Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-19
2004-06-15
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C705S400000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06751514
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a manufacturing/inspection apparatus for manufacturing or inspecting semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, mask for exposure and liquid crystal device and a service system or a service method for use of these manufacturing/inspection apparatuses.
A manufacturing/inspecting apparatus for manufacturing and inspecting semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, exposure mask and liquid crystal device has generally been installed in a plurality of units in predetermined lines within a manufacturing factory and are placed in a local operation environment. Otherwise, these manufacturing and inspecting apparatuses are connected through a local area network and if the operating conditions are controlled with a work station or the like, these have been placed in the environment under the control in the range connected with the local area network within the factory. Therefore, the manufacturers of these products purchase the apparatus from the manufacturers of the manufacturing/inspecting apparatus and the manufacturers of each product, namely the users of the manufacturing/inspecting apparatus have established the manufacturing process.
On the other hand, as an example, in the case where a large-scale system such as an inspecting apparatus or an electronic drawing apparatus using an electronic microscope is introduced, a purchaser bears a large share because such a system is very expensive. Moreover, after purchasing the apparatus, adjustment with those who are skilled in this art is often required until the predetermined manufacturing accuracy and inspection accuracy can be attained. In addition, in view of maintaining the accuracy once achieved, it is necessary to always supervise the apparatus condition and execute the adjustment as required. Moreover, the purchaser is required to prepare the training for the workers with a large cost sharing in order to improve the skill of workers who conduct the adjustment. Therefore, the purchase requests the dispatch of workers from the apparatus manufacturer in view of lowering the cost sharing. However, since the apparatus manufacturers do not have many workers, if a large number of apparatuses are purchased, there rises a problem that customer services due to the dispatch of workers becomes insufficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a service method, a service system and a manufacturing/inspection apparatus that can reduce the initial cost at the time of introducing such a manufacturing/inspection apparatus and maintain the accuracy after introduction of the apparatus.
An embodiment of the present invention is a manufacturing/inspection apparatus for manufacturing the products such as semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, exposure mask or liquid crystal device, wherein a memory device is provided to store at least any information piece of the processing information indicating the quantity of manufactured or inspected products, accuracy information indicating the manufacturing or inspection accuracy of the products, running information indicating the running conditions of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus and calibration information indicating a calibration value required for apparatus running control at the time of manufacture or inspection of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus.
Moreover, another embodiment of the present invention is a service method for utilizing a manufacturing/inspection apparatus for manufacturing and inspecting the products such as semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, exposure mask or liquid crystal device, wherein the charge for use of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus is set based on manufacturing or inspection difficulty information of the product manufactured or inspected with the manufacturing/inspection apparatus and running information of the manufacturing/inspection apparatus stored in a physical storing medium.
In order to reduce the initial cost at the time of introducing an expensive manufacturing/inspection apparatus, a means for requesting the charges depending on the conditions of use of the apparatus just like “quantity system” may be considered. In the manufacturing/inspection apparatus of the related art for manufacturing and inspecting semiconductor wafer, semiconductor device, exposure mask, liquid crystal device or the like, since such an apparatus is not connected with an external communication network, it has been impossible to calculate the charges for use by monitoring the operating condition of apparatus from the external side. However, under the current environment where connection can be easily made to the external communication network such as the Internet, it is possible to set the changes for use and demand this charge in place of the initial cost by externally monitoring the operating conditions of the apparatus via Internet and thereby, it is also possible to reduce the initial cost and maintaining of the accuracy after introduction of the apparatus. Moreover, since dispatch of workers is no linger required, service burdens on the apparatus manufacturer can also be reduced.
Here, it is desirable for the setting of the charges for use that such setting is in the correlation with the difficulty of service in the prior art. For example, in the case where a circuit pattern of the semiconductor device is drawn with an electronic beam drawing apparatus, the thinner the drawing line is, or the larger the change of size of the adjacent line is, the more difficult the improvement of manufacturing accuracy is. Therefore, maintaining of the apparatus accuracy largely depends on the skill and share of the service workers. Accordingly, it is desirable for the apparatus manufacturer to set the charges based on the manufacture or inspection difficulty information.
For example, in the electronic beam drawing apparatus, since the depicted pattern information is stored as the data in the apparatus itself, quality of the manufactured product can be evaluated from such information. Namely, an ultra-fine and high accuracy product can be discriminated from the minimum size of depicted pattern, setting of calibration tolerable value of apparatus and leaving amount of compensation of calibration. Therefore, when highly accurate drawing is conducted, even if the number of products to be processed in the predetermined period is rather small, it will be possible to demand the user to pay charges for use by considering that a product having a higher additional value is manufactured for the user.
Not only is such a charging system effective for reduction of initial cost of user but also the apparatus manufacturer can obtain the periodical income while the apparatus is operating normally. Therefore, here rises a merit that the running service for user can be implemented very easily.
The information extracted from the apparatus to calculate charges for use of an apparatus is also the accuracy information and operating condition of the apparatus. Therefore, almost real-time service or user assistance using this information is also possible and more delicate user support from the view point of time and quality can be implemented in addition to the effect of the above regular incomes.
Here, it is possible to connect in direct the control computer of the apparatus to the communication entwork to give permission, namely to operate the user support system, but it is desirable from the viewpoint of security to avoid direct connection of the apparatus control computer storing the user information to the external communication network. Usually, an exclusive server is installed for connection with the external communication network, but it is difficult to say that the environment connected for the communication is safe even if any measure is provided against the invasion of hackers.
Because of such a situation explained above, a safe information security system is essential for actual operation of the service system utilizing the communication network.
In the present invention, regar
Hitachi , Ltd.
Kenyon & Kenyon
Picard Leo
Shechtman Sean P
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