Enhanced preventative maintenance system and method of use

• US 20040102927A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yu, Lin Chien, Wen, Lui-Li
• Granted Patent: US 6,862,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32234 Maintenance planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32235 Sharing of data between process control and maintenance management computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The invention provides an enhanced system and method for dynamically generating an accurate preventative maintenance (“PM”) schedule for use in an automated facility. The system has a at least one piece of automated equipment, wherein the at least one piece of automated equipment has a plurality of associated parts; a tool performance tracking system (“TP2”) in operative communication with the at least one piece of automated equipment to monitor and to analyze data retrieved from the at least one piece of automated equipment; a PM task database for storing a plurality of PM defined tasks; and a PM system, the PM system in operative communication with the TP2 and in further operative communication with the PM task database, wherein the PM system generates a PM schedule for performing PM on the plurality of associated parts.

Claims

1. An enhanced system for use in generating a PM (preventative maintenance) schedule for an automated equipment facility comprising:

at least one piece of automated equipment, wherein the at least one piece of automated equipment has a plurality of associated parts;

a tool performance tracking system (“

TP2”

) in operative communication with the at least one piece of automated equipment to monitor and to analyze data retrieved from the at least one piece of automated equipment;

a PM task database for storing a plurality of PM defined tasks; and

a PM system, the PM system in operative communication with the TP2 and in further operative communication with the PM task database, wherein the PM system generates a PM schedule for performing PM on the plurality of associated parts.

2. The enhanced system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PM defined tasks are performed in accordance with predefined PM criteria on the at least one piece of automated equipment.

3. The enhanced system of claim 1, wherein the PM schedule dynamically changes in accordance with the monitored and analyzed TP2 data retrieved from the at least one piece of automated equipment.

4. A PM method for generating a PM schedule for an automated equipment facility comprising the steps of:

providing at least one piece of automated equipment, wherein the at least one piece of automated equipment has a plurality of associated parts;

providing a tool performance tracking system (“

TP2”

) in operative communication with the at least one piece of automated equipment to monitor and to analyze data retrieved from the at least one piece of automated equipment;

providing a PM task database for storing a plurality of PM defined tasks; and

providing a PM system, the PM system in operative communication with the TP2 and in further operative communication with the PM task database, wherein the PM system generates a PM schedule for performing PM on the plurality of associated parts.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

using a parts measurement rule for recording and analyzing every defined state time for each of the plurality of associated parts disposed within the at least one piece of automated equipment, wherein the defined state time is the measured usage for each of the plurality of parts associated with each process performed within the associated at least one piece of automated equipment.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of:

storing each defined state time in a parts measurement rule database.

7. The PM method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

communicating the plurality of defined state times from the parts measurement rule database to the TP2; and

calculating a real-time value associated with each of the plurality of associated parts indicating actual usage of each of the plurality of associated parts.

8. The PM method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

using the real-time value associated with each of the plurality of associated parts to calculate an average parts attrition rate, wherein the average parts attrition rate is an average utilization time of parts in a period of time.

9. The PM method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

using the average parts attrition rate associated with each of the plurality of associated parts to determine an attrition time associated for each of the plurality of associated parts, wherein the attrition time is a part'"'"'s lifespan.

10. The PM method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

communicating the attrition time associated with each of the plurality of associated parts from the TP2 to the PM system;

communicating the plurality of PM defined tasks to the PM system, wherein the plurality of PM defined tasks are performed in accordance with predefined PM criteria associated with each of the plurality of associated parts; and

using the attrition time associated for each of the plurality of associated parts and PM defined tasks communicated to the PM system to generate the PM schedule, wherein the PM schedule changes dynamically in accordance with each variance associated with each attrition time and each of the plurality of PM defined tasks.

11. The PM method of claim 10, wherein the predefined PM criteria defines when a PM task should be performed based on a part manufacturer'"'"'s data associated with each of the plurality of associated parts.

12. The PM method of claim 10 further comprising the step of:

executing a PM task in accordance with the dynamically generated PM schedule.

13. A PM method for generating a PM schedule for an automated wafer fabrication facility comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of wafer fabrication equipment, wherein each of the plurality of wafer fabrication equipment has a plurality of associated parts;

providing a tool performance tracking system (“

TP2”

) in operative communication with the plurality of wafer fabrication equipment to monitor and to analyze data retrieved from the plurality of wafer fabrication equipment;

providing a PM task database for storing a plurality of PM defined tasks; and

providing a PM system, the PM system in operative communication with the TP2 and in further operative communication with the PM task database, wherein the PM system generates a PM schedule for performing PM on the plurality of associated parts.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

using a parts measurement rule for recording and analyzing every defined state time for each of the plurality of associated parts disposed within the plurality of wafer fabrication equipment, wherein the defined state time is the measured usage for each of the plurality of parts associated with each process performed within the associated plurality of wafer fabrication equipment.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

storing each defined state time in a parts measurement rule database.

16. The PM method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

communicating the plurality of defined state times from the parts measurement rule database to the TP2; and

calculating a real-time value associated with each of the plurality of associated parts indicating actual usage of each of the plurality of associated parts.

17. The PM method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

using the real-time value associated with each of the plurality of associated parts to calculate an average parts attrition rate, wherein the average parts attrition rate is an average utilization time of parts in a period of time.

18. The PM method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

using the average parts attrition rate associated with each of the plurality of associated parts to determine an attrition time associated for each of the plurality of associated parts, wherein the attrition time is a part'"'"'s lifespan.

19. The PM method of claim 18 further comprising the step of:

communicating the attrition time associated with each of the plurality of associated parts from the TP2 to the PM system;

communicating the plurality of PM defined tasks to the PM system, wherein the plurality of PM defined tasks are performed in accordance with predefined PM criteria associated with each of the plurality of associated parts;

using the attrition time associated for each of the plurality of associated parts and PM defined tasks communicated to the PM system to generate the PM schedule, wherein the PM schedule changes dynamically in accordance with each variance associated with each attrition time and each of the plurality of PM defined tasks; and

executing a PM task in accordance with the dynamically generated PM schedule.

20. The PM method of claim 19, wherein the predefined PM criteria defines when a PM task should be performed based on a part manufacturer'"'"'s data associated with each of the plurality of associated parts.