System and method for safeguarding wafers and photomasks

• US 8,299,926 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hand, Paul D., Harmuth, George M., Leonardi, Gary T., Stefanski, Glenn M., Wyskida, Andrew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/465,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 206/701, 206710-712, 62/451, 229/117.3
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1481 with optical detection

Abstract

A system and a method for safeguarding wafers and photomasks. The system includes a container for storing an article, the article being a wafer or a photomask; a flashing unit for flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern; an anti-theft unit capable of performing an anti-theft function, the anti-theft unit being attached to the container; and a trigger unit electrically connected to the anti-theft unit for triggering the anti-theft function of the anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the pre-determined light pattern of the flashing unit. The method includes providing a container having an anti-theft unit capable of performing an anti-theft function; storing an article in the container, the article being a wafer or a photomask; providing a flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern; detecting the pre-determined light pattern; and performing the anti-theft function by the anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the pre-determined light pattern.

Claims

1. A system for safeguarding an article comprising:

a container for storing a wafer;

a flashing unit for flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern;

an anti-theft unit capable of performing an anti-theft function, the anti-theft unit being attached to the container; and

a trigger unit electrically connected to the anti-theft unit for triggering the anti-theft function of the anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the pre-determined light pattern of the flashing unit, wherein the container is a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), the anti-theft unit is an airbag comprising a solid propellant inflator and a nylon bag, and the anti-theft function is inflation of the airbag so as to break the wafer in the FOUP.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the flashing unit is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag having a light-emitting diode (LED) light, the RFID tag being attached to the container.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a computer system for controlling the RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the flashing unit is a flashing light installed at an exit of a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined light pattern comprises a coded digital series of light flashes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger unit comprises a photo-transistor, a microprocessor, and a battery.

7. A system for safeguarding an article comprising:

a container for storing a photomask;

a flashing unit for flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern;

an anti-theft unit capable of performing an anti-theft function, the anti-theft unit being attached to the container; and

a trigger unit electrically connected to the anti-theft unit for triggering the anti-theft function of the anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the pre-determined light pattern of the flashing unit, wherein the container is a Reticle Standard Mechanical InterFace Pod (RSP), the anti-theft unit is a discharging device electrically connected to the photomask stored in the container, and the anti-theft function is discharging a current on the photomask by the discharging device so as to destroy a metal pattern on the photomask.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the flashing unit is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag having a light-emitting diode (LED) light, the RFID tag being attached to the container.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a computer system for controlling the RFID tag.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the flashing unit is a flashing light installed at an exit of a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the pre-determined light pattern comprises a coded digital series of light flashes.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the trigger unit comprises a photo-transistor, a microprocessor, and a battery.

13. A method for safeguarding an article comprising:

providing a container having an anti-theft unit capable of performing an anti-theft function;

storing the article in the container, wherein the article is a wafer or a photomask;

providing a flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern;

detecting the pre-determined light pattern; and

performing the anti-theft function by the anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the pre-determined light pattern, wherein the anti-theft unit comprises a strobe light, a sound alarm, an airbag, or a discharging device and the step of performing the anti-theft function comprises flashing the strobe light, sounding the sound alarm, inflating the airbag so as to break the wafer, or discharging a current on the photomask with the discharging device so as to destroy a metal pattern on the photomask.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the container is a FOUP or a RSP.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing a flashing light comprises:

sending a signal from a computer system to a RFID tag attached to the container, wherein the RFID tag has a LED light and is controlled by the computer system; and

flashing the LED light with a pre-determined light pattern in response to receiving the signal from the computer system.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing a flashing light comprises providing a flashing light with a pre-determined light pattern at an exit of a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of detecting the pre-determined light pattern comprises detecting the pre-determined light pattern with a trigger unit electrically connected to the anti-theft unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the trigger unit comprises a photo-transistor, a microprocessor, and a battery.

19. A method for safeguarding an article comprising:

providing a container having a first anti-theft unit capable of performing a first anti-theft function and a second anti-theft unit capable of performing a second anti-theft function;

storing the article in the container, wherein the article is a wafer or a photomask;

providing a first flashing light with a first pre-determined light pattern;

detecting the first pre-determined light pattern;

performing the first anti-theft function by the first anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the first pre-determined light pattern;

providing a second flashing light with a second pre-determined light pattern, wherein the second flashing light is provided when the first anti-theft function has lasted for a period ranging from about 2 minutes to about 5 minutes after the first anti-theft function is triggered;

detecting the second pre-determined light pattern; and

performing the second anti-theft function by the second anti-theft unit, in response to detecting the second pre-determined light pattern, wherein the step of performing the second anti-theft function comprises inflating an airbag so as to break the wafer or discharging a current on the photomask with a discharging device so as to destroy a metal pattern on the photomask.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of performing the first anti-theft function comprises flashing a strobe light or sounding a sound alarm.