September 21, 2004 – Brooks Software, a division of Brooks Automation Inc., has been awarded a multimillion dollar contract from Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. for large-scale deployment of Brooks’ fault detection solution at two new 300mm factories.

The Brooks fault detection solution will be deployed at two Powerchip sites in Taiwan. The first implementation was recently completed, while the second is scheduled for next year.

The Brooks fault detection solution allows advanced manufacturers like Powerchip to evaluate in real-time the stability and repeatability of its manufacturing processes. The solution applies statistical process control methodology to key process parameters, enabling the system to detect early warning indicators and issue alarms as necessary.

Powerchip operators can set limits so that alarms are issued before the process has drifted outside acceptable boundaries, allowing corrections to be made before product is potentially lost. Once a process has been modeled, operators can then expand use of the Brooks fault detection solution to include chamber and tool matching.

As a result of its newly implemented fault detection capabilities, Powerchip expects to see improvements in scrap prevention and cycle time and reduction in mean time to repair (MTTR).