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Lam Research’s Dextro cobot boosts semiconductor production efficiency
- Lam Research Corp. has launched Dextro, its first collaborative robotic arm, designed to carry out essential maintenance tasks on semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. Dextro's precision in tool maintenance is significant for chipmakers to continuously produce at a nanoscale with accurate reassembly at the subsystem level. This leads to less variability and higher yield in production. Within a fab accuracy is vital, and Dextro has been designed to minimize tool downtime and production variability. Nearly every advanced chip built today is made using Lam technology and having Dextro at the fab can enhance yield, even down to the sub-micron level.
- Fabs continue to grow in size, geographic diversity, and equipment complexity, which makes it vital for chip makers to make their processes more efficient by increasing automation as the number of semiconductor positions worldwide continues to outpace the availability of skilled engineers. Precision maintenance is critical as accurate reassembly of subsystems translates to the bottom line. Achieving first-time right (FTR) saves time and cost, repeatable maintenance can reduce waste leading to higher yield in production.
- According to Young Ju Kim, the head of the Memory Etch Technology Team at Samsung Electronics, "error-free maintenance by Dextro helps drive improvements in production variability and yield. This is an exciting milestone in Samsung’s journey to the autonomous fab."
- Dextro is a mobile cart that is guided and docked to a piece of equipment, then operated remotely by a fab engineer or technician. The cart contains the cobot’s control systems and much of the core technology. Within a fab, Dextro's flexibility means it can be repositioned as the process equipment is taken offline for maintenance, making it far more cost-effective than a dedicated cobot for each process tool.
- Dextro cobot arm is made using the Universal Robots' UR5e cobot arm with a reach of 850mm (33.5in.), a payload of 5kg (11lb) and equipped with a quick change end-of-arm wrist. It can accurately install and compress consumable components with over twice the accuracy of manual application, eliminates chamber temperature deviations, which may take a tool out of production and impact die yield.
- Lam Research’s portfolio also includes the Lam Equipment Intelligence process tools with autonomous calibration. It includes the Equipment Intelligence Services that use data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and Lam domain knowledge to achieve better productivity outcomes.
- Dextro is currently being used in Advanced wafer fabs worldwide and will expand to support more Lam tools beyond Flex G and H series dielectric etch tools in 2025.
- According to Bob O’Donnell, president of TECHnalysis, "Dextro can automate tedious, time-consuming, and often intricate cleaning and maintenance tasks on chip fabrication equipment so that manufacturing output can be maximized. It offers a huge benefit for companies that choose to deploy it."
- Chris Carter, group vice president of the Customer Support Business Group at Lam Research, said, "Dextro is an exciting leap forward in semiconductor manufacturing equipment maintenance. Built to work side by side with fab engineers, it executes complex maintenance tasks with precision and repeatability that are beyond human capability alone, enabling higher tool uptime and manufacturing yield. It is a powerful addition to Lam’s extensive portfolio of tools designed to help chip makers optimize their fabs for cost and productivity."
- As fabs grow in size, geographic diversity, and equipment complexity, chip makers need to optimize their effectiveness of human engineers by increasing automation, especially since the number of semiconductor positions worldwide continues to outpace the availability of skilled engineers.
- Precision maintenance is crucial in tool maintenance since accurate reassembly of subsystems translates into bottom line results, Lam Research revealed. Achieving first-time right saves time and cost as repeatable maintenance can also reduce waste associated with consumable parts, labor, and production downtime. The result is less variability and higher yield in production.
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