Overall equipment effectiveness on-line categories system and method

• US 6,256,550 B1
• Filed: 08/07/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Hui-Ping, Hsieh, Ming-Hsiu, Chen, Pai-Lan, Wu, Wen Feng, Chen, Ching-Ren
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/131,119
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/95, 700/96, 700/83, 700/100, 700/108, 700/111, 700/213, 705/7, 705/9
• US Class Current: 700/121
• 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: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• 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

A manufacturing control and reporting method/system for manufacture of semiconductor devices comprises a system for loading a mechanical article handling device in a semiconductor manufacturing system, provides an automatic check-in and changing equipment status to an UP status, automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty, and for automatically changing the system status to an IDLE status. The system provides automatic check-in, and subsequent to processing of the workload by the plant provides track-out followed by automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty. Then the system checking whether a TE has arrived, and the system checks whether the TE has reloaded the article handling system.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising a manufacturing control and reporting system for manufacturing of semiconductor devices comprising:

a system for loading a mechanical article handling device in the semiconductor manufacturing system,

means for providing an automatic check-in and means for changing equipment status to an UP status,

means for automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty,

means for automatically changing the system status to an IDLE status,

said apparatus providing automatic check-in, and

said apparatus providing track-out subsequent to processing of the workload by a plant followed by automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty,

then said system checking whether a TE has arrived, and

said system checking whether the TE has reloaded the article handling system.

2. Apparatus comprising a manufacturing control and reporting system for manufacturing of semiconductor devices comprising:

loading a mechanical article handling device in a semiconductor manufacturing system,

then providing an automatic check-in and changing equipment status to an UP status,

then automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty, and

then automatically changing the system status to an IDLE status,

said apparatus provides automatic check-in,

providing track-out subsequent to processing of the workload by a plant followed by automatically checking whether the article handling system is empty,

then checking whether a TE has arrived, and

then checking whether the TE has reloaded the article handling system.