MANUFACTURING CONTROL SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING WORKPIECES

• US 3,845,286 A
• Filed: 02/05/1973
• Issued: 10/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jesse Aronstein, Philip M. Zeiss, William E. Harding
• Original Assignee: Jesse Aronstein, Philip M. Zeiss, William E. Harding
• Inventors: Aronstein, Jesse, Harding, William E., Zeiss, Philip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruggiero, Joseph F.
• Application Number:
  US05/329,494
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 235/151.1,151 444/1 340/172.5 214/11,16R,16B 198/19 29/28C,430
• US Class Current: 700/102
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 41/06 Features relating to organisation of working of machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49829 Advancing work to successive stations [i.e., assembly line]

Abstract

A control system for a manufacturing line configured by a plurality of satellite functional processing stations, each capable of stand-alone operation. The stations are interconnected by a handler or conveyor which transports individual ones of the work-piece from one process sector to the next in response to the control system, so that the units will be sequenced through a prescribed sequence of sectors corresponding to the processing requirements for the work-pieces.

Claims

1. A manufacturing system for processing work-pieces comprising:

A. a plurality of processing work stations, having loading and unloading positions, each of said stations performing different processing operations on said work-pieces;

B. a conveyor means for transporting individual ones of said work-pieces between and at any selected ones of said stations;

C. means for transferring said individual ones of said workpieces between said conveyor means and said stations at their said loading and unloading positions; and

D. control means for said conveyor means and transfer means for routing said work-pieces individually between and at selected ones of prescribed sequence of processing operations, with said control means comprising E. first means for a. determining at successive ones of each of a prescribed sequence of said stations i. if the conveyor means is transporting a said work-piece ii. if the unloading position is occupied by a said work-piece iii. if the next succeeding station is operative and iv. if the loading position of the said next station is not occupied by a said work-piece, and b. generating a control signal representing i. the first positive said determination of all said conDitions at one of said sequence of stations and ii. a negative determination of at least one of said conditions at all of said stations in said sequence thereof, F. second means responsive to said control signal for a. maintaining iterative determination by said first means on a negative determination b. transferring a work-piece to said conveyor means from the station at which a first positive determination was made, c. dispatching said work-piece on said conveyor means to the loading position of the next station in said prescribed sequence thereof for transfer of the workpiece thereto, and d. return operation of said system to said first means for repeating its said determination thereat.

2. The manufacturing system of claim 1 wherein said work-pieces comprise semiconductor substrates.

3. The manufacturing system of claim 2 wherein said stations comprise means for performing semiconductor processing operations.

4. A manufacturing system for processing work-pieces comprising:

A. a plurality of processing stations having loading and unloading positions, each of said stations performing different processing operations on said work-pieces, B. a conveyor means for transporting individual ones of said work-pieces individually between and at selected ones of said work stations;

C. means for transferring individual ones of said work-pieces between said conveyor means and said stations at their said loading and unloading positions;

D. controls means for said conveyor means and transfer means for routing individual one of said work-pieces between and through a prescribed sequence of selected ones of said stations for a corresponding sequence of processing operations therein including routing of said work-pieces at least twice to a selected one of said stations with said control means comprising E. means for storing in said selected one station the location of the next of said stations to be employed in said prescribed sequence of stations F. first means for a. determining if said conveyor means is carrying a said work-piece, and b. generating a first control signal if said determination is negative, and c. iterating said determination of said first means if said determination is positive;

G. second means responsive to said first control signal for determining if the unloading position of said selected one station is occupied by a said work-piece, and generating a second control signal representing a positive determination or a negative determination;

H. third means responsive to said second control signal representing a positive determination for a. dispatching said conveyor means to said selected one station, transfer of said work-pieces therefrom to said conveyor means and dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-piece at the next stations specified by the associated address in said storage means of said selected one station, b. and return operation of said system to said first means for repeating its said determination thereat;

I. fourth means responsive to a negative determination of said second control signal for determining if the load position of said selected one station is occupied by a said work-piece and a. generating a third control signal representing the absence of a work-piece at the load position of said selective one station, and b. returning operation of said system to said first means if said determination of said fourth means is positive;

