Preparing the shipment of wafer blanks to a semiconductor plant using 'Front Opening Shipping Boxes' (FOSBs) is usually still done manually. Supplier cts can now automate this process reliably.
Airtight packaging in FOSBs is complex and time-consuming - and was previously mostly a manual process. cts GmbH now offers an automation solution for this process. This ensures - and also automatically tests and documents - that the blanks for chip production are not contaminated on their way from cleanroom to cleanroom.
The manual handling of the FOSB transport containers with stacks of 25 wafers with a diameter of 300 millimetres and the airtight double sealing in special foils are time-consuming. As one of the few remaining manual activities in an otherwise largely automated industry, the preparation of wafer delivery also represents a process risk. cts has developed compact automatic machines for FOSB loading that take up as little expensive cleanroom space as possible. The solution can be supplied with various degrees of automation - including the use of AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) from the cts Smart Logistics portfolio that are adapted to cleanroom requirements. In this way, a fully autonomous, automated transport process is linked to automatic packaging and density testing without the need for time-consuming conversion work.
"Based on a one-off production for a customer, cts has developed this standardized modular overall solution, which fully automates the entire FOSB packaging process on request," explains Stefan Schmiedlechner, "Wafer producers thus achieve comprehensive process reliability in three expansion stages," says the Head of Production Automation at cts. This takes the pressure off employees, freeing them up for more important value-adding activities and eliminating potential sources of error. "With a possible utilization of up to 10,000 FOSBs per quarter, which corresponds to 250,000 wafers, the solution is suitable for both medium-sized megafabs and smaller gigafabs with up to six-figure production volumes per month. The semi-automatic 'Manual Bagging' model and the fully automatic 'Auto Bagging' version are among the most compact solutions on the market and take up as little valuable space as possible in cleanrooms."
Founded in 2006, cts GmbH covers the entire range of services for process and production automation. The company has already been awarded the coveted Top 100 prize for particularly innovative companies in the German SME sector twice (2016 and 2018).
The cts portfolio ranges from the construction of a single control cabinet to the automation of complete production plants, including in-house information management. With 15 years of experience as a system integrator, the company offers its customers comprehensive support from conceptual design and feasibility studies to planning, implementation, maintenance and servicing of running systems and plants. For production automation, cts develops customized complete solutions that combine maximum efficiency and productivity with optimum investment and future security. In the field of material supply, cts is now one of the leading companies for the integration of heterogeneous fleets of autonomous, intelligent transport vehicles (AMR/AIV/AGV/FTS) in combination with production-related automated storage systems such as the Smart Warehouse.
In other areas of the company, cts offers a comprehensive portfolio for the visualization, control and monitoring of refinery, petrochemical and pharmaceutical plants. Special attention is paid to the Robotics division. The range of services here extends from programming and installation to the optimization of welding and production robots as well as fully automated packaging systems.
