SEMI PV2 Standard presents framework to standardize PV manufacturing equipment communication interfaces

SAN JOSE, USA: SEMI announced the publication of three new technical standards applicable to the semiconductor, MEMS and photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry.

One of the new standards, PV2-0709, or “PV2,” marks a significant industry milestone, as it defines a unified equipment communication interface for PV production system, and is expected to provide multiple benefits to the PV industry including shorter ramp-up times, increased functionality, simplified requirement specifications, and increased potential cost savings for manufacturers.

“Up until now, the PV industry has lacked a unified communication standard between production equipment and the shop floor,” said James Amano, director of SEMI International Standards. “Through the creation and implementation of the PV2 standard, major production line processes can now be fully automated by shop floor IT systems that rely on communications with production equipment.”

The other new standards include:

SEMI D54–Specification for Substrate Management of FPD Production: standardizes communication between host and equipment at glass substrate transfer points in FPD fab automated material handling systems (AMHS).

SEMI E152–Mechanical Specification of EUV Pod for 150 mm EUVL Reticles: specifies the mechanical interface requirements of a new reticle handling and protection method, i.e., EUV-pod reticle carrier, in Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography of the next generation semiconductor manufacturing.