Process Monitoring System offers automatic operation.
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Press Release Summary:
Using RFID technology with memory chip, NOWTrak(TM) Automatic Critical Materials Management System identifies, tracks, stores, and manages complete life cycle data of critical liquid materials used in fab. It prevents misconnects and provides advanced warning of expiration dates. Able to create electronic logs of material use and change-outs, system initiates chemical verification and monitoring functions and transfers product data from each container to the control system.
Original Press Release:
ATMI Introduces NOWTrak(TM)
Automatic Critical Materials Data Management System
DANBURY, CT - September 25, 2003 - ATMI, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATMI), a supplier of materials and services to the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers, today introduced a process monitoring and "screw-up" prevention system for critical liquid materials in the fab.
The NOWTrak(TM) Automatic Critical Materials Management System uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with a memory chip to identify, track, store, and manage the complete life cycle data of critical liquid materials in use in a fab. It automatically works to prevent misconnects, to provide advanced warning of expiration dates, to easily and flexibly identify materials at the point of use, to manage inventory, and to create detailed electronic logs of material use and change-outs.
"Replacing archaic bar code with NOWTrak creates a yield-enhancing materials management information mother lode," said Dennis Brestovansky, ATMI Senior Vice President, and General Manager of ATMI Packaging. "Right now, the semiconductor industry is spending more on materials than it does on capital equipment - yet the industry has no robust method to accurately track, catalog, analyze, evaluate, and manage key process materials," Brestovansky said. "NOWTrak enables automatic, immediate verification and validation of the correct material, in the proper place, from the proper batch, with the appropriate characteristics - and, if it isn't right, NOWTrak prevents the material from being used. A major benefit of the product is helping to prevent the most annoying of manufacturing setbacks, the screw-up. Our baseline cost-of-ownership model shows return on investment within six to twelve months."
Marlene Strobl, Principal Engineer for Lithography, Infineon Technologies AG, said, "The NOWTrak is the perfect system for tracking materials throughout the fab, as well as within each tool. In our case, using the NOWTrak for photoresist, we got exactly what we had hoped for - detailed bottle-by-bottle data that prevented errors and helped to identify potential yield issues. From here, we intend to integrate the NOWTrak into 193-nanometer tools, then follow with our entire 300-millimeter line."
Bob Lord, Vice-President of Sales for ATMI Packaging, said, "Even with seven figure spending on software customization, barcode systems just can't hold enough information, and, most importantly, don't act automatically to prevent misconnects. If a technician errs when using bar codes, a tool can't respond by stopping the use of a material. NOWTrak continuously monitors a detailed data set about the materials in use. If it isn't the right material in the right place at the right time, the NOWTrak system will not allow that material to be delivered to the process tool."
Kathy Hanson, NOWTrak Product Manager, said, "We've completed seven months of successful NOWTrak beta testing at Infineon's 300mm plant in Dresden, Germany, where it was integrated onto all i-line photoresist tools. The Beta went extremely well, and Infineon was very happy with the results, getting exactly what they expected - detailed information and control of their process materials, real-time. Testing revealed that NOWTrak is especially useful during process development - and is invaluable for making sure resists don't expire while on the tools. The NOWTrak system generates the information our customers need to increase their wafer production efficiency."
About the NOWTrak(TM) Automatic Critical Materials Data Management System
While a materials bottle is in the process of being connected to a dispense connector, NOWTrak's radio frequency identification (RFID) system automatically signals the control system, initiating all chemical verification and monitoring functions, while transferring key product data from each container to the control system.
The NOWTrak continuously assesses and signals to the controller:
o Is this the right material from the right supplier for this tool?
o Is it the right batch or lot number?
o Is this material still good?
o Is the shelf life long enough to complete use of this material on this tool?
If all answers are "Yes" the NOWTrak signals the tool to enable the material dispenser. If an answer is "No" to any parameter the end-user has designated, the NOWTrak signals the tool to disable this material dispense point and requests technician intervention. The NOWTrak physically and electronically prevents misconnections, automatically.
ATMI provides specialty materials, and related equipment and services, to the worldwide semiconductor industry. As the Source of Semiconductor Process Efficiency, ATMI helps customers improve wafer yields and lower operating costs. For more information, please visit atmi.com.
For more information contact:
Dean Hamilton
ATMI
203.207.9349 Direct
203.794.1100 x4202
dhamilton@atmi.com
