In an automated wafer manufacturing system, wafers are stored in a "front open unified pod" (FOUP) for inspection or processing. The procedures involved in wafer manufacturing require specific types of equipment with industrial grade PCs (IPCs) built in. Whereas IPCs can connect to the manufacturing execution system (MES) over Ethernet, some IPCs require a multiport serial board to connect to the SMIF or to the load/unload ports. However, as IPCs grow more and more compact, multiport serial boards are no longer an option due to the limited space that is available.

MOXA's Solution
The easiest solution is to add COM ports from outside the PC with a USB-to-serial hub. MOXA's UPort 1410 adds four RS-232 serial ports to any USB-capable IPC and does not require system integrators to know I/O or IRQ settings for troubleshooting. When compared to multiport serial boards that are installed internally, USB-to-serial solutions are easier to install and maintain, making them ideally suited for the processing equipment used in semiconductor wafer manufacturing.

Benefits
· Simplifies maintenance with external COM expansion
· Overcomes limitations of smaller PCs

» Back to index