Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-23
2004-11-30
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C702S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826439
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an equipment interface for obtaining data communicated between a tool and its host computer system and distributing the data. More particularly, the invention relates to an equipment interface for obtaining a live stream of data communicated between a semiconductor manufacturing tool and its host computer system and distributing the data to remote application programs requesting the data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technological advances have produced increasingly complex manufacturing systems, and accordingly, increasingly complex manufacturing management systems are necessary. Information must be gathered to determine output requirements, to procure raw materials, to allocate manufacturing resources, to schedule work in various manufacturing processes, to track work in progress, to troubleshoot and correct manufacturing problems, to measure actual manufacturing performance, to compare actual performance to performance goals, and to control quality of units produced. The sources of information used to make these management decisions vary widely, from product sales data to shop personnel to the actual manufacturing tools themselves. Many manufacturing facilities manage this vast information by combining computerized management systems with paper-based management systems.
A particular management challenge in the manufacturing environment is communicating time-critical performance information to management and shop personnel so that performance problems may be corrected as soon as possible. In a manufacturing environment involving many processing steps, errors detected near the time they are made may be correctable before the product moves on to other processing steps. Significant cost savings are possible if a problem in the manufacturing shop renders a product unusable and additional processing steps on the unusable product are avoided.
Most manufacturing facilities use a variety of enterprise data management systems (EDMS) that manage enterprise-wide information. EDMS may include enterprise resource planning (ERP) subsystems that monitor, schedule and validate production inputs such as materials, equipment, personnel, work instructions and facility conditions. However, EDMS typically include only enterprise-level information and do not integrate real-time status information collected from tools in the manufacturing shop that would be useful to management and shop personnel. The term real-time is used herein to describe any electronic operation fast enough to keep up with its real-world counterpart, in this case, transmitting live tool status information immediately when an event occurs.
Another limitation of EDMS is that most EDMS communicate to personnel via only a pull model, where personnel must specifically request information from a particular source. For example, to obtain work in progress (WIP) information, personnel must ordinarily request a WIP report from the EDMS. In contrast, in a system using a push model, data is automatically delivered into computer systems at prescribed intervals or based upon the occurrence of particular events. These particular events may include automatically generated requests, or automated pulls, of information, so that personnel automatically receive certain information without requesting it. The term push is used herein to describe systems where information is automatically provided to personnel.
Capturing comprehensive manufacturing status information in real-time and timely communicating that information to management and shop personnel is highly desirable. Communicating timely information is especially difficult in large manufacturing facilities where management personnel are located at a distance from the manufacturing shop or in facilities where shop personnel work in a secure area separated from other personnel.
Problems with capturing and communicating information are exacerbated in a semiconductor manufacturing environment. Manufacturing of integrated circuits is perhaps the most complex manufacturing process in existence today. Factors contributing to this complexity include constant device miniaturization, process intricacy, product diversity, and changing technologies. Management of the semiconductor manufacturing process is accordingly complex and may involve thousands of steps performed on a silicon wafer to produce a fully packaged and integrated electronic component. An error in one process performed can render a particular lot of wafers unusable, so that timely detection and correction of problems in the manufacturing process can save significant resources.
Semiconductor manufacturing processes must occur in an environment free of contamination, so that semiconductor manufacturing facilities include a clean room in which the air is highly filtered to keep out impurities. Clean room personnel perform an elaborate procedure to clothe themselves in “bunny suits” which are required to keep them from contaminating the air. These elaborate procedures to enter the clean room environment are a barrier to direct and immediate communication between management and clean room personnel. Another barrier is the limited ability to use computers to communicate because devices inside the clean room must not contaminate the clean environment, and support of computers within the clean room environment is difficult.
Most communication between management and clean room personnel occurs during regular personnel meetings outside the clean room. However, regular meetings do not address the problems of communicating time-critical information about problems that arise between meetings. Managers can communicate information to clean room personnel during shift changes; however the time for shift changes must be very limited to avoid stalling production in the clean room. Once personnel have entered the clean room, communication with them may be accomplished in a number of ways. One method requires that the manager suit up and enter the clean room, where the ability to communicate is hindered and the communication is disruptive to clean room activities. Another method is that the information be announced over a loudspeaker, a poor way of communicating detailed technical information. Similarly, other known methods, such as using phones, pagers, and e-mail, are also limited. In addition, none of these methods provides immediate performance information to manufacturing shop personnel that can serve as a motivator.
In some semiconductor manufacturing facilities, specially-designed terminals reside in the clean room so that clean room personnel can request WIP information from the EDMS. However, typically the EDMS does not provide reports of time-critical information such as real-time tool status that are useful to clean room personnel. While real-time information may be available from the EDMS, access may be restricted to authorized personnel. Furthermore, the real-time information may available but require significant effort and resources to use it for managing the manufacturing environment.
Furthermore, most EDMS operate using a pull model so that time-critical information may not be brought to the attention of personnel if reports are not requested. Finally, the information presented on the terminal may not be not easily visible by clean room personnel while they are performing their work because the primary use for the terminal is to present other clean room status information.
A system is desirable that uses a push model, where data is automatically delivered to management and clean room personnel at prescribed intervals or based upon the occurrence of particular events. Furthermore, a system is desirable that automatically and continually updates presentations of data when events occur in the manufacturing shop. Providing time-critical information to personnel without the need for personnel initiating a report request would enable manufacturing shop personnel to operate the shop more efficiently and managers to address performance problems more quickly t
Allen, Jr. Sam H.
Barber Casey A.
Halladay John T.
Advanced Micro Devices , Inc.
Hamilton & Terrile LLP
Picard Leo
Rao Sheela
Terrile Stephen A.
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