New protection for semiconductor quality

New protection for semiconductor quality

Keywords: Semiconductors, Quality

Software Industries of Montpellier, France, has designed its Software Industries Fault Tracking, or SIFT system, to aid semiconductor manufacturers by monitoring the signals generated by the digital and analogue sensors. The system can also activate an optional visual alarm called Software Industries Smart TowER Light, or SISTERlight, if signal levels exceed or fall below a predetermined threshold. Users of SIFT and SISTERLight include Philippe Composants & Semi-Conducteurs and STMicroelectronics in France, and Agrate Brianza in Italy.

SIFT is designed to prevent confusion that may result when alarms are received from different networks, and to provide security for equipment that was not originally fitted with visual signalling hardware.

The SIFT system works with any sensors used in semiconductor manufacturing,including those that measure fluid temperature, pressure, and gas flow, and sensing devices associated with wafer and cycle counters, contact detectors,switches, and local alarms. The monitoring system can be hardwired to the sensors, or connected by a standard wired link. Sensor signals are conditioned,linearised, and scaled as needed. The entire SIFT system is designed to be integrated into existing distributed control systems.

Operators dynamically load the pre-determined thresholds into SIFT from a recipe or any other configuration data file using a Semi-Equipment Communication Standard/Generic Equipment Model/High Speed Message Services link. They can also test all the system functions, collate the results, and upload them in a message by means of self-diagnostics.