Introduction to GEM300
- SECS/GEM SDK
- GEM300 SDK
GEM300 Standards
GEM300 is the collective name for a suite of SEMI standards that define the Generic Equipment Model used to automate manufacturing equipment in 300mm semiconductor production lines. These standards have been the backbone of GEM300 factory automation for over two decades and remain essential for modern fabs.
At einnosys, we specialize in implementing GEM300 automation solutions that ensure seamless integration, compliance, and performance across semiconductor tools.
Understanding the GEM300 Family
GEM300 isn’t a single standard—it’s a comprehensive group of specifications that work together to define the Generic Equipment Model for 300 mm manufacturing. Think of it as a complete automation package that covers everything from basic equipment communication to advanced carrier management and process control. When equipment is described as “GEM300 compliant,” it means the full framework is implemented, not just a single interface.
The GEM300 semiconductor standard builds on earlier GEM specifications and adds critical capabilities required for 300 mm operations. These include native support for FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods), automated material handling systems, advanced carrier tracking, and integration with 300 mm-specific MES requirements. The framework is comprehensive enough to manage complex fab environments while remaining flexible for different equipment types and manufacturing strategies.
SEMI Standards Compliance
| Core Capabilities | 300mm-Specific Features |
|---|---|
| Equipment state management | FOUP / carrier management |
| Process job control | Substrate tracking |
| Recipe management | Load port control |
| Data collection and events | Material movement coordination |
| Alarm management | Automated material handling integration |
| Remote equipment control | Carrier ID management |
GEM300 Control Job Management
One of the most powerful aspects of GEM300 automation is its control job framework. In a 300mm fab, you’re not just processing individual wafers—you’re managing complex jobs that might involve multiple carriers, specific process sequences, and detailed tracking requirements. GEM300 control job management provides the structure to handle this complexity systematically.
GEM300 Control Job Example
Control Job Creation -------------------- ControlJobID : CJ_20241216_001 ProcessJob : etch_oxide_advanced CarrierList : FOUP_A123, FOUP_A124 StartMethod : ProcessJobStart Carrier Assignment ------------------ FOUP_A123 → LoadPort 1 Substrate IDs : LOT567_01 through LOT567_13 ProcessProgram: ETCH_OX_V3.2 Priority : High FOUP_A124 → LoadPort 2 Substrate IDs : LOT567_14 through LOT567_25 ProcessProgram: ETCH_OX_V3.2 Priority : High Job Execution ------------- State : EXECUTING Processing Carrier : FOUP_A123 Processed Substrates : 8 / 13 Estimated Completion : +00:15:30 Job Completion -------------- State : COMPLETED Total Substrates Processed: 25 Successful Count : 25 Failed Count : 0
Practical Impact
With GEM300 factory automation, your MES system can create a control job, assign multiple carriers to it, monitor progress in real-time, and receive detailed completion data—all through standardized interfaces. This level of integration is what enables lights-out manufacturing and advanced scheduling strategies in modern fabs.
Why GEM300 Was Introduced
As semiconductor fabs transitioned from 200 mm to 300 mm wafers, automation requirements increased dramatically:
- FOUP-based material handling replaced manual cassette handling
- Tools became multi-chamber and highly parallel
- Human intervention needed to be minimized
- Safety, traceability, and throughput became critical
Traditional SECS/GEM alone was not sufficient to manage these complexities. GEM300 was introduced to standardize advanced automation behavior across equipment vendors.
What GEM300 Enables
GEM300 enables a fully automated fab by supporting:
- Equipment-to-host communication
- Automated carrier (FOUP) handling
- Substrate-level tracking
- Process job and control job execution
- Safe material handoff
- Factory-wide coordination and scheduling
These capabilities ensure that tools from different vendors behave consistently and integrate seamlessly into the fab.
GEM300 Is Not a Single Standard
GEM300 is not a single document. It is a collection of SEMI standards, each responsible for a specific automation function.
Below is a breakdown of the core GEM300 standards and their roles.
