Systems and methods for managing material storage vessels having information storage elements

• US 9,031,683 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Inventors: Elfstrom, Scott, Hanson, Kathleen L., Haumersen, Steven E., Johnson, Thomas D., Nolet, Clari, Smeaton, William
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US12/307,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20100004772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,863 Days
• Field of Search: 700/103, 700/105, 700/108, 700/109, 700/121, 700/112, 700/113, 700/115, 700/116, 700/213, 700/222, 700/228, 702/81, 702/84, 707/E17.044, 414/935, 414/940
• US Class Current: 700/116
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1247 Means for detecting the presence or absence of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes

Abstract

Material management systems and methods include material storage vessels with information (e.g., electronic information) storage. Information may be communicated from a storage device to a process tool controller and employed to set or adjust a process tool operating parameter. Material information may be determined by remote analysis and subsequently communicated to an electronic information storage device of a vessel containing such material. Location and movement of material storage vessels within a customer facility may be automatically tracked, with further transfer of material-specific information. Product information may be associatively stored with material-specific information utilized in product manufacture.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating, from an information storage device attached to a material storage vessel adapted to contain a fluid, to a control device associated with a semiconductor manufacturing process tool, information indicative of any of;

(A) a fluid-specific utilization parameter, and (B) a process tool operating instruction, wherein the communicated information is configured to be used in one of setting and adjusting an operating parameter of the process tool in managing how the fluid is used;

employing the communicated information to set or adjust the operating parameter of the process tool to manage how the fluid is used in a fabrication process;

fabricating or processing a product article utilizing the process tool;

analyzing an attribute of the product article; and

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting the operating parameter of the process tool.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information storage device comprises an electronic information storage device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic information storage device comprises a dynamically updateable memory, the method further including recording information to the memory following shipment of the material storage vessel to an end user process facility having therein a process tool adapted to receive the fluid from the material storage vessel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing an analysis of a sample of the fluid to obtain information indicative of a batch-specific or vessel-specific fluid property; and

recording any of (i) the batch-specific or vessel-specific fluid property information and (ii) an identifier of a record indicative of said batch-specific or vessel-specific fluid property information, to the information storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the process tool is adapted to utilize the fluid in forming the product article.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the material storage vessel further comprises a physical adsorption medium for sorptively retaining the fluid for storage and subsequent dispensing of the fluid under desorption and dispensing conditions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring location of the material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in a fluid end use process facility.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, from an information storage device attached to a material storage vessel adapted to contain a fluid, information indicative of any of;

(A) a fluid-specific utilization parameter, (B) a fluid property, and (C) a process tool operating instruction, wherein the received information is configured to be used in one of setting and adjusting an operating parameter of a semiconductor manufacturing process tool in managing how the fluid is used;

employing the received information to set or adjust the operating parameter of the process tool to manage how the fluid is used in a fabrication process;

processing or fabricating an article of manufacture utilizing the process tool to yield a processed or fabricated article;

analyzing an attribute of the processed or fabricated article; and

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting the operating parameter of the process tool.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the material storage vessel further comprises a physical adsorption medium for sorptively retaining the fluid for storage and subsequent dispensing of the fluid under desorption and dispensing conditions.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising monitoring location of the material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in a fluid end use process facility.

11. A method employing a plurality of wireless information reading devices for managing a plurality of material storage vessels each having an attached information storage device comprising associated electronic information and adapted to contain a fluid, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the entrance of a first material storage vessel in a fluid ingress functional area of a fluid end use process facility;

automatically transferring to a data repository the information associated with the first material storage vessel and indicative of any of a batch-specific fluid property, a vessel-specific fluid property, a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition, a process tool operating instruction, and a fluid-specific utilization parameter, wherein the transferred information is configured to be used in one of setting and adjusting an operating parameter of a process tool in managing how the fluid is used;

fabricating or processing a product article utilizing the process tool;

