Manufacturing product carrier environment and event monitoring system

• US 6,993,405 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cummings, Scott A., Bostwick, James A., Beaulieu, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US10/605,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/96, 700/104, 700/108, 700/112, 700/115, 700/113, 700/117, 700/213, 700/214, 700/217, 700/218, 700/219, 700/228, 198/300, 198/301
• US Class Current: 700/116
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67393 characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrierl

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for monitoring the environment surrounding a product in a product carrier and events affecting the product carrier and product in the product carrier during manufacture of the product. The apparatus including: a product carrier adapted to transport product undergoing manufacture; and a first device adapted to sense an attribute of an environment within the product carrier or an event affecting the product carrier.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a product carrier adapted to transport product undergoing manufacture; and

a first device adapted to sense an attribute of an environment within said product carrier; and

a second device adapted to encode data relating to said attribute and to actively and wirelessly transmit said data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device includes a radio transmitter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first device and said second device are contained within said product carrier.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first device and said second device are integral with each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said product carrier is adapted to be scaled against the surrounding atmosphere of a manufacturing facility that said product is being manufactured in.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device is programmable with a unique product carrier identity and is adapted to transmit said product carrier identity with said data relating to said attribute.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including additional devices, each additional device adapted to sense one or more additional attributes of the environment within said product carrier.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said second device is adapted to encode data relating to said attributes sensed by said additional devices and actively and wirelessly transmit said data related to said additional attributes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attribute of said environment within said product carrier is selected from the group of attributes consisting of temperature, pressure, humidity, particulate count and the presence of fluoride, a gas or vapor within said product carrier.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said gas or vapor is selected from the group consisting of oxygen, hydrogen, chlorine, other elemental gases, ammonia, water, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxides, silanes, alcohols, ketones, esters, amines, solvents, chlorinated solvents and fluoridated solvents.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said product within said product carrier is selected from the group consisting of a semiconductor substrate, a wafer, a photolithography mask, a photolithography reticule, a semiconductor module, a semiconductor package, a circuit board, a magnetic disk, a magnetic hard drive disk, a magnetic floppy disk, a laser disk, a compact disk, a digital video disk, an optical disk, a lens and a mirror.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device comprises a radio transceiver.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a wireless receiving station for receiving said data from said second device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said wireless receiving station is a radio receiver.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device is adapted to transmit a date/time stamp with said data relating to said attribute.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device is adapted to receive programming signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second device is adapted to receive control signals.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said control signals are selected from the group consisting of on, off, reset, test and poll instructions.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a third device connected to said first and second devices, said third device including physical contacts to temporarily connect an external device to said first and second devices.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or both of said first and said second devices are self-powered.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a product carrier adapted to transport product undergoing manufacture; and

a first device adapted to sense an event affecting said product within said product carrier; and

a second device adapted to encode data relating to said event and to actively and wirelessly transmit said data.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said event occurring to said product while within said product carrier comprises an electromagnetic, electrostatic or magnetic event.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said electromagnetic, electrostatic or magnetic event includes the intrusion of visible light, ultra-violet light, infrared light, microwaves, into said product carrier and static electric charge build within said product carrier.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said event occurring to said product while within said product carrier is selected from the group consisting of vibration, acceleration and shock up.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said event excludes logistic and production control events.