Method and system for intelligent automated reticle managment

US7953507B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Richard G. Burda · Pleasant Valley, US
• Alfred Degbotse · Colchester, US
• Brian T. Denton · Winooski, US
• Kenneth J. Fordyce · Hurley, US
• Sanjay R. Hegde · Kanchinakote, IN
• Robert J. Milne · Jericho, US
• Sameer T. Shikalgar · Wappingers Falls, US
• Guogang Zuo · Changzhou City, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 31, 2007
• Grant date: May 31, 2011
• Expiry date: Sep 6, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/70741
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method, system, and program storage device for implementing the method of controlling a manufacturing system, wherein the method comprises providing a plurality of workpieces to be processed on a processing tool, the plurality of workpieces located at processing stations prior to the processing tool, determining auxiliary equipment allocation needs for the processing tool based on characteristics associated with the plurality of workpieces prior to the workpieces arriving at the processing tool, and sending auxiliary equipment to the processing tool based on the allocation needs prior to the workpieces arriving at the processing tool. According to an embodiment of the invention, the processing tool comprises a photolithographic system, the auxiliary equipment comprises a reticle, and the plurality of workpieces comprise semiconductor substrates.