Abstract: ASYST Technology, Inc., a US-based supplier of automated equipment for wafer fabrication lines, is currently a global leader in design and test integration systems. Facing a continuously growing and enormous market, and to improve manufacturing equipment performance and thus increase semiconductor manufacturing productivity, ASYST successfully designed the revolutionary core of its EFEM (Engineering, Procurement, and Manufacturing) robot control system using MEI and SynqNet technologies. 1. User Overview and User Needs On March 10, 2005, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) released its latest report on the semiconductor equipment industry. The report stated that due to strong market demand for new high-end wafer equipment, global semiconductor equipment manufacturers' sales grew by 67% in 2004, climbing from US$22.2 billion in 2003 to US$37.1 billion. Japan and Taiwan have become the largest markets for wafer fabrication equipment, and more and more global semiconductor manufacturers are locating their wafer fabs in the Asia-Pacific region. Faced with rapid market development and intensifying competition, the semiconductor industry has been searching for wafer processing solutions that simultaneously offer high performance and low cost. As a leading global provider of integrated semiconductor design and test systems, ASYST Technologies, aiming to achieve optimal productivity and maintain its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing equipment design and solutions, began manufacturing front-end modules (EFEMs) for next-generation semiconductors. For semiconductor manufacturers, productivity concerns primarily focus on: minimizing the space required for EFEM operation—space scarcity drives equipment manufacturers to continuously push the limits of space for efficient processes; increasing wafer fabrication speed and efficiency to reduce overall costs; and ensuring production safety—wafer operations are critical, and any errors, especially in motion control, can result in significant economic losses. 2. Design and Implementation Results ASYST's Spartan™ EFEM project fully considered the requirements of semiconductor manufacturing, clearly defining the need for digital motion networks, and ultimately selecting MEI and SynqNet R technologies as the key control components of the Spartan EFEM system, completing the design and manufacturing of a revolutionary automated tool for wafer fab front-end fabrication. MEI and SynqNet R technologies meet or exceed stringent requirements for motion performance, enabling high-performance, low-cost wafer processing solutions and changing market demands for front-end modules (EFEMs) in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. [align=center]Design Innovation: The Spartan EFEM, half the size of other similar tools, utilizes a dual-gripper Cartesian robot with an optional edge-clamping linear calibrator, resulting in high productivity.[/align] The significant reduction in wiring and increased wiring speed achieved by MEI and SynqNet R technologies clearly influenced ASYST's final decision. Simultaneously, the motion network design had to ensure that the Spartan EFEM could deliver a level of performance while maintaining its promised optimal productivity, safety, and reliability. Therefore, ASYST adopted the SynqNet and MEI controller software solutions as core design elements, innovating the Spartan EFEM in several ways to significantly reduce tool size, improve wafer manufacturing efficiency, and enhance system stability and safety. 2.1 Space Reduced to Half the Size of Similar Tools First, in terms of size, the Spartan EFEM developed by ASYST engineers is the smallest design in its class, exceeding not only the SEMI standard applicable to existing equipment sizes but also setting a new standard in the market. ASYST engineers rethought the internal robot design of the Spartan EFEM, reducing its size and completely eliminating the bottom portion of the tool to meet the end-user's own processing requirements, while significantly reducing the overall weight of the Spartan EFEM. Simultaneously, the airflow system is highly optimized to a large extent due to the reduced amount of air to be handled. 2.2 Improved Wafer Manufacturing Efficiency Optimizing productivity was the top priority throughout the design; the system had to be both fast and precise. The Spartan EFEM features significant structural innovations to meet efficiency requirements, with the MEI motion controller playing a crucial role. 2.2.1 Structural Innovation For this, ASYST selected a dual-gripper Cartesian coordinate robot equipped with an optional edge-clamping linear calibrator for structural innovation. The robot's Z-axis is side-fixed, eliminating the vertical space required in planar articulated (Scrara) wafer transport robots. Thanks to an advanced particle controller with innovative air circulation and filtration, the Spartan EFEM design meets ISO Class 1 standards and offers excellent microenvironment options. This design, in addition to eliminating the lower portion of the Spartan EFEM, also features an innovative loading port design, fundamentally reducing overall cost and significantly improving process integration compared to standard loading ports. The Spartan EFEM utilizes a rigorous, patented framework design, greatly reducing setup time on existing tools. The unified structural points of the Spartan EFEM allow for intuitive and timely calibration of the loading port. In terms of design innovation and flexibility, the Spartan system can also be used as a general-purpose wafer sorter in various applications. This dual-tool performance and flexibility enable ASYST to quickly customize solutions to meet its customers' stringent requirements. 2.2.2 MEI Motion Controller Due to the extremely limited workspace, ASYST needed to design complex paths for effective robot control. According to Mike Krolak, Senior Director of Controller Technology at ASYST, “The capabilities and flexibility of the MEI software enable us to perform very complex path planning and leverage the capabilities of MPI (Motion Programming Library C/C++) as the motion engine for our web-based user graphical interface (GUI). The GUI provides our customers with an easy-to-use interface while allowing users to ‘teach’ the robot to their specific applications.” Considering the close coordination of the system’s high-performance axes, ASYST selected an XMP-SynqNet-PCI-based controller, while Kollmorgen Servotronix Group and Danaher Motion provided custom dual-axis SynqNet servo drives. Like most full MEI SynqNet applications, the motion controller must reliably interact with the vision system, input/output, and other feedback devices to achieve the accuracy and speed of motion control. Krolak stated, “The MEI system architecture is perfectly suited to our technical specifications, enabling client-based motion control, PC-based centralized control, host-level functionality, scalability, remote diagnostics, and a wide range of powerful adjustment tools for digital networks.” 