Lam Research Sets New Productivity Record for Self-Maintained Equipment

Working together with customers to create a new industry benchmark for etching system uptime

Shanghai – Lam Research, a leading global supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and services, recently announced that its self-maintaining equipment has set a new benchmark for process productivity in the semiconductor industry. By working with leading semiconductor manufacturers, Lam Research has successfully achieved uninterrupted operation of its etching process platform throughout the year. 

In today’s semiconductor process environment, the mean time between cleanings is the main factor limiting the productivity of etch systems. To maintain stable performance, it is usually necessary to clean the etch chamber monthly or even weekly and replace parts corroded by the plasma process. In April 2019, Lam Research and its customers reached an ambitious goal of achieving a milestone of 365 days of continuous operation without maintenance cleaning.

“This breakthrough achievement demonstrates Lam’s focus on partnering with customers to solve their most challenging technical and productivity problems,” said Vahid Vahedi, senior vice president and general manager of Lam’s Etch Products Division. “Lam is committed to delivering Industry 4.0-ready technologies that enable chipmakers to produce faster, more accurately, and more efficiently. This new industry benchmark demonstrates how self-maintaining equipment can reduce manual labor and increase productivity.” 

Usually, etching process modules require regular maintenance and replacement of consumable parts. The chamber must be opened to replace and clean parts, and the chamber environment needs to be re-verified when the chamber is closed, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It not only affects the output, but also requires complex scheduling. With the self-maintenance solution, the equipment can independently decide when to replace parts, and can automatically replace them without opening the chamber, reducing equipment downtime and improving factory production efficiency.

Lam Research’s innovative solution includes the Kiyo® process module, the Corvus® R system with vacuum-transferred replaceable edge rings, chamber components with longer life, and optimized waferless automated cleaning technology. The key to achieving this unprecedented productivity is the Corvus R system, the industry’s first system that can automatically replace consumable parts. Etch processes have long been plagued by edge ring corrosion, which requires frequent chamber openings to replace parts. The Corvus R automatically replaces new edge rings without opening the chamber.  

This technology is part of Lam Research's Equipment Intelligence™ solution, which integrates key components and creates self-aware, self-maintaining, and self-adaptive equipment and processes. In addition, the Equipment Intelligence solution integrates machine learning, artificial intelligence, and automated, self-aware hardware and processes, which is expected to increase production efficiency, improve product performance, and accelerate industry innovation.  

About Lam Research

Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a leading supplier of innovative wafer manufacturing equipment and services to the global semiconductor industry. As a trusted partner to the world's leading semiconductor companies, we combine superior system engineering capabilities, technology leadership, and a strong commitment to customer success to accelerate innovation in the semiconductor industry by improving device performance. In fact, almost every advanced chip on the market today uses Lam Research's technology. Lam Research is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Fremont, California, USA, with operations around the world.