One book for 300 mm:1300I, J300unviel standards guideline

09/01/1997

One book for 300-mm: I300I, J300 unveil standards guidelines

After a year-long collaboration, the International 300mm Initiative (I300I) and the Japanese J300 standards development consortium have released a landmark guidance plan to aid the development of a global set of standards for 300-mm wafer production later this year.

The two consortia unveiled the 33-page document, "Global Joint Guidance for 300-mm Semiconductor Factories," at a well-attended 300-mm Transition Status conference held during SEMICON/West; a similar presentation of the guidelines was slated for Tokyo on July 23.

Over the next six months, the two groups, representing a total of 23 chip companies, will continue to work together through task forces, using the Global Joint Guidance document to establish a proposed set of standards for 300-mm wafer production by this December, according to Randy Goodall, an I300I support technology associate director. SEMI is forecasting that at least nine pilot production lines with 500 to 1000 wafer starts/month will be in operation between the second half of 1998 and the first half of 1999; according to current timetables, a complete set of tools could be available to chipmakers by the first half of 1998.

Frank Robertson, VP and GM of I300I, noted that lithographic tools for the 300-mm era are still lagging other areas somewhat. "We need a few of them," he said. "Then, volume production of 248-nm step-and-scan tools needs to be managed."

SEMI president Stan Myers, a veteran of the wafer manufacturing business, remarked that "the silicon guys are all right" when it comes to preparing to meet manufacturing demand for 300-mm wafers. "All the major silicon guys have pilot plants operating, and are committed to making 2000-3000 prime wafers/month by the time manufacturing starts," he said. "We still don`t see any prime wafers, but will within a year, and we can always cherry-pick" to get prime wafers from early batches.

The consortia have reached consensus in several critical areas, specifically in carriers and physical interfaces. For example, the two groups have settled on two carriers instead of four, putting emphasis on the front-opening unified pod (FOUP) and open cassette configuration (though the usage of open cassettes may be very limited; see "Eight Japanese IC firms plan pods for 300 mm," Technology News, p. 38). Carriers should have 13- and 25-wafer slots, 10-mm pitch and horizontal wafer orientation during wafer transport. In addition, all 300-mm process/metrology must have standardized load ports configured for either FOUP or open cassette carriers; both AGVs and PGVs must be compatible with both FOUP and open cassettes, and overhead transport systems must be compatible with FOUP carriers.

More work still must be done to achieve consensus in the computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), safety and environment areas, and according to W. Murray Bullis, SEMI VP of international standards, to resolve differences between SEMI and J300 member Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) relating to wafer edge shape profile and laser marking standards.

"Unless we have standardization, the cost of the transition will be prohibitive," said Robertson. He, along with other keynote speakers at the conference, said standardization is the key to minimizing both development and factory costs. SEMI, which Robertson described as the "locus" of the global standards establishment, estimates that the transition to 300-mm wafers will cost the equipment and materials industry $14 billion. The transition could also cut chipmakers` costs by as much as 20-30 percent, and is considered to be a milestone in the industry because it is the first time the move to a larger wafer size is being led by industry consortium, and not by individual chip companies.

Copies of the Global Joint Guidance document are available on I300I`s web site at www.I300I.com, or by contacting I300I directly at ph 512/356-3232. - Christine Lunday, P.N.D., WaferNews