Asyst Enters Automated Transport Market With FasTrack System for 300 mm Manufacturing.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000 New Technology Delivers Innovative Solutions for Fab-Wide Wafer Carrier Transport, Tool Loading and Local Buffering Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASYT) today entered the market for automated fab transport with an innovative system specifically created for the emerging 300 mm production era. Leveraging a breakthrough architecture that is faster, more flexible and less costly than traditional transport technologies, Asyst's new FasTrack(tm) system delivers the security, value, performance and productivity gains global chipmakers need to efficiently transport and protect their valued 300 mm wafer assets throughout the entire fab. Additionally, with unique features like the FastMove(tm) tool-loading module and local buffering of wafer carriers, the FasTrack system addresses important requirements for automated intrabay material handling -- a critical capability for 300 mm production. "Recognizing that the 300 mm era would mandate new performance capabilities, and that existing transport systems face productivity and capacity barriers, we set out to create a future-ready transport solution that could meet cost, productivity and safety requirements for automated interbay and intrabay material handling," explained Dr. James Mitchener, Asyst's senior vice president of global marketing operations. The result is FasTrack -- the first commercially available, high-performance transport system designed from the ground up to conform to Verb 1. conform to - satisfy a condition or restriction; "Does this paper meet the requirements for the degree?" fit, meet coordinate - be co-ordinated; "These activities coordinate well" interoperability The capability of two or more hardware devices or two or more software routines to work harmoniously together. For example, in an Ethernet network, display adapters, hubs, switches and routers from different vendors must conform to the Ethernet standard and interoperate with each other. standards set forth by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) is a trade organization of manufacturers of equipment and materials used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits, transistors, diodes, and thyristors. (SEMI). With its user-configurable, low-cost architecture, FasTrack represents the final technology link in the Asyst-enabled "Value Assured Fab," which leverages isolation, robotics robotics, science and technology of general purpose, programmable machine systems. Contrary to the popular fiction image of robots as ambulatory machines of human appearance capable of performing almost any task, most robotic systems are anchored to fixed positions , tracking, software automation and now transport technology to protect the integrity of semiconductor wafers wafers compressed roughage in flat plates useful for feeding to animals in transit. and reticles throughout the entire integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for (IC) fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. process. With this new tool, Asyst believes that chipmakers worldwide can reduce overall manufacturing costs, enhance productivity and optimize equipment effectiveness -- crucial variables directly impacted by the effectiveness and reliability of the fab transport system. FasTrack's unique architecture combines power and flexibility to address multiple transport challenges while seamlessly integrating interbay and intrabay transport systems. It can also decrease automated material handling system (AMHS AMHS ATS Message Handling System (air traffic control) AMHS Alaska Marine Highway System AMHS Automated Message Handling System AMHS Aeronautical Message Handling System AMHS Academic Magnet High School ) capital costs by approximately 25 percent and improve transport delivery times by as much as 50 percent. The resulting high capacity and short delivery times make FasTrack ideal for fabs in which automation is essential for every lot at every step of production. Tool Loading and Buffering Ease Fab Bottlenecks A key component of the FasTrack system is FastMove, which provides automated process tool loading and local buffering of work in process (WIP WIP Work In Progress WIP Work in Process WIP World Internet Project WIP Women in Prison (movie genre) WIP World Institute of Pain WIP Wash-In-Place WIP Women in Publishing WIP Work In Place WIP Wireless Internet Protocol ) in so-called "intrabay" transport applications, where wafer carriers are moved to or from process tools within a single production bay. Until now, implementation of intrabay transport has trailed interbay applications -- in which material is moved from bay to bay within a fab -- due primarily to cost efficiency and technology limitations. FastMove is an innovative intrabay solution that can be used in place of overhead hoist hoist: see winch. technology (OHT OHT Ocular Hypertension OHT Ozark Highlands Trail OHT Overhead Hoist Transport (manufacturing) OHT Oregon Healthy Teens OHT Orthotopic Heart Transplant OHT One Handed Typing OHT Offshore Heavy Transport OHT Over Head Transmission ) or rail-guided vehicles (RGVs), which encounter logistical lo·gis·tic also lo·gis·ti·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to symbolic logic. 