SECS/GEM Integration Products
Fabs & Assembly/Test/Packaging Products
- SECS/GEM addition & enhancement on legacy equipment – EIGEMBox & EIGEM-HMI
- E84 & E87 addition on legacy equipment – EIGEMBox
- AI/ML-based health monitoring & predictive maintenance – XPump
- Factory host – EIStationController
- Recipe Management System – EIRMS
- AI/ML based Smart FDC with Predictive Analytics – SeerSight
- Analog Gauge Monitoring – EIGaugeMonitor
- Equipment Simulator – EIGEMSim
- Factory host SDK – EIGEMHost & EIGEM300Host
- Chemical Management – EIBarcodeGuardian
- Spare Parts & Vendor Management – EICMMS
OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Products
Core GEM300 Standards Explained
SEMI E30 – GEM (Generic Equipment Model)
This standard forms the foundation of GEM300 and defines the core behavior for equipment communication within a semiconductor factory.
- Defines basic equipment communication behavior
- Uses SECS-II messaging
- Handles alarms, events, variables, and remote commands
- Provides the base equipment state model
All GEM300-compliant equipment must fully support GEM (SEMI E30).
SEMI E40 – Process Job Management
This standard defines how process jobs are created, executed, and tracked within GEM300-enabled equipment.
- Defines what process should run
- Manages recipes, parameters, and execution context
- Supports complex and multi-step process flows
SEMI E40 is used to control how wafers are processed during manufacturing operations.
SEMI E87 – Carrier Management
This standard defines how FOUPs and carriers are managed within GEM300-based factory automation.
- Manages FOUPs and carriers
- Tracks carrier ID, location, and state
- Controls load and unload behavior
- Coordinates with AMHS and stockers
SEMI E87 is critical for hands-free material handling in 300 mm semiconductor fabs.
SEMI E90 – Substrate Tracking
This standard provides complete wafer-level traceability throughout the manufacturing process.
- Tracks each wafer’s position and state
- Links wafers to carriers, slots, and process steps
- Essential for yield analysis and wafer genealogy
SEMI E90 ensures you always know exactly where every wafer is within the fab.
SEMI E94 – Control Job Management
This standard defines how manufacturing jobs are scheduled, coordinated, and executed within GEM300-enabled equipment.
- Combines process jobs, carriers, and wafers
- Controls start, pause, resume, and stop operations
- Enables coordinated execution across multiple modules
SEMI E94 is used by MES systems to control when and how work is performed on the equipment.
SEMI E84 – Carrier Handoff (I/O Signals)
This standard defines how manufacturing jobs are scheduled, coordinated, and executed within GEM300-enabled equipment.
- Combines process jobs, carriers, and wafers
- Controls start, pause, resume, and stop operations
- Enables coordinated execution across multiple modules
SEMI E94 is used by MES systems to control when and how work is performed on the equipment.
Carrier Management: The 300mm Difference
If there’s one area where 300 mm equipment automation truly excels, it’s carrier management. Unlike 200 mm cassettes, which were relatively simple, 300 mm FOUPs are sophisticated containers equipped with RFID tags, environmental controls, and strict handling requirements. GEM300 carrier management defines how equipment tracks, reports, and manages these carriers throughout their entire lifecycle within the tool.
The GEM300 equipment interface provides detailed carrier state tracking. Equipment reports when a carrier arrives at a load port, when it is identified via RFID, when it is opened and closed, which substrates are accessed, and when it departs. This level of granular visibility allows the factory system to maintain accurate material tracking even as carriers move through complex process flows involving multiple tools and storage systems.
Integration with Factory Systems
The real power of SEMI GEM300 standards becomes evident at the factory integration level. Modern 300 mm fabs operate sophisticated MES platforms that coordinate hundreds of equipment tools, manage thousands of wafers simultaneously, and optimize fab-wide operations. GEM300-compliant equipment provides a standardized interface layer that enables this level of integration without requiring custom programming for each individual tool.
