RFID Case Study: Chip Manufacturing
Implementation of a control system for controlling and monitoring the production of microchips
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At a glance...
- Unique transponder identification of the production cassette
- Automatic transfer of production instructions and steps from the database of the host system
- Identification at the production plant
- Thorough verification of all production steps by automatic comparison with the database
- Direct loading of manufacturing procedures
- Monitoring lifecycle of the production cassette
RFID Frequency 134.2 kHz (LF)
- RFID Reader LF80 Serial or
- RFID Reader LF60 Eco
- RFID Glasstransponder 32mm
Microchips are integrated circuits on a single piece of semiconductor substrate. They require a complex manufacturing process and every semiconductor manufacturer knows that the production of these chips is no easy matter. Faultless control and complete monitoring of all production steps are essential factors for minimizing manufacturing loss.
Brooks has helped one of the world's largest manufacturers of microchips by providing a complete control system to support this process.
The challenge
In one wafer cassette, up to 25,000 chips are subjected to a series of different chemical and optical process steps (depending on the specific order), before the wafers are transformed into complete computer components. Our customer uses over 2,000 of these cassettes in one manufacturing plant.
At a price of $100 per chip, it is not difficult to imagine how much is at stake if something goes wrong during production.
The implementation
Control of product steps
The required instructions and the sequence of production steps for each cassette are retrieved from the higher-level control system. The production plants which are equipped with transponder reading devices identify the cassette as soon as it reaches the feeding mechanism of the plant. An optical sensor begins the process of reading the information stored in the database, guaranteeing smooth processing of the complex production steps.
If changes are required to the manufacturing procedure, these only need to be entered in the database. The instructions are automatically transferred and executed safely and precisely.
Monitoring of products
Each cassette is identified via transponder with a unique identification number. This ID number is used to check the cassette troughout the individual production steps and constantly compare the information received from the transponder with plant specifications. Only if these data records match, does the cassette continue along the production line and each silicon slice is processed in turn. Has the specified lifecycle of a cassette been exceeded? – An important question that can easily be answered with the help of RFID technology. Our customer can retrieve information on the age of the cassette and the number of process cycles at any time. Of course, it is also possible to find out which process a particular cassette has already run through.
Our control system therefore safeguards the customers production process and saves great deal of time, trouble and not least: money.