System for providing integrated monitoring, control and diagnostics functions for semiconductor spray process tools

摘要

Method and apparatus for providing integrated monitoring, control and diagnostics functions for semiconductor spray processors is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a spray processor host system of the present invention comprises a plurality of PC-class computers interconnected via a network link. Each of a first subset of the spray processor host system computers comprises a supervisor computer connected to one of a plurality of spray process tools, which in the preferred embodiment comprise Mercury TM MP processors. The supervisor computers provide ongoing information exchange with the processors and maintain up-to-date status information. Each supervisor computer maintains an event log of processor operations and operator actions, as well as data capture files for storing process variables captured by the supervisor computer. Each of a second subset of the spray processor host system computers comprises an engineer computer for providing the system operator with a command driven interface to the spray processor host system. Each engineer computer can monitor a plurality of supervisor computers and is used to enable such functions as recipe directory editing, recipe downloading, event log searching, data capture file data graphing and processor status viewing. A third subset of the spray processor host system computers comprises a bridge computer for providing a communications link between the supervisor computers and a upstream host computer outside the spray processor host system, for example, a lot scheduling or material flow control computer.