ISMI News

SEMATECH and FACTS Announce FACTS Licensed as Third-Party Test Service Provider for 300 mm Automation Software

Austin, Texas (30 August 2004) - International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), a SEMATECH subsidiary, and FACTS, Inc. today announced the licensing of FACTS by ISMI to provide third-party services for the testing of automation software conformance to manufacturers of 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

According to the terms of the agreement, FACTS has been licensed as an independent service provider of the SEMATECH Test Protocol - a methodology created by SEMATECH for objectively evaluating semiconductor manufacturing equipment automation software to determine its conformance with industry standards and common requirements. ISMI is making this service available through FACTS and other independent test service providers to give equipment manufacturers a widely accepted and reliable method of reducing the extensive and costly factory floor acceptance testing of their new 300 mm tools.

"With 300 mm tools, automation has become much more complex and critical to successful manufacturing," said Scott Kramer, director of the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative, a SEMATECH subsidiary working with test service providers. "Our member companies need better automation conformance assurance practices from equipment suppliers, so that equipment procurement cycle times, qualification times and costs are reduced, and operation quality is increased."

Kramer said members asked SEMATECH to work with suppliers to test equipment for specific automation operational scenarios in their respective fabs. In response, SEMATECH developed a set of software tests and procedures that capture the members' consensus requirements. FACTS is licensed by ISMI to provide objective, third-party testing for equipment conformance to those specifications. The protocols include test procedures, formats, and templates; criteria and methodologies for conducting conformance testing; report formats; and results analysis criteria, guidelines, and tools.

The SEMATECH protocols go beyond typical industry tests by simulating 300 mm factory automated production, and allowing an equipment maker to:

  • Establish that a tool meets a particular baseline capability
  • Eliminate some source inspections
  • Reduce field support
  • Distinguish common automation requirements from special customer needs

"The ability to provide 300 mm automation conformance testing in accordance with the specific technical objectives and automation goals of the SEMATECH member companies is a wonderful addition to our growing list of professional service offerings," said Tom Hogel, President of FACTS. "We are gratified to join the growing ISMI family of independent test service providers."

About FACTS

Based in Austin, Texas FACTS provides professional services and strategic consulting in support of factory automation programs and is dedicated to the improvement of factory automation capabilities for the semiconductor industry. FACTS professional services offerings including Automation Capabilities Management (ACM), Equipment Automation Testing and Source Inspections, and Test Outsourcing Services that are uniquely tailored to the requirements of the IC Maker and Equipment Supplier.

About ISMI

ISMI is a global alliance of the world's major semiconductor manufacturers, dedicated to reducing cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die, through cooperative programs focused on manufacturing effectiveness. The consortium conducts programs in manufacturing infrastructure, methods, standards, and productivity, with the aim of reducing the costs of producing finished wafers and chips and driving solutions to major productivity challenges. ISMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of International SEMATECH of Austin, TX. Also see http://ismi.sematech.org for more information.