Device and method for communicating data in a process control system

A communication builder device for communicating process data between a plurality of devices in a process control system, comprising:

• a communication manager adapted to format process data received from an equipment interface system into a format suitable for the communication builder;
• a data explorer for allowing a user to select a predefined set of the communication builder data format process data and to map the selected data to predefined variables for storing in a configuration database, wherein the data explorer operates to report the selected data to a process data control system;
• wherein the communication manager is further adapted to configure the selected set of process data into an open data format for communication to the process data control system without configuring the process data that was not selected, and is adapted to transmit the configured process data to the process data control system;
• and
• a data administrator for providing monitoring and management of the communication manager.

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable code means embodied therein for causing a computer to communicate process data between a plurality of devices in a process control system, the computer readable code means in the computer program product comprising:
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to receive process data in an equipment interface system data format from an equipment interface system;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to allow a user to select a set of the process data for communication to a process data Control system;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to map the selected set of process data to predefined variables for storing in a configuration database;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to configure the selected set of process data from the equipment interface system data format into an open format communication to the process data control system without configuring the process data that was not selected;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to transmit the configured data to the process data control system.

A semiconductor fabrication and manufacturing process control system comprising:

• a process data control device adapted to provide process monitoring and process analysis of process data received from at least one manufacturing tool, and adapted to provide control instructions to the at least one manufacturing tool;
• an equipment interface device adapted to receive data from and provide control to the at least one associated manufacturing tool based on control instructions received from the process data control device;
• and
• a communication builder device adapted to interface between and facilitate a communication at information and data between the process control device and the equipment interface device, the communication builder device being adapted to:
• receive process data in an equipment interface system data format from the equipment interface system,
• allow a user to select a set of the process data received from the equipment interface system for communication to the process data control system,
• map the selected set of process data to predefined variables for storing in a configuration database;
• configure the selected set of process data from the equipment interface system data format into an open format for communication to the process data control system without configuring the process data that was not selected, and
• transmit the configured process data to the process data control system.