Embedded system framework design for data collection and analysis in the semiconductor and optoelectronic industries

Abstract

This thesis proposed a novel embedded system framework (ESF) for data collection of semiconductor and optoelectronic manufacturing equipment. Most present equipment engineering data collection systems acquire engineering data from equipment to remote data collection and analysis servers. In this work, devices implemented ESFs are embedded in the equipment for data collection and some data analysis and monitor functions which require large number of equipment data are plugged in the ESF to reduce huge data transmission in the Internet and resolve factory network burden. The ESF possesses three transmission interfaces, pluggable communication interface (PCI), pluggable application interface (PAI), and equipment driver interface (EDI), to fit various applications. The purpose of PCI is to easily plug in various communication agents. Thus developers of the equipment engineering system (EES) will be able to focus on the EES functions design and disregard the communication issues. PCI provides the interface of messages transmission between embedded pluggable application modules (PAM) and remote computers or mobile devices such as personal digital assistant (PDA) to enhance real-time and prompt equipment monitor and trouble shooting. PAI supplies the standard interface for dynamically plugging in PAM and EDI serves as an interface between equipment and the related driver. The ESF has the ability of serving multiple different application functions and the communication modules, application modules, and equipment drivers are easily replaced according to the requirements. The ESF plays the role of equipment data collection and analysis in EES and transmits the analysis results or alert messages to remote EES servers or PDA.