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US 7,472,387 B2Granted
System for supplying semiconductor manufacturing system control programs
AssigneeHitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
InventorMinoru Nakano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for supplying a semiconductor manufacturing system control program includes an administrative server, a communications circuit connecting the administrative server to a controller of a semiconductor manufacturing system, a facility provided in the controller for determining a time when a previously installed control program can be changed, and a facility provided in the controller responsive to a result of the determination for storing a new control program received from the administrative server through the communications circuit in a memory to be executable by a processor.
Claims12
A semiconductor manufacturing system for producing a substrate to be treated, said system comprising:
- a controller for controlling operation of the semiconductor manufacturing system by carrying out a control program that is stored in memory, said controller being configured to determine a time when a previous downloaded control program can be changed, temporarily store a new control program received through a communications circuit in a buffer, and store the new control program received through the communications circuit and stored in the buffer in memory so as to be executable by a processor in response to said controller determining the time when the previous control program can be changed or in response to an instruction, wherein said previous control program and said new control program are operable to carry out the following events:
- a standby event charging a substrate in a boat;
- a boat-up event loading the boat in a reactor by raising an elevator;
- a ramping-up event gradually raising a temperature;
- a process event forming a film on the substrate;
- a ramping-down event gradually decreasing the temperature;
- a boat-down event drawing the boat from the reactor by lowering the elevator;
- and
- a standby event discharging the substrate from the boat;
- wherein said controller is further configured to determine that the time at which the control program can be changed is not the process event forming a film on the substrate;
- and
- wherein said controller is further configured to hold prior data that was used to carry out the previous control program so that the prior data is used in carrying out the new control program.
9 more elements
A semiconductor manufacturing system for producing a substrate to be treated, said system comprising:
- a boat for having a substrate charged therein;
- a reactor for processing the substrate and forming a film on the substrate;
- an elevator for raising and loading said boat into said reactor;
- a processor for carrying out a control program;
- a buffer for temporarily storing the control program;
- memory for storing the control program so that the control program can be carried out by said processor;
- a communications circuit for receiving a new control program;
- a controller for controlling operation of the semiconductor manufacturing system by carrying out the control program that is stored in said memory, said controller being configured to determine a time when a previous downloaded control program can be changed, temporarily store the new control program received through said communications circuit in said buffer, and store the new control program received through said communications circuit and stored in said buffer in said memory so as to be executable by said processor in response to said controller determining the time when the previous control program can be changed or in response to an instruction, wherein both of said previous control program and said new control program are operable to carry out the following events:
- a standby event charging the substrate in said boat;
- a boat-up event loading said boat in said reactor by raising said elevator;
- a ramping-up event gradually raising a temperature in said reactor;
- a process event forming a film on the substrate;
- a ramping-down event gradually decreasing the temperature;
- a boat-down event drawing said boat from said reactor by lowering said elevator;
- and
- a standby event discharging the substrate from said boat;
- wherein said controller is further configured to determine that the time at which the control program can be changed is not the process event forming a film on the substrate;
- and
- wherein said controller is further configured to hold prior data that was used to carry out the previous control program so that the prior data is used in carrying out the new control program.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.