Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Russell Clinton Brown

Donald Craig Likes

Yurong Shi

David Alan Richardson

Richard Bruce Patty

Thomas P Jackson

Achim Felber

Barry R Hobbs

Jeffrey B Toth

Ronald Ivan Savage, Ii

Larry D Barto

Robert Michael Russin

Emmanuel Kwaku Foli Ankutse

Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos

William A Norris

The present invention provides a communication infrastructure that allows application programs within a software system to dynamically use services, such as receiving and transmitting messages, through a common application program interface (API). The communication infrastructure allows the specific communication schemes that are being used to be isolated from the application programs such that the application programs are not dependent upon a particular communication scheme.

Communication scheme-independent infrastructure

A method includes transforming, based on a first transform, a first markup language document associated with a first version of a schema to generate a second markup language document associated with a second version of the schema. The second markup language document is representative of a third markup language document associated with the second version of the schema and the first transform represents a transform from the first version of the schema to the second version of the schema. The method further includes comparing the second markup language document to the third markup language document to identify whether at least one discrepancy exists between the second markup language document and the third markup language document. The method additionally includes determining a suitability of the first transform based on the comparison of the second markup language document to the third markup language document.

Method and system for schema version transform verification

A method and apparatus for managing recipes in a semiconductor manufacturing process. Recipes and associated process contexts in a manufacturing execution system and corresponding recipes and associated contexts in a recipe management system are audited to identify discrepancies. The discrepancies are reconciled to ensure that compatible recipes and process contexts are maintained in the manufacturing execution system and the recipe management system. The audit and reconciliation process can be initiated automatically at predetermined time intervals or can be initiated interactively by a user of the manufacturing system.

Method and apparatus to reconcile recipe manager and manufacturing execution system context configurations

A method for managing recipes in a semiconductor manufacturing process which includes resolving a recipe to provide a resolved recipe using a configuration for a current context and rendering the recipe to provide a rendered recipe. The rendered recipe corresponds to a format suitable for consumption by an equipment interface of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Render-resolve method of obtaining configurations and formatting it for use by semiconductor equipment interfaces

A process, architecture, and computer program product for using the inheritance features of an object-oriented system to enable multiple programmers to modify different behaviors of an object concurrently. A first method and a second method to be performed on the object are identified. The first method is developed in a first application having a first subclass of the object's class. A first application-specific object is an instantiation of the first subclass. The second method is concurrently developed in a second application having a second subclass of the object's class. A second application-specific object is an instantiation of the second subclass. Invoking the first method performs the first method on the first application-specific object, such that the object communicates as if the first method were performed on the object. Modifying the first method does not affect the second method, and vice versa.

Use of inheritance to allow concurrent programming

An architecture for integrating data between a plurality of software applications in a factory environment comprises a factory system and a domain application. The factory system comprises a domain object superclass and at least two first-level subclasses of the domain object superclass. An instantiation of one of the first-level subclasses corresponds to a domain object, which represents an item in a factory. The factory system also includes a service, which provides an operation related to the domain object. The service comprises at least one component, where each component is operable to perform the operation related to the domain object. The architecture also includes a domain application, which implements a component of the service of the factory system to perform the operation related to the domain object. The architecture can optionally include a system manager for managing hardware and software in the factory.

System for integrating data between a plurality of software applications in a factory environment

In its various embodiments, the method collects data from process and metrology tools in a semiconductor manufacturing environment, generates statistics from that data, detects tool failures, processing errors, and other conditions that can jeopardize product output, and performs high level process control in the form of tool shutdowns, lot holds, and lot releases. One method as disclosed automates the collection and recording of data from process and metrology tools, automates configuration of data collection, and automates process equipment shut downs, all within the existing framework of existing MES systems and engineering data collection systems. Automation of configurations and data collection is conducted by creation of data collection plans, data collection capability specifications, and other versioned documents within a process control and data collection system as disclosed herein. These versioned documents may be generated through a common graphical user interface and presented via an Internet web browser or other network interface.

