Problem:

A manufacturer of semiconductor wafer inspection equipment asked us to develop a suite of applications used to control wafer inspection machines dispersed throughout their customer's plants. The distributed, networked applications had to setup machine parameters, manage a SQL Server database and control the process state. Furthermore, the applications had to present a clear, graphical, intuitive GUI design unlike their Unix-based predecessors.

Solution:

To accomplish this, Bytes By Design developed several Windows-based applications. They included RecipeTools for editing and storage of wafer measurement parameters; MachineConfig for machine setup using a 3D GUI; LicenseServer for licensing these distributed applications across the desktops; and ProcessMonitor for remote process control. ProcessMonitor is a networked application providing a 3D rendition of the machine in action, showing the pick and place robot moving wafers to each measurement station. Indicators on the screen highlight wafer throughput rate, measurements, and status information. Operators may remotely initialize, start or stop a machine. Our design provides a wealth of process information while minimizing network loading and processor overhead.

To meet these requirements,

Results:

The company is successfully marketing the suite as an upgrade for their current customers and also as part of their newest state-of-the-art wafer machines. Sales projections for this suite are in the $8 to $10 Million range.