Patent Abstract:
Each module of a wafer processing system is given a classification. Upon receipt of a command to move the wafer to one of the modules, a sequence enumerating the modules to be visited by the wafer before reaching its destination is created. The modules are added to the sequence based on their classification. The wafer is then worked on in each module enumerated in the sequence. By creating the sequence when needed, the number of static files that have to be maintained and stored in the wafer processing system is minimized. Further, creating the sequence at the time it is needed allows the sequence to take advantage of the history of the wafer and thereby eliminate unnecessary steps.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention generally relates to semiconductor wafer processing systems, and more particularly to methods and associated apparatus for transporting and processing semiconductor wafers. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     Semiconductor devices are fabricated using specialized wafer processing systems, which typically have several modules for performing various operations on a semiconductor wafer. FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary wafer processing system  100  in the prior art. System  100  has several modules including modules  101 - 107 . System  100  further includes a computer  121  and a data acquisition and control system  122  for controlling various control elements  123  (e.g., valves, relays, robots, gates, sensors, heaters, motors, gas channels etc.) utilized in the modules of system  100 . A robot  120  in a transfer module  107  is employed to move wafers from one module to another. The movement and processing of wafers are performed in accordance with a list of steps, commonly referred to as a process recipe, which run on computer  121 . 
     The operation of system  100  is now described using process recipe  108  shown in FIG. 1B as an example. A wafer cassette containing several wafers is loaded in a cassette station module  101 . Robot  120  picks up a wafer from the wafer cassette and moves the wafer into aligner module  103  (recipe  108 , step  109 ). In aligner  103 , the physical orientation of the wafer is adjusted prior to the wafer&#39;s subsequent movement to other modules. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to a bake station module  104  (recipe  108 , step  110 ), where the wafer is pre-heated prior to being placed in a CVD process module  105 . In CVD process module  105 , a film of processing material is deposited on the wafer (recipe  108 , step  111 ). System  100  can also accommodate other types of process modules including physical vapor deposition, etching, evaporation, and electro-deposition modules to name a few. Because newly processed wafers can reach temperatures that are high enough to melt a wafer cassette, the wafer coming out of CVD process module  105  is first cooled in a cooling station module  102  (recipe  108 , step  112 ), before it is returned to its wafer cassette. The just described steps are repeated for all wafers in cassette station  101 . 
     Recipe  201  shown in FIG. 2 is similar to recipe  108  except for the use of a parallel step in step  204 . A parallel step identifies two or more modules that can be alternatively used. In step  204 , the wafer can be processed in either CVD process module  105  or CVD process module  106  whichever is available. As used in this disclosure, the term “module” includes a module identified in a regular step and any one of the modules identified in a parallel step. 
     Each step in a recipe invokes an associated control program for directing the operation of the listed module. Using recipe  108  as an example, a control program for directing an aligner to adjust the orientation of the wafer is invoked in step  109 . As another example, a control program for directing a process module to perform deposition steps on the wafer is invoked in step  111 . In wafer processing system  100  shown in FIG. 1A, such control programs run on computer  121 , and direct control elements  123  via data acquisition and control system  122 . To meet specific process requirements, each control program accepts parameters, such as temperature for the heating elements of bake station  104  or flow rates for the gas channels of CVD process module  105 . It is to be noted that control programs, in general, are well known. 
     In some situations, the processing of wafers in system  100  has to be abruptly terminated. For example, if the computer controlling system  100  encounters an irrecoverable error while running a recipe, all wafers currently in system  100  may have to be recalled back to their cassettes regardless of whether the wafers have been processed in a CVD process module. This allows a maintenance person to troubleshoot system  100  without risk of destroying the wafers. The removal of a wafer from a wafer processing system is also known as a wafer purge. 
