Apparatus and method for web-based tool management

• US 9,841,752 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PEER Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PEER Intellectual Property Incorporated
• Inventors: Ellis, Raymond W., Pendleton, Mark T., Baylis, Charles M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US14/091,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20140088749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• 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 19/41855 by local area network [LAN], network structure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for controlling an automated manufacturing tool for semiconductor fabrication is provided, including the following method operations: receiving, over a network, a request from a client, the request defining an action for an automated manufacturing tool; authenticating the request; and, in response to receiving the request, triggering performance of the action by the automated manufacturing tool.

Claims

1. A method executed by a server to enable communication with a manufacturing tool used for semiconductor fabrication, comprising:

receiving, by the server over the Internet, a connection request from a browser executed on a client device that is remote from the server, wherein the connection request from the browser includes an identifier corresponding to the automated manufacturing tool, the connection request being communicated by the client device over the Internet to the server;

authenticating the connection request to determine whether the connection request is from an authorized user;

in response to the connection request and after authentication of the user, the server processes communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool to open a connection over the Internet between the browser of the client device and the controller of the manufacturing tool, the controller being interfaced to the manufacturing tool and being configured to query or change the status of the manufacturing tool or command the manufacturing tool to perform activities, wherein opening the connection includes creating or retrieving a socket, and establishing the connection on the socket, wherein said connection enables communication of requests to the manufacturing tool and responses from the manufacturing tool, the requests being initiated by selection of an object of a tool object model displayed by the browser;

receiving at the server a message from the browser that is intended for the manufacturing tool;

receiving at the server from the manufacturing tool INFO that responds to the message;

sending to the browser, by the server over the Internet, the INFO received from the manufacturing tool, without downloading to the browser of the client device details of every object in the tool object model, wherein the INFO includes attributes associated with operation of the manufacturing tool, the browser of the client device configured to display the attributes including parameters associated with processing performed by the manufacturing tool;

wherein receiving the INFO that responds to the message includes invoking a method object that is configured to perform a functionality in the management of the manufacturing tool, to initiate a reporting function by the controller of the manufacturing tool to provide the INFO from the manufacturing tool that responds to the message;

wherein receiving the INFO that responds to the message further includes receiving an event report from the manufacturing tool that is defined for a particular event on the manufacturing tool, the event report including parameters for a set of collection event items and a set of report variables;

wherein receiving the message from the browser and sending the INFO to the browser are defined in accordance with one or more of a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular event on the manufacturing tool defines an operation for the processing of one or more semiconductor wafers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication provides authorization of the user to access one or more services provided by the controller of the manufacturing tool.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing, by the server, a security process that is configured to automatically log out the user if the user has been inactive for a preselected interval of time.

3. A method executed by a server for providing information about a manufacturing tool used for semiconductor fabrication, comprising:

receiving, by the server over a network that includes the Internet, a request from a browser executed on a client device, that is remote from the server, for information about a manufacturing tool, wherein the request from the browser includes an identifier corresponding to the manufacturing tool, the request being communicated by the client device over the Internet to the server;

authenticating the request to determine whether the connection request is from an authorized user;

in response to receiving the request and after authentication of the user, the server processes communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool to open a connection over the Internet between the browser of the client device and the controller of the manufacturing tool, the controller being interfaced to the manufacturing tool and being configured to query or change the status of the manufacturing tool or command the manufacturing tool to perform activities, wherein opening the connection includes creating or retrieving a socket, and establishing the connection on the socket, wherein said connection enables communication of requests to the manufacturing tool and responses from the manufacturing tool, the requests being initiated by selection of an object of a tool object model displayed by the browser;

retrieving the information about the manufacturing tool from the controller of the manufacturing tool over the network; and

sending to the browser of the client device, by the server over the network, the information retrieved from the manufacturing tool, without downloading to the browser of the client device details of every object in the tool object model, wherein the information includes attributes associated with operation of the manufacturing tool, the browser of the client device configured to display the attributes including parameters associated with processing performed by the manufacturing tool;

wherein retrieving the information from the controller of the manufacturing tool includes invoking a method object that is configured to perform a functionality in the management of the manufacturing tool, to initiate a reporting function by the controller of the manufacturing tool to provide the information from the manufacturing tool to the server;

wherein retrieving the information from the controller of the manufacturing tool further includes receiving an event report from the manufacturing tool that is defined for a particular event on the manufacturing tool, the event report including parameters for a set of collection event items and a set of report variables;

wherein receiving the request from the browser and sending the information to the browser are defined in accordance with one or more of a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request identifies an object of the tool object model associated with the manufacturing tool, the tool object model providing a logical description of the automated manufacturing tool.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the information about the automated manufacturing tool includes data characterizing an operation for the processing of one or more semiconductor wafers.

8. A method executed by a server to enable communication with a manufacturing tool used for semiconductor fabrication, comprising:

receiving, by the server over the Internet, a connection request from a browser executed on a client device that is remote from the server, wherein the connection request from the browser includes an identifier corresponding to the automated manufacturing tool, the connection request being communicated by the client device over the Internet to the server;

authenticating the connection request to determine whether the connection request is from an authorized user;

executing, by the server, a security process that is configured to automatically log out the user if the user has been inactive for a preselected interval of time;

in response to the connection request and after authentication of the user, the server processes communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool to open a connection over the Internet between the browser of the client device and the controller of the manufacturing tool, the controller being interfaced to the manufacturing tool and being configured to query or change the status of the manufacturing tool or command the manufacturing tool to perform activities, wherein opening the connection includes creating or retrieving a socket, and establishing the connection on the socket, wherein said connection enables communication of requests to the manufacturing tool and responses from the manufacturing tool, the requests being initiated by selection of an object of a tool object model displayed by the browser;

receiving at the server a message from the browser that is intended for the manufacturing tool;

receiving at the server from the manufacturing tool INFO that responds to the message, wherein receiving the INFO that responds to the message includes invoking a method object that is configured to perform a functionality in the management of the manufacturing tool, to initiate a reporting function by the controller of the manufacturing tool to provide the INFO from the manufacturing tool that responds to the message;

sending to the browser, by the server over the Internet, the INFO received from the manufacturing tool, without downloading to the browser of the client device details of every object in the tool object model, wherein the INFO includes attributes associated with operation of the manufacturing tool, the browser of the client device configured to display the attributes including parameters associated with processing performed by the manufacturing tool;

wherein receiving the INFO that responds to the message includes invoking a method object that is configured to perform a functionality in the management of the manufacturing tool, to initiate a reporting function by the controller of the manufacturing tool to provide the INFO from the manufacturing tool that responds to the message;

wherein receiving the INFO that responds to the message further includes receiving an event report from the manufacturing tool that is defined for a particular event on the manufacturing tool, the event report including parameters for a set of collection event items and a set of report variables;

wherein receiving the message from the browser and sending the INFO to the browser are defined in accordance with one or more of a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), or Extensible Markup Language (XML).