Online information source for semiconductor professionals

Product Briefing Outline: CIMAC is now offering a new MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) migration packaged service solution for semiconductor fabs with obsolete server platforms. These server platforms run the manufacturing control software that coordinates the movement and processing of material through the fab. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has announced dates when support for their AlphaServer and HP PA-RISC 9000 Server platforms will no longer be available. This could effect up to 100 mostly 200mm fabs. Legacy MES software including WorkStream, PROMIS and FACTORYworks (Applied Materials) all have software versions that run on HP AlphaServers Open as well as HP 9000 Servers. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Imera Systems has announced its next-generation network virtualization solutions for cross-enterprise e-Diagnostics and equipment knowledge base access. The solutions are claimed to connect manufacturers and equipment vendors to maximize productivity and reduce unscheduled equipment downtime with no VPN connection, or a third party service provider without IP leakage. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Applied Materials has introduced the ‘Applied E3’ advanced equipment and process control solution, intended to be a comprehensive factory automation (FA) software package for improving the productivity and reducing the costs of semiconductor, flat panel display and photovoltaic solar cell manufacturing. The modular packages utilize proprietary algorithms that are claimed to boost process capability by >30 percent, reduce unscheduled downtime, and shorten cycle time to achieve up to a 20 percent increase in overall equipment effectiveness. Applied Materials said the system has already been employed by multiple major manufacturers and is currently being used in volume production. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Hach Ultra has introduced the MET ONE 6000 Series Remote Airborne Particle Counters, which offer accurate and reliable continuous particle monitoring. With a sensitivity range of 0.2 to 5.0µm at 0.1 cfm flow rate and 0.5 to 10µm at 1.0 cfm flow rate, the MET ONE 6000 series is designed to meet the specific needs of cleanroom operations within the semiconductor, hard disk drive and flat panel display industries. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Numetrics Management Systems has launched ‘NMX-ERP’ 3.0, its next-generation suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for integrated circuit (IC) development organizations. The new software significantly extends the company’s top-down project planning and risk measurement capabilities, handling chips designed in nodes down to 45nm. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Aquest Systems has introduced its new ‘FabEX’ No-Wait-Productivity (SM) Improvement (NPI) solution that is designed optimize material movement in an existing fab by eliminating bottlenecks and congestions that impact IC manufacturers' fab productivity.  The solution is claimed to connect without any changes to the IC manufacturers' existing automated material handling systems (AMHS). Aquest has integrated the FabEX 'highway' into Powerchip Semiconductor's current AMHS, which is designed to provide additional capacity to move 8,000 FOUPS per day at high speeds between their two fabs, 12A and 12B, with average delivery times of less than 140 seconds, the company said. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: A real-time, visual predictive and preventive maintenance (PPM) system that could save semiconductor fabs thousands of dollars annually per tool has been developed by Quality Wise Knowledge Solutions (QWiKS) in cooperation with ATDF, the Austin-based R&D foundry. The PPM system, called QWiKS CBM/PHM, combines condition-based maintenance (CBM) with prognostic health monitoring (PHM) to monitor and maintain semiconductor process equipment more effectively. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Asyst Technologies has announced the introduction of its Factory Data Integration Manager (FDIM). FDIM offers fab engineers a dynamic, adaptable interface for tool data access that overcomes the difficulties often experienced when implementing data collection using existing station controller technologies. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Brooks Software has introduced PROMIS 5.8, an upgrade of its PROMIS MES that provides enhancements in the @PROMIS web GUI making it easier to increase productivity and enforce stringent quality controls in the production of precision products. Existing customers using any of the three previous major version releases of PROMIS (5.5, 5.6, and 5.7) will be able to take advantage of all the new features with a single-step upgrade, according to the company. Read more >>

Product Briefing Outline: Factory Physics Inc., a management consulting company, has launched its proprietary software application ‘LeanPhysics' Support Tools. LeanPhysics Support Tools enable enterprises to apply ‘Factory Physics' principles and optimize design, planning and execution of operations. The software complements continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma and work with existing IT systems to maximize these investments by standardizing a practical, scientific framework in an IT solution that makes managing operations easier. Read more >>