E-Diagnostics: Monitoring Tool Performance

		At a Glance
	Remote diagnostics of tool performance with Web-based browsers will allow OEMs to more quickly and effectively address tool problems, while also enabling the collection of performance data that should lead to improved next- generation equipment designs.

"By using the Web and e-diagnostics capability, companies will be able to leverage people that are experts in a certain field and use that expertise as if it were there at the factory," noted Howard Ignatius of Electroglas (San Jose). Electroglas recently acquired a company called Statware, a supplier of software forms that enable the collection and analysis of data from remote test equipment over the Internet. Electroglas plans to expand the capabilities of its SORTnet products to include remote monitoring and e-diagnostics over the Internet.

A longer-term advantage of e-diagnostics is that suppliers can collect accurate historical performance data such as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) from factory equipment, and use that data to rapidly drive continuous improvement. "We're going to capture more data from the pieces of equipment in a fab, so suppliers can build up a historical database of that information," Wohlwend said. "Consequently, new tools could be built better."

Not exactly a new idea

The ability for an OEM to "talk" to its equipment remotely is not exactly a new concept. With an approach introduced 10 years ago, Sputtered Films Inc. (SFI, Santa Barbara, Calif.) uses a modem line (now an ISDN line) to gain remote connection to its systems. The company can remotely bring up a customer's user interface in real time, access error logs and alarm logs, and walk a customer through corrective steps. SFI conservatively estimates that 70% of all customer issues are resolved in real time over the ISDN line.

Tom Plotkin, director of automation and software at SFI and the person who initially developed the technology, said he first used the QNX operating system — similar to LINUX — and commands were all menu-driven. Today, communication is through a graphical user interface (GUI), which needs more bandwidth and an ISDN line. Plotkin said that even 10 years ago he could do a big part of what is now being called e-diagnostics. "Once I logged in, I had almost complete access to the machine, and could troubleshoot any area. I'd analyze it, or pull other parties in to analyze it." With this scenario, if a software modification or upgrade is needed, it can be downloaded over the ISDN line immediately. As far as the Internet-based solutions now being pursued, Plotkin added, "I will not, and do not advise anybody to go through the Internet at this time. Besides compromising security, you can get degradation in bandwidth and speed, dependent on so many factors."

In addition to seeing what the on-site engineer sees, Varian personnel can transmit electronic documentation — current schematics, assembly drawings and photos — which are then shown in the helmet's eyepiece monitors. "White-boarding" capabilities allow company experts to annotate areas of interest for the on-site engineer. Varian says Remote Assist can also be used with other manufacturers' equipment.

The rise of e-manufacturing

Of course, what's new and different since the time these innovative solutions to remote diagnostics came on the market is the Internet ... or, at least, the widespread use and acceptance of the Internet. A move is now underway to use the power of the Internet in all aspects of business, including manufacturing. Some call this e-manufacturing and consider it one component of e-business.

Although the concept of e-manufacturing is still in its infancy, it is clear that it will include yield management and fault detection, supply chain management, inventory management, AEC/APC and SPC, and, of course, e-commerce (see "E-Manufacturing Is Immiment").

The big question relating to e-manufacturing is how to create an IT infrastructure that has the highest level of security, yet still enables highly effective, Web-type communication ... presumably using all the nifty hardware and software tools developed for the Internet.

Instead of OEMs connecting to their tools by phone or ISDN lines, tool-performance data is collected on a server within the fab. OEMs, through an Internet-type connection, router and firewall, then access that server.

"Going onto a factory floor and saying, 'I want a telephone line to every machine' is a big problem," said Paul Sagues, president of Berkeley Process Control (Richmond, Calif.). "Some companies have figured out how to implement a particular type of modem on a particular machine and effect remote communication. But it's really the Internet technology that has allowed low-cost, seamless network connectivity."

E-diagnostic effort underway

To facilitate the use of e-diagnostics — seen as one of the key elements of e-manufacturing — International SEMATECH launched an e-diagnostics program last year that targets commercialization of open, Internet-based access for suppliers to monitor their equipment. "This is a real industry effort," Wohlwend said. "International SEMATECH is providing the leadership in the facilitation of it. In addition to our companies, we have lots of hardware and software suppliers involved."

Some of the key e-diagnostic guideline components:

• Open architecture based on mainstream computer technologies, non-proprietary standards and data models.
• An Internet-based approach that guarantees that fab data is shared only with the appropriate supplier.
• Two-way communication between equipment and suppliers to enhance interactive problem-solving.
• E-diagnostics capability for 200 mm and 300 mm wafer sizes.
• Data security is to be assured, preventing the transmission of equipment data to chip or vendor competitors.
• Run-time data collection, storage and retrieval enabling data analysis and decision-support capability.
• Notifying the supplier when a tool is in need of routine preventive maintenance.

In January, International SEMATECH invited proposals to participate in some e-diagnostic benchmarking activities to "verify its recently published e-Diagnostics Guidebook and to bring the industry closer to receiving real-time fab equipment performance data." Requests for proposals (RFPs) were issued to suppliers interested in participating in the prototype project. "This will provide suppliers with a neutral ground in which to prove and demonstrate their e-diagnostics systems," Wohlwend said. "Through this project, we are accelerating e-diagnostics learning for the industry."

SEMATECH will provide the high-speed Internet connection, router, firewall and test network necessary to securely test the efficacy of the prototype model. This next phase of the project will involve setting up the hardware and software required to carry out e-diagnostics of tools in a fab. Throughout, security issues that look at the integrity of data in the server, network robustness, and protecting intellectual property will be addressed.

