History of the AEC/APC Symposium

From its inception in the early 1990’s as an informal data exchange among SEMATECH member companies to a industry-wide event spanning three continents, the AEC/APC Symposium has evolved into one of SEMATECH’s best known “signature” meetings, successfully aligning chipmakers, equipment suppliers, and software, sensor, and metrology suppliers in developing effective data-driven manufacturing solutions for factory productivity improvement.

Now hosted by ISMI, SEMATECH’s subsidiary dedicated to helping improve the productivity and cost performance of equipment and manufacturing operations, the Symposium continues to attract hundreds of attendees each year, all with a common goal in mind: continue to drive the industry toward more efficient and more intelligent manufacturing through AEC/APC.

What is AEC/APC?

Advanced equipment control (AEC) and advanced process control (APC) form the foundation for a factory framework that enables greater automated decision-making by collecting and utilizing process data for productivity improvement.

“Advanced equipment and process control is absolutely critical for a profitable manufacturing facility,” said Brad Van Eck, ISMI’s Fab Productivity program manager, who has served as the AEC/APC Symposium chairman for the last 10 years.

With production levels reaching one wafer per minute and selling prices approaching $100,000 per wafer, even minor disruptions—whether planned or unplanned—in a factory’s operations can be very costly, he noted.

Through collection and analysis of equipment and process data by APC software, critical and timely information is provided for:

• Scheduling maintenance based on process specifications rather than on a fixed schedule, including the re-routing and dispatching of the product to other tools
• Automated facilitation of communication between a factory’s tools and software applications to make adjustments and/or corrections to processes already underway
• Off-site equipment makers to monitor and even diagnose their tool’s performance through a secure Internet connection

Symposium History

The AEC/APC Symposium provides a venue for the AEC/APC community—people dedicated to driving these capabilities into their factories—to regularly come together to share experiences, exchange ideas, and discuss the latest technology requirements in the ever-expanding arena of advanced equipment and process control.

The conference, which now takes place in North America, Europe, and Asia each year, has changed significantly since it originally began as an informal data exchange strictly among SEMATECH member companies, Van Eck recalls. As members realized that they could not effectively solve the mounting problems of equipment and process controls on their own, the need to hold in-depth technical discussions with outside equipment and software suppliers drove the decision to open the meeting to non-members, and the AEC/APC Symposium was born.

Since then, the AEC/APC Symposium has grown considerably in both size and scope. Now in its 18th year, the three-day conference in North America typically features between 75 and 85 technical papers presented by university researchers, students, chipmakers, and suppliers from throughout the semiconductor industry.

Moreover, the AEC/APC Symposium has also experienced significant global growth; in addition to the AEC/APC Symposia held each year in North America, annual AEC/APC conferences are now being held in Europe and Asia, as well.

Warned by some that this global outreach might have an adverse affect on the conference attendance in North America, Van Eck was undeterred. And, even after seven years of AEC/APC Conferences in Europe and three years of AEC/APC Symposia in Asia, global interest in the North American symposia has not declined, a fact Van Eck attributes to the industry’s growing realization that APC in its broadest definition will continue to be required to stay competitive.

Going “Mainstream”

Once considered an esoteric pursuit outside the mainstream of manufacturing development, AEC/APC is now a key component in keeping factories productive and profitable.

“Enough companies are doing it and reporting huge benefits that no one is even arguing any more whether it is a good thing,” Van Eck said, in reference to the early days of the Symposium when a significant percentage of the papers presented were primarily focused on building industry consensus and convincing management of the value of advanced equipment and process control.

Now, he says, ROI calculations are not based on whether to implement APC, but where. “They’re arguing about where we should do it first; where’s the biggest payback; what’s the most difficult area to control.”

Measuring industry-wide penetration of advanced equipment and process controls is a tricky and multi-faceted effort, with different considerations for percentage deployment (the amount of control within a factory) versus depth deployment (the amount of control per tool or process); however, Van Eck estimates that among the industry’s leading fabs, roughly 80 to 90 percent of operations are now under some level of automated control.

Shifting Focus

“Obviously, application to older fabs is very selective because retrofitting can be difficult, so most of our efforts are in looking forward,” he said. Changing trends in AEC/APC Symposium topics confirm that statement, as the focus has shifted from equipment-specific applications to fab-wide deployment of APC.

“It is clear that the Symposium has made the full transition from ‘Is APC worth the effort?’ to ‘How can my factory make the best use of APC?’” he said. “This may seem obvious now, but it has taken the industry many years to finally come to a consensus on the first question and move on to the second.”

The shift towards a more holistic approach to factory automation and control has also drawn significant attention and financial support from the industry. Once sponsored entirely by SEMATECH, the AEC/APC Symposium is now financially self-sustaining.

Van Eck attributes that remarkable achievement to the fact that over the years he has successfully demonstrated the benefits to potential sponsors (both chipmakers and suppliers) in turn for their continued financial support. “Many of these companies are experts in the space, and their association with the Symposium uniquely positions them as leaders in the AEC/APC community,” Van Eck said.

Van Eck gratefully acknowledges that it is exactly this type of sponsorship that maintains affordability for Symposia attendees. “Registration fees are priced lower than any other symposia of this size because we have our sponsors,” he added. 

The Symposium also offers a very affordable opportunity for AEC/APC-related suppliers to promote their products and services. “Our exhibitors have found that participating at the AEC/APC Symposium is not only very inexpensive, but also a very effective marketing tool,” he said, noting the very specific targeted market segment present at the events. “Chipmakers want them to be there, to work together to find effective solutions,” he added.

The “Cluster Effect”

Van Eck also points out a certain “cluster effect” that has developed around the Symposia over the years. Because of the overlapping audiences that the meeting draws, the AEC/APC Symposium has become an attractive venue for related organizations such as the Integrated Measurement Association and various SEMI Standards groups to hold their own meetings, as well.

Interest and participation in the Symposium’s optional tutorials and short courses, which are developed and taught by university professors and experts from both chipmakers and suppliers, has also grown significantly in the last few years. These courses, Van Eck said, have become increasingly popular as more chipmakers employ AEC/APC and the need to train process and control engineers continues to expand.

Continued Growth

Despite the large numbers of applications and controls already in place, new tools and technologies will always provide opportunities for continued AEC/APC development.

“As the industry continues to develop smaller and smaller transistors, the demand for more and more advanced equipment and process controls will continue to increase,” Van Eck said.

“The AEC/APC Symposia will continue to accelerate the move to more efficient and more intelligent manufacturing through the continued development of automated data-driven decision making,” he concluded.