Almelo, the Netherlands – Malvern Panalytical, a leading analytical instruments and services supplier, today launches an automation software for its X’Pert3 MRD XL X-ray diffractometer. This high-tech solution will help researchers and manufacturers to keep pace with rapid industry growth, adapt to the semiconductor industry’s toughening demands, and ensure operations are cleaner and more efficient than ever before.
The semiconductor industry is growing at a rapid pace, in part because of the sustainability potential of compound semiconductors across a wide range of applications. However, this growth comes with increasing pressure on manufacturers to produce more complicated devices more quickly and at a lower cost. As production plants strive to meet this demand, and laboratories endeavor to drive new solutions, an efficient process and a contamination-free environment are both rising imperatives.
MRD XL Automation is a fully automatable solution for more efficient wafer analysis. By advancing communication capabilities with the host computer via the widely used SECS/GEM protocols, this tool is capable of performing the entire wafer analysis process without human input or intervention. As well as enabling a more efficient and less labor-intensive process, this automation functionality can also help to address the critical issue of contamination in wafer processes. Since humans are frequently the source of contamination in wafer research and production, the elimination of hands-on involvement is a highly effective solution.
This automation software also has a customizable framework, meaning that configuration can be adapted to meet customers’ individual needs. This means that customers can not only match the software to their current requirements, but they can also change their recipes or adapt their procedures whenever needed. As an additional feature to an already advanced and fully modular instrument, MRD XL Automation sits at the forefront of innovation in the semiconductor industry and allows companies to explore a world of new semiconductor possibilities with minimal extra investment.
Tim Gorter, Product Manager Semiconductor Metrology: “The MRD XL is one of our most versatile and advanced XRD systems and adding automation functionality really takes this tool to the next level. By automating the entire wafer analysis process, the system can deliver more efficient and contamination-free analysis without hands-on human involvement. We believe that automation has the potential to change the face of the semiconductor industry, and we’re proud to offer our customers such a high-tech and future-focused solution to their research and production processes.”
