Methods and systems for controlling a semiconductor fabrication process

摘要

Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of sensors for sensing aspects of a semiconductor manufacturing system; a neural network enabled controller for controlling the operation of semiconductor manufacturing system components to schedule processing of one or more semiconductor workpieces, the neural network for receiving data from the plurality of sensors and effecting, through a finite state machine, a determination of changes in physical states of the semiconductor manufacturing system components; and a graphical user interface that displays a real time three-dimensional model of changes in the physical state of the semiconductor manufacturing system components, wherein the real time three-dimensional model includes one or more objects that are correlated to an inventory containing data about a physical inventory of the semiconductor manufacturing system components, the real time three-dimensional model being responsive to data, from the finite state machine, indicating changes in the physical state of the semiconductor manufacturing system components, from the plurality of sensors and configured to show real time changes in conditions of the one or more objects during at least processing of the one or more semiconductor workpieces.