Beckhoff Automation Portfolio Powers Next-Generation Semiconductor Manufacturing Excellence
Beckhoff demonstrates how EtherCAT protocol, PC-based control, AI-integrated TwinCAT 3 software, and XPlanar systems transform semiconductor production from wafer fabrication to packaging.
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In no other industry are the processes as complex as in semiconductor manufacturing. But how does this industry manage to meet increasing demands with innovative solutions? With its automation portfolio, Beckhoff demonstrates that advanced control concepts, flexible communication standards, and precisely coordinated systems not only make semiconductor production more efficient, but also ensure it is fit for the future.
Around 3,000 to 8,000 semiconductor components are installed in today’s electric cars for motor control, battery management, and assistance systems – and this figure is set to rise significantly. But whether in the fields of mobility, communication, health, safety, entertainment, energy supply, or environmental protection – semiconductors form the basis for innovation and progress in almost all areas of life. As a result, the semiconductor industry plays a prominent role in our society. However, the industry is facing the same challenges as other sectors: increasing requirements with respect to quality, efficiency, and productivity combined with rising cost pressure. To counter this, automation plays a key role in semiconductor manufacturing – just as it does in other areas.
However, manufacturing in this sector is very different from other industries in two respects: The first is the precision required in production. State-of-the-art processors often contain several billion transistors. To achieve this, structures with distances in the single-digit nanometer range have to be applied to the wafers. And this leads directly to the second point: An unprecedented number of different production steps are required for such precision work. Dozens of processes have to work together seamlessly, many of them in cleanroom environments. “As different as the steps are – from wafer production and lithography to testing and packaging – they all require precise control and seamless monitoring,” says Marcel Ellwart, who works in semiconductor industry management at Beckhoff. “In addition, the production systems must be able to respond flexibly to changing product variants and ensure high throughput rates with maximum quality. This makes the use of advanced automation technology indispensable.”
EtherCAT – the standard for the semiconductor industry
With its broad and versatile portfolio, automation specialist Beckhoff is able to cover the multifaceted processes and applications in the semiconductor industry perfectly. Communication plays a special role here: “With EtherCAT, Beckhoff has developed a fieldbus standard that has long been established as the leading communication protocol in semiconductor manufacturing,” emphasizes Marcel Ellwart. The majority of major equipment manufacturers today rely on EtherCAT. Consistent real-time capability as well as a high level of flexibility and scalability were decisive in its success. “With its open architecture and broad acceptance by manufacturers, EtherCAT enables components and systems – from sensors and actuators to sophisticated control systems – to be integrated with ease,” the industry manager says.
With PC-based control, Beckhoff provides the semiconductor industry with a customized control concept. It covers all automation tasks – from wafer production to processing and chip packaging. The Beckhoff approach includes not only the PLC, but also HMI integration, motion control, measurement technology, and vision. The TwinCAT 3 software platform transforms the industrial PCs into efficient real-time control systems for all engineering and runtime processes. To meet the many different needs of the semiconductor industry, the automation software is modular by design and can be expanded with numerous functions.
Special added value for a special industry
With its portfolio, Beckhoff offers the semiconductor industry a powerful answer to the challenges mentioned above. These include a number of innovations from the Verl-based company that are particularly beneficial to the industry:
- The compact EtherCAT plug-in modules from the EJ series replace elaborately developed I/O boards in systems for series production. They are plugged directly onto a signal distribution board and distribute signals and/or voltage to application-specific connectors. This saves time, costs, and space. The risk of incorrect wiring is also eliminated. Like classic EtherCAT Terminals, the EJ modules offer a wide range of signals as well as fully integrated safety and motion.
- To reduce system complexity, Beckhoff integrates the drive control of servo and stepper motors directly into the I/Os. In the 48 V DC segment, EtherCAT plug-in modules, servomotor terminals, or box modules in combination with the AM8100 motor series facilitate extremely compact servo axes with high dynamics and precision. I/O-integrated control can also be implemented to operate adjustment axes or for drives with servo drives directly on the machine.