     A wafer reload is the reverse of a wafer purge. During a reload, purged wafers are placed back to their original location prior to the purge to continue their processing. Wafer reload and wafer purge are examples of non-recipe tasks. Non-recipe tasks are run to execute maintenance functions, user requests, and other tasks that do not involve wafer processing in a process module. 
     Non-recipe tasks have been performed by following a fixed sequence of steps stored as static files. To purge a wafer from bake station  104 , for example, purge sequence  113  shown in FIG. 1C is invoked from a static file. In accordance with purge sequence  113 , a wafer to be purged from bake station  104  is first cooled in cooling station  102  before being placed in a cassette located in cassette station  101 . Purge sequences for other modules of system  100  are also stored as static files. Similarly, static files for wafer reload are available for each module. 
     The amount of static files that have to be maintained becomes unwieldy as the number of modules supported by system  100  is increased. For example, a patch to fix a common defect will have to be applied to each individual static file containing the purge sequence. Forgetting to apply the patch to even a single static file, which is likely to happen if there are many, can result in the loss of expensive wafers. Further, maintenance personnel will have to familiarize themselves with a large number of static files. 
     Another problem with static files is that they are inherently inflexible. It is difficult to optimize the sequence contained in static files because the static files are created in advance and are designed to accommodate a variety of situations. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to a method and associated apparatus for directing the movement of wafers in a wafer processing system. 
     In one embodiment, each module of the wafer processing system is given a classification. Upon receipt of a request to move the wafer, a sequence enumerating the modules to be visited by the wafer before reaching its destination is created. The modules are added to the sequence based on their classification. The wafer is then worked on in each of the modules enumerated in the sequence. 
     By creating the sequence when needed, the present invention minimizes the number of static files that have to be maintained and stored in the wafer processing system. Further, creating the sequence at the time it is needed allows the sequence to take advantage of the history of the wafer and thereby eliminate unnecessary steps. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the entirety of this disclosure, which includes the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of a wafer processing system in the prior art. 
     FIG. 1B shows a process recipe in the prior art. 
     FIG. 1C shows a purge sequence created using a method in the prior art. 
     FIG. 2 shows another process recipe in the prior art. 
     FIG. 3A shows a method for creating a purge sequence in one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIGS. 3B,  3 C, and  3 D show example purge sequences created using the method shown in FIG.  3 A. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B show a method for creating a sequence for moving a wafer that has no process recipe in one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 4C shows an order file used with the method shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. 
     FIG. 4D shows an example drag and drop sequence created using the method shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. 
     FIG. 5A shows a method for creating a reload sequence in one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 5B shows a method for reloading wafers enumerated in a wafer list in one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 5C shows an example reload sequence created using the method shown in FIG.  5 A. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Overview 