2.3 System Safety and Stability The Spartan EFEM is designed for extreme stability, a characteristic achieved by ASYST using MEI control software and the SynqNet network-based motion control system. 2.3.1 Remote Diagnostic Capabilities of MEI Control Software—Krolak stated, “We place great emphasis on the remote diagnostic capabilities of the Spartan EFEM. Because all MEI software tools accept TCP/IP and can run as a client, we can remotely run all diagnostic software and access SynqNet drives and the mechanical parts of the actual system. This capability is absolutely crucial.” Precise Motion Data Analysis—ASYST utilizes the core MEI programming software library, the Motion Programming Interface (MPI), and real-time analysis tools like MotionScope to achieve precise motion data analysis. Krolak said, “Motion Scope is crucial for tuning the system’s servo performance. I can truly ‘see’ the data points, such as the response time, describe and compare the data until I get the results I want. Importantly, this data is real-time, allowing me to gain insight into all the feedback when tuning system performance parameters.” ControlsToolkit—which includes BodeTool and FilterDesigner functionalities—is another tool used by ASYST engineers to achieve a level of machine tuning never before seen in other motion software packages. Krolak said, “BodeTool has taken my visibility into mechanical responses to a whole new level. This is something I've never had before. Using a simple window-based interface and a SynqNet motion controller, I can simultaneously stimulate any one or two axes and see the system's frequency response, like the Asyst Spartan. This is something the EFEM/wafer sorter has never done before. Because the Spartan EFEM host runs VxWorks, I was able to perform a complete analysis test from a remote host in client mode. I was able to thoroughly test the system to ensure that any motion commands wouldn't affect its stability and to achieve even greater motion performance through optimal tuning.” MPX Motion Programming Software—The Spartan EFEM also used MPX (ActiveX Motion Programming) software from MEI during development and production line testing. MPX is a software package capable of running ActiveX and can be programmed in any ActiveX-compatible environment. MPX enables rapid testing and parameter tuning of the Spartan EFEM motion system during production to quickly identify any deviations in the machine's performance. The ability to remotely acquire data via standard TCP/IP connections gives Assyst the flexibility to monitor or analyze data from any location. 2.3.2 Network-Based Motion Control SynqNet is a high-speed motion network based on the Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) physical layer, featuring a simplified data layer and timing model to ensure synchronized operation across nodes within a system. Its firmware/configuration download, remote diagnostics, high-speed servo synchronization updates at each node, and fault-tolerant operation fully meet Assyst's network requirements. The Spartan EFEM's controllers and interfaces are based on innovative network services. All controllers operate through a standard web browser for setup, configuration, and diagnostics. This central control unit runs VxWorks for real-time performance, connected to a Windows-based operating system running a suite of ASYST and MEI software tools. The idea behind this network capability is to leverage remote diagnostic capabilities from the machine level to the enterprise level. The TCP/IP functionality within the entire MEI software again aligns with ASYST's requirements, enabling the retrieval and transmission of machine information to any location worldwide, the retrieval of real-time data collected from SynqNet via the MEI controller and transmission to the host machine, transmission over a secure network connection, and remote analysis. In terms of customer service, machine availability, and reliability, Spartan EFEM clearly offers significant advantages in predictive maintenance and field service. Spartan EFEM's network-based configuration tools also possess powerful networking capabilities, enabling remote configuration and settings. All user programming is completed through an intuitive and user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), facilitating rapid operation. 3. Implementation Results and User Feedback In summary, the design of Spartan EFEM has transformed the traditional labor-intensive EFEM manufacturing process, innovating and improving complex front-end solutions with advanced MEI SynqNet control technology. This allows Spartan EFEM to meet semiconductor manufacturers' requirements for module footprint, wafer manufacturing speed, and production safety, effectively improving productivity and earning high praise from ASYST users. ASYST also highly praised MEI SynqNet. As Wayne Nobles, Vice President and General Manager of the Systems Division at ASYST Technologies, stated: “Today, all semiconductor manufacturers are planning their next-generation wafer fabs, and they will inevitably use a large amount of automation to reduce costs and increase productivity. They are concerned not only with purchase costs, but also with the time and cost of the entire system deployment, service and maintenance costs, and capacity losses due to equipment failures and poor interoperability. Manufacturers need to address these issues when designing tools, including automated wafer handling systems.” Mike Krolak, Senior Director of Controller Technology, believes: “The MEI system’s architecture is perfectly suited to our technical specifications, enabling client-based motion control, PC-based centralized control, host-level functionality, scalability, remote diagnostics, and a variety of powerful adjustment tools for digital networks.”