Secure remote diagnostic customer support network

• US 8,510,476 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eastvold, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US10/074,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,200 Days
• Field of Search: 714/24, 714/47, 714/48, 702/188, 399 8- 11, 399/38, 399/75, 399/76, 399/91, 358/1.15, 358/504, 710/15, 710/19, 700/17, 700 19- 21, 700/121, 700/108, 438/4, 438/5, 438/14, 438/17, 438/18, 438/21, 438/22, 607/6, 607/17, 600/300, 600/547, 600/549
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for accessing data remotely from a network. In one embodiment, the system comprises a first network interface card permitting data transfer between a local network and an intermediate network; a second network interface card permitting data transfer between intermediate network and a remote network; and a module located within the intermediate network, through which all data transferring between the first network and the third network must pass. Information transmitted by the remote network may or may not be received and acted upon by the local network depending on a set of predetermined criteria applied by the intermediate network.

Claims

1. A system for accessing data remotely from a network, comprising:

a local network interface device permitting data transfer between a local network and an intermediate network, the local network including at least one semiconductor processing tool and semiconductor processing tool monitoring equipment where the at least one semiconductor processing tool is assigned an IP address identifying the at least one semiconductor processing tool within the local network;

a remote network interface device permitting data transfer between the intermediate network and a remote network; and

a module located within the intermediate network, through which data transferring between the local network and the remote network passes, the module being configured to monitor and analyze the at least one semiconductor processing tool and to receive and process a first data from the remote network and send a different data to the local network based on the first data received from the remote network and to transmit a second data from the intermediate network to the remote network where the second data is related to a predetermined condition of a predetermined semiconductor processing tool identified by the module on the local network through a respective IP address, wherein the remote network receives the second data from the module with an IP address identifying the predetermined semiconductor processing tool within the local network associated with the second data being hidden from the remote network, the module being configured to monitor the predetermined semiconductor processing tool independent of input from the remote network;

wherein the local network is configured to receive and display a suggestion, at the predetermined semiconductor processing tool, from a user on the remote network regarding the operation of the predetermined semiconductor processing tool being monitored on the local network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data transfer between each of the networks occurs via the Internet Protocol (IP), and wherein each network has its own unique IP address.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the module hides the IP addresses of the remote network and the local network from each other.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the module exchanges data with an equipment diagnostic monitor system located within the intermediate network, the equipment diagnostic monitoring system being configured to monitor a health of the equipment within the local network and wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system has the function of monitoring at least one activity of the at least one semiconductor processing tool residing within the local network.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system collects and analyzes data from tests performed on the at least one semiconductor processing tool.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate network is configured to accept or reject information transmitted by the remote network depending on a set of predetermined criteria applied by the intermediate network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein,

the intermediate network comprises an equipment diagnostic monitoring system configured to monitor and analyze the at least one semiconductor processing tool and having at least a monitoring module, an analysis module, an alerts module and an active transfer module;

and

the remote network comprises remote control equipment configured to allow a user remote access to the at least one semiconductor processing tool.

8. A system for accessing a local network from a remote network through an intermediate network, comprising:

a local network interface card permitting data transfer between the local network and the intermediate network, the local network having a plurality of semiconductor processing tools that are identified within the local network by respective IP addresses and semiconductor processing tool monitoring equipment located within the local network;

a remote network interface card permitting data transfer between the remote network and the intermediate network, the remote network having a plurality of users located within the remote network; and

a module located within the intermediate network, the module being configured to receive and process data from at least one of the plurality of users of the remote network and send a different data to at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools of the local network based on the data received from the remote network, the module being further configured to allow one of the plurality of users to select at least one equipment diagnostic monitor system from a plurality of equipment diagnostic monitoring systems; and

the plurality of equipment diagnostic monitor systems monitoring the health of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools within the local network independent of input from the remote network, and being located within the intermediate network, wherein the plurality of equipment diagnostic monitor systems monitor and analyze tests performed on the plurality of semiconductor processing tools residing within the local network;

the remote network, with an IP address identifying respective ones of the plurality of equipment within the local network being hidden from the remote network, and wherein the module is configured to convey both active requests and passive requests from a user on the remote network to at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools of the local network where the conveyance of the active and passive requests depends at least partly on a status of an operation of the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools at a time of the active or passive request.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data transfer between each of the networks occurs via the Internet Protocol (IP).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the module hides the IP addresses of the local network and the remote network from each other.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system collects and analyzes data from the at least one activity of the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the user on the remote network may request that tests be performed on the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools, and may upload data to the remote network, from at least one test performed on the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the data is selectively passed between the local network and the remote network depending on a set of predetermined criteria applied by the intermediate network.

