Reducing cycle times by 50%, and costs by 30%, over the next three years is the stated goal of ISMI’s next-generation fab (NGF) program. The group provided SST with tidbits from its member discussions on progress in the most important NGF capabilities to drive equipment effectiveness, including continuous processing, data access, and reducing wafer delays and setup times.
July 17, 2009 – Reducing cycle times by 50%, and costs by 30%, over the next three years is the stated goal of ISMI’s next-generation fab (NGF) program. The group provided SST with tidbits from its member discussions on progress in the most important NGF capabilities to drive equipment effectiveness, including continuous processing, data access, and reducing wafer delays and setup times.
Key messages from ISMI’s NGF program:
Costs and cycle times…with a caveat. First and foremost, ISMI says that NGF is a productivity continuum to a 450mm wafer-size transition, and as such there are complementary converging paths between its sister 450mm program, and these are key to efficient use of industry resources. The forward-compatible approach of 300mm NGF to 450m addresses needs of various ISMI members and minimizes industry R&D expenditures
Stated targets of ISMI’s NGF program are 30% cost reduction (key: overall equipment efficiency) and 50% cycle time improvement by 2012 — but those targets will require new capabilities, the most important of which are: Availability/predictability, continuous processing, access to data, and first wafer delay and set-up reduction. ISMI warns that the 30% cost reduction gap may not be closed completely.
– Call for collaboration. Collaboration between IDMs and OEMs will be needed to establish the infrastructure to enable NGF capabilities and improve productivity and reduce costs. This will entail standardized metrics and measurement methods (ISMI is developing these for wait time waste and equipment output waste, deemed key new areas for improving equipment performance), equipment data structure and collection, and equipment data visualization and applications.
SEMI is encouraging suppliers to join its cause to establish infrastructure to meet those cost and cycle-time targets above. Key areas identified for joint work:
– Predictive preventive maintenance (PPM), seamless cascading (SC), and enhanced equipment quality assurance (EEQA)
– Adherence to EDA standards and improvement of implementations
– Development of industry metrics for wait time waste and equipment output waste (WTW and EOW)
– Proposals for innovative solutions to fill the cost reduction gap
(Source: ISMI)
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