle mix proceeds to a reticle sorter at 205, if the system has reticle sorters, before polling at 206 the management input module or host system to determine if additional instructions have been issued that might change the mix or flow of reticles Once the reticles arrive at 205. the reticle sorters can also poll at 206 the system for new instructions New instructions can initiate a new reticle mix at either the leticle storage location oi the reticle sortei If no new instructions aie piov ided the reticles are transported at 208 to the photolithography tools at 210 The leticles are then returned at 212 to the either the sorter or the storage location and can optionally be inspected before being stored to ensure that the reticles are still viable for manufacturing use Their status is then registered in the host system database at 202 As noted above, the present invention is applicable to a number of techniques for managing masks m an integrated circuits manufacturing system Accordingly, the present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cov er all aspects of the invention as fairly set out m the attached claims For instance, while the management of reticles m an automated material handling systems of a semiconductor facility is illustrated, the invention extends to covei other the management of different types of masks in different env ironments Various modifications, equivalent processes as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill m the art to which the present mv ention is directed upon review of the present specification The claims are intended to cov ei such modifications and devices

Claims: What is claimed is 1 A mask stocking and sorting management system for use in a manufacturing facility ( 100 ) havmg a material handling system that presents a mask to a photolithography process area ( 120) comprising an arrangement of pods, each of the pods including at least one mask, and a host system ( 140) adapted to rearrange the pods at a mask storage location ( 1 10) as a function of a mask identification code and an externally provided directive indicating a masking sequence change 2 The system of claim 1. further including a management input module ( 150) coupled to the host system ( 140) for integrating management directives that will change the selection of masks used in the manufacturing process 3 The system of claim 1. wherein the host system (140) reduces the delivery time of a mask to the photolithography area ( 120) and reduces the number of buffer pods used in the material handling 4 The system of claim 1, wherein the host system (140) is programmed to diminish conflict problems when more than one location in the photolithography area (120) requires use of the same mask at about the same time 5 A mask stocking and sorting management system for use in a manufacturing facility ( 100) having a material handling system that presents a mask to a photolithography process area ( 120), comprising an arrangement of pods, each of the pods including at least one mask, at least one mask sorting apparatus (130) coupled to the material handling system, characterized m that a host system (140) adapted to rearrange the pods at a mask stoiage location ( 1 10) and the mask sorting apparatus (130) as a function of a mask identification code and an externally provided directive indicating a masking sequence change 6 The system of claim 5, further including a management input module (150) coupled to the host system (140) for integrating management directives that will change the selection of masks used m the manufacturing process 7 The system of claim 6, wherein the management input module ( 150) assists in out of order processing management of masks and wafers 8 A method of stocking and sorting masks in a manufacturing process ( 100) having a photohthographv process area (120) and a material handling system, the method comprising conducting a status check of masks in the manufacturing process (202). preparing a mix of masks (204) within a mask storage system (130) to be transported to the photolithography area (120) via the material handling system. polling a host system to determine existence of an instruction change that can change the flow of masks in the manufacturing process (206), using masks in the photolithography process (210): and returning masks to the storage location and communicating status to the host system (212) 9 The method of claim 8. wherein the step of polling (206) the host system includes polling the management input module (150) to determine existence of an instruction change that can change the selection of masks to be used in the manufacturing process 10 The method of claim 8. further including the step of transporting the masks to a mask sorter apparatus after preparing the mix of masks (208)

Inventors: CONBOY MICHAEL R, CROSS ELFIDO JR, SHIRLEY RUSSEL, CONBOY, MICHAEL, R., CROSS, ELFIDO, JR., SHIRLEY, RUSSEL
Applicants: ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC, ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G03F7
IPC codes: G03F7, H01L21