Patent ID: 6728588
Filing Date: 2004-04-27
Classification: G05B,H01L,Y02P

Abstract:
An apparatus for automatically controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process in a semiconductor factory automation system, comprising:a common communication line; a plurality of process equipments, coupled to the common communication line, each of said equipments processing a lot; a plurality of equipment control means, each controlling the process equipment according to commands from an exterior; a plurality of test equipments, each testing the processed lot to generate lot process data; a plurality of test equipment control means, each receiving the lot process data to transfer the lot process data; a storage means for storing the lot process data, wherein the storage means previously storing a lot specification data, respectively; a comparison means, coupled to the common communication line, for comparing the lot process data with the lot specification data to determine whether a difference between the processed lot data and the lot specification data exceeds or falls below a predetermined range, wherein if the difference exceeds or falls below the predetermined range, the comparison means generates a first message representing an occurrence of an abnormally manufactured lot; and a transaction generation means, coupled to the common communication line, for generating a first transaction in response to the first message, the first transaction representing that the lot is abnormally manufactured, and a second transaction when a cause of the abnormally manufactured lot is in the lot itself; a history management means for storing the first transaction and the second transaction in association with said abnormally manufactured lot as a lot history; wherein a subsequent process equipment of said plurality of process equipments accesses said lot history and then, if the lot history has only said first transaction stored in association with said abnormally manufactured lot, a next lot process to said abnormally manufactured lot is prevented and, conversely, if the lot history has the both the first transaction and the second transaction stored in association with said abnormally manufactured lot, processing of the abnormally manufactured lot is continued.