Broadband distribution of SECS-II data
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsCasey A. Barber, Sam H. Allen, Jr., John T. Halladay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to an equipment interface which obtains data communicated between a tool, such as a semiconductor manufacturing tool, and its host computer system in real-time via a point-to-point connection. The equipment interface distributes the data automatically and continually to other remote application programs without the need for hardware to be added to the tool or to the host computer system.
Claims49
A method for distributing data communicated via a point-to-point connection between a tool and a host computer system comprising:
- providing an equipment interface on the host computer system;
- obtaining the data to be distributed from the point-to-point connection with the equipment interface;
- and
- providing the data with the equipment interface to at least one data requester.
An equipment interface for distributing data communicated via a point-to-point connection between a tool and a host computer system, the equipment interface residing on the host computer system, wherein the equipment interface comprises:
- a connection handler for providing a connection between the equipment interface and a data requester;
- and
- a message handler for distributing the data to the data requester via the connection provided by the connection handler.
A tools data handler for obtaining tool status information and for processing tool status information, wherein
- the tools data handler includes an equipment interface for obtaining the tool status information.
A computer system for obtaining tool status information, the computer system including a processor and a memory, the computer system being connected to a tool via a point-to-point connection, the computer system serving as a host to the tool, the memory configured with the following:
- a module for obtaining the data to be distributed from the point-to-point connection;
- and
- a module for providing the data to a data requestor.
A signal embodied in a carrier wave, comprising instructions for the following:
- obtaining data to be distributed from a point-to-point connection between a tool and a host computer system for the tool;
- and
- providing the data to a data requester.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.