Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Chuan-Jen Wu · Chyuarn-Yuh Dai · Tien-Hsiang Sun ·
Assignee(s)	Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Haynes and Boone, LLP ·
Primary Examiner	Ramesh Patel ·
Application Number	US10823867
Filing date	04/14/2004
Issue date	06/20/2006
Prior Publication Data	US20050234575 - 10/20/2005
Predicted expiration date	04/16/2024
Patent term adjustment	2
U.S. Classifications	700/97  · 700/110  · 700/100  · 700/108  · 700/109  · 700/99  · 706/4  · 706/10  · 706/16  · 700/96  ·
International Classifications	G06F1900  ·
Kind Code	B2

Patent Family

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a job flow system for use in a manufacturing environment, such as a semiconductor fab. The job flow system includes a plurality of sequence-related jobs associated with the manufacturing and a computer-controlled Petri Net structure. The Petri Net structure includes a plurality of agents associated with each of the sequence-related jobs. The Petri Net structure also includes a plurality of application processes to be performed by the agents, one or more description files, and a PN Center for loading the one or more description files and activating a first agent to perform one or more of the application processes in response to the one or more description files and in response to process status information from application processes.

Independent Claims | See all claims (13)

1. 1. A computerized method for controlling parallel distributed processes in a manufacturing environment, the method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of places associated with a plurality of process conditions, wherein each place has at most one input path and at most one output path; providing a token for identifying the status of at least one of the plurality of process conditions; connecting the places with a plurality of arcs, the arcs adapted for identifying a route for each token, and wherein each place includes at most one input path and at most one output path; identifying conditions from the plurality of process conditions for each token to advance along one of the paths to a different place.
2. 4. A computer-implemented job flow system for use in a manufacturing environment, the system comprising a plurality of sequence-related jobs associated with manufacturing and computer-controlled Petri-Net (PN) structure comprising: a plurality of agents associated with each of the sequence-related jobs; a plurality of application processes to be performed by the agents; one or more description files, wherein a plurality of conditions are respectively represented by one of a plurality of places, and wherein each place has at most one input path and at most one output path; and a PN Center for loading the one or more description files and activating a first agent to perform one or more of the application processes in response to the one or more description files and in response to status information from at least one of the application processes.
3. 13. A computer program stored on a recordable medium and for use in monitoring and controlling a plurality of computer-controlled semiconductor data collection/summary processes, the computer program including instructions for: reporting the process status to a PN Center, the PN Center providing requests to the plurality of computer-controlled semiconductor data collection/summary processes; and activating transitions associated with a PN description file, the transitions activated by the PN Center and associated with the plurality of computer-controlled semiconductor data collection/summary processes, wherein a plurality of conditions are respectively represented by one of a plurality of places, and wherein each place has at most one input path and at most one output path.