E-manufacturing in semiconductor and microelectronics processes

• US 7,242,995 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Donald A., Stryczek, Karel, Morgenson, James E., Wood, Michael V., Bush, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard; Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masinick; Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US10/972,643
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97, 700/103, 700/104, 700/109
• US Class Current: 700/103
• 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: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32035 Compose, configure article and order
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Architecture that facilitates management of a semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process. A manufacturing component in communication with the semiconductor and/or microelectronics process operates according to process conditions to output a product, which manufacturing component at least one of monitors and controls the process using modularized code. A rules engine component processes one or more rules in association with the modularized code to control the process conditions in realtime by balancing process efficiency criteria to arrive at an optimal result.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates management of a semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process, comprising:

a manufacturing component in communication with the semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process which operates according to conditions of the process, which manufacturing component at least one of monitors and controls the process using modularized code;

a standards-based model employed to modularize control code into testable blocks such that higher order modules are built from tested, approved modules; and

a rules engine component that processes one or more rules in association with the modularized code to affect conditions of the process in realtime.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the modularized code is developed according to an ISA S88.01 standard.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing component includes a process control component that interfaces to the process and associated equipment for control thereof according to conditions of the process.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing component includes a data acquisition component that interfaces to the process and associated equipment for the measurement of data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules engine processes a prompt received from the manufacturing component in accordance with the one or more rules.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules engine processes the one or more rules to prioritize resource utilization as requested by the manufacturing component.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface that presents rules data that is representative of the one or more rules, and recipe information that is being processed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein when a rule has completed processing, the user interface removes the associated rules data from being viewed.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a library of at least one of code modules and device information that is accessed to upload selected ones of the code modules into a device according to at least the device information.

10. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the components of claim 1.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence component that employs a probabilistic and/or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules and the modularized code are processed together to optimize process flow through a piece of equipment associated with the process.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more rules and the modularized code are processed together to optimize process flow through groups of equipment associated with the process.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules engine facilitates final product quality based upon compensation of variations of intermediate product quality.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules engine processes a fuzzy rule set to effect process efficiency.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the rules engine processes the one or more rules to balance process efficiency criteria and arrive at an optimal result.

17. A system that facilitates management of a manufacturing process, comprising:

a manufacturing component in communication with a semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process which operates according to conditions of the process to output a product, which manufacturing component at least one of monitors and controls the process using modularized code;

a standards-based model employed to modularize control code into testable blocks such that higher order modules are built upon tested and approved modules; and

a rules engine component that processes one or more rules in association with the modularized code to control conditions of the process in realtime by balancing process efficiency criteria to arrive at an optimal result.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the manufacturing component includes a process control component that interfaces to the process and associated equipment for control thereof according to conditions of the process, and a data acquisition component that interfaces to the process and associated equipment for the measurement of data.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the rules engine utilizes a measure data to change conditions of the process.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the rules engine processes the one or more rules to prioritize resource utilization as requested by the manufacturing component.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising a user interface that presents rules data that is representative of the one or more rules being processed in realtime, and recipe information that is being processed by a batch engine.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more rules includes a fuzzy rule set which is processed with the modularized code to optimize process efficiency in the semiconductor and/or microelectronics process.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the rules engine facilitates outputting the product having a product quality that is based upon compensation of variations of intermediate product quality.

24. A method of managing a semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process, comprising:

managing the semiconductor and/or microelectronics manufacturing process in accordance with modularized code that operates on conditions of the process;

modularizing the code utilizing a standards-based model such that higher order modules are developed from tested and approved modules;

and

processing a rule set in cooperation with execution of the modularized code to control conditions of the process in realtime and output a product.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising processing a prompt in accordance with the rule set, which prompt is received from a batch engine.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising acquiring data associated with the process that is used to control conditions of the process in realtime.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising prioritizing resource utilization according to the rule set.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising presenting at least one of rules processing information and recipe information via a graphical user interface.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising controlling process efficiency of the process by optimizing process flow associated with groups of control devices and equipment by assembling the modularized code into efficient sequences of code modules.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising controlling process efficiency by processing the rule set with measure process data to change conditions of the process in realtime.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising balancing process efficiency criteria using the rule set to output an optimal result that changes conditions of the process.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising outputting the product based on an act of compensating for variations of an intermediate product.

33. The method of claim 24, further comprising optimizing the process by providing realtime streaming data that facilitates run-to-run comparison of process data.

34. The method of claim 24, further comprising at least one of the acts of:

applying statistical process control to the process;

applying an adaptive control technique;

enabling an e-diagnostic technique with security; and

providing genealogy for the product.