FAB AUTOMATION/INTEGRATION: Flexibility, Interoperability, Contamination Control among Keys to Highly Automated Factories

摘要

No technological development has pushed the state of fab au-tomation and integration as hard and as far as the transition to 300-mm chip manufacturing. Manual operation and handling have little or no place in the realm of the big wafer. State-of-the-art process tools and fabs include heretofore-unseen levels of automated intrabay and interbay wafer-handling equipment, factory control systems, and other assorted software. Some pundits have gone so far as to forecast that the long-sought-after "lights-out fab" is just around the corner, but those working up close and personal with the new robotic gear and exotic software know that the industry still has a long way to go. In this installment of The Hot Button, we asked the experts for their take on the critical issues facing fab automation and integration, and their answers may surprise you.