Patent Publication Number: US-2023138019-A1

Title: Material handling system and monitoring system and monitoring method for particles in traveling area of overhead hoist transfers

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2020101357191, titled “Material handling system and monitoring system and monitoring method for particles in traveling area of overhead hoist transfers”, filed on Mar. 2, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present application relates to a material handling system and a monitoring system and a monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Semiconductor manufacturing has very strict requirements on cleanliness, and the environmental cleanliness in a wafer factory is 1,000, that is, there shall be no more than 1,000 particles with a diameter of 0.1 μm≤D≤0.3 μm in 1 m 3  space. The requirements for the internal environment of a process machine are even more stringent, with a cleanliness of 10. Thus, it is very important to test and control particles in semiconductor industry. A traditional automatic material handling system comprises overhead hoist transfers (OHT) and tracks, and traveling wheels of each OHT move along the tracks to handle wafers. In order to ensure cleanliness, the tracks and the OHTs are generally cleaned on a regular basis or in case of fault alarm. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various embodiments, the present application provides a monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, comprising: gas sampling modules each configured to obtain gas to be tested around traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer (OHT); a particle counter which is connected to the gas sampling module, and is configured to test the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested; and a monitoring device which is electrically connected to the particle counter, and is configured to acquire the size and number of the particles tested and alarm when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard. 
     According to various embodiments, the present application further provides a material handling system, comprising the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers and further comprising overhead hoist transfers (OHT) and tracks, wherein each OHT is movably arranged on the tracks, and gas sampling modules are arranged on the OHT. 
     According to various embodiments, the present application further provides a monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, comprising following steps of: 
     obtaining, by gas sampling modules, the gas to be tested around traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer (OHT); 
     testing, by a particle counter, the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested; and 
     alarming by a monitoring device when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard. 
     Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent in the specification, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in traditional technologies, the accompanying drawings to be used in the embodiments or the description of traditional technologies will be briefly described below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are merely some embodiments described in the present application, and those of ordinary skill in the art may also obtain other accompanying drawings based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative efforts. 
         FIG.  1    is a front structure view of an overhead hoist transfer (OHT) installed on tracks according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  2    is a side structure view of the OHT installed on the tracks according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  3    is a top structure view of the OHT installed on the tracks according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  4    is a structural diagram of a monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  5    is a structural diagram of a material handling system provided with a monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to an embodiment of the present application; and 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart of a monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to an embodiment of the present application, 
     
    
    
     in which: 
       10 : gas sampling module;  11 : probe;  12 : gas collecting tube;  20 : particle counter;  21 : gas collecting chamber;  22 : laser beam source;  23 : photoelectric conversion module;  24 : controller;  25 : gas pump module;  30 : monitoring device;  40 : overhead hoist transfer (OHT);  41 : traveling wheel;  42 : front gearbox;  43 : rear gearbox;  44 : support;  45 : hanger;  451 : area;  46 : anti-tip wheel; and  50 : track. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Generally, tracks and overhead hoist transfers (OHT) are cleaned on a regular basis or in case of fault alarm, in which case no standard is available for determining a cleaning interval, and the cleaning effect is not ideal, thus contaminating electrical components on the tracks and photoelectric sensors (sensors) of the OHT, and also shortening the service life of a motor of the OHT. 
     To make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application clearer or easier to understand, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description contains numerous specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those of skill in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below. 
     In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms “first” and “second” are merely used for descriptive purposes, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, “a plurality of” means at least two, e.g., two and three, unless otherwise expressly and specifically defined. 
     In the description of the present application, it should be understood that when one component is considered to be “connected” to another component, it may be connected to another component directly or by an intermediate component at the same time. In contrast, when one element is considered to be “directly” connected to another element, there is no intermediate component. 
