Substrate processing system managing apparatus information of substrate processing apparatus

• US 7,460,923 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kamei, Kenji, Hamada, Tetsuya, Inoue, Hidekazu, Kitamoto, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORTIZ RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS R
• Application Number:
  US11/368,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/110, 700/86, 700/95, 700/96, 700/117, 717/120, 717/121, 717/126, 717168-178, 717/122, 382/141, 382/145, 438/106, 710/105, 713/2
• 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 comprising:

a) a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses, each of said plurality of substrate processing apparatuses comprising;

a-1) a processing unit configured to perform prescribed processing on a substrate,

a-2) a system control part configured to control the substrate processing apparatus,

a-3) a unit control part configured to control said processing unit,

a-4) a version information transmission part configured to transmit version information of software modules presently installed in said system control part and said unit control part respectively when a software module is installed in said system control part and/or said unit control part;

b) a support computer for analyzing failure of said plurality of substrate processing apparatuses; and

c) an information storage server comprising;

c-1) a version information registration part configured to register in a first storage part the version information of software modules transmitted from the version information transmission part of each of said plurality of substrate processing apparatuses,

c-2) a version information uncasing part configured to uncase the version information of the software modules registered in said first storage part to be readable via a network by said support computer,

c-3) a matching property confirmation part configured to confirm mutual matching properties of the software modules installed in said system control part and said unit control part of each of said plurality of substrate processing apparatuses by referring to the version information of the software modules registered in said first storage part,

wherein, said plurality of substrate processing apparatuses, said information storage server, and said support computer are connected through the network.

2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said information storage server further comprises:

c-4) a mailing part configured to submit e-mail posting registration of a new version to said support computer when the version information is registered in said first storage part.

3. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein

a matching property confirmation table registering version information of software modules mutually having matching properties is stored in said first storage part of said information storage server,

said matching property confirmation part determines matching when said matching property confirmation table registers all version information of said software modules installed in said system control part and said unit control part of each substrate processing apparatus registered in said first storage part respectively, while otherwise determining mismatching.

4. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said support computer comprises:

b-1) a second storage part configured to store a matching property confirmation table registering version information of software modules mutually having matching properties,

said matching property confirmation part configured to determine matching when said matching property confirmation table stored in said second storage part registers all version information of said software modules installed in said system control part and said unit control part of each substrate processing apparatus registered in said first storage part respectively, while otherwise determining mismatching.

5. The substrate processing system according to claim 2, wherein said mailing part is configured to submit an e-mail posting mismatching to said support computer when said matching property confirmation part determines mismatching.