     The present invention relates to a method and associated apparatus for directing the movement of wafers in a wafer processing system. The present invention can be used in a variety of wafer processing systems including, but not limited to, systems for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), etching, evaporation, and electro-deposition. Further, as can be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the invention can be implemented in a variety of ways including as an electronic circuit and/or a program running on a computer. In one embodiment, the invention is used in conjunction with the task scheduler disclosed in the commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/677,087, entitled “OPERATIONAL LISTS FOR SIMULTANEOUS WAFER SCHEDULING AND SYSTEM EVENT SCHEDULING”, filed on Sep. 29, 2000, by Jaideep Jain, Stanley P. Liu, Janet E. Yi, Eileen A. H. Wong, Sofya B. Malitsky, and Thomas Hentschel, which claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/157253 having the same title and inventors. The just mentioned US Patent Application and US Provisional Application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, all locations in a wafer processing system that a wafer can visit are classified according to their function. When a request to move a wafer to a destination location is received, a sequence of steps for directing the movement of the wafer to its destination is created “on the fly”. The sequence of steps is based in part on the classification of the locations. 
     The present disclosure includes flow diagrams which can be implemented as programs running on a computer. For example, each of the flow diagrams can be made into a function, which is called when a sequence needs to be created. The resulting sequence does not have to be archived in the wafer processing system because the sequence can be created by calling the function every time a command to move a wafer is received. 
     Module Classification 
     In one embodiment each module of a wafer processing system is classified as either PRE_PROCESSING, PROCESSING, POST_PROCESSING, WAFER_HANDLING, CASSETTE_HANDLING, or combinations thereof. 
     Modules for performing pre-processing work on the wafer are classified as PRE_PROCESSING. Using system  100  as an example, aligner  103  and bake station  104  belong to the PRE_PROCESSING class. Generally, modules belonging to the PRE_PROCESSING class are those visited by the wafer before the wafer is placed in a process module. 
     Modules for performing fabrication steps on the wafer belong to the PROCESSING class. Such modules include CVD process modules  105  and  106 . Other examples of modules belonging to the PROCESSING class include modules for physical vapor deposition, etching, evaporation, and electro-deposition. 
     Modules for performing post-processing work on the wafer are classified as POST_PROCESSING. In system  100 , cooling station  102  belongs to the POST_PROCESSING class. Typically, modules belonging to the POST_PROCESSING class are those visited by the wafer after the wafer is processed in a process module. 
     Modules for manipulating wafers belong to the WAFER_HANDLING class. An example of such a module is transfer module  107 , which contains robot  120 . Thus, when a wafer is on the arm of robot  120 , that wafer is considered to be in a WAFER_HANDLING module. The WAFER_HANDLING class can also include atmospheric robots and wafer carousels. 
     Modules for manipulating wafer cassettes, such as cassette station  101 , are classified as CASSETTE_HANDLING. Other examples of modules belonging to the CASSETTE_HANDLING class include pods, front-end modules, and load locks. 
     A module can also belong to more than one class. For example, bake station  104  is classified as PRE_PROCESSING and PROCESSING. Bake station  104  is a PRE_PROCESSING module because it pre-heats a wafer before the wafer enters a process module. However, just like a newly processed wafer coming out of a process module, the pre-heated wafer from bake station  104  needs to be cooled in cooling station  102  prior to being placed in its cassette. Thus, bake station  104  is also classified as a PROCESSING module to indicate that wafers coming out of it need to be placed in a POST_PROCESSING module. As is evident from the foregoing, the work performed on the wafer should be considered when classifying modules. 
     Other classes can also be created to accommodate various wafer processing systems and applications. 
     Wafer Movement with Recipe 
     The module classifications facilitate the creation of a sequence of steps for moving a wafer from a start location to a destination location, also referred to herein as “start module” and “destination module”, respectively. FIG. 3A shows PurgeWithRecipe  301  (hereinafter “method 301”), a method for creating a wafer purge sequence. Method  301  creates a purge sequence for a wafer that has an accompanying process recipe, such as recipe  108  shown in FIG.  1 B. When invoked, method  301  creates a purge sequence for each wafer. While method  301  is specifically designed for wafer purging, it can be adapted for use in other non-recipe tasks involving the movement of wafers that have process recipes. 
     Referring to step  302  of method  301 , an index is set to the last step the process recipe was carrying out before the purge. Using recipe  201  shown in FIG. 2 as an example, the index will be set to point to parallel step  204  if the wafer purge command is received while the wafer to be purged is being processed in either CVD process module  105  or CVD process module  106 . 
