Transport management system and method thereof

• US 7,151,980 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: You, James, Sun, King-Chuan, Jang, Shen-Jr
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/811,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700/214, 700/215, 700/225, 700/228, 700/112
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for carrier transport traffic management. A host computer connects to a fabrication tool, configured to acquire an available number of a resource type for the fabrication tool upon detecting a fabrication tool loadport of the fabrication tool is available. A material transport system connects to the host computer, receives the available number of a resource type for the fabrication tool, acquires a carrier identity corresponding to a carrier, acquires a required number of the resource type corresponding to the carrier, and issues a load command to an automated material handling system (AMHS) to transport the carrier to the fabrication tool if the available number of the resource type exceeds or equals to the required number of the resource type.

Claims

1. A system of carrier transport traffic management, comprising:

a fabrication tool;

a host computer, connected to the fabrication tool, configured to acquire an available capacity of control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections for the fabrication tool upon detecting a loadport of the fabrication tool is available; and

a material transport system, connected to the host computer, configured to receive the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to the fabrication tool, acquire a carrier identity corresponding to a carrier, acquire a required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to the carrier, and issue a load command to the transport system to transport the carrier to the fabrication tool if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections exceeds or equals to the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the material transport system further sends an advisory to an operator if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections is less than the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the fabrication tool provides a plurality of services compliant to a 300 mm semiconductor equipment and material international (SEMI) standard.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the carrier identity is acquired from an operator.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the available capacity of control jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each control job manages process job sequence of a number of the process jobs.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the available capacity of process jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each process job is provided for association with at least one wafer lot and to specify a particular recipe.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the internal buffer sections respectively correspond to one of three categories, production, side dummy and fill dummy, the available capacity of internal buffer sections with the corresponding categories are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and the internal buffer sections will intake, process and store the carrier.

8. A method of carrier transport traffic management, the method comprising using a computer to perform the steps of:

receiving an available capacity of control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to a fabrication tool from a host computer;

acquiring a carrier identity corresponding to a carrier;

acquiring a required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to the carrier identity; and

issuing a load command to a transport system to transport the carrier to the fabrication tool if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections exceeds or equals to the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising a step of sending an advisory to an operator if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections is less than the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the fabrication tool provides a plurality of services compliant to a 300 mm semiconductor equipment and material international (SEMI) standard.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the carrier identity is acquired from an operator.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the available capacity of control jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each control job manages process job sequence of a number of the process jobs.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the available capacity of process jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each process job is provided for association with at least one wafer lot and to specify a particular recipe.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the internal buffer sections respectively correspond to one of three categories, production, side dummy and fill dummy, the available capacity of internal buffer sections with the corresponding categories are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and the internal buffer sections will intake, process and store the carrier.

15. A machine-readable storage medium for storing a computer program which when executed performs a method of carrier transport traffic management, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an available capacity of control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to a fabrication tool from a host computer;

acquiring a carrier identity corresponding to a carrier;

acquiring a required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections corresponding to the carrier identity; and

issuing a load command to a transport system to transport the carrier to the fabrication tool if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections exceeds or equals to the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method farther comprises a step of sending an advisory to an operator if the available capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections is less than the required capacity of the control jobs, process jobs or internal buffer sections.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the carrier identity is acquired from an operator.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the available capacity of control jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each control job manages process job sequence of a number of the process jobs.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the available capacity of process jobs are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and each process job is provided for association with at least one wafer lot and to specify a particular recipe.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the internal buffer sections respectively correspond to one of three categories, production, side dummy and fill dummy, the available capacity of internal buffer sections with the corresponding categories are acquired by executing a software service resident in the fabrication tool, and the internal buffer sections will intake, process and store the carrier.