14. A data system, comprising:

a local network interface device enabling data transfer between a local network and an intermediate network, the local network including a plurality of semiconductor processing tools that are identified within the local network by respective IP addresses and semiconductor processing tool monitoring equipment;

a remote network interface device enabling data transfer between a remote network and the intermediate network; and

a plurality of equipment diagnostic monitor systems for monitoring a health of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools within the local network independent of input from the remote network, the equipment diagnostic monitoring system being located within the intermediate network, wherein the plurality of equipment diagnostic monitor systems monitors and analyzes at least one activity of at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools in the local network;

wherein the intermediate network is configured to selectively receive and selectively process data from the remote network depending on a set of predetermined criteria applied by the intermediate network and send a different data to the local network based on the selectively processed data and to transmit a second data from the intermediate network to the remote network where the second data is related to a predetermined condition of predetermined semiconductor processing tools identified by the equipment diagnostic monitor system, wherein the intermediate network is configured to hide the respective IP addresses identifying the predetermined semiconductor processing tools on the local network such that the remote network receives the second data with the respective IP addresses identifying the predetermined semiconductor processing tools within the local network associated with the second data being hidden from the remote network.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a security module located within the intermediate network, through which data transferred between the local network and the remote network passes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein data transfer between each of the networks occurs via an Internet Protocol (IP).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the module hides an IP addresses of the local network and the remote network from each other.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system collects and analyzes data from tests performed on the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system is configured to execute or ignore a request by the user on the remote network based on the set of predetermined criteria, wherein the user requests that tests be performed on the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools, and that data from previous tests performed on the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools be uploaded.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the user on the remote network sends a suggestion regarding an operation of the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools being monitored to an entity managing the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools on the local network.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system sends an alert to a predetermined entity when an analysis of data received from the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools indicates that the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools is operating outside of a predetermined performance range.

22. The system of claim 14 further comprising a remote control proxy server in the intermediate network that is between the local network and the remote network that prevents direct IP routing of a device in the local network that is being accessed by the remote network.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools is coupled to the local network, the user being able to access the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools via the remote network.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system controls tests performed by software within the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools, saves data from the tests and sends out alerts to a remote user via the remote network when the at least one of the plurality of semiconductor processing tools is operating outside a predetermined performance range.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system effects access to the semiconductor tool by a remote user.

26. A data system for accessing remote equipment, comprising:

a first network interface device enabling data transfer between a local network and an intermediate network, the local network including at least one semiconductor processing tool that is identified within the local network by a respective IP address and semiconductor processing tool monitoring equipment;

a second network interface device enabling data transfer between a remote network and the intermediate network; and

an equipment diagnostic monitor system configured to allow a user of the remote network to remotely control a diagnostic test performed on predetermined semiconductor processing tools for monitoring a health of the predetermined semiconductor processing tools with the respective IP address identifying respective ones of the predetermined semiconductor processing tools in the local network being hidden from the user of the remote network, the predetermined semiconductor processing tools being located in the local network, the equipment diagnostic monitoring system being located within the intermediate network, the equipment diagnostic monitoring system having at least a monitoring module, an analysis module, an alerts module and an active transfer module;

wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system is configured to monitor at least one activity performed on the predetermined semiconductor processing tools in the local network independent of input from the remote network and the intermediate network is configured to receive and selectively process data from the remote network depending on a set of predetermined criteria applied by the intermediate network and send the processed data to the local network.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a security module located within the intermediate network, through which data transferred between the local network and the remote network passes.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein data transfer between each of the networks occurs via an Internet Protocol (IP).

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the security module hides an IP addresses of the local network and the remote network from each other.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system is configured to collect and analyze data from at least one test performed on the predetermined semiconductor processing tools.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system is configured to execute or ignore the request from the user on the remote network based on a set of predetermined criteria, wherein the user requests that tests be performed on the predetermined semiconductor processing tools, and that other data be uploaded from previous tests performed on the predetermined semiconductor processing tools.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the equipment diagnostic monitor system is configured to send an alert to a predetermined entity when the analysis of the data indicates that the predetermined semiconductor processing tools are operating outside of a predetermined performance range.

33. The system of claim 26, further comprising an interface proxy located in the intermediate network, the interface proxy being configured to permit data transfer between the equipment diagnostic system and the remote network.