Patent ID: 8108174

Claim:
A method of precisely timed control over semiconductor manufacturing processes using a tool host and a process I/O controller, wherein the process I/O controller includes electrical interfaces to process chamber monitors and controls and supports precisely timed input and output through the electrical interfaces, and the tool host includes a programming environment that symbolically represents the electrical interfaces, the method including: using the tool host, preparing a control program that includes instructions for the process I/O controller to sample inputs and control outputs through the electrical interfaces; from the tool host to the process I/O controller, loading the control program; and using the process I/O controller, upon receiving a command via a transmission protocol, invoking the control program, running the control program to generate statistically accurate timing of sampling inputs and controlling outputs through the electrical interfaces; wherein the sampling inputs and controlling outputs is considered to have statistically accurate timing when variances in a 99.99 percent range of distribution of variances between a target time and actual times are less than or equal to 5 (five) milliseconds.