Patent ID: 8180594
Filing Date: 2012-05-15
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. A method of semiconductor manufacturing, comprising: providing a reactor system having a system controller configured to control an external device controller, the external device controller configured to control an associated external device; monitoring for an error condition signal from the external device controller, the error condition signal indicative of the occurrence of an error condition in the external device; automatically transmitting instructions from the system controller to the external device controller to execute diagnostic functions corresponding to the error condition signal upon detection of the error condition signal, thereby gathering a data set from the external device corresponding to the error condition detected; automatically gathering the data set from the external device after transmitting the instructions and during execution of the diagnostic functions, wherein monitoring for the error condition signal is performed without the system controller gathering the data set from the external device; and subsequently automatically executing error handling routines, wherein, after an error condition is detected and before executing diagnostic functions, the external device controller stops the associated external device from performing tasks that alter data.