Abstract: There is provided a system and method for monitoring an apparatus from a remote location. A vendor-side computer obtains operating state data obtained by a monitoring device provided in an apparatus via a communication line, and monitors the operating state of the apparatus from a remote location. Maintenance data at a part replacing time is transmitted from the apparatus, and the vendor-side computer that has received maintenance data calculates an optimal replacement period of a part based on this. The calculated optimal replacement period of each part is sent to a plant. The plant feeds the optimal replacement period back to the operating of the apparatus.

Abstract: A relay station (10) has its interior determined as a substrate storing section (10a), and supporting sections (11) for supporting plural semiconductor wafers are formed on facing side walls of the substrate storing section. A substrate processing apparatus-side opening section (12) and a transfer apparatus-side opening section (13) are formed on both sides of the relay station (10), and these opening sections are provided with a substrate processing apparatus-side opening/closing mechanism (14) and a transfer apparatus-side opening/closing mechanism (15). A bottom plane (18) of the relay station (10) has a shape of a FOUP conforming to the SEMI standard and can be placed on a placing table for placing the FOUP.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for improving productivity of apparatuses. A vendor-side computer 26 obtains operating state data obtained by a monitoring device 18 provided in an apparatus 10 via a communication line 100, and monitors the operating state of the apparatus 10 from a remote location. Maintenance data at a part replacing time is transmitted from the apparatus 10, and the vendor-side computer 26 that has received maintenance data calculates an optimal replacement period of a part based on this. The calculated optimal replacement period of each part is sent to a plant 101. The plant 101 feeds the optimal replacement period back to the operation of the apparatus 10, so that productivity can be improved.

Abstract: A processing system has a processing section for continuously processing a member to be processed; an inspection section for inspecting a processed state of the member processed by the processing section; a processed state determination section for determining whether the processed state is defective/nondefective, on the basis of a result of inspection performed by the inspection section; a continuity determination section for determining whether or not a defective determination is continuously made when the processed state is determined to be defective by the processed state determination section; and a processing control section for controlling processing so as to stop processing of the member continuously performed by the processing section when the continuity determination section determines that the defective determination is continuously made.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for monitoring an apparatus from a remote location. A vendor-side computer obtains operating state data obtained by a monitoring device provided in an apparatus via a communication line, and monitors the operating state of the apparatus from a remote location. Maintenance data at a part replacing time is transmitted from the apparatus, and the vendor-side computer that has received maintenance data calculates an optimal replacement period of a part based on this. The calculated optimal replacement period of each part is sent to a plant. The plant feeds the optimal replacement period back to the operation of the apparatus, so that productivity can be improved.

Abstract: A business practitioner who offers a maintenance service for a machine (15) quantifies the productivity of the machine (15) in a predetermined service period (S42). The business practitioner compares the quantified productivity with a predetermined productivity reference, and calculates the difference between them (S43). The business practitioner determines a charge amount for the maintenance service in the service period based on the calculated difference (S45). Due to this, charging is realized which can satisfy both of the user of the machine (15) and the maintenance business practitioner.

Abstract: A device inspection apparatus inspects a plurality of semiconductor devices on an individual device basis. An inspection target sorting part (8) omits an execution of an inspection to be applied to the semiconductor devices according to information which specifies a defective device that has been determined to be defective in a manufacturing process that has been applied to the device.

Abstract: In a semiconductor manufacturing system, operations of a plurality of processing apparatuses are controlled so as to efficiently manufacture semiconductor devices. The semiconductor manufacturing system having at least one processing apparatus for applying a process to semiconductor substrates. A memory part (5) stores priority-level data which indicates a priority level of the process to be applied to each of the semiconductor substrates on an individual semiconductor substrate basis.

Abstract: There is provided a system and method for improving productivity of apparatuses. A vendor-side computer 26 obtains operating state data obtained by a monitoring device 18 provided in an apparatus 10 via a communication line 100, and monitors the operating state of the apparatus 10 from a remote location. Maintenance data at a part replacing time is transmitted from the apparatus 10, and the vendor-side computer 26 that has received maintenance data calculates an optimal replacement period of a part based on this. The calculated optimal replacement period of each part is sent to a plant 101. The plant 101 feeds the optimal replacement period back to the operation of the apparatus 10, so that productivity can be improved.

Abstract: A device inspection apparatus inspects a plurality of semiconductor devices on an individual device basis. An inspection target sorting part (8) omits an execution of an inspection to be applied to the semiconductor devices according to information which specifies a defective device that has been determined to be defective in a manufacturing process that has been applied to the device.

Abstract: In a semiconductor manufacturing system, operations of a plurality of processing apparatuses are controlled so as to efficiently manufacture semiconductor devices. The semiconductor manufacturing system having at least one processing apparatus for applying a process to semiconductor substrates. A memory part (5) stores priority-level data which indicates a priority level of the process to be applied to each of the semiconductor substrates on an individual semiconductor substrate basis.

Abstract: A probing test method including contacting probe of a probe card with pad on an IC chip on a semiconductor wafer, relatively moving each of the probe along the top of each of the pad, and sending test signal to the pad through the probe. Oxide film on the top of each of the pads can be removed by relative motion between each probe and each pad at an area where they are contacted with each other, contact resistance between the probes and the pads can be reduced to a greater extent, and test signal can be more reliable transmitted between the probes and the pads.

Abstract: A probe apparatus which has a probe card having a plurality of probes, a wafer holder located above or beside the probe card, for holding a wafer to be examined, a tester head electrically connected to the probes of the probe card, a tester electrically connected to the tester head, for detecting electrical characteristics of the wafer from the data output from the wafer, and a CCD camera arranged to oppose the object, for detecting the position of the wafer.

Abstract: A method for positioning and testing an object to be tested wherein the surface of an object to be tested for electrical characteristics is brought into contact with a test probe. The side of the object opposite the surface to be tested is held by a suction device on the end of one of many arms which are attached to a rotating shaft. The object is then transported to a position to bring it into contact with the test probe where testing is performed to determine whether or not the object is faulty. If necessary, the arms are manipulated in an up and down and an in and out direction with respect to the shaft, and the suction device rotated, to maintain the object to be tested in a proper orientation.

Abstract: A probe apparatus having a probe card having plurality of probes, a member arranged above the probe card to hold an object to be probed, and a test head electrically connected to the probes of the probe card.

Abstract: In a method of inspecting the electric characteristics of wafers, detecting for second and subsequent alignment operations of probe cards is automatically executed. In an apparatus for inspecting the electric characteristics of wafer, different types of wafers can be continuously inspected using the same probe card on the basis of prestored alignment data of each type of wafers.

Abstract: A probe apparatus having a measuring section with a first system for electrically measuring an object. A loader section has a second system for carrying objects to the measuring section and a marking section has a third system for marking objects. These sections are independent of each other so that a vibration occurring in one section is not transmitted to the other sections.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing a probing test for sequentially testing chips formed on a semiconductor wafer in a matrix form. An area of a chip subjected to the test or a chip excluded from the test on the wafer is preset, the preset-area information is stored, and only chips subjected to to the test are tested on the basis of the sequentially readout preset-area information.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of testing semiconductor wafer, which are capable of properly processing inking errors caused in the process of determining whether the chips are good or bad. The apparatus comprises an inker for markings those chips which have been found defective by probing test, a TV camera for imaging the chips including those which have been found defective and marked, a computer system for comparing an image-signal with a reference-signal, and determining that the chip has no marking when the signals coincide and that the chip has a marking when the signals do not coincide, and a counter for counting those chips which have been determined to have markings or no marking by the computer system.