Case Studies > A phased implementation of ProFicient spells quality for TEL NEXX

A phased implementation of ProFicient spells quality for TEL NEXX

Company Size

1,000+

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Stratus™ Electrochemical Deposition System
Apollo Sputtering System
InfinityQS® ProFicient™

Tech Stack

Tablets for data entry
Laptops for managers and administrators
Microsoft Access database

Implementation Scale

Departmental Deployment

Impact Metrics

Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Applicable Industries

Semiconductors

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Machine Condition Monitoring
Predictive Maintenance
Process Control & Optimization

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

TEL NEXX, a subsidiary of Tokyo Electron (TEL), provides metallization solutions to chip designers and manufacturers. The company specializes in back-end-of-the-line systems, including the Stratus™ Electrochemical Deposition System and Apollo Sputtering System, which deposit metals through electrochemical deposition (ECD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. These systems are designed to handle wafer-level packaging and form factor reduction critical to the production of semiconductors for smart devices. TEL NEXX’s machines are built for heavy volume and a long useful life, capable of handling wafers ranging in diameter from 100 mm to 300 mm. The company follows rigorous internal quality assurance processes and complies with SEMI S2, ISO 9001:2015, and OSHA standards. TEL NEXX maintains extensive documentation and detailed archives to meet customer requirements and continually improve its processes.

The Challenge

In the semiconductor industry, any variation is undesirable. TEL NEXX’s chip-manufacturing customers require strict variation control. To meet customers’ needs and expectations, TEL NEXX strives to learn and continually improve its processes. Historically, TEL NEXX relied almost entirely on manual data collection and quality control, and operators had to enter data into spreadsheets for report generation. These systems were time-consuming and required rechecking to avoid errors. To run reports in the consumables area, for example, Hart had to locate specific spreadsheets and analyze them for answers. When customers submitted inquiries, response times could be slow. With management looking to modernize and improve data collection and response, a move to InfinityQS® ProFicient™ offered many benefits and opportunities. But the transition had to occur in a way that supported operator adoption and didn’t disrupt production.

The Solution

Hart has been largely responsible for the incremental rollout of ProFicient at TEL NEXX. Adoption began in January 2017 in the consumables area and over six months expanded to other areas for test and evaluation. Hart rolled out the ProFicient software on two production lines, with plans to roll the solution out to four more lines by the end of 2017. Line operators in the test sections were given tablets on which ProFicient is installed for direct data entry, with laptops for the managers and administrators. In addition to the use of tablets instead of paper-based checklists for data entry, Hart and his team are phasing in ProFicient integration with existing shop-floor systems. “One of the projects,” Hart notes, “is currently set up to drive our label printing software, which previously relied on a Microsoft Access database.” He notes that the team plans to automate a handful of existing test stands by the end of the year. Before ProFicient, Hart had no way to review data and get feedback in real time. Now he has access to additional data, such as time stamps and traceability variables that were not captured before. “Continuous improvement projects for the manufacturing and testing of our consumable product lines are critical to maintaining our competitive differentiation. There is a trend towards process automation and metrics analysis, which is where InfinityQS can play a big role.”

Operational Impact

The phased, incremental rollout of ProFicient has allowed Hart and his team to closely observe improvements while maintaining their high level of precision.
ProFicient has contributed to improving TEL NEXX’s overall objective of more comprehensive manufacturing. Operators no longer have to duplicate data-entry steps, manually recording statistics on paper, then entering them in spreadsheets. Instead, they’re entering data into ProFicient once in real time. “As the operators have adapted to the new system, overall efficiency has visibly changed,” Hart says. “As the projects and operators advance, we only expect to move faster and faster— with the same integrity.”
Morale has improved on the shop floor, as well. The operators are excited to enter data on the tablets. Hart notes, “There has been an overall change in the manufacturing atmosphere, from the drudgery of manually recording data and sending it into a black hole to a feeling of ownership as people see their names and the data they entered instantly.” The result is greater pride in their work and a greater sense of the importance of accountability in operators’ data.
Hart’s first success occurred within just weeks of deploying his first ProFicient project. Hart was able to detect equipment settings that had been inadvertently altered from the original specification and—within hours—correct the settings and move forward, knowing that the equipment was operating appropriately. Previously, accurate operation was assumed but not confirmed.
Creating the first set of projects and getting them live is only the first step for Hart’s team. They are looking forward to: Transforming their newly accessible data into information for CIP, Providing live metrics to quickly correct acute issues, Monitoring trends to improve proactive responses, Automating data collection from off-the-shelf and homegrown equipment via deployment of InfinityQS’s Data Collection Service.

Quantitative Benefit