Patent ID: 9748088
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: G05B,H01L,Y02P

Claim:
1. A method, comprising: processing each of a plurality of lots with a respective one of at least one first equipment, wherein each of said plurality of lots comprises a plurality of semiconductor wafers, wherein each of said at least one first equipment performs one or more first steps of a semiconductor manufacturing process for each wafer of each of said plurality of lots that is processed with the respective first equipment; moving at least some of said plurality of lots from said respective one of said at least one first equipment to a first storage; for each of a plurality of second equipments, determining an expected dispatch time of one or more next lots for processing by said second equipments, wherein each of said plurality of second equipments performs one or more second steps of the semiconductor manufacturing process for each wafer of each of said plurality of lots that is processed with the respective second equipment; assigning each of the lots in said first storage to one of said plurality of second equipments on the basis of at least the determined expected dispatch time, wherein said assigning each of the lots in said first storage to one of said plurality of second equipments is additionally performed on the basis of a priority of each of the lots, a number of lots present in each of said plurality of second storages, and a status of each of said second storages; moving each of the lots in said first storage to one of a plurality of second storages that is associated with the one of said plurality of second equipments to which the respective lot was assigned; and for each of said plurality of second equipments, moving each of the lots in said second storage associated with the second equipment to the second equipment and processing the lots from said second storage associated with the second equipment with the second equipment, wherein each of said plurality of second storages is closer to the one of the plurality of second equipments associated with the second storage than the first storage, and a storage space of said first storage is greater than a storage space of any of said plurality of second storages.