2. Of or relating to logistics. [Medieval Latin logisticus, of calculation , capacity and safety limitations when applied to 300 mm wafer manufacturing. FastMove combines virtual stocking capability with direct tool loading to provide buffer storage Noun 1. buffer storage - (computer science) a part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system buffer store, buffer within the bay. This combination of storage and loading capability enables IC makers to reclaim 5 to 10 percent of fab floor space in the bay to store WIP, replacing conventional storage using large stockers at the head of each bay. With local WIP storage, there is no need to incorporate buffers into process tools such as implanters, wet benches and diffusion diffusion, in chemistry, the spontaneous migration of substances from regions where their concentration is high to regions where their concentration is low. Diffusion is important in many life processes. furnaces, where wafers are processed in large lots or batches. Additionally, WIP storage close to the tool permits rapid exchange of lots for processing, improving overall productivity. The Innovative Technology Foundation In a Semicon West 2000 preview, Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI VLSI: see integrated circuit. (1) (Very Large Scale Integration) Between 100,000 and one million transistors on a chip. See SSI, MSI, LSI and ULSI. (2) (VLSI Technology, Inc., Tempe, AZ, www.semiconductors. Research Inc, noted, "Asyst is the portal to the future of automation. They have pioneered a very different type of overhead transport solution that is analogous to private vs. public transport for a fab. With conventional overhead systems, carriers are placed on cars that circulate cir·cu·late v. cir·cu·lat·ed, cir·cu·lat·ing, cir·cu·lates v.intr. 1. To move in or flow through a circle or circuit: blood circulating through the body. 2. a track to carry wafers throughout the fab. Like public transport, if the car isn't there, the carrier must await the next car. With FasTrack, every carrier becomes its own private car -- eliminating waiting and enabling the faster, more predictable carrier delivery needed to speed manufacturing cycle times." At the heart of FasTrack's advantages is a collection of new technologies aimed at resolving today's most pressing transport challenges. Central to these is Asyst's proprietary Continuous Flow Transport Technology (CFT CFT complement fixation test; see under fixation. CFT complement fixation test. ), which uses asynchronous Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. conveyors to move wafers and reticles throughout the fab. Conveyance The transfer of ownership or interest in real property from one person to another by a document, such as a deed, lease, or mortgage. conveyance n. technology is used for automated transport in many other manufacturing industries manufacturing industries npl → industrias fpl manufactureras manufacturing industries npl → industries fpl de transformation , but it has seen limited application in the semiconductor industry due to a lack of proven products from qualified, industry-knowledgeable vendors. "Leveraging nearly two decades of automation expertise, Asyst expanded upon this core conveyer concept to create the first CFT solution for semiconductor manufacturing," said Anthony Bonora, Asyst executive vice president and chief technical officer. "CFT in this application provides multiple advantages over current car-based systems by inherently increasing capacity, improving predictability of delivery times and improving scheduling efficiency. Such benefits will increase overall tool utilization and contribute to a reduction in cost of ownership." Meeting Today's Cost, Speed and Flexibility Requirements Industry experts agree that the need for better material-flow management, greater contamination control Procedures to avoid, reduce, remove, or render harmless (temporarily or permanently) nuclear, biological, and chemical contamination for the purpose of maintaining or enhancing the efficient conduct of military operations. and less operator interaction with wafers will drive virtually all 300 mm fabs to implement an advanced transport automation solution. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. VLSI Research Inc, this rising demand for transport technology, coupled with the rapid growth predicted for the semiconductor market, is expected to drive an 18-percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR CAGR See: Compound Annual Growth Rate ) in the automated material handling market -- with total global investments in this technology expected to increase from $895 million in 2000 to more than $2.1 billion by 2005. FasTrack was developed to position Asyst solidly within this market. Further, Asyst believes that the automation capabilities of the FasTrack system will become even more essential as chipmakers move from pilot 300 mm lines to volume 300 mm production, where wafer-start volumes rise and transport transactions increase exponentially ex·po·nen·tial adj. 1. Of or relating to an exponent. 