- The Beckhoff range meets the needs of the semiconductor industry when it comes to measurement technology too: from a one-second cycle to the kHz range, from measurement of voltage and current to vibrations and the measurement of forces. The high-end measurement modules from the ELM series are integrated seamlessly into the EtherCAT I/O system and are also reliable when it comes to recording process-critical measurement channels. TwinCAT provides powerful features for evaluating the generated data.
- Beckhoff Vision integrates real-time image processing for wafer production into both new and existing control environments. There is no need for a division between vision and automation technology. At the same time, the vision components offer a robust design as well as high scalability and long-term availability – from the cameras, optics, and illumination to the TwinCAT Vision software.
- XPlanar is revolutionizing handling processes in the semiconductor industry. This is because the planar motor system transports workpieces dynamically, with maximum accuracy and high freedom of movement – both within a system and from machine to machine. The movers float in a non-contact way and independently of each other along individually predefined routes. Products may overtake each other and be discharged or buffered without affecting the production flow.
- Modern AI solutions offer enormous potential for semiconductor manufacturing. Beckhoff has integrated machine learning capabilities into the TwinCAT 3 control software, providing a modular system of hardware and software to integrate AI models directly into the PLC. From data collection and model training to the execution of learned models, users receive an open system workflow without a lock-in effect. Applications for which Beckhoff already offers AI include anomaly detection for predictive maintenance, image classification in quality assurance, and time series analysis to improve production processes.
Semiconductor success stories from Beckhoff
With its extensive portfolio and in-depth industry expertise, Beckhoff has automated an impressive number of applications across the entire value chain in semiconductor production in recent years. The following examples, which have already been reported on in detail in the Beckhoff PC Control customer magazine, illustrate just how versatile the solutions are.
- Crystal growth: Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical (JSG) relies on a Beckhoff solution consisting of embedded PCs, TwinCAT 3, and EtherCAT I/O Terminals for the automation of its single-crystal furnaces. It replaces previous PLC and temperature control systems and offers much greater flexibility, scalability, and integration options. At the heart of process control is precise temperature control, which is essential for single-crystal growth, as it ensures its quality through uniform temperature control over long periods of time.
- High-purity gases: Applied Energy Systems (AES) has developed a new controller for the supply of ultra-high purity gases to meet Industry 4.0 requirements in semiconductor manufacturing. In addition to a compact CP6606 Panel PC from Beckhoff, the company relies on the modular plug-in I/O modules from the EJ series. The ultra-compact system retains the previous housing size, but offers extended functions, OPC UA and cloud interfaces, flexible customization options, and a 50% reduction in installation time.
- Chip handling: Mühlbauer also relies on EJ plug-in modules in its highly precise die sorting machines for the final semiconductor manufacturing stage. This makes it possible to process 30,000 microchips per hour with improved wafer handling and reduced wiring work. Four specially developed signal distribution boards with a total of 26 EtherCAT plug-in modules integrate digital and analog I/Os, incremental encoders, and stepper motor modules, as well as supply logic and servo drives for ceramic and piezo motors.
- New materials: Gallium oxide offers great potential for the production of new semiconductor materials. However, development on the previous systems was restricted by limited flexibility, reliability, and high costs. Agnitron has created a flexible multi-purpose solution founded on PC-based control that can be converted within a few days. EtherCAT ensures compact, space-saving networking of the numerous thermocouples and I/Os with simple integration of existing field devices.
- Advanced packaging: As miniaturization is increasingly pushing conventional lithography-based processes to their limits, start-up Fonontech is taking a new approach. Impulse Printing™ technology uses silicon printing plates with etched micrometer structures and integrated heating structures. The aim is to achieve a resolution of 5 µm with minimal overlay error. The controller used enables real-time synchronization and positioning via PC-based control, EtherCAT, and XFC technology (eXtreme Fast Control).
AI and edge: The beginning of a new era
These application examples underline not least that semiconductor manufacturing is at the beginning of a new era. “Automation solutions from Beckhoff offer the ideal foundations for meeting the new challenges and implementing intelligent manufacturing processes,” summarizes Marcel Ellwart. The combination of PC-based control, powerful data processing, and real time EtherCAT communication allows the integration of AI algorithms for process optimization. Edge solutions facilitate decentralized data analysis directly at the machine, shortening response times and increasing system availability. Such approaches pave the way for even more efficient, flexible, and sustainable semiconductor production in the future.
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