TOKYO Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) today announced the December 2005 delivery of an evaluation Equipment Engineering Capabilities (EEC1) enhancement module. The prototype name for the module is TDX (Tool Data Extension).

The semiconductor industry requires continuous improvement in device productivity, thereby increasing the demand for higher equipment performance, controllability and quality. To meet these requirements, TEL developed the TDX equipment engineering capabilities enhancement module, which joins the Ingenio family of APC applications.

TDX acquires large amounts of various equipment data with a high level of accuracy and applies the data to equipment engineering software applications, leading to improved productivity and OEE.

The module also offers an open application programming interface, which allows integration with TEL and non-TEL developed EEC applications for both existing and new 300mm TEL process equipment. TDX conforms to industry standards for upstream communications, such as SEMI EDA and Selete TDI. In addition to reporting raw equipment data, it can report the results of TDX internal applications to other factory-based applications.

TDX will initially be applied to TEL etchers and will centralize the EES functionality of the same type of equipment.

*1 Equipment Engineering Capabilities (EEC) Guidelines, version 2.5, July 2002

*2 Equipment Data Acquisition (SEMI E120/E125/E132/E134)

*3 Tool Data Interface