Client Overview
A Tier-One semiconductor fabrication facility in Southeast Asia, known for advanced node development and high-throughput manufacturing. Their production environment includes complex toolsets requiring rigorous automation and host connectivity standards.
Challenge
The client faced a major hurdle in integrating their existing Axcelis Gemini G03 Dual Chamber Asher with the fab-wide host system. While the equipment supported SECS/GEM protocols, inconsistent message handling, incomplete event mapping, and limited recipe transfer validation created major roadblocks for automation certification.
Operational bottlenecks included:
- Failure to simulate full GEM event workflows during offline validation
- Limited ability to emulate host scenarios across recipe changes and tool states
- High dependency on live production for communication testing, risking contamination and tool downtime
- Incomplete traceability due to unverified remote command executions
Solution
To enable rapid and risk-free validation, the engineering team deployed EIGEMBox—an advanced SECS/GEM emulation and integration solution. This plug-and-play platform created a virtual host and provided full protocol simulation for Axcelis G03 communication testing.
Key Implementation Steps:
Driver Configuration: Rapid setup of SECS/GEM drivers for Axcelis G03 tool variants
Event Emulation: Simulated key GEM events including S2F21 (remote commands), S6F11 (collection events), and S7F3 (recipe download)
State-Based Testing: Validated host interactions across tool states: idle, processing, aborted, and maintenance
Twin Validation Framework: Ran multiple host scenarios with event logs and auto-verification—without touching the live production line
Feature Highlights:
Scenario-based recipe transfer with checksum validation
Simulation of alarms, status variables, and polling rates
OPC-UA bridge for linking emulated data to MES/FDC platforms
User-friendly interface for engineering and IT teams
Tech Stack
Platform: EIGEMBox SECS/GEM Engine
Protocols: HSMS-SS, SECS-I
Integration: Host system via REST APIs and GEM events
Deployment: Edge-based tool interface with web-accessible dashboards
Platform: EIGEMBox SECS/GEM Engine
Protocols: HSMS-SS, SECS-I
Integration: Host system via REST APIs and GEM events
Deployment: Edge-based tool interface with web-accessible dashboards
Business Impact
- 60% faster integration time, enabling host certification ahead of schedule
- Zero live-tool downtime during SECS/GEM validation phases
- Improved traceability across recipe transfers and remote commands
- Accelerated time-to-production, supporting yield enhancement goals
- Reduced engineering workload via pre-built test modules
EIGEMBox gave us complete visibility and control over SECS/GEM interactions. We certified the Axcelis G03 in days—not weeks—without compromising our fab operations.”
— Lead Automation Engineer