Patent · US Expired

Radio frequency identification system and method for tracking silicon wafers

US6330971A · kind A · utility

107Cited by
21References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 3, 2000
Grant dateDec 18, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 3, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/67276
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for tracking semiconductor wafers through processing operations performed at a plurality of stations. A reader reads information relating to and identifying the wafers from a tag mounted on a wafer carrier. The tag has a memory which includes a plurality of pages storing the information. A plurality of antennas are connected to the reader. The antennas each have a transmission range which defines a reader position and the reader and tag communicate by radio frequency signals via one of the antennas when the carrier is at the respective reader position. A host computer and reader communicate in accordance with an interface protocol by which the host computer commands the reader to read the stored information from one or more selected tag pages and the reader provides the stored information read from the selected tag pages to the host computer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.