Squeezing In More Capability

摘要

The manufacturers of semiconductor process tools have been calling on their component suppliers to develop and provide application-specific subsystems that involve more and more process expertise and equipment engineering know-how. A recent trend is to ask subsystem suppliers to cut costs, speed up development, and deliver a custom solution on an increasingly tight time schedule. In this article we describe examples of custom subsystem development that required cooperation among diverse groups within MKS Instruments, a component and subsystem supplier to end users and OEMs ? an in situ verifier for mass flow controllers; a compact integrated reactive gas source for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber cleaning; specialized sensors for loadlock vent and pumping control; and pressure control for atmospheric furnace processes. Although these projects started out as custom applications, they rapidly evolved into standard off-the-shelf products.