SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING MATERIAL STORAGE VESSELS HAVING INFORMATION STORAGE ELEMENTS

• US 20100004772A1
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: Johnson, Thomas D., Hanson, Kathleen L., Elfstrom, Scott, Smeaton, William, Nolet, Clari, Haumersen, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/103
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1247 Means for detecting the presence or absence of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes

Abstract

Material management systems and methods include material storage vessels with information (e.g., electronic information) storage. Information may be communicated from a storage device to a process tool controller and employed to set or adjust a process tool operating parameter. Material information may be determined by remote analysis and subsequently communicated to an electronic information storage device of a vessel containing such material. Location and movement of material storage vessels within a customer facility may be automatically tracked, with further transfer of material-specific information. Product information may be associatively stored with material-specific information utilized in product manufacture.

Claims

1-81. -81. (canceled)

82. A method comprising:

communicating, from an information storage device associated with a material-containing material storage vessel to a control device associated with a process tool, information indicative of any of;

(A) a material-specific utilization parameter, (B) a process tool operating instruction, (C) a material property, and (D) a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition; and

employing the communicated information to set or adjust an operating parameter of the process tool.

83. The method of claim 82, wherein the information storage device comprises an electronic information storage device.

84. The method of claim 83, wherein the electronic information storage device comprises a dynamically updateable memory, the method further including recording information to the memory following shipment of the material storage vessel to an end user process facility having therein a process tool adapted to receive material from the material storage vessel.

85. The method of claim 82, wherein the communicated information is indicative of a material-specific utilization parameter.

86. The method of claim 82, wherein the communicated information is indicative of a process tool operating instruction.

87. The method of claim 82, wherein the communicated information is indicative of a material property.

88. The method of claim 82, wherein the communicated information is indicative of a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition.

89. The method of claim 82, further comprising:

performing an analysis of a material sample to obtain information indicative of a batch-specific or vessel-specific material property; and

recording any of (i) the batch-specific or vessel-specific material property information and (ii) an identifier of a record indicative of said batch-specific or vessel-specific material property information, to the information storage device.

90. The method of claim 82, further comprising:

fabricating or processing a product article utilizing the process tool;

analyzing an attribute of the product article;

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting an operating parameter of the process tool.

91. The method of claim 82, wherein the process tool is adapted to utilize the material in forming an article of manufacture.

92. A method comprising:

receiving, from an information storage device associated with a material storage vessel, information indicative of any of;

(A) a material-specific utilization parameter, (B) a material property, and (C) a process tool operating instruction; and

employing the received information to set or adjust an operating parameter of a process tool.

93. The method of claim 92, further comprising the steps of:

processing or fabricating an article of manufacture utilizing the process tool to yield a processed or fabricated article;

analyzing an attribute of the processed or fabricated article;

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting an operating parameter of the process tool.

94. A method employing a plurality of wireless information reading devices for managing a plurality of material storage vessels each having associated electronic information, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the entrance of a first material storage vessel in a material ingress functional area of a material end use process facility; and

automatically transferring to a data repository information associated with the first material storage vessel and indicative of any of a batch-specific material property, a vessel-specific material property, a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition, a process tool operating instruction, and a material-specific utilization parameter.

95. The method of claim 94, further comprising monitoring any of location and movement of the first material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in the material end use process facility.

96. The method of claim 95, further comprising automatically transferring to the data repository information indicative of any of vessel location and vessel movement.

97. The method of claim 94, wherein the data repository comprises at least one information storage device associated with the first material storage vessel.

98. The method of claim 94, wherein the automatic transferring step comprises receiving an identifier from the first material storage vessel and interrogating a communication network with the identifier to obtain electronic information indicative of any of a batch-specific material property and a vessel-specific material property.

99. The method of claim 94, further comprising:

automatically transferring to a controller associated with a process tool the information indicative of any of the batch-specific material property, the vessel-specific material property, and the material-specific utilization parameter; and

employing the communicated information to adjust an operating parameter of the process tool.

100. A method comprising:

receiving, from an information storage device associated with a material-containing material storage vessel to a control device associated with a process tool, information indicative of any of;

(a) identity of said material, (b) composition of said material, (c) source of said material, (d) quantity of said material, (e) batch of said material, (f) a batch-specific property of said material, (g) a vessel-specific property of said material, (h) a vessel-specific current environmental condition, (i) a vessel-specific historical environmental condition, (j) a material-specific process tool utilization parameter, and (k) vessel identity;

fabricating or processing a product with a process tool employing material received from the material storage vessel; and

associatively storing the received information with product information indicative of any of (I) product identification, (II) product batch identification, and (III) date or time of said product fabrication or processing.

101. The method of claim 100, wherein the received information is indicative of any of a batch-specific property of said material and a vessel-specific property of said material.

102. The method of claim 100, wherein the fabricated or processed product comprises any of a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor boule, and a semiconductor precursor structure.

103. The method of claim 100, further comprising employing the received information to set or adjust an operating parameter of the process tool.

104. The method of claim 100, wherein the information storage device comprises an electronic information storage device, the method further comprising:

monitoring at least one environmental condition experienced by any of the material storage vessel and material disposed within the vessel; and

storing information indicative of the at least one monitored environmental condition in the electronic information storage device.

105. A material utilization system comprising:

at least one material storage vessel adapted to contain a material and having an associated electronic information storage device having stored therein information indicative of any of;

(A) a material-specific utilization parameter, (B) a process tool operating instruction, (C) a material property, and (D) a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition;

a process tool or process tool controller arranged to receive a signal representative of said information, and adapted to utilize said information to set or adjust an operating parameter of the process tool.

106. The material utilization system of claim 105, wherein the process tool controller or a process tool interface is adapted to prevent dispensation of material from the container to the process tool if the material is incompatible with process tool requirements.