According to market analysts, the global semiconductor industry is rebounding, with expected growth tied to increases in demand for electronics devices, and requirements in new application areas. To help industrial machine builders ride that wave, the Semiconductor Technical Working Group of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has introduced a new industry-specific device standard and nine device profiles that speed implementation of this industrial Ethernet networking protocol.
The ETG.5003-1 standard and its corresponding device profiles provide the starting point for a new generation of tools by ensuring that EtherCAT can be used to connect more than just motion control, I/O, sensors and gateways in semiconductor manufacturing machines, says Florian Häfele, supervisor of the ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group. From now on, industry specific devices such as mass flow controllers or vacuum valves can be implemented directly into the EtherCAT system.
“Since the release of the device profiles developed in 2012, we responded to machine builders’ demands to establish EtherCAT in the semiconductor industry as well to facilitate the creation of new industry-specific devices,” says Häfele. “We expect that EtherCAT will be found in nearly all tools, at the very latest when the 450 millimeter wafer diameter standard has been adopted for all semiconductor manufacturing machines.”
The new profile, ETG.5003-1 (Common Device Profile = CDP) describes the general requirements for devices that are published within the specification series ETG.5003. At the moment, this concerns nine different device types that are defined in the so-called Specific Device Profiles (SDP). Together with the CDP, they support the design of a new generation of devices for the more advanced machines of the future.
“The benefits of the new standard are as simple as they are compelling,” says Häfele. “From the view of EtherCAT, even devices from different manufacturers are now equal regarding their data structures and synchronization modes. This makes replacement and handling easier, and significantly more understandable for tool manufacturers.” Additionally, the industry-specific devices will get a more unique look and feel as a result.
That the profiles were finished in a relatively short amount of time was due in large part to the strong commitment within the semiconductor industry, adds Häfele. “Companies like Applied Materials, Lam Research and Tokyo Electron not only participated actively in the specification process, but also encouraged their device suppliers to take part in the ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group,” he says.
EtherCAT is one of several industrial Ethernet networking protocols that machine builders and system integrators can choose from. It’s known for its real-time performance and topology flexibility, as well as for precise device synchronization, cable redundancy, and a functional safety protocol (SIL3).
For more on EtherCAT, as well as background on the ways in which device-level Ethernet requires careful network selection, see past issues of Automation World’s Industrial Ethernet Review quarterly supplement and newsletter.
