Substrate processing system managing apparatus information of substrate processing apparatus

• US 7,047,100 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company Limited (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kamei, Kenji, Hamada, Tetsuya, Inoue, Hidekazu, Kitamoto, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US10/189,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700108-110, 702/81, 702/84, 702182-185, 702/187, 702/188, 705/1
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31337 Failure information database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31365 Send message to most appropriate operator as function of kind of error
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31402 Keep log book, for activities of a station, equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32207 Action upon failure value, send warning, caution message to terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A substrate processing system comprises a substrate processing apparatus, an information storage server and a support computer, which are connected to a network respectively. When the substrate processing apparatus causes a failure, an alarm processing part extracts a necessary relevant log file and stores the same in a hard disk of the information storage server. A failure information generation part generates failure information, which in turn is finally stored in the hard disk of the information storage servers as a failure information database. An apparatus information uncasing part renders the relevant log file and the failure information database readable from the support computer located in a remote place. Thus, the relevant log file and the failure information database can be immediately read. In other words, provided is a substrate processing system rendering operation information immediately readable from a remote place when the substrate processing apparatus causes a failure.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system having a substrate processing apparatus and a computer processing apparatus information of said substrate processing apparatus connected to each other through a network, comprising:

an operation information acquisition element acquiring time-series information as to operations of said substrate processing apparatus, said information comprising operation information;

an operation information storage element storing said operation information;

a warning element generating a warning signal when said substrate processing apparatus is indicative of a failure;

an extraction element extracting, when said warning signal is generated, failure-relevant operation information relevant to the cause of said warning signal being generated, said failure-relevant operation information being extracted from said operation information stored in said operation information acquisition element;

a storage element storing said extracted failure-relevant operation information; and

an apparatus information element converting said failure-relevant operation information stored in said storage element readable from said computer through said network.

2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said storage element stores a table associating said warning signal and said failure-relevant operation information with each other, and

said extraction element extracts said failure-relevant operation information with reference to said table.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a failure information generation element generating failure information as to said failure in association with said failure-relevant operation information corresponding to said warning signal when said warning signal is generated, wherein

said storage element further stores said failure information.

4. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a posting element posting the occurrence of said failure to said computer through said network when said warning signal is generated.

5. The substrate processing system according to claim 4, further comprising a countermeasure information acquisition element acquiring countermeasure information against said failure based on said failure-relevant operation information.

6. A substrate processing apparatus capable of making communication with an external computer through a network, comprising:

an operation information acquisition element acquiring time-series information as to operation of said substrate processing apparatus as operation information;

an operation information storage element storing acquired said operation information;

a warning element generating a warning signal when said substrate processing apparatus causes a failure;

an extraction element extracting, when said warning signal is generated, failure-relevant operation information relevant to the cause of generated said warning signal from said operation information stored in said operation information storage element;

a storage element storing extracted said failure-relevant operation information; and

an apparatus information converting element rendering said failure-relevant operation information stored in said storage element readable from said external computer through said network.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a storage element stores a table associating said warning signal and said failure-relevant operation information with each other, and

said extraction element extracts said failure-relevant operation information with reference to said table.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a failure information generation element generating failure information as to said failure in association with said failure-relevant operation information corresponding to said warning signal when said warning signal is generated, wherein

said storage element further stores said failure information.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a posting element posting the occurrence of said failure to said external computer through said network when said warning signal is generated.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a countermeasure information acquisition element acquiring countermeasure information against said failure based on said failure-relevant operation information.

11. A program for a computer included in a substrate processing apparatus, wherein execution of said program by said computer enables said substrate processing apparatus to operate as said substrate processing apparatus defined in claim 6.

12. A computer-readable recording medium on which a said program defined in claim 11 is recorded.

13. A method of managing a substrate processing apparatus from an external computer connected to said substrate processing apparatus through a network, said method comprising steps of:

acquiring time-series information as to operation of said substrate processing apparatus as operation information;

storing acquired said operation information;

generating a warning signal when said substrate processing apparatus causes a failure;

extracting, when said warning signal is generated, failure-relevant operation information relevant to the cause of generated said warning signal from said operation information;

storing extracted said failure-relevant operation information in said storage element; and

rendering said failure-relevant operation information stored in said storage element readable from an external computer through a network.