With GEM300, an MES can send process jobs to any compliant equipment using the same message structures. It can collect consistent event reports, alarms, and process data regardless of the equipment vendor. When a new tool is added to the fab, GEM300 compliance makes integration straightforward—configure the tool, map the required data items, and begin data collection in days rather than months.
Equipment State Models
The semiconductor GEM300 automation framework defines comprehensive equipment state models that provide clear visibility into what your tools are doing at any given moment. These are not just simple “running” or “idle” states—GEM300 tracks detailed processing states (EXECUTING, PAUSED, STOPPED), availability states (PRODUCTIVE, STANDBY, UNSCHEDULED_DOWNTIME), and control states (EQUIPMENT_OFFLINE, ATTEMPT_ONLINE, HOST_OFFLINE, ONLINE_LOCAL, ONLINE_REMOTE).
Understanding these state transitions helps optimize equipment utilization across the fab. When a tool enters UNSCHEDULED_DOWNTIME, the maintenance system can be notified automatically. When it transitions from STANDBY to PRODUCTIVE, the scheduling system knows the tool is ready for the next lot. This level of state awareness enables predictive, data-driven operations that modern semiconductor fabs rely on.
Recipe and Process Program Management
Recipe management in GEM300 automation goes far beyond simple file transfers. The standard defines how equipment reports available recipes, how the host selects and verifies the correct recipe before processing, how recipe changes are tracked for audit purposes, and how recipe execution is reported with detailed, step-by-step information.
This level of control ensures that the right recipe is always used for the right product, helping maintain process consistency, traceability, and quality across the entire semiconductor production line.
Data Collection and Traceability
The GEM300 Standard includes sophisticated data collection capabilities that are essential for effective process control and yield management. Equipment can report process data at multiple levels—per substrate, per carrier, per batch, or per defined time interval.
Collection events associate this process data with critical context information such as recipe step, substrate ID, and timestamp. This structured approach to data collection enables advanced applications including fault detection, process optimization, and predictive quality analytics across modern semiconductor fabs.
Why GEM300 Still Matters Today
The GEM300 Standard includes sophisticated data collection capabilities that are essential for effective process control and yield management. Equipment can report process data at multiple levels—per substrate, per carrier, per batch, or per defined time interval.
Collection events associate this process data with critical context information such as recipe step, substrate ID, and timestamp. This structured approach to data collection enables advanced applications including fault detection, process optimization, and predictive quality analytics across modern semiconductor fabs.
Ready to Implement GEM300 Automation?
Einnosys brings decades of experience in SEMI GEM300 standards implementation. Whether you’re integrating new equipment, upgrading existing systems, or optimizing your 300mm automation infrastructure, our team delivers proven solutions that ensure compliance and maximize operational efficiency.
FAQs About GEM300
What is GEM300?
GEM300 is a collection of SEMI standards designed to enable full automation of 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing equipment. It extends the basic SECS/GEM framework to support carrier handling, job management, substrate tracking, and factory-wide automation.
Is GEM300 a single SEMI standard?
No. GEM300 is not a single document. It is a set of SEMI standards that work together, including SEMI E30, E40, E87, E90, E94, E84, and E23. Each standard addresses a specific automation function within the fab.
Why is GEM300 important for 300 mm fabs?
300 mm fabs rely heavily on automation and hands-free material handling. GEM300 standardizes how equipment communicates, handles FOUPs, tracks wafers, and executes jobs, ensuring interoperability, safety, and high throughput across tools from multiple vendors.
What role does SEMI E87 play in GEM300?
SEMI E87 defines carrier (FOUP) management. It tracks carrier identity, location, and state, and coordinates carrier movement between AMHS, stockers, and process equipment—essential for automated 300 mm fabs.
Why is SEMI E90 substrate tracking important?
SEMI E90 enables wafer-level traceability, allowing fabs to track each substrate through carriers, slots, chambers, and process steps. This is critical for yield analysis, genealogy tracking, and root cause investigations.
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