Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-05
2001-07-10
Grant, William (Department: 2121)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S117000, C700S230000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259961
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying system for continuous processing such as a pre-treatment of a semiconductor and to a control method of the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 11
illustrates an example of a conventional pre-treatment conveying system for a semiconductor. As shown in the figure, the conveying system comprises a control computer
10
which controls the system as a whole, a terminal
11
disposed at each treatment area in a factory which is connected to the control computer
10
, a depository
1
for storing a lot to be treated (including inspection), a plurality of treatment apparatuses
7
and
9
, an in-process automated guided vehicle
5
moving between the treatment apparatuses, and inspection apparatuses
8
.
The control computer
10
comprises a process information table having information for each process as shown in
FIG. 8
, and an apparatus information table having information for controlling conditions of each treatment apparatus as shown in FIG.
9
. The process information table has information for each process, which apparatuses can process and processing conditions. The process information table also has information for each apparatus including an availability flag which shows whether the apparatus is available or not, a bay number which shows the location thereof, and a buffer number showing which locations can admit a lot.
The performance of the conventional conveying system will be described.
A lot comprising a plurality of untreated wafers is carried by the in-process automated guided vehicle
5
from the depository
1
to any of the treatment apparatuses
7
and
9
for treatment, under the control of instructions from the control computer
10
. The flow of the lot after treatment will be described with reference to a flow chart in FIG.
10
. When a treatment process of a lot is finished (S
1
), the control computer
10
retrieves apparatuses that can perform the next process (S
2
) and judges whether a free buffer is available in the apparatuses by referring to the apparatus information table (S
4
, S
5
) to decide the destination apparatus of the next process (S
6
). Then the control computer
10
instructs the in-process automated guided vehicle
5
to carry the lot to the instructed treatment apparatus (S
8
). On the other hand, since the inspection apparatus
8
is not included in the table information as an apparatus that can process, when the next process is inspection, the destination of the lot is set to be the depository
1
(S
7
).
An inspection operator selects the next lot to inspect from a plurality of lots waiting for inspection in the depository
1
by consulting the terminal
11
, and takes the lot out of the depository
1
. Then the lot is inspected at the inspection apparatus
8
and returned it to the depository
1
if it is acceptable. If it is not acceptable, it is carried to a storage for remedy or scrapping.
However, since in the conventional conveying system, as described above, all the completed lots waiting for inspection are carried into the depository
1
, the following problems occur.
(1) An inspection operator has to perform bothersome operations such as retrieving lots in the depository by consulting the terminal
11
, searching for the lots waiting for inspection among the lots retrieved, and selecting the next lot to be inspected. In order to eliminate these operations, when the lot waiting for inspection is put into the depository through an in-process gateway of the depository, it may be taken out automatically through an operator-gateway of the depository. However since the operator-gateway is constructed so that each lot is taken one-by-one, a lot which must be quickly inspected can not be taken out instantly. Consequently the problem is not solved effectively.
(2) Since the operator-gateway of the depository is used by not only inspection operators but also treatment apparatus operators, a lot can be mistaken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the aforementioned problems.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a conveying system which comprises a depository storing lots each of which is one group of the same species; a plurality of treatment apparatuses for treating the lots; an inspection apparatus for inspecting the lots after treatment; an automated guided vehicle for conveying the lots by moving between the depository and the treatment apparatus; and a control computer which controls treatment processing of the lots, wherein a delivery device is disposed at an area adjacent to the inspection apparatus for conveying the lots in and out the automated guided vehicle, and the lot is carried in the delivery device from the automated guided vehicle at the time of inspection.
The delivery device also comprises a function to display information about the lot carried therein.
The delivery device further comprises means for inputting information identifying the lot.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a control method for a continuous processing in which the conveying system comprises a depository for storing lots each of which is one group of the same species; a plurality of treatment apparatuses for treating the lot; an inspection apparatus for inspecting the lot after treatment; an automated guided vehicle for conveying the lots by moving between the depository and the treatment apparatus; a control computer which controls treatment processing of the lots; and a delivery device disposed at an area adjacent to the inspection apparatus for conveying the lot in and out the automated guided vehicle, wherein the control method performs based on a process information table having information about each process and an apparatus information table for controlling conditions of each of the treatment apparatuses. Further, the apparatus information table includes information about the delivery device and the destination of the lots is decided by the control computer according to the information about the delivery device.
In the aforementioned control method, the destination of the lot is also set to be the delivery device which is stored in the apparatus information table as an apparatus that can perform treatment as the next process of the lots.
In the aforementioned control method, the destination of the lots is also set to be the delivery device which is stored in the apparatus information table of the treatment apparatus where the lot is located at that time.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5189624 (1993-02-01), Barlow et al.
patent: 5828572 (1998-10-01), Hasegawa et al.
patent: 5842917 (1998-12-01), Soung et al.
patent: 5867388 (1999-02-01), Okumura et al.
patent: 5975741 (1999-11-01), Kawaguchi et al.
patent: 5976199 (1999-11-01), Wu et al.
patent: 5980591 (1999-11-01), Akimoto et al.
Inoue Katsuhiro
Satoh Kouji
Cabrera Zoila
Frank Robert J.
Grant William
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Venable
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