Methods and apparatus for material control system interface
US7177716B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 25, 2005 |
| Grant date | Feb 13, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 25, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P90/02
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for managing movement of small lots between processing tools within an electronic device manufacturing facility. In some embodiments, a number of priority lots to be processed is determined and an equivalent number of carrier storage locations are reserved at a substrate loading station of a processing tool. The number of reserved carrier storage locations are made available either by processing and advancing occupying non-priority lots and/or moving unprocessed occupying non-priority lots from the substrate loading station. Priority lots are then transferred to the reserved carrier storage locations. Other embodiments are provided.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.