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GEM300 Update |
| To change or not to change: that is the question. The SEMI North America GEM300 Task Force continues to debate how standards changes are managed. Are improvements to the current standards needed in the short term or are the standards satisfactory in their current state? Is the current rate of change acceptable or is it too burdensome? Read the full article to learn more and share with us your thoughts on "change control."
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RRI Update |
| To benefit its member companies, ISMI initiated the RaP Reference Implementation (RRI) project, partnering with Alan Weber & Associates (AWA) to deliver a "reference implementation" for the SEMI E139 standard. AWA developed the solution utilizing Cimetrix connectivity technology and RRI is now available to all members of the semiconductor industry on the Cimetrix website.
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| Welcome to the Standard. |
| Back by popular demand, Cimetrix brings you, the Standard, an industry resource focused on providing the latest updates regarding SEMI® Standards developments.
In light of the economic downturn in the semiconductor industry, equipment suppliers are looking for better ways to lower their fixed costs and focus on product differentiation. This has led an increasing number of equipment suppliers to look outside their internal resources for alternatives including partnering with key suppliers in an effort to control costs. This trend will continue into 2009, creating a more efficient system and enabling equipment suppliers to concentrate on their core competencies. The PV industry also faces a number of important challenges including the need to increase productivity and reduce integration costs in order to meet the growing market demands more efficiently.
Industry initiatives are being developed to assist in overcoming these obstacles for both industries. Stay tuned to the Standard to keep you up-to-date on these activities. |
| Data-Driven Tool Architectures:
The Gateway to Quality Equipment Data
by Dave Faulkner, EVP Sales & Marketing, Cimetrix, Inc.
and Larry Bourget, Director of Product Management, Axcelis Technologies |
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| The scope of data collection and reporting requirements for semiconductor manufacturing equipment has increased dramatically over the past decade. Factories are not only demanding larger quantities of data, but are also requiring better quality data and the ability to store and retrieve data both on and off the tools. Industry initiatives to improve equipment efficiency and productivity also focus on the importance of data. Unfortunately, much of the equipment control software that has already been deployed to factories was not designed to meet these new challenges.
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| SECS/ GEM and Photovoltaics
by Bruce Febvret, PV-EIS Task Force Member, Cimetrix, Inc. |
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Within the last couple of years, the PhotoVoltaic industry has begun exploring the implementation of equipment-level standards in an effort to increase productivity and decrease operational costs. In September, the PhotoVoltaic Equipment Interface Specification (PV-EIS) Task Force met in Valencia to further discussions regarding developing a PV standard for the interface between the equipment and the Manufacturing Execution System. The proposed standard is based on the SEMI SECS/GEM Standard and a draft will be submitted for yellow ballet in October 2008.
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| Product Spotlight: EDAConnect
by Brian Rubow, Product Manager, Cimetrix, Inc. |
| Many believe that creating an Equipment Data Acquisition (EDA) client-side library will be an easy task. However, difficulties arise in dealing with performance, version independence, and supporting tools. Cimetrix's newest solution, EDAConnect™ assists integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and third party software providers in avoiding these potential pitfalls and creating applications that can utilize the rich data available via the new EDA standard.
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