October 2, 2001 – Santa Clara, CA – Applied Materials Inc. is signing a multi-year collaboration and licensing agreement for its FAB300 MES (manufacturing execution system) software with Intel. The two companies will work together to refine and implement the FAB300 product in Intel’s future 300mm wafer fabs.
This agreement will also serve to validate the capabilities of Intel-based clients and servers to run mission-critical applications in extremely complex and demanding manufacturing environments. Intel’s decision was based on an extensive, multi-year evaluation of all available MES technologies.
“Intel’s decision to engage with us on FAB300 is a tremendous milestone in our introduction of this software, which is the result of more than five years of continuous development, customer input, and demonstrations,” said Sass Somekh, Executive VP of Applied Materials. “Having FAB300 as an integral part of the chipmaking process validates our years of efforts toward making it the most highly automated, functional software of its kind.”
Applied Materials’ FAB300 product is the first MES package designed specifically for 300mm wafer facilities. FAB300 has a flexible framework for integrating processing tools and systems for fully automated manufacturing, according to the companies. With FAB300, managers can observe the real-time operating status of each of the hundreds of processing systems, track the flow of individual wafers throughout the fab, and easily re-route wafers to optimize efficiency. The software also contains functionality to perform most factory decisions automatically, based on management processes. FAB300 is designed to support the extension and modification of business practices; allowing their rapid, controlled modification in response to changing requirements driven by both business and technology cycles.
“This agreement and collaboration for a next-generation MES technology is important for Intel. The factory control system has a significant impact on the efficiency of our global semiconductor manufacturing operations,” said Jai Hakhu, VP, Technology & Manufacturing Group of Intel. “FAB300, which runs exclusively on Intel Architecture platforms, also demonstrates the capability of iA-based solutions to support mission critical applications.”