Universal track interface

• US 6,363,292 B1
• Filed: 04/14/1998
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mykrolis Corporation (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: McLoughlin, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jarrett, Ryan A.
• Application Number:
  US09/060,454
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/123, 700/25, 710/8, 118/695
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21087 Define sensor type, resistance, thermocouple, thermistor, voltage, current
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21092 At start up, autoconfigure module for proper I-O execution, bootstrap
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23193 Memory stores lifetime, different settings, configurations of controlled device

Abstract

A universal track interface stores a plurality of pre-defined track types for automatically configuring the interface according to the required timing, electrical and hardware configuration for a plurality of different tracks used in semiconductor processing operations. To interface a pump to a track, a predefined track type, comprising interface parameters stored in a track table, is accessed by a microprocessor and used to generate control signals for configuring the interface. An operator input device allows custom interfaces to be defined and stored in the table for use as needed to interface either to non-standard tracks or to vary this track interface according to processing requirements.

Claims

1. Apparatus for interfacing a track and a pump in a semiconductor manufacturing process comprising a memory for storing a plurality of track types, each type defining parameters for interfacing to a predetermined track;

means for selecting from said memory a track type;

interfacing hardware for interfacing the track and the pump; and

control means responsive to the selected track type for automatically configuring interface hardware in accordance with the parameters of the selected track type to interface the pump and the track.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said interface hardware comprises electrical circuits having first and second portions, the first and second portions being electrically isolated from one another.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said electrical circuits comprise an optical coupling between said first and second portions for isolating said first and second portions.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said optical coupling comprises light-emitting diodes and phototransistors, a phototransistor being rendered conductive by light from a corresponding light-emitting diode.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein there are a plurality of signal lines between the pump and the track, each signal line having separate interface hardware, and wherein the control means configures the interface hardware for the signal lines in accordance with the track type parameters.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the signal lines comprise trigger lines from the track to the pump for initiating pump operations, and acknowledgment lines from the pump to the track to indicate pump status.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control means comprises means for configuring the interface hardware in response to track type parameters such that the hardware is one of a sink to receive current from the track or a source to supply current to the track.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the configuring means configures the electrical circuits of the first portion of the interface hardware as an open collector when configured as a sink and as an emitter follower when configured as a source.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the configuring means further includes means for configuring the electrical circuits of the interface hardware in accordance with the track type parameters to have an active state which is either high or low as defined by the parameters.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a microprocessor, and said memory for storing a plurality of track types comprises a non-volatile memory for storing said track types, each track type having a designator, and the means for selecting a track type comprises means for inputting to the microprocessor the designator corresponding to the selected track type.

11. Apparatus for interfacing a device to a track in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the device and the track having a plurality of corresponding input and output lines for control and status signals, the apparatus comprising an electrical circuit having a first portion interfaced to the track and having a second portion interfaced to the device:

first means responsive to configuration signals defining a track interface for configuring the first portion as one of a sink for receiving current from the track or a source for supplying current to the track; and

second means responsive to the configuration signals for configuring the first portion so that the active state of said control signals is either high or low according to the definition of the track interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first and second portions are electrically isolated and optically coupled.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an opto-coupler comprising light-emitting diodes and corresponding phototransistors for optically coupling the track to said device, the electrical circuit comprising means for driving current through selected light-emitting diodes to place the corresponding phototransistors in a conductive state.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a memory for storing track types comprising parameters defining the characteristics of the control signals to the track, and wherein the first and second configuring means comprises a controller for generating said configuration signals in response to the track type.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor for generating configuration signals and for adjusting the timing of said configuration signals according to said track type.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said device comprises a pump controlled by said microprocessor, and said configuration signals comprise a trigger signal from the track to initiate a dispense from the pump, and acknowledgment signals from the pump to the track to indicate to the track pump status.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said pump supplies liquid to the track via a dispense line having valve means for preventing the flow of liquid through the line, and wherein the microprocessor issues control signals to the valve means at the conclusion of a dispense operation to prevent the flow of liquid through the line.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the microprocessor further includes means for reversing the pump at the conclusion of a dispense operation in order to suckback liquid into the dispense line.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the microprocessor generates an acknowledgment signal upon the conclusion of a dispense operation which is used by the track to control semiconductor processing.

20. Apparatus for interfacing a pump and a track in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising a controller for controlling the pump operation;

an interface for interfacing a controller to the track, the interface receiving a plurality of trigger signals from the track and conveying the trigger signals to the controller, and for receiving a plurality of acknowledgment signals from the pump and for conveying the acknowledgment signals to the track;

the controller having means for configuring the interface as one of a sink for receiving current from the track or a source for supplying current to the track in accordance with a set of parameters for defining the track type, and the controller having means for establishing the active state of trigger and acknowledgment signals between the interface and the track as having a high or a low level in accordance with said track type.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said interface comprises opto-couplers for electrically isolating the controller from the track, the acknowledgment and trigger signals activating optical elements within the opto-coupler and for communicating with corresponding optical elements on the controller side.