Upgrading Used Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment and Wet Benches

As long as existing semiconductor manufacturing equipment or wet benches are not near the end of their useful life, it is often more practical to upgrade them than to buy new equipment.

When the equipment experiences a downtime, it may be a good time to replace key components while the entire subsystems can be upgraded during scheduled maintenance to prevent further downtime. Upgrading and retrofitting the used equipment with new components as well as repairing their defective parts can result in extended useful life for wet benches and related equipment. Upgrades can also help further increase throughput, improve safety, ergonomics, ease of operations, and chemical delivery system performance. If you want your equipment to be able to handle larger wafer sizes, upgrades are also the way to go.

Modutek has many years of experience and expertise in upgrading existing wet benches and other related equipment -- whether it's their own or from another manufacturer. Among the equipment upgrades Modutek can provide:

·         Identifying and replacing defective or obsolete parts with new or retrofitted components

·         Updating robotics, baths, and wet etching components

·         Upgrading motion controls and software

·         Redesigning and improving systems within an existing footprint

·         Re-conditioning existing systems to improve performance

Upgrading brings a lot of benefits, including the opportunity to upgrade semiconductor fabrication equipment from manual to semi-automatic or a fully automatic configuration to improve consistency and reduce operational errors. Modutek can determine whether such upgrades or retrofits are feasible by evaluating the performance of their older models (or units from some other manufacturers) and then performing the appropriate work.

For more information, please read the complete article titled “Upgrading Used Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment and Wet Benches”. If you have additional questions or would like to discuss your specific needs, call 408-362-2000.

How to Select a Supplier from Your List of Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers

Choosing a supplier from your list of semiconductor equipment manufacturers means you’ll have to look at key factors, such as:

·         Company experience and expertise - Selecting the right semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier will affect future productivity and output quality. In this regard, it is imperative to go for a more experienced company with a wealth of expertise in this department.

·         Customization capabilities to meet customer requirements - Manufacturers differ from one another and have their own specifications regarding the installation or upgrade of the components. Sometimes the purchased equipment needs to interface with existing systems, and sometimes the physical setup of the production facilities is a limiting factor in what can be installed. Proposed equipment often has to be customized to some degree and the supplier needs to have the experience and capability to adapt their standard solutions to specific situations.

·         Equipment reliability – Ask your supplier for references and reliability statistics regarding the equipment you have purchased. Suppliers should provide details on hours of scheduled maintenance downtime, estimates of unexpected downtime as well as records of actual installations. It’s also a good idea to check with some references who are not direct competitors of your company to verify the information from the supplier.

·         Warranties, service and customer support - It is extremely important to ask for a written guarantee from your chosen supplier before you sign a contract with him. Thoroughly read the warranty and make sure that all the details (service personnel, customer support, etc.) are included. A manufacturer who hires his own personnel -- as opposed to subcontracting other employees -- is a good indication of a good supplier with a competent service staff/support.

Once you have found the ideal semiconductor equipment manufacturer/supplier, you will be able to look at cost of ownership and pricing to make your final decision. Read the complete article titled “How to Select a Supplier from Your List of Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers” to learn how Modutek can help you. If you have questions after reading the article, please call 408-362-2000.