System and software for data collection and process control in semiconductor manufacturing and method thereof

The functionality of various process control and data collection system embodiments may be improved by employing the database methodology disclosed herein during the requirements-analysis phase for data collection and process control in a semiconductor manufacturing environment. The relational database storage technology as disclosed herein consists of a set of interconnected tables, where each table has a field or an amalgamation of fields (primary key) that uniquely identifies each record (tuple) in the table. In addition, the method as disclosed herein utilizes foreign keys, which represent the value of a primary key for a related table. Aggregation levels are also employed in the method as disclosed herein to associate data from various production

System and software for database structure in semiconductor manufacturing and method thereof

A method, system and computer program product to isolate information related to performing a manufacturing process, called a configuration document, from the context in which the information is used. A context/configuration association can be independently established between a process context and a context-free configuration document including instructions for performing a manufacturing process. Because the context/configuration association is independent of both the process context and the context-free configuration document, the context/configuration association can be independently reviewed and approved without affecting other process contexts or configuration documents.

Association of process context with configuration document for manufacturing process

A method is presented wherein an engineering data collection (EDC) subsystem of a process control system as embodied is responsible for configuring data collection, distributing collected data, and storing collected data, and is supported through underlying interfaces in a transaction and performance monitoring system. In an embodiment, an engineering data collection (EDC) broker accepts data from equipment interfaces or a tap subsystem, then distributes the data to all subscribers such as data history, the engineering data analysis (EDA) system interface, and the statistical process control (SPC) subsystem as disclosed herein. Engineering data analysis system interface is responsible for transmitting raw data and process control system data to engineering data analysis system. Data history subscribes to all data and stores it in the transaction and performance monitoring system's online transaction processing (OLTP) database. User input to engineering data collection subsystem is accomplished via web interface or a keyboard data entry client.

System and software for data distribution in semiconductor manufacturing and method thereof

The statistical process control (SPC) subsystem is the heart of the data collection and process control system for semiconductor manufacturing in the various embodiments as disclosed herein. SPC is responsible for performing calculations to generate statistics on collected measurement data, applying rules to the statistics, and executing error actions when those rules are violated. SPC subsystem plays a role in corrective actions as well by lifting restrictions previously imposed on tools or lots as a result of rule violations. In an embodiment, SPC is supported through underlying transaction and performance monitoring system components. In an embodiment, SPC procedure is a statistical engine that performs what the process control strategy (PCS) describes, hence there is at least one SPC procedure for each PCS. Components in SPC send data to the chart client subsystem as embodied herein, which allows visualization of statistics generated by SPC procedure in graphical chart form via a web browser. SPC communicates with MES via an interface.

System and software for statistical process control in semiconductor manufacturing and method thereof

A messaging system includes a message bus and a first processing device. The message bus is adapted to transmit a first message. The first message includes a second message, and the second message includes at least a first command. The first processing device is coupled to the message bus. The first processing device includes a message interface adapted to receive the first message and extract the second message independent of the first command. An input queue is adapted to store the second message. A message interpreter is adapted to retrieve the second message from the message queue and decode the second message to identify the first command. A method for communicating messages includes transmitting a first message over a message bus. The first message includes a second message, and the second message includes at least a first command. The first message is received and the second message is extracted independent of the first command. The second message is stored in an input queue. The second message is retrieved from the message queue. The second message is decoded to identify the first command.

Messaging system with protocol independent message format

A method for accessing a database is provided. The database includes an information table. The method includes providing an alias table. The alias table includes a plurality of variable names and a plurality of column names. Each column name is associated with one of the plurality of variable names. A message is received. The message includes at least a first variable name. The alias table is accessed based on the first variable name to identify a first column name associated with the first variable name. The information table is accessed based on the first column name.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Russell Clinton Brown