analyzing an attribute of the product article; and

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting the operating parameter of the process tool.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data repository comprises at least one information storage device associated with the first material storage vessel.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the automatic transferring step comprises receiving an identifier from the first material storage vessel and interrogating a communication network with the identifier to obtain electronic information indicative of any of a batch-specific fluid property and a vessel-specific fluid property.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

automatically transferring to a controller associated with a process tool the information indicative of any of the batch-specific fluid property, the vessel-specific fluid property, and the fluid-specific utilization parameter; and

employing the communicated information to adjust the operating parameter of the process tool.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the material storage vessel further comprises a physical adsorption medium for sorptively retaining the fluid for storage and subsequent dispensing of the fluid under desorption and dispensing conditions.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising monitoring location of the material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in a fluid end use process facility.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising monitoring movement of the first material storage vessel among the plurality of functional areas in the fluid end use process facility indicated by a change in the location of the first material storage vessel among the plurality of functional areas in the fluid end use process facility.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising automatically transferring to the data repository information indicative of any of the location of the first material storage vessel and the movement of the first material storage vessel.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, from an information storage device attached to a material storage vessel adapted to contain a fluid, to a control device associated with a process tool, information indicative of any of;

(a) identity of said fluid, (b) composition of said fluid, (c) source of said fluid, (d) quantity of said fluid, (e) batch of said fluid, (f) a batch-specific property of said fluid, (g) a vessel-specific property of said fluid, (h) a vessel-specific current environmental condition, (i) a vessel-specific historical environmental condition, (j) a fluid-specific process tool utilization parameter, and (k) vessel identity,

wherein the received information is configured to be used in one of setting and adjusting an operating parameter of a process tool in managing how the fluid is used;

fabricating or processing a product with a process tool employing fluid received from the material storage vessel and using the received information to manage how the fluid is used in said product fabrication or processing, wherein the fabricated or processed product comprises any of a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor boule, and a semiconductor precursor structure;

analyzing an attribute of the product; and

responsive to the analyzing step, adjusting the operating parameter of the process tool; and

associatively storing the received information with product information of the product fabricated or processed by the process tool indicative of any of (I) product identification, (II) product batch identification, and (III) at least one of date and time of said product fabrication or processing.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the received information is indicative of any of a batch-specific property of said fluid and a vessel-specific property of said fluid.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising employing the received information to set or adjust the operating parameter of the process tool.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the information storage device comprises an electronic information storage device, the method further comprising:

monitoring at least one environmental condition experienced by any of the material storage vessel and fluid disposed within the vessel with one or more sensors associated with the material storage vessel; and

storing information indicative of the at least one monitored environmental condition in the electronic information storage device.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the material storage vessel further comprises a physical adsorption medium for sorptively retaining the fluid for storage and subsequent dispensing of the fluid under desorption and dispensing conditions.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising monitoring location of the material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in a fluid end use process facility. dispensing of the fluid under desorption and dispensing conditions.

25. A material utilization system comprising:

at least one material storage vessel adapted to contain a fluid and having an attached electronic information storage device having stored therein information indicative of any of;

(A) a fluid-specific utilization parameter, (B) a process tool operating instruction, (C) a fluid property, and (D) a vessel-specific current or historical environmental condition, wherein the information is configured to be used in one of setting and adjusting an operating parameter of a process tool in managing how the fluid is used;

a semiconductor manufacturing process tool or semiconductor manufacturing process tool controller arranged to receive a signal representative of said information, and adapted to utilize said information to set or adjust the operating parameter of the process tool to manage how the fluid is used in a fabrication process;

a fabrication unit configured to conduct the fabrication process to fabricate or process a product article utilizing the process tool; and

an analysis unit configured to analyze an attribute of the product article and responsively adjust the operating parameter of the process tool.

26. The material utilization system of claim 25, wherein the process tool controller or the process tool is adapted to prevent dispensation of the fluid from the at least one material storage vessel to the process tool if the fluid is incompatible with process tool requirements.

27. The material utilization system of claim 25, further comprising a monitoring unit configured to monitor the location of the material storage vessel among a plurality of functional areas in a fluid end use process facility.