Peer Intellectual Property Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Brooks Automation Gmbh

Asyst Technologies, Inc.

Sematech, Inc.

Raymond Walter Ellis

Charles Merritt Baylis

Mark Theodore Pendleton

Eoin Lane

Peter Alan Coldicott

Timothy Yoas

Toni Guckert

Edward Emile Kelley

Franciscus Jacobus Van Ham

Anthony L Carrato

Richard A Hopkins

Bedford E Hardee

Brad N Jones

Andrew S Extine

Ian J Scott

Craig R Shackleton

Charles M Bayliss

Celso Gonzalez

Richard G Scott

Anthony J Young-Garder

Michael C Simmons

Michael R Lemchak

A method is provided, including: establishing a session over the Internet with a client device, the session configured to provide for remote control or monitoring of a manufacturing tool over the Internet via communication with a controller of the manufacturing tool, the manufacturing tool being one of a plurality of manufacturing tools in a fabrication facility (FAB); receiving a request from the client device to access an equipment model defining a representation of the manufacturing tool, the representation of the manufacturing tool; receiving data from a controller of the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with a service object of the manufacturing tool; sending to the client device, via the session, a response to the request, the response including the data received from the manufacturing tool that is stored in association with the service object.

Apparatus and method for web-based tool management

A multi-client multi-protocol equipment server includes: a host interface that facilitates communication with a manufacturing execution system (MES); a plurality of client interfaces, wherein each client interface facilitates communication with a client based on a Common Equipment Model (CEM) for a semiconductor manufacturing tool; and a plurality of tool interfaces, wherein each tool interface facilitates communication with a semiconductor manufacturing tool, wherein at least one of the interfaces is a Semi Equipment Communications Standard/Generic Model for Communications and Control of Manufacturing Equipment (SECS/GEM) interface that is configured in a single XML file that defines attributes of the CEM for the semiconductor manufacturing tool which uses the SECS/GEM interface, and wherein a computer executes the multi-client multi-protocol server.

Multi-protocol multi-client equipment server

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.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving the implementation of automated job management for equipment in a factory. A multi-protocol multi-client equipment server is provided for communicating with equipment and clients utilizing multiple protocols. The equipment server incorporates an object model of each tool and communicates directly in real-time with factory equipment. By providing a multi-protocol multi-client platform, data consumer clients are effectively decoupled from job management clients, allowing next generation station controllers for monitoring and controlling equipment processing to be easily implemented.

Implementation of a meta-model service of a service oriented architecture industry model repository into a web ontology language representation of at least one topic map meta-model into a plurality of temporal scope topic map meta-models representing states of the at least one topic map meta-model at different times. The implementation includes assigning topics, occurrences, and attributes from the meta-model service to the at least one topic map meta-model. The topics, occurrences, and attributes are assigned from the at least one topic map meta-model to plurality of temporal scope topic map meta-models. The topics, occurrences, and attributes from the plurality of temporal scope topic map meta-models are converted into resource description framework triples; and the resource description framework triples are persisted into the resource description framework repository.

Temporal scope translation of meta-models using semantic web technologies

A system for automatically creating a desired software application design. In response to an input to create a desired software application design, functional requirements for the desired software application design are retrieved. Then, non-functional requirements associated with each retrieved functional requirement are retrieved. In addition, software models associated with the retrieved functional requirements are retrieved. Further, software patterns associated with the retrieved non-functional requirements are retrieved. Then, the retrieved software models are transformed into software code for the desired software application design. Also, the retrieved software patterns are applied to associated code sequences in the software code to automatically create an architecture for the desired software application design. Finally, the architecture for the desired software application design is outputted for use by a user. The decisions made during the software application design process are also captured for analysis for future improvement of the desired software application design.

Automation of software application engineering using machine learning and reasoning

A method and apparatus for web-based tool management are implemented. A tool object model provides a logical representation of the physical tool. The tool object model defines a hierarchical set of tool objects that characterize the tool, and additionally a set of method for performing actions on the tool objects. These actions also correspond to operations, which may include reporting as well as processing tasks, performed by the tool. A user may remotely control and monitor a tool using a conventional web browser. For example, a user may execute methods of the tool object model, or obtain detailed information about a tool object. User actions are passed to a server by embedding them in hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) requests. The server receives the HTTP request, and passes the request to a corresponding page server in accordance with the action requested. Depending on the action requested, the page server may generate a web page in response, or may invoke a method of the tool object model.

A system, computer program product and method for automated tool management in a multi-protocol environment. A user may issue a message in accordance with an object-oriented interapplication communication protocol to a corresponding application interface unit. The message may be a request to perform a particular action on a selected tool. The content of the message may be extracted by the corresponding application interface unit which may comprise data required by the requested action and a pointer to the object representing the tool. The application interface unit may invoke a method of the object pointed to by the pointers in the message. A value may then be procured by an equipment model where the value may be associated with particular information requested in the message about a tool or a notification informing the user that an event occurred. The equipment model may transfer the value to the appropriate user.

Automated tool management in a multi-protocol environment

A module for use in a system for processing articles, in which the system includes a plurality of machine tools for processing articles, a pod for carrying the articles to be processed by the machine tools from one machine tool to another, a host processing controller associated with the machine tools for controlling the operation thereof, a robot connected to each machine tool for receiving a pod, opening the pod and for transporting the articles from within the pod into position on the machine tool for processing. An identification device is carried by the pod for identifying a particular pod and the articles carried in the pod. The module includes a single wire connection between the identification system, the host controller and the robot. The module has a microprocessor to identify the source of a signal and for routing the signal between the identification system and the host controller and between the host controller and the robot depending on its source.

Integrated material management module

A building houses a semiconductor manufacturing facility, which is circular in shape and is of a multi-story structure. A silo is located at the center for use in storing and transferring wafers to clean rooms disposed radially around the silo at each floor. Human access is not permitted in the silo and in the clean rooms in order to prevent contamination of the wafers. Due to the modularity of the clean room structures, clean rooms can be reconfigured easily without significant impact on the on-going manufacturing operation. The modularity also permits portions of the facility to be deactivated when not needed.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Raymond Walter Ellis