Client Profile Client: A leading semiconductor manufacturing company based in Singapore
Industry: Semiconductor Manufacturing
Challenges
As part of its smart factory initiative, the client aimed to bring all major equipment under centralized control via factory automation software. However, the Disco DFD6360 dicing saw lacked native SECS/GEM support, making integration into their host system challenging. Key issues included:
- Lack of a standard communication interface with factory MES systems
- Manual intervention for recipe download, lot tracking, and equipment status
- Inconsistent operational visibility across process tools
- Difficulty achieving SECS/GEM compliance without disrupting core machine functions
- These gaps led to inefficiencies in traceability, limited data logging, and barriers to full automation.
Solution
Seamless SECS/GEM Enablement with EIGEMBox
eInnosys deployed its proprietary EIGEMBox—a compact yet powerful external module designed to provide SECS/GEM communication capabilities to legacy or non-compliant equipment. For the Disco DFD6360, our team:
- Reverse-engineered equipment I/O and command sets to interface with EIGEMBox
- Established SECS-II/GEM state models, including remote command execution, event reporting, and alarm handling
- Enabled host-triggered recipe download, equipment status monitoring, lot ID verification, and usage logging
- Integrated data collection features like process start/stop, throughput tracking, and equipment health alerts
The system was designed to run independently without modifying the internal firmware of the DFD6360, maintaining warranty compliance and OEM integrity.
Testing & Validation
To ensure robust performance and minimal disruption to production lines, the integration underwent a rigorous testing phase:
- Offline simulation with GEM Host Emulator to validate message structure and state transitions
- Live testing in coordination with the client’s MES team to ensure compatibility with upstream automation software
- SECS message logging and playback to analyze event sequencing and system responses
- Comprehensive GEM compliance testing to verify adherence to SEMI E4, E5, and E30 standards
- The system was validated over multiple production cycles, including tool idle, run, alarm, and maintenance states.
Results
The successful integration of EIGEMBox with the Disco DFD6360 dicing saw delivered measurable automation gains:
- 100% SECS/GEM compatibility, enabling bi-directional host control
- Reduction in manual handling by 80%, minimizing operator error, and improving consistency
- Real-time tool status visibility, improving response time to process deviations
- Improved traceability through automated lot and recipe tracking
- Enhanced system uptime due to predictive alert integration and standardized communication protocols
The client was able to bring the DFD6360 fully under the smart fab’s automation layer, closing a key gap in their equipment portfolio. They have since expanded EIGEMBox deployment across similar non-SECS-compliant tools, significantly boosting operational efficiency.