     Generally, when traveling wheels  41  of a conventional overhead hoist transfer (OHT)  40  moves along tracks  50  to handle wafers, the traveling wheels and guide wheels of the OHT  40  will be worn out after long time operation, thereby generating particles, that is, the content of particles around the traveling wheels of the OHT  40  will increase with the operation time, thus contaminating electrical components on the tracks  50  and photoelectric sensors (sensors) of the OHT  40 , and also shortening the service life of a motor of the OHT  40 . 
     In an embodiment, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , a monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers comprises gas sampling modules  10 , a particle counter  20  and a monitoring device  30 . The gas sampling module  10  is configured to obtain the gas to be tested around traveling wheels  41  of an OHT  40 . The particle counter  20  is connected to the gas sampling modules  10 , and is configured to test the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested. The monitoring device  30  is electrically connected to the particle counter  20 , and is configured to acquire the size and number of the particles tested and alarm when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard. 
     According to the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, the gas to be tested around the traveling wheels  41  of the OHT  40  is sampled by the gas sampling modules  10  and then tested by the particle counter  20  for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested, and the monitoring device  30  alarms when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard, i.e., the content of particles does not meet the preset standard, so as to timely prompt related personnel to clean the OHT  40  and the tracks  50 , which can improve the cleaning effect, reduce the degree of contamination on the electrical components, and prolong the service life of a motor of the OHT  40 . In addition, the test data of particles may also provide an effective basis for the cleaning interval of the tracks  50 , so as to improve the cleaning effect and ensure the cleanliness requirements. 
     It should be noted that the particle counter  20  may effectively test the size and number of particles. Specifically, the particle counter  20  counts particles mainly according to the light scattering principle, so the particle diameter can be calculated since the scattered light intensity varies with particle sizes. A laser beam passes through a certain flow of gas containing particles, causing the particles to emit scattered light, which is projected through a condenser lens onto a photomultiplier to convert light pulses into electric pulses, and the number of particles can be obtained based on the number of pulses. 
     Further, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , the gas sampling modules  10  are arranged on supports  44  of the traveling wheels  41  of the OHT  40 . In this way, it is easy for installation and also can enable the gas sampling modules  10  to obtain the gas to be tested around the traveling wheels  41 . Optionally, the gas sampling module  10  may also be installed in other positions of the OHT  40 , such as on a front gearbox  42  or a rear gearbox  43 . 
     Further, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , there are four gas sampling modules  10 , with two gas sampling modules  10  respectively arranged on two sides of the front gearbox  42  of the OHT  40  and two gas sampling modules  10  respectively arranged on two sides of the rear gearbox  43  of the OHT  40 . That is, the four gas sampling modules  10  are respectively arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the four traveling wheels  41  of the OHT  40 , so that the gas to be tested around the four traveling wheels  41  can be sampled. In practice, when the OHT  40  moves to a preset measuring point of the track  50 , on the one hand, the gas to be tested can be sampled by the four gas sampling modules  10  and sequentially delivered to the particle counter  20  to test the size and number of particles of the gas to be tested around the four traveling wheels  41  when the OHT  40  is located at the measuring point, and an average of the test values of the gas to be tested around the four traveling wheels  41  is taken as one of the test values of the measuring point, so that the test result is more accurate; on the other hand, the gases to be detected sampled by the four gas sampling modules  10  may also be mixed and delivered to the particle counter  20  for testing. 
     Alternatively, there may also be another number of the gas sampling modules  10  on the OHT  40 , such as one, two or three, which is not limited herein. 
     In an embodiment, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , each gas sampling module  10  comprises a probe  11  and a gas collecting tube  12 . The probe  11  is connected to the gas collecting tube  12 . In addition, the particle counter  20  comprises a gas collecting chamber  21 , a laser beam source  22 , a photoelectric conversion module  23 , a controller  24  and a gas pump module  25 . A gas inlet of the gas collecting chamber  21  is communicated with the gas collecting tube  12  while a gas outlet thereof is communicated with the gas pump module  25 , the laser beam source  22  and the photoelectric conversion module  23  are respectively arranged on two sides of the gas collecting chamber  21 , and the controller  24  is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion module  23 . In operation, the gas pump module  25  provides a pumping force to pump the gas to be tested around the traveling wheel  41  into the gas collecting chamber  21  through the gas sampling module. The laser beam source  22  emits a laser beam from one side of the gas collecting chamber  21 , and the laser beam passes through a certain flow of gas to be tested containing particles, causing the particles to emit scattered light, which is projected by the condenser lens onto the photomultiplier of the photoelectric conversion module  23  to convert light pulses into electric pulses, and the number of particles can be obtained based on the number of pulses. 
