Methods and apparatus for material control system interface

Details Methods and apparatus for material control system interface Methods and apparatus for material control system interface

2007-01-24

2009-10-13

Barnes-Bullock, Crystal J (Department: 2121)

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Product assembly or manufacturing

C700S101000, C700S115000, C700S121000, C700S228000, C414S222010

Reexamination Certificate

active

07603196

ABSTRACT:
Methods and apparatus are provided for managing movement of small lots between processing tools within an electronic device manufacturing facility. In some embodiments, a number of priority lots to be processed is determined and an equivalent number of carrier storage locations are reserved at a substrate loading station of a processing tool. The number of reserved carrier storage locations are made available either by processing and advancing occupying non-priority lots and/or moving unprocessed occupying non-priority lots from the substrate loading station. Priority lots are then transferred to the reserved carrier storage locations. Other embodiments are provided.

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