     Continuing in step  303 , the current module in the recipe is found by looking up the index. Thus, the current module is either CVD process module  105  or CVD process module  106  if the index is pointing to parallel step  204  of recipe  201 . 
     In step  304 , it is determined whether the purge is to be started from the current module. The first time through method  301 , the current module is the module from which to start the purge because the index will be pointing to the last step performed by the recipe. Thus, the branch including steps  304  and  305  is taken the first time through method  301 . The second and subsequent runs through method  301  will take the branch including steps  304  and  311 . In the case where the current module is the module from which to start the purge, it is determined whether the current module has a special control program and parameter set for purge. If not and the current module is the last module in the recipe, a step for a CASSETTE_HANDLING module is added to the purge sequence (steps  305 ,  308 , and  309 ). An example purge sequence created by going through steps  301 - 305  and  308 - 309 , in that order, is purge sequence  321  shown in FIG.  3 B. Purge sequence  321  is for the case where a wafer using recipe  201  is purged from cooling station  102 . 
     As previously discussed, each step in a recipe has an associated control program for directing the operation of the listed module. In normal operation, both recipe and non-recipe tasks (such as wafer purge, wafer reload, etc.) use the same control program. In this embodiment, an option to utilize a special control program is provided to address unique situations, thus making method  301  more flexible. For example, a process engineer might decide that purging a wafer from a particular module requires a control program and parameter set that are different from that normally used by process recipes. In that case, the engineer can create a special purge control program and parameter set specifically for that module. Accordingly, in step  306 , method  301  adds the current module to the purge sequence if the current module has a special control program and parameter set for purge. In the step of the resulting purge sequence, the special control program and its parameter set are conventionally invoked (step  307 ) by, for example, making a function call or passing a pointer. In step  308 , a step for a CASSETTE_HANDLING module is added to the purge sequence if the current module is the last module in the recipe. An example purge sequence created by going through steps  301 - 309 , in that order, is purge sequence  323  shown in FIG.  3 C. Purge sequence  323  is for the case where a wafer using recipe  201  is purged from a cooling station  102  that has a special purge control program. 
     Referring to steps  308  and  310 , the index is incremented if the current module is not the last module in the recipe. The index will then be pointing to the next module in the recipe, which is not the module from which to start the purge. Thus, method  301  continues through steps  303 ,  304 ,  311 , and so on. In step  311 , it is determined whether the current module is classified as POST_PROCESSING. If so and the wafer to be purged has been processed in a PROCESSING module, the current module is added to the purge sequence (steps  311 - 313 ). Note that the modules already visited by the wafer are conventionally tracked by reading a computer readable storage medium containing operational information for each wafer in the wafer processing system. As is readily apparent from steps  311  and  312 , POST_PROCESSING modules are added to the purge sequence only if the wafer has been processed in a process module. This not only improves the efficiency of the wafer processing system by skipping unnecessary modules, but also prevents the wafer from being subjected to extraneous post-processing steps. 
     Continuing in steps  314  and  315 , the current module added to the sequence is assigned a special purge control program and parameter set if available. Otherwise, the control program and parameter set provided in the process recipe are used. The loop including steps  308 ,  310 ,  303 , and  304  is repeated for all modules in the recipe. 
     Using method  301  to purge a wafer from bake station  104  results in a purge sequence  326  shown in FIG.  3 D. Purge sequence  326  is for the case where the wafer uses recipe  201  shown in FIG. 2, and none of the modules require a special purge control program. Table 1 below traces the steps of method  301  that were executed to create purge sequence  326 . 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Current Module In 
                 Steps of Method 
                 Module Added 
               