J. fifth means responsive to said third control signal for a. determining at successive ones of each of the remainder of said stations in said prescribed sequence i. if the unloading position is occupied by a said work-piece ii. if the next succeeding station in said prescribed sequence is operative iii. if the loading position of the said next succeeding station is not occupied by a said work-piece and iv. if the said selective one statIon does not contain a work-piece to be transferred to said next succeeding station, and b. generating a fourth control signal representing a first positive determination i. if all said conditions are positive and ii. if said selected one station is not the next succeeding work-station in said prescribed sequence and K. sixth means responsive to said fourth control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to the unload position of the station first supporting generation of said fourth control signal representing a first positive determination and transferring a work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means, and b. dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-piece to the next of said remainder of station of said prescribed sequence in response to said fourth control signal representing said first positive determination, and c. dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-piece to said selected one station, in response to said fourth control signal representing said second positive determination, and storing in the storage means thereof the address of the next succeeding station of said prescribed sequence, and d. returning operation of said system on completion of the transfer of said work-piece to said first means for its said determination thereat.

5. The manufacturing system of claim 4 wherein said work-pieces are semiconductor substrates.

6. The manufacturing system of claim 5, wherein said stations include means for performing semiconductor processing operations.

7. The manufacturing system processing work-pieces comprising:

A. a plurality of processing stations having loading and unloading positions, each of said stations performing different operations on said work-pieces, with at least one of said stations replicated at least twice an having substantially similar processing operations to which individual ones of said work-pieces can be transferred from the remainder of said stations in accordance with a prescribed sequence of said stations;

B. a conveyor means for transporting single ones of said work-pieces individually between and at any selected one of said stations;

C. means for transferring said individual ones of said work-pieces between said conveyor means and said stations at their said loading and unloading positions; and

D. control means for said conveyor means and transfer means for routing individual ones of said work-pieces between and at selected ones of said prescribed sequence of selected ones of stations for a corresponding sequence of processing operations, with said control means comprising E. means for said replicated stations for storing the locations of the next of said stations to be employed in said prescribed sequence, F. first means for a. determining if said conveyor means is carrying a said work-piece b. generating a first control signal if said determination is negative and c. iterating said determination of said first means if said determination is positive G. second means responsive to said first control signal for determining if the unloading positions of said replicated stations are occupied by a said work-piece, and generating a second control signal representing either a positive or a negative determination H. third means responsive to a positive determination of said second control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to the unload position of said replicated stations found occupied by a said work-piece, transfer of said work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means and dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said workpieces to the next of said remainder of stations specified by the associated address in the storage means of said replicated stations, b. returning operation on completion of said work-pieces transfer to said first means for repeating its said determination thereat;

I. fourth means responsive to a negative determinatiOn of said second control signal for a. determining if the load positions of said replicated stations are occupied by a said work-piece and b. generating a third control signal representing the absence of a work-piece at a load position of one of said replicated stations and c. returning operation of said system to said first means if said determination of said fourth means is positive representing that all load positions of said replicated stations are occupied by a said work-piece;

J. fifth means responsive to said third control signal for a. determining at successive ones of said remainder of stations in the said prescribed sequence i. if the unloading position is occupied by a said work-piece ii. if the next succeeding one of said next succeeding station is not occupied by a said work-piece and iii. if said replicated stations do not contain a said work-piece to be transferred to the said next succeeding station, b. generating a fourth control signal if all said conditions are positive, and c. returning control of said system to said first means on a negative determination of at least one of said conditions at each of said remainder of stations K. sixth means responsive to said fourth control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to the unload position of the one of said remainder of stations first found supporting generation of said fourth control signal, and b. transferring a work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means c. dispatching said conveyor means to deliver said work-piece to a loading position of said replicated stations unoccupied by a said work-piece, d. storing in the storage means of said replicated stations the address of the next succeeding one of said stations in said prescribed sequence, and e. returning operation of said system, on completion on of the transfer of said work-piece, to said first means for its said determination therein.

8. The manufacturing system of claim 7 wherein said work-pieces comprise semiconductor substrates.

9. The manufacturing system of claim 8 wherein said stations include means for performing semiconductor processing operations.

