Press Release	September 16, 2002
	INCAM SOLUTIONS TO ANNOUNCE WAFER SORTERS FROM ASYST TECHNOLOGIES, BROOKS-PRI AUTOMATION AND RECIF TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH FOUP FOR ONE® TECHNOLOGY

In Response to the Growing Need for More Efficient Handling of Single Wafer Lots, Wafer Sorters Meet SEMI E103 StandardsGrenoble, France, September 16, 2002-INCAM Solutions, the pioneer in microenvironment technology, today announced the collaboration with Asyst Technologies, Brooks-PRI Automation and RECIF to standardize their wafer sorter tools on INCAM’s FOUP for One®. In an effort to standardize and customize Single Wafer InterFace (SWIF) pod technology for 300-mm wafers, these companies have aligned to efficiently process and sort single wafer lots -meeting SEMI E103 tool interface standard. INCAM’s FOUP for One (FFO) is the most advanced SWIF pod technology for 300-mm semiconductor facilities, delivering consistent wafer protection in manufacturing situation, such as fab transport, off line characterization and single wafer manufacturing.

This new era in 300-mm wafer manufacturing is supported by semiconductor manufacturers seeking economical alternatives to the regular Automated Material Handling System (AMHS) configuration, for an efficient handling of the strategic single wafer lots. The FFO provides engineers with quick random access to wafer libraries, lot splitting and parallel processing and is achieved without extensive use of wafer sorters and zero-value handling of empty FOUPs. It allows fab managers to send-ahead production control wafers to metrology tools by quick fab floor manual transportation in a method that meets all ergonomic requirements. The effective delivery time of strategic wafers is reduced and production is not overloaded with non-product moves, improving fab management efficiency and cycle times.

“Every fab manager knows that the best cycle time would be always obtained using single wafer lots,” said Claude Doche, chairman and CEO of INCAM Solutions. “Now, the wafer sorter technology leaders work in conjunction with the FFO to provide chip manufacturers direct access to their wafers when and where they want it, without decreasing throughput and increasing costs. This is the first step towards the use of single wafer lots. Our FFO will soon become an essential tool within the fab.”

The Asyst Substrate Management System (SMS) wafer management tool, the Brooks-PRI Automation MTX wafer sorter and the RECIF Single Pick and Place (SPP) single wafer transfer tool cooperate with INCAM’s FFO and comply with the latest SEMI E103 regulations, required by leading semiconductor manufacturers.

SEMI’s international standards program sets criteria for allowing manufacturers to use single batch carriers on the same tool. When a limited number of wafers are required for tool calibration or metrology, manufacturers using the slim INCAM’s FFO can save valuable stocker space by eliminating the use of a standard batch wafer FOUP for these processes. Furthermore, the manual handling of single wafer carriers single does not disturb the production flow of the other wafers and helps keep throughput at its highest level.

About INCAM Solutions: INCAM Solutions spun-off from LETI, the French microelectronics R&D center, in 1997 and is headquartered in Grenoble, France. INCAM enjoys the support of 300mm advocates worldwide, including key 300mm IC players, and many R&D connections with institutes and international consortium. INCAM’s products are based on a SWIF technology that has been extensively developed and studied since 1992. For more information, visit: www.incam-solutions.com