     In addition, specifically, in the process of testing the gas to be tested at the measuring point, when the monitoring device  30  determines that there are more than 1,000 particles with a diameter of 0.1 μm≤D≤0.3 μm in the gas to be tested, it indicates that the cleanliness of the environment around the traveling wheels  41  does not meet a preset cleanliness standard. In this case, the monitoring device  30  alarms and gives a prompt. Test duration with the OHT  40  staying at the measuring point on the track  50  each time is, for example, 30 s to 120 s, which may be 30 s, 45 s, 60 s, 75 s, 90 s or 120 s. 
     Further, the gas pump module  25  comprises a pump body and a filter. The pump body is configured to provide power to pump the gas out of the gas collecting chamber  21 . In addition, the filter is arranged on the pump body and configured to filter the gas pumped out of the gas collecting chamber  21 . In this way, the content of particles in the surrounding environment of the tracks  50  and the traveling wheels can be reduced after the gas pumped out of the gas collecting chamber  21  is filtered by the filter. 
     In one embodiment, the controller  24  is electrically connected to a control module of the OHT  40  which is electrically connected to the monitoring device  30 . 
     In an embodiment, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , the OHT  40  further comprises hangers  45  located below tracks  50 . An area  451  between the hangers  45  corresponding to a transfer portion holding wafers is used for accommodating the particle counter  20 . In this way, the transfer portion holding wafers may be removed from the hangers  45  of the OHT  40  and replaced with the particle counter  20 . That is, instead of holding and moving wafers to a predetermined position by the transfer portion, the OHT  40  is provided with the particle counter  20  to test the gas to be tested. In this way, when the OHT  40  moves to different measuring points along the tracks  50 , the gases to be tested around the traveling wheels  41  at different measuring points are sampled by the sampling modules correspondingly and tested by the particle counter  20  for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested. 
     In an embodiment, please refer to  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  5   , a material handling system comprises the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers described in any one of the above embodiments, and further comprises overhead hoist transfers (OHT)  40  and tracks  50 . The OHT  40  is movably arranged on the tracks  50 , and gas sampling modules  10  are arranged on the OHT  40 . 
     According to the above material handling system, the gas to be tested around the traveling wheels  41  of the OHT  40  is sampled by the gas sampling modules  10  and then tested by the particle counter  20  for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested, and the monitoring device  30  alarms when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard, i.e., the content of particles does not meet the preset standard, so as to timely prompt related personnel to clean the OHT  40  and the tracks  50 , which can improve the cleaning effect, reduce the degree of contamination on the electrical components, and prolong the service life of a motor of the OHT  40 . In addition, the test data of particles may also provide an effective basis for the cleaning interval of the tracks  50 , so as to improve the cleaning effect and ensure the cleanliness requirements. 
     Further, with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  5   , the OHT  40  is further provided with anti-tip wheels  46  each moving along a sidewall of the track  50 . Specifically, there are two tracks  50  spaced in parallel, and two corresponding anti-tip wheels  46  of the OHT  40  which are respectively in moving contact-fit with inner sidewalls of the two tracks  50  to play an anti-tip role in the process of the OHT  40  moving along the tracks  50 . 
     In an embodiment, with reference to  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6   , a monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers comprises the following steps S 100  to S 300 . 
     At the S 100 , the gas to be tested around traveling wheels  41  of each overhead hoist transfers (OHT)  40  is sampled by gas sampling modules  10 . 
     At the S 200 , the gas to be tested is tested by a particle counter  20  for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested. 