               
                 Recipe Pointed To 
                 301 Executed 
                 To Purge 
               
               
                 By The Index 
                 (in order) 
                 Sequence 326 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Bake Station 104 
                 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 308, 
                 None 
               
               
                   
                 and 310 
               
               
                 Parallel (i.e. CVD 
                 303, 304, 311, 308, and 310 
                 None 
               
               
                 105 or CVD 106) 
               
               
                 Cooling Station 102 
                 303, 304, 311, 312 (note that 
                 Cooling station 104 
               
               
                   
                 bake station 104 is also 
               
               
                   
                 classified as a PROCESSING 
               
               
                   
                 module), 313, 314, 316, 
               
               
                   
                 and 308. 
               
               
                 — 
                 309 
                 Cassette Station 101 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Wafer Movement Without Recipe 
     The present invention can also be used for directing the movement of a wafer (or a wafer-like object) that has no process recipe. This aspect of the invention is useful in situations where a process recipe is not available, does not have the necessary information, or cannot be found due to a system error. 
     FIG. 4A shows MovementWithoutRecipe  401  (hereinafter “method 401”), a method for creating a sequence for moving a wafer that has no process recipe. When invoked, method  401  creates a sequence for each wafer. Specific tasks for which method  401  is suitable include, without limitation, wafer purging without recipe, “drag and drop”, and protective cover movement. Method  401  can also be adapted for other similar tasks. 
     Wafer purge without recipe, as its name implies, is the removal of a wafer from a wafer processing system without using the wafer&#39;s process recipe. 
     Drag and drop refers to the non-recipe task of moving a wafer from one module to another by simply providing a start module and a destination module. In other words, unlike in a recipe task, the modules between the start and destination modules are not provided. For example, in some wafer processing systems that have a graphical user interface, a user can issue a command to move a wafer from one module to another by clicking on an icon of the wafer shown on a display screen, dragging the icon across the screen, and dropping the icon on a graphical representation of the destination module. The start module is the module where the icon was when it was clicked, while the destination module is the module where the icon was dropped. The other modules that the wafer has to go through, however, cannot be determined from the user&#39;s drag and drop actions. 
     Protective cover movement is a non-recipe task for moving a cover from its storage location in the wafer processing system to a station (e.g., electrostatic chuck) inside a process module, and vice-versa. Typically, the cover is used to protect the station while the process module is being cleaned. Because the cover&#39;s storage location and the location of the station are fixed, the start and destination modules for protective cover movement are known in advance. Just like a wafer, the protective cover can be moved about the wafer processing system using the teachings of the present disclosure. 
     Instead of a process recipe, method  401  uses an “order file” as a guide in creating the sequence. The order file lists all locations of a wafer processing system in the order they are visited by a wafer. Ordinarily, only one order file is required per system. An example order file for system  100  (FIG. 1A) is OrderFile  451  shown in FIG.  4 C. As is evident from OrderFile  451 , a wafer to be processed in system  100  visits the modules in the following order: (1) aligner; (2) bake station; (3) CVD process module  105  or CVD process module  106 ; (4) cooling station; and (5) cassette station. Order files for other wafer processing systems can also be similarly created. 
     Referring to FIG. 4A, method  401  begins by setting the Boolean variables FoundStart, FoundDestination, WasProcessed, and PreProcessNeeded to a logical FALSE (step  402 ). The aforementioned variables are flags for navigating through the steps of method  401 . 
     In step  403 , it is determined whether the destination module is classified as PROCESSING or POST_PROCESSING. If so, the variable PreProcessNeeded is set to TRUE (step  404 ), indicating that the wafer needs to visit a PRE_PROCESSING module prior to reaching its destination module. 
     In step  405 , it is determined whether the start module is classified as CASETTE_HANDLING. If so, the variable FoundStart is set to TRUE (step  406 ), indicating that the first module for the sequence being created has been found. 
     In step  407 , an index for keeping track of the modules in the order file is initialized to zero. In step  408  shown in FIG. 4B, the module in the order file currently pointed to by the index (i.e., the current module) is found. Using OrderFile  451  shown in FIG. 4C as an example, an index of “0” corresponds to aligner  103 , an index of “1” corresponds to bake station  104 , and so on. The steps following step  408  go through each module listed in the order file until all modules to be visited by the wafer in its movement from the start module to the destination module have been identified and enumerated in a sequence. 
     Continuing in step  409 , the value of the variable FoundStart variable is determined. When FoundStart is FALSE, steps  410  and  411  set the variable WasProcessed to TRUE if WasProcessed was FALSE and the current module is a PROCESSING module. Step  411  is not performed if WasProcessed is TRUE in step  410  or if FoundStart is TRUE in step  409 . 
     In step  412 , it is determined whether the current module is the start module. If so, the variable FoundStart is set to TRUE and the next module in the order file is selected (steps  420 ,  419 , and  408 ). 
     Referring to steps  413 - 415 , the current module is added to the sequence and method  401  is exited If the current module is the destination module. Otherwise, the current module is added to the sequence if the variable WasProcessed is TRUE and the current module is classified as POST_PROCESSING (steps  413 ,  416 , and  418 ). From step  417 , the current module is also added to the sequence if the variable PreProcessNeeded is TRUE and the current module is classified as PRE_PROCESSING (steps  417  and  418 ). 
     The loop starting and ending in step  408  is repeated until the destination module is found in the order file. At that time, a sequence enumerating the modules the wafer has to visit to get to the destination module will be completed. It should be noted that each step in the resulting sequence invokes an appropriate control program and parameter set. Thus, if method  401  is used to purge a wafer, each step in the resulting sequence needs to invoke a purge control program and parameter set; if method  401  is used to move a wafer by drag and drop, each step in the resulting sequence needs to invoke a drag and drop control program and parameter set; and so on. The design of such control programs is well within the knowledge of persons of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Using method  401  to drag and drop a wafer from CVD process module  105  (start module) to cassette station  101  (destination module) results in drag and drop sequence  461  shown in FIG.  4 D. Sequence  461  was created by indexing through OrderFile  451  shown in FIG.  4 C. Table 2 below traces the steps of method  401  that were executed to create sequence  461 . 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Current Module In 
                 Steps of Method 401 
                 Module Added To 
               
