APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WEB-BASED TOOL MANAGEMENT

• US 20150241862A1
• Filed: 05/08/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PEER Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PEER Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Inventors: Ellis, Raymond W., Pendleton, Mark T., Baylis, Charles M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,054,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41855 by local area network [LAN], network structure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method is provided, including: establishing a session over the Internet with a client device, the session configured to provide for remote control or monitoring of a manufacturing tool over the Internet via communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool, the manufacturing tool being one of a plurality of manufacturing tools in a fabrication facility (FAB); receiving a request from the client device to access an equipment model defining a representation of the manufacturing tool, the representation of the manufacturing tool; receiving data from a controller of the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with a service object of the manufacturing tool; sending to the client device, via the session, a response to the request, the response including the data received from the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with the service object.

Claims

1. A method implemented on at least one server computer, comprising:

establishing a session over the Internet with a client device, the client device being one of a plurality of client devices networked via a first local area network (LAN) that is connected to the Internet, the session configured to provide for remote control or monitoring of a manufacturing tool over the Internet via communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool, the manufacturing tool being one of a plurality of manufacturing tools in a fabrication facility (FAB), the manufacturing tools being networked via a second LAN that is connected to the Internet, each of the manufacturing tools having a pre-defined identifier;

receiving a request from the client device, via the first LAN, to access an equipment model corresponding to the manufacturing tool, the equipment model defining a representation of the manufacturing tool, the representation of the manufacturing tool including one or more service objects that define services for the manufacturing tool that are capable of being accessed by the client device;

receiving data from a controller of the manufacturing tool, via the second LAN, that is stored in association with a service object of the manufacturing tool;

sending to the client device, via the session, a response to the request, the response including the data received from the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with the service object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the session includes authenticating a user of the client device to determine whether the user is authorized to access the services for the manufacturing tool.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the server computer manages access to the plurality of manufacturing tools by a plurality of users to allow each of the plurality of users to communicate with one or more of the plurality of manufacturing tools.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request identifies a service object that provides for remote electronic diagnostics of the manufacturing tool.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein performance of the remote electronic diagnostics is defined by invocation of the service object that provides the remote electronic diagnostics to procure one or more values associated with particular information requested about the manufacturing tool.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the manufacturing tool defines a hierarchical structure of a plurality of objects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the hierarchical structure is defined by an arrangement of the plurality of objects in parent-child relationships, including a root object and descendants thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data that is stored in association with the service object defines one or more attributes or methods of the service that is identified by the service object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein sending the response to the request to the client device is defined by an event report including a set of collection event items and a set of report variables regarding a method of the service that is identified by the service object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the attributes are defined by one or more variables of a process chamber selected from temperature, pressure, or status.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein communications between one or more of the client device, the server computer, and the manufacturing tool, are defined using one or more of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a security wrapper layer for the manufacturing tool, wherein the security wrapper layer controls access to the services of the manufacturing tool by the plurality of client devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the services define access to one or more of attributes of the manufacturing tool, methods for operating the manufacturing tool, and events reported from the manufacturing tool.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is configured to receive the data sent from the server computer and apply the received data to a user interface depicting the equipment model, wherein the data is applied to display attributes or values of objects of the equipment model for the manufacturing tool and specific ones of the client devices having access to the services identified by the equipment model.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface provides access to historical information for one or more of the manufacturing tools.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is configured to receive the data sent from the server computer and apply the received data to a user interface depicting the equipment model, wherein the data is applied to display attributes or values of objects of the equipment model for the manufacturing tool and specific ones of the client devices having access to the services identified by the equipment model.

16. A method implemented on at least one server computer, comprising:

establishing a session over the Internet with a client device, the client device being one of a plurality of client devices networked via a first local area network (LAN) that is connected to the Internet, the session configured to provide for remote control or monitoring of a manufacturing tool over the Internet via communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool, the manufacturing tool being one of a plurality of manufacturing tools in a fabrication facility (FAB), the manufacturing tools being networked via a second LAN that is connected to the Internet;

receiving a request from the client device, via the first LAN, to access an equipment model corresponding to the manufacturing tool, the equipment model defining a representation of the manufacturing tool, the representation of the manufacturing tool including one or more service objects that define services for the manufacturing tool that are capable of being accessed by the client device;

receiving data from a controller of the manufacturing tool, via the second LAN, that is stored in association with a service object of the manufacturing tool;

sending to the client device, via the session, a response to the request, the response including the data received from the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with the service object;

generating a security wrapper layer for the manufacturing tool, wherein the security wrapper layer controls access to the services of the manufacturing tool by the plurality of client devices;

wherein the client device is configured to receive the data sent from the server computer and apply the received data to a user interface depicting the equipment model, wherein the data is applied to display attributes or values of objects of the equipment model for the manufacturing tool and specific ones of the client devices having access to the services identified by the equipment model.

17. A system comprising at least one server computer, wherein said at least one server computer is configured to perform the following operations:

establishing a session over the Internet with a client device, the client device being one of a plurality of client devices networked via a first local area network (LAN) that is connected to the Internet, the session configured to provide for remote control or monitoring of a manufacturing tool over the Internet via communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool, the manufacturing tool being one of a plurality of manufacturing tools in a fabrication facility (FAB), the manufacturing tools being networked via a second LAN that is connected to the Internet, each of the manufacturing tools having a pre-defined identifier;

receiving a request from the client device, via the first LAN, to access an equipment model corresponding to the manufacturing tool, the equipment model defining a representation of the manufacturing tool, the representation of the manufacturing tool including one or more service objects that define services for the manufacturing tool that are capable of being accessed by the client device;

receiving data from a controller of the manufacturing tool, via the second LAN, that is stored in association with a service object of the manufacturing tool;

sending to the client device, via the session, a response to the request, the response including the data received from the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with the service object.

18. The system of claim 17,

wherein establishing the session includes authenticating a user of the client device to determine whether the user is authorized to access the services for the manufacturing tool;

wherein the server computer manages access to the plurality of manufacturing tools by a plurality of users to allow each of the plurality of users to communicate with one or more of the plurality of manufacturing tools.

19. The system of claim 17,

wherein the request identifies a service object that provides for remote electronic diagnostics of the manufacturing tool;

wherein performance of the remote electronic diagnostics is defined by invocation of the service object that provides the remote electronic diagnostics to procure one or more values associated with particular information requested about the manufacturing tool.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the representation of the manufacturing tool defines a hierarchical structure of a plurality of objects, wherein the hierarchical structure is defined by an arrangement of the plurality of objects in parent-child relationships, including a root object and descendants thereof.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein communications between one or more of the client device, the server computer, and the manufacturing tool, are defined using one or more of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

22. The system of claim 17, wherein said at least one server computer is further configured to perform the following operation:

generating a security wrapper layer for the manufacturing tool, wherein the security wrapper layer controls access to the services of the manufacturing tool by the plurality of client devices;

wherein the services define access to one or more of attributes of the manufacturing tool, methods for operating the manufacturing tool, and events reported from the manufacturing tool.