     At the S 300 , the monitoring device  30  alarms when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard. 
     The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers can timely prompt related personnel to clean the OHTs  40  and the tracks  50 , which can improve the cleaning effect, reduce the degree of contamination on the electrical components, and prolong the service life of a motor of the OHT  40 . In addition, the test data of particles may also provide an effective basis for the cleaning interval of the tracks  50 , so as to improve the cleaning effect and ensure the cleanliness requirements. 
     Further, the monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers further comprises following steps. 
     The traveling area of the OHTs  40  in a wafer factory is divided into a plurality of test groups, several measuring points in each test group are provided. 
     Specifically, the OHT  40  traveling area in the wafer factory is divided into the several test groups according to bays (the bay refers to groups of production units in the production line, and there are many production machines in one bay). For example, a gluing production unit is correspondingly provided with test groups, and the production unit in an etching area is also correspondingly provided with test groups. In addition, the several measuring points are spaced along the test groups. The measuring points in each test group may be the same or different, and there may be two, three or four measuring points. 
     The OHTs move through all the test groups in sequence in order to test the size and number of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups in sequence. 
     The test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups are calculated by a preset algorithm to obtain test data of particles in the test groups. 
     It is determined whether the test data of particles at each measuring point in the test group is within a first preset range or not, and if not, the related personnel are prompted to clean the test group corresponding to the measuring point and to clean the OHTs. 
     It is determined whether the test data of particles in the test group is within a second preset range or not, and if not, the related personnel is prompted to clean the test group. 
     Specifically, the second preset range is different from the first preset range, and the first preset range and the second preset range may be set according to actual conditions. 
     Further, the step of determining that the test data of particles in the test group is out of the second preset range further comprises following steps of: counting the OHTs  40  moving through the test groups, determining the OHTs  40  moving through the test groups the most frequently or at a frequency higher than a preset frequency, and cleaning the determined OHTs  40 . 
     Further, the step of calculating the test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups by a preset algorithm to obtain test data of particles in the test groups specifically comprises a step of: averaging the test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups to obtain the test data of particles in the test groups. 
     Further, the monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers further comprising following steps of: testing the size and number of particles at the measuring points in the test groups at least twice, and taking an average of the values as the test data of particles at the measuring points. 
     Further, the step of enabling the OHTs to move through all the test groups in sequence and testing the size and number of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups in sequence specifically comprises a step of: enabling the OHTs to move through all the test groups in sequence at a set interval. The set interval may be, for example, 10 h, 20 h, 30 h, 40 h, 50 h or 100 h according to actual conditions. That is, the OHT  40  in this embodiment is configured to test the particles in each test group at the set interval, to ensure that the cleanliness of the OHTs and the tracks meets the requirements. 
     The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers further comprises following steps of: analyzing a data-changing trend based on the test data of particles at the measuring points at each interval and the test data of particles in the test groups, and adjusting the set interval according to the data-changing trend. 
     Specifically, when it is tested that there are few particles with an inner diameter of 0.1 μm≤D≤0.3 μm per unit volume, it indicates that the cleanliness of the environment around the traveling wheels  41  is up to the preset cleanliness standard, and the smaller the number, the higher the cleanliness. In this case, the set interval may be prolonged without a need to clean frequently. When it is tested that there are a large number of particles with an inner diameter of 0.1 μm≤D≤0.3 μm per unit volume, which are far beyond the preset range, it indicates that the cleanliness of the environment around the traveling wheels  41  is far below the preset cleanliness standard, and the larger the number, the lower the cleanliness. In this case, the set interval may be shortened, and the OHTs and the tracks need to be cleaned relatively more frequently to ensure the cleaning effect. 
     The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined in any number of ways. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features of the above embodiments have been described. However, any combination of these technical features without contradictions shall fall into the scope described herein. 
     The above embodiments describe only a few of the embodiments of the present application specifically and in detail, but shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that a number of variations and improvements may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the concept of the present application, and shall fall into the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.