SEMATECH plans to test the following four levels of e-diagnostics capabilities defined in the guidebook during the prototype program:

• Zero: Access and remote collaboration (remote connectivity to the tool and remote collaboration capabilities of text, audio, video).
• One: Collection and control (remote tool operation, remote performance monitoring, remote equipment configuration).
• Two: Automated reporting and advanced analysis capability.
• Three: Predictive maintenance, self-diagnostics, automated notification.

A good example

Although most of its development actually predates the launch of the SEMATECH program, a recent e-diagnostics solution that closely meets the SEMATECH guidelines is KLA-Tencor's iSupport. Beth McAllister, vice president of marketing, worldwide support operations, at KLA-Tencor (San Jose), explained how iSupport is set up: "We have a server that's installed on the fab network that continuously monitors our tools and sends alerts and notifications either to the customer or to us."

The server also acts as a database by storing and analyzing tool data for reporting and trending. All of this is controlled via a Web browser so, as long as customers are on the network, they can access any of the information stored in the server. Built-in security allows remote operations and diagnostics.

The iSupport program is now available on three of the company's tools, with seven more to be added shortly. Its ability to solve problems quickly has already been demonstrated (see "E-Diagnostics: Three Case Studies"). McAllister said it has proved particularly beneficial in helping to ramp one of KLA-Tencor's 300 mm tools at a beta site.

Web-based tool connectivity

One of the stated goals of International SEMATECH's program is to provide open, secure, Internet-based access methods for suppliers to monitor their equipment. A key question is how far such methods will go: Will they stop at a server within the fab, or will fabs allow Internet-based connectivity all the way to the tool? Although security is the major concern that might block such an effort, proponents say this can be readily addressed, pointing to what has happened in the banking industry as a good example. In fact, security might even be enhanced by controlling it at the tool level. "That's something to be determined. We think you have to have integrity in the control system down at the device level to avoid the problem where, sure you've got great security at the Oracle database level, but by then the data has already been compromised and mixed together," said Sagues of Berkeley Process Control.

One new product that is essentially a Web server for process tools is the eQonnector from PRI Automation (Billerica, Mass.). The concept behind the product was developed by Rehovot, Israel-based EquipNET Ltd., which partnered with PRI. "The eQNet solution provides Web-based tool connectivity that makes each tool a Web site browsable on the intra- or Internet," said Peter Szasz of EquipNET. "Leveraging mainstream technology, using standard interfaces and an open architecture allows continuing application development."

The eQonnector acquires information from the tool's SECS interface, or directly from sensors on the tool, and publishes information as Web pages. Mitchell Weiss of PRI says EquipNET's epiphany was to take the technology that's powering the Web and use it to power the connection to the tool. "Instead of setting yet a new set of SEMI standards for IT infrastructures, let's take the accepted-everywhere-else industry practice of using Web-enabling intranet technologies to create the interconnects to the tool," he said.

"We're not saying we're going to tie a bunch of SECS interfaces or MESs back to a central data point, hook that up to a VPN and then talk over the Internet only for the outside stuff," Weiss added. "We're saying we'll make everything inside the factory Internet-enabled. Customers still have to use VPNs and firewalls and portals to protect their data. That's true. But it doesn't become a necessary part of the tool connectivity."

The eQonnector is a Web server specifically designed for semiconductor process tools, offering two SECS ports, two Ethernet ports and a DeviceNet port. "You can stick it on a process tool, collect the SECS data that's already in existence on the tool, add new sensors using an industry-standard sensor bus, and connect the intranet up with the Ethernet and you have a second Ethernet channel if it's an HSMS-compatible tool."

PRI says the product represents a new class of interface and integration products: equipment connectors. They define these as products that provide the interconnect capabilities of station controllers, but use simpler implementation methods by taking advantage of recent developments in Web technology. Observations of the tool information can then be made using any available browser technology from anywhere on the fab intranet.

Once the eQonnector devices and intranet infrastructure are in place, managers will be able to employ specialized applications to monitor and analyze information related to their particular area of responsibility, such as:

• Status monitoring: Clicking on an image of the tool would bring up its specific Web page, showing a variety of information and data on the tool, and the material being processed.
• Tool performance: An application collects tool-status information from the eQonnectors on a regular basis. This data could then be used to develop metrics for each tool, such as TP2, OEE, availability, etc.
• Facilities monitoring: eQonnector would be attached to fab components and process tools by using the sensor bus. Air pressure, temperature, motor speed, and a host of facilities data could be collected and manipulated.

Also focusing on Web-type communications is Austin, Texas-based domainLogix Corp. The company recently released its first production implementation of OBEM (object-based equipment model) XP. It supports the 20-year-old legacy SECS/ GEM interface, while also providing access to the tool using any of several standard object-orientated access technologies, including DCOM, CORBA, XML and RMI, all compatible with Internet technology (see "The E-Diagnostics Case for OBEM"). "What we're trying to do is provide a set of standard software that works industrywide to enable e-diagnostics across all types of semiconductor tools," said Charles Baylis, vice president of technology at domainLogix.

Summary

The advantages of e-diagnostics are clear: Remote monitoring and diagnostics allow supplier experts to rapidly fix equipment problems, minimizing mean time to repair (MTTR) and reducing field-service costs. By collecting historical performance data, suppliers can more quickly drive continuous improvement and improve overall equipment effectiveness in next-generation tools.

What's unclear is how far the industry will go in adopting Web-type technologies as we move closer to a true e-manufacturing environment.