E-Manufacturing: The Evolution Continues

摘要

It should be no surprise that a semiconductor manufacturing fab is loaded with computer power. At the fab level, a computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system is coupled with manufacturing execution software (MES) to track lots, manage recipes and monitor the status of tools. What may be surprising is the lack of computer power when it comes to monitoring performance where it counts the most: at the most basic level of the process tool. Semiconductor manufacturing tools are complex entities and often need frequent maintenance or repair. Tool availability, or lack thereof, typically referred to as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), can have a huge impact on fab efficiency. For the past five or six years, OEE has been identified in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) as an area where major improvements are needed. To stay on the productivity curve defined by Moore's Law, experts say a 9-15% im- provement in OEE per year is required. An estimate of the average for the overall equipment effectiveness for all equipment is only 40-50% (Fig. 1).