               
                 Order File Pointed 
                 Executed 
                 Drag and Drop 
               
               
                 To By The Index 
                 (in order) 
                 Sequence 461 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 — 
                 402, 403, 405, and 407 
                 None 
               
               
                 Aligner 103 
                 408, 409, 410, 412, 413, 416, 
                 None 
               
               
                   
                 417, and 419 
               
               
                 Bake Station 104 
                 408, 409, 410, 412, 413, 416, 
                 None 
               
               
                   
                 417, and 419 
               
               
                 Parallel 
                 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 420, 
                 None 
               
               
                   
                 and 419 
               
               
                 Cooling Station 102 
                 408, 409, 412, 413, 416, 418, 
                 Cooling Station 102 
               
               
                   
                 and 419 
               
               
                 Cassette Station 101 
                 408, 409, 412, 413, 414, 
                 Cassette Station 101 
               
               
                   
                 and 415 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Wafer Reload 
     FIG. 5A shows Reload  501  (hereinafter “method 501”), a method for creating a reload sequence. Method  501  is used in conjunction with the wafers&#39; process recipe. When invoked, method  501  creates a reload sequence which can be used for all wafers sharing the same recipe. 
     Typically, a cassette station or similar CASSETTE_HANDLING module is the start module in a wafer reload. The destination module is either provided by the user or read from a computer readable storage medium where information about the wafer was saved when the wafer was purged from the wafer processing system. Given the start and destination modules, method  501  creates a sequence enumerating all modules the wafer has to visit to reach the destination module. 
     Referring to step  502 , an index for keeping track of modules in the process recipe is initialized to zero. In step  503 , the module in the process recipe currently pointed to by the index (i.e., the current module) is found. Using process recipe  108  shown in FIG. 1B as an example, an index of “0” corresponds to aligner  103 , an index of “1” corresponds to bake station  103 , and so on. 
     The current module is added to the sequence if it is a PRE_PROCESSING module (steps  504  and  505 ). Further, if the module has a special control program for wafer reload, that control program and associated parameter set are used for the module (steps  506  and  507 ). Otherwise, the control program and parameter set provided in the process recipe are used (step  508 ). The loop including steps  509 ,  510 , and  503  is repeated for each module in the recipe. When the last module in the recipe has been indexed, a variable “%RLD” is added to the sequence and method  501  is exited (steps  509 ,  511 , and  512 ). The variable %RLD is a placeholder for the destination module. For example, %RLD equals CVD process module  105  if CVD process module  105  is the destination module. 
     Using method  501  in conjunction with recipe  108  shown in FIG. 1B results in a reload sequence  551  shown in FIG.  5 C. Reload sequence  551  is for the case where each wafer uses recipe  108 , and none of the modules listed in the recipe require a special reload control program. Table 3 below traces the steps of method  501  that were executed to create sequence  551 . 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Current Module In 
                 Steps of Method 501 
                 Module Added To 
               
               
                 Recipe Pointed To 
                 Executed 
                 Reload Sequence 
               
               
                 By The Index 
                 (in order) 
                 551 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 — 
                 501 and 502 
                 None 
               