2. Mathematics a. Containing, involving, or expressed as an exponent. b. . The inherent flexibility of the system will also ensure that fab capacity and configuration can evolve in sync with changing production requirements. Finally, the open architecture will allow IC makers to customize best-of-breed solutions for each fab by mixing and matching automation solutions from multiple vendors. Designed to meet SEMI-standard compliance requirements Compliance requirements are a series of directives established by United States Federal government agencies that summarize hundreds of Federal laws and regulations applicable to Federal assistance (also known as Federal aid or Federal funds). , FastMove can be configured con·fig·ure tr.v. con·fig·ured, con·fig·ur·ing, con·fig·ures To design, arrange, set up, or shape with a view to specific applications or uses: to work with stockers and other available transport systems. Together, FasTrack and FastMove give IC makers and foundries the most efficient and cost-effective high-capacity, high-utilization transport system available today. Product Timing and Availability Both integrated device manufacturers See IDM. and foundries are currently evaluating Asyst's FasTrack system for installations slated for the first half of calendar year 2001. Initial shipments of the system will commence in fall 2000, with completion of the first installation in Asia expected before year-end. Asyst believes that initial adoption will be for intrabay transport -- one of the most critical and unsatisfied needs in today's automated fabs. Broader adoption is expected to follow, as chipmakers begin to proliferate pro·lif·er·ate v. To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring. intrabay transport solutions throughout 300 mm fabs linked by Asyst's interbay technology. Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's recent S-3 Registration Statement. About Asyst: Asyst Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of SMIF-based minienvironment and manufacturing automation systems that enable semiconductor manufacturers to protect customers' valued assets throughout the manufacturing process while increasing manufacturing productivity. Asyst offers a broad range of 200 mm and 300 mm products that enable the Company to provide semiconductor manufacturers and OEMs automated manufacturing solutions for the transfer of wafers and information between the process equipment and the fab line. Asyst's homepage is http://www.asyst.com Note to Editors: FasTrack and FastMove are trademarks of Asyst Technologies. Intrabay automation refers to moving material to or from a process tool in a bay. Interbay automation refers to moving material between bays within a fab. TECHNICAL FACT SHEET Asyst FasTrack System The increasing complexity, cost and size of wafer fabs continue to drive increased automation across the fab floor. The move to 300 mm manufacturing will see operator safety issues such as weight also heighten height·en v. height·ened, height·en·ing, height·ens v.tr. 1. To raise or increase the quantity or degree of; intensify. 2. To make high or higher; raise. v.intr. the drive toward full intrabay automation to deliver wafer lots directly to process tools. These wafer lots, worth millions of dollars, are valuable assets that must be protected from the time they enter the fab until they exit. Throughout this process, productivity and performance cannot be compromised. FasTrack addresses these critical issues, as summarized in the following table.
Customer Need Solution
Fab Productivity -- Higher process tool utilization
-- Reduced cleanroom space requirements
-- Faster WIP cycle time
Value -- Flexible architecture
-- Low cost of ownership
-- Protects wafers/reticles from
contamination and other hazards
-- Lower capital costs and ease of
installation and maintenance
System Performance -- Reliability, availability and
flexibility
-- Predictable delivery
-- Faster delivery times
Safety/Security -- Features operator ergonomics and
safety compliance
-- Complies with SEMI standards
-- Leverages Asyst's decade-plus
experience in automation
FasTrack's unique features are intended to provide multiple
benefits, ranging from logistics improvements to cost reduction. These
benefits are a function of FasTrack's design, as well as the product's
interaction with peripheral tools in the fab. The following chart
summarizes these benefits.
Benefit FasTrack Feature
-- Increased moves per hour Asynchronous conveyor
without bottlenecks
-- No waiting for cars to
become available
-- No car-management issues
-- Faster delivery times -- Integrated interbay/
bay-to-bay and tool-to-tool intrabay transport
-- Faster cycle times reduce
queuing time with process tools
-- Increased predictability of
overall delivery
-- Smaller footprint required Storing of WIP (on bay
for stockers, providing more walls) and local
space availability for additional buffering next to
process tools and therefore process and metrology
increased wafer capacity tools
-- Proximity tool buffering
provides maximum flexibility
to recover from lot surges,
hot lots and tool-down situations
-- Reduced space requirements for
buffers, reducing overall tool costs
-- Increased throughput of tools
due to rapid loading and unloading
of wafer lots
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