10. The manufacturing system of claim 9 wherein said replicated stations comprise means for exposing a layer of photoresist in a predetermined pattern specified by said prescribed sequence of processing operations.

11. The manufacturing system for processing work-pieces comprising:

A. conveyor means for transporting individual ones of said work-pieces between and at any selected one of a plurality of locations along the path thereof B. a plurality of processing stations at respective ones of said locations for performing processing operations on said work-pieces and having loading and unloading stations for corresponding feeding and discharging the individual ones of said work-pieces with at least three required sequential ones of said stations having the first and third stations disposed adjacent one end of said conveyor paths and the second station of said sequence disposed adjacent the other end of said conveyor path C. means for transferring said individual ones of said work-pieces between said conveyor means and said stations at their said loading and unloading means D. control means for said conveyor means and transfer means for routing individual ones of said work-pieces between and at selected ones of a prescribed sequence of selected ones of said stations for a corresponding sequence of processing operations therein, said control means comprising E. first means for a. determining at successive ones of each of said prescribed sequence of stations if i. the conveyor means is transporting a said work-piece ii. the unloading position is occupied by a said work-piece iii. if the next succeeding station of said prescribed sequence is operative and iv. if the loading position of said next succeeding station is not occupied by a said work-piece and b. generating a control signal representing i. the first positive said determination of all said conditions at one of said stations of said prescribed sequence and ii. a negative determination of at least one of said conditions at all said work stations of said prescribed sequence, F. second means responsive to said control signal for a. maintaining iterative determination by said first means on a negative determination, b. transferring a work-piece to said conveyor means from the stations at which a first positive determination was made c. dispatching said conveyor means to the loading position of the next station in said prescribed sequence of stations for transfer of a transported work-piece thereto and d. return operation of said system to said first means for repeating its said determination therein.

12. The manufacturing system of claim 11 wherein said work-pieces comprise semiconductor substrates.

13. The manufacturing system of claim 12 wherein said stations include means for performing semiconductor processing operations.

14. A manufacturing system for processing work-pieces comprising:

A. conveyor means for transporting individual ones of said work-pieces between and at any selected one of a plurality of locations along the path thereof B. a plurality of processing stations at respective ones of said location for performing processing operations on said work-pieces, and having loading and unloading means for corresponding feeding and discharge of single ones of said work-pieces with at least three required sequential ones of said stations having the first and third stations disposed adjacent one end of said conveyor path and the second station of said sequence disposed adjacent the other end of said conveyor path C. means for transferring said individual ones of said work-pieces between said conveyor means and said stations at their said loading and unloading means; and

D. control means for routing individual ones of said work-pieces at least twice to a selected one of said stations, said control means comprising E. means for storing the location of the next of said stations following said selected one station to be employed in said prescribed sequence, F. first means for a. determining if said conveyor means is carrying a said work-piece b. generating a first control signal if said determination is negative and c. iterating said determination of said first means if said determination is positive G. second means responsive to said first control signal for determining if the unloading means of said selected one station is occupied by a said work-piece and generating a second control signal representing either a positive determination or a negative determination H. third means responsive to a positive determination of said second control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to said selected one station, transfer of said work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means and dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-pieces at the loading means at the next station specified by the associated address in the storage means of said selected one station and b. returning operation of said system to said first means for repeating its said determination thereat;

I. fourth means responsive to a negative determination of said second control signal for a. determining if the load means of said selected one station is occupied by a said work-piece and b. generating a third control signal representing the absence of a work-piece at the load means of said selected one station and c. returning operations of said system to said first means if said determination of said fourth means is positive J. fifth means responsive to said third control signal for a. the determining at successive ones of each of the remainder of said stations in the said prescribed sequence I. if the loading means is occupied by a said work-piece ii. if the next succeeding, of said prescribed sequence, station is operative iii. if the loading means of said next succeeding station is not occupied by a said work-piece and iv. if the said selected one station does not contain a work-piece to be transferred to said next succeeding work station, and b. generating a fourth control signal representing a first positive determination i. if all said conditions are positive and ii. said selected one station is not the next succeeding station in said prescribed sequence, and representing a second positive determination i. if the first three of said conditions are positive and ii. said selected one station is the next succeeding station in said prescribed sequence and c. returning control of said system to said first means in the absence of said fourth control signal K. sixth means responsive to said fourth control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to the unload means of the station first supporting generation of said fourth control signal, representing said firm positive determination and transferring a work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means and dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-piece to the load means of the next of the said remainder of stations in said prescribed sequence, in response to said fourth control signal representing said first positive determination, and b. dispatching said conveyor for delivery of said work-piece to the load means of said selected one station in response to said fourth control single representing said second positive determination and storing in the storage means thereof the address of the next succeeding station in said prescribed sequence and c. returning operation of said system, on completion of the transfer of said workpiece to said first means for its said determination thereat.

