The failure of any key element or subsystem in a semiconductor manufacturing facility has the potential to bring the process to a complete standstill and/or to force costly wafer scrap. A key consequence of such failure is an associated increase in the cost of operations. While rarely reflected in the upfront Capital Expenditures (CapEx) pricing, from a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective, manufacturers typically find that unplanned downtime, raw material wafer costs, unscheduled repairs and the purchase of spare units can be significant contributors to Operating Expenses (OpEx).
With today’s complex semiconductor manufacturing processes, operators are looking for ways to identify not only the potential points of failure but also ways to predict when a failure is most likely to occur. Armed with this information they can then proactively address problems before they lead to costly, productivity-impacting downtime.
