Texas Instruments Inc has launched equipment and process control software it promises will improve existing semiconductor manufacturing capacity and wafer yield by as much as 15%. It provides model-based process tuning and optimisation from run to run, increasing equipment utilisation and decreasing the number of test wafers needed. Designed for semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as furnaces, photolithography systems and cluster tools, the software collects data at points along the process, compares the data to its process models and alters variables accordingly to keep the process within specification, thereby decreasing waste. It can be deployed with the OEM customer’s own machine control software or in conjunction with Texas Instruments’ ControlWorks software, which offers factory and operator interfaces, machine operation, scheduling, alarming, recipe editing capabilities and process module control. The advanced process control software can also be connected to a local area network, so variables can be changed both upstream and downstream to increase productivity further. The software is being used at Texas Instruments’ wafer fabrication plant in Sherman, Texas, and the company believes its capacity could be enhanced by as much as 12%; that means several million dollars of increased revenue each month.