15. The manufacturing system of claim 14 wherein said work-pieces comprises a semiconductor substrate.

16. The manufacturing system of claim 15 wherein said stations include means for performing semiconductor processing operations.

17. A manufacturing system for processing work-pieces comprising A. a conveyor means for transporting individual ones of said work-pieces between and at any selected one of a plurality of locations along the path thereof;

B. a plurality of processing stations at respective ones of said locations for performing processing operations on said work-pieces and having loading and unloading means for corresponding feeding and discharging of individual ones of said workpieces, with at least three required sequential ones of said stations having the first and third stations disposed adjacent one end of said conveyor path, and with at least one of said work stations replicated at least twice to have substantially similar processing operations to which said work-piece can be transferred from the remainder of said work stations in accordance with a prescribed sequence thereof C. means for transferring said individual ones of said work stations at their said loading and unloading stations and D. control means for said conveyor and transfer means for routing individual ones of said workpieces between prescribed sequence of said stations for a corresponding sequence of processing operations therein, with said control means comprising E. storage means for said replicated work stations for storing the location of the next said station to be employed subsequent thereto in said prescribed sequence, F. first means for a. determining if said conveyor means is carrying a said work-piece b. generating a first control signal if said determination is negative and c. iterating said determination of said first means if said determination is positive G. second means responsive to first control signal for determining if the unloading means of said replicated statioN is occupied by a said workpiece, and generating a second control signal representing either a positive or a negative determination H. third means responsive to a positive determination of said control signal a. dispatching said conveyor to the unload of said replicated stations found occupied by a said work-piece, transfer of said work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means and dispatching said conveyor means for delivery of said work-piece to the next of said remainder of said stations specified by the associated address in the storage means of said replicated stations and b. on completion of said work-piece transfer, returning operation of said system to said first means for repeating its said determination therein I. fourth means response to a negative determination of said second control signal for a. determining if the load means of said replicated stations are occupied by a said work-piece b. generating a third control signal representing the absence of a work-piece at a load means of one of said replicated stations, and c. returning operation of said system to said first means if said determination of said fourth means is positive representing that all load means of said replicated stations are occupied by a said work-piece J. fifth means responsive to said third control signal for a. determining at successive ones of said remainder of station in the said prescribed sequence i. if the unloading means is occupied by said work-piece ii. if the next succeeding one of said remainder of work station in said prescribed sequence, is operative iii. if the loading means of the said next succeeding station is not occupied by a said work-piece and iv. if said replicated stations do not contain a said work-piece to be transferred to the said next succeeding one station and b. generating a fourth control signal if all said conditions are positive and c. returning control of said system to said first means on a negative determination of at least one of said conditions at each of said remainder of stations;

K. sixth means responsive to said fourth control signal for a. dispatching said conveyor means to the unload means of one of said remainder of work stations first found supporting generation of said fourth control signal b. transferring a work-piece therefrom to said conveyor means, c. dispatching said conveyor means to deliver said work-piece to unload means of said replicated stations unoccupied by a said work-piece, d. storing in the storage means thereof the address of the next succeeding one of the said stations in said prescribed sequence thereof, and e. returning operation of said system, upon completion of the transfer of said work-piece to said first means for its said determination thereat.

18. The manufacturing system of claim 17 wherein said work-pieces comprise semiconductor substrates.

19. The manufacturing system of claim 18 wherein said stations include means for performing semiconductor processing operations on said substrates.