Fabulous MESs and C/CS: an overview of semiconductor fab automation systems

摘要

Atypical semiconductor wafer fabrication involves hundreds of complex manufacturing steps on capital-intensive equipment. In the persistent pursuit of near-perfect 100% production yield and equipment utilization, automation systems have been designed and implemented to provide the functions of direct equipment control, automated material transportation, and real-time lot dispatching. This article presents an overview of the automation systems for a typical semiconductor fab. In particular, two key systems are presented: 1) a manufacturing execution system (MES) that formulates manufacturing methods and procedures and 2) a cell controller (C/C) that serves as the automation link between the upper MES and the lower equipment within a production tunnel. At the end of the article, lot operation of one manufacturing step is detailed to highlight the interaction between MES and C/C in a folly automated semiconductor fab.