               
                 Aligner 103 
                 503, 504, 505, 506, 508, 509, 
                 Aligner 103 
               
               
                   
                 and 510 
               
               
                 Bake Station 104 
                 503, 504, 505, 506, 508, 509, 
                 Bake Station 104 
               
               
                   
                 and 510 
               
               
                 CVD 105 
                 503, 504, 509, and 510 
                 None 
               
               
                 Cooling Station 102 
                 503, 504, 509, 511, and 512 
                 % RLD 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Once a reload sequence is created for a particular recipe, each wafer using that recipe is enumerated in a wafer list. The wafers are ordered in the wafer list such that wafers with the farthest destination modules are reloaded first. Using system  100  as an example, wafers destined for CVD process module  105  are reloaded before wafers destined for aligner  103 , wafers destined for aligner  103  are reloaded before a wafer destined for the arm of robot  120 , etc. This prevents a reloaded wafer from getting in the way of wafers yet to be reloaded. 
     FIG. 5B shows WaferReload  561  (hereinafter “method 561”), a method for reloading wafers enumerated in a wafer list. The wafer list contains all purged wafers that require further processing. One way of creating the wafer list is to determine where in the recipe a wafer is before that wafer is purged. Wafers that have not completed all the steps of their respective process recipes are marked and added to the wafer list for reloading at a later time. 
     Method  561  uses the reload sequence created by method  501  to direct the wafers to their respective destination modules. In one embodiment, each wafer in the wafer list has a MoveIndex for keeping track of the wafer as it visits the modules enumerated in the reload sequence. Using reload sequence  551  as an example, a MoveIndex of “0” corresponds to aligner 103 , a MoveIndex of “1” corresponds to bake station  104 , and so on. Wafers that have been reloaded to their respective destination modules are placed in the finished state while those that have not are in the unfinished state. 
     Referring to step  563 , all wafers in the wafer list are placed in the unfinished state. Also in step  563 , the MoveIndex of each wafer in the wafer list is set to zero. In step  564 , a wafer in the wafer list is selected. Another wafer is selected If the wafer is in the finished state (steps  565  and  564 ). If the currently selected wafer cannot be moved (e.g., blocked by another wafer or a failed module), the next wafer in the wafer list is selected (steps  566  and  564 ). Otherwise, the wafer is moved to the module in the reload sequence corresponding to the wafer&#39;s MoveIndex (steps  566  and  567 ). 
     In steps  568  and  569 , the wafer&#39;s MoveIndex is incremented if the MoveIndex does not correspond to the wafer&#39;s destination module. Thereafter, another wafer in the wafer list is selected (steps  569  and  564 ). This gives another wafer the opportunity to move while the previously selected wafer is moving to a module. Because the previously selected wafer remains in the unfinished state, it will be reselected and moved again at a later time. 
     If the wafer&#39;s MoveIndex corresponds to the wafer&#39;s destination location, the wafer is placed in the finished state (steps  568  and  570 ). The loop starting in step  564  is then repeated for all wafers in the wafer list that remain in the unfinished state (steps  571  and  564 ). Method  561  is exited when all wafers in the wafer list have been reloaded to their respective destination modules (i.e., no more unfinished wafers). 
     As previously pointed out, other module classifications can also be created to address specific situations. In one embodiment, a module that cannot be reloaded into is classified as a RELOAD_TO_NEXT_LOC module. When a wafer is to be reloaded into such a module, the wafer is instead reloaded to the next module enumerated in the process recipe. In another embodiment, a robot arm that can place and get a wafer from an aligner is classified as a TWO_DIR_TO_PREPROC module. In reloading to the robot arm, the wafer will first visit the aligner only if the wafer has already done so before it was purged. For the just mentioned embodiments, methods  501  and  561  are modified to detect the additional classifications and respond accordingly. 
     CONCLUSION 
     A technique for directing the movement of a wafer in a wafer processing system has been disclosed. While specific embodiments have been discussed, it is to be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustration purposes and not limiting. Many other embodiments in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure will be readily apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8