US 6,850,854 B2 · Semiconductor production system

Abstract

A semiconductor production system has a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having an exposure unit, a control unit for controlling the exposure unit and a storage device; a semiconductor inspection apparatus having an observation unit, a control unit for controlling the observation unit and a storage device; and a storage device commonly used by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the semiconductor inspection apparatus. The manufacturing apparatus, the inspection apparatus and the commonly used storage device are interconnected via a storage area network. With the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the storage device linked together via the storage area network, a large volume of image data or design data can be communicated at high speed, thus improving the system throughput.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A semiconductor production system comprising:

a storage device storing design information;
an exposure unit;
a control unit controlling said exposure unit;
and
a storage area network directly connected with said storage device and connected with said control unit.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/444,981Filed 27 May 2003 · continuation

Priority

JP 2001-04893223 Feb 2001

Published

US 2003/0220754 A127 Nov 2003

Granted

1 Feb 2005

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

H10P 72/0474
Comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process: comprising at least one lithography chamber
G03F 7/70508
Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring…:…
G03F 7/70991
Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials: connection with other apparatus, e.g. multiple exposure…
G05B 19/418
Electric: total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…

Family

Application09/942,425Parent of this continuation · filed 29 Aug 2001

US 2003/0220754 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Nov 2003

US 6,591,207 B2Parent of this continuation

US 2002/0120417 A1Published application

US 6,850,854 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Semiconductor production system

Life of this patent

Semiconductor production system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9