Other

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Taichi Yanaru

Hirofumi Ohtsuka

Masataka Okabe

Ryoji Ogata

A process control device controls a plurality of processing devices placed in parallel to perform at least two process steps for consecutively processing workpieces in a lot. The process control device includes a device group information for grouping of a plurality of processing devices into a plurality of device groups. For example, when the workpieces are semiconductor devices, processing devices having identical deviating characteristics are grouped into the same group to perform a plurality of photolithographic steps. The process control device further includes a device group selecting unit for selecting the device group such that the lot is processed in the second process step using a processing device included in the same device group as a processing device used in the first process step.

Process control device and process control method

An interbay transportation system includes bays in which process equipment are provided, stockers provided for the individual bays, and a vehicle traveling through the stockers for transporting a semi-processed product from one of the stockers to another. Timing to start transportation is determined according to the operation status of the process equipment and the number of semi-processed products in the stocker.

Method of interbay transportation

A transportation system includes lifts for inter-floor carriage, a carrier cart for intra-floor carriage, and a transit stocker for loading/unloading an article to/from the lift. For each of the lifts, operation status, that is, operating or not, is recorded in a database. The operating rate of each lift, carriage queue for each lift, and an inventory of each transit stocker might also be recorded in the database. When carriage of an article is required, a lift optimum for the carriage is selected from among the lifts based on the information recorded on the database.

Transportation system

In a sampling inspection managing system, for each processing step, a setting is made on a processing flow table as to whether the processing step concerned is a step for determining the sampling inspection frequency of a specific inspection step. For a processing step which is set as &ldquo;being a step for determining the sampling inspection frequency&rdquo;, the inspection frequency of the specific inspection step is set on a sampling frequency setting table for every kind of product to be processed. Further, for the processing step, the processing number of lots is counted for every kind of product in a count table, and, on the basis of the processing number thus counted, a judgment is made as to whether each lot is a lot to be inspected in the specific inspection step. The judgment result is stored as information for the lot in a lot table. Accordingly, the inspection can be carried out at an inspection frequency suitable for every kind of product.

Sampling inspection managing system

In a process control method, when T &plus;Tw&plus;T <Td is satisfied, where a time obtained by adding a conveyance time from a hold stocker to the pre-treatment processing equipment to a waiting time until start of a pre-treatment is T , treatment time in the pre-treatment processing equipment is Tw, storage time from completion of the process in the pre-treatment processing equipment to starting of charging into a post-treatment is T , and treatment time in the post-treatment equipment is Td, a point of time TR when the treatment of a lot is started in the post-treatment equipment is utilized as a trigger, and a lot is charged after a predetermined standby time Ta so that a point of time when the treatment time Td of the lot has been completed in the post-treatment equipment may almost coincide with the point of time when the treatment time Td of the lot is started in the post-treatment equipment.

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Itami, Japan

Taichi Yanaru