MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange- base process
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A base process is a single processing recipe that we regard as an
indivisible unit. Typically, a base process represents one operation
performed on a specific piece of equipment at a specific fab.
- draft run
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A draft run is a run under construction by the customer.
- equipment
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A particular piece of semiconduconductor processing or metrology
hardware installed at one of our fabrication labs.
- generic process
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Also referred to as an "Uncharacterized process", a generic process is
a process that can be used when the exact desired process can't be
found in our library. If you use a generic process in a run, our
engineers will try to find a way to get the job completed.
- material
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A particular substance or a category of substances. For example, the
material "photoresist" is a category of materials which includes the
material "SU-8".
- modular process
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Also known as a "process module" or simply as a "module", a modular
process represents a useful sequence of process capabilities. We
have, for example, modular processes to represent lithography, which
involves a sequence of processes for resist coating, alignment,
exposure, development, etc.
- process capability
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A process capability is either a base process or a modular process.
It is an operation that we can offer as a step in a run, and it
typically involves some sort of wafer processing.
- property
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A property is a named value (or possibly a range of values),
typically serving to characterize or specify a process, equipment, or
a step. For example, deposition processes always have a "thickness"
property.
- run
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A run is our advanced version of a shopping basket. It is the
statement of work to be performed by the MEMS Exchange. A run
includes all the relevant details such as materials (wafers and
masks) and the sequence of process steps to be executed.
- run card
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The run card is the web page that lists the details of the run,
including wafer and mask descriptions, and the process sequence.
Every run has a unique identifier called the run number. For run
number 1167, for example, the run card is the web page where the
URL is https://www.mems-exchange.org/run/1167/
.
- sequence
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A sequence is a list of steps performed as part of a run.
- step
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A step is a specific application of a particular process capability,
customized as required with properties, special instructions, wafers,
and masks specified by the customer. For example, a step may specify
that an LPCVD nitride deposition process be used to apply 1 micron of
material to 5 wafers described as part of a run.
- work order
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A work order is a run that has been approved for manufacturing by all
of the parties involved: the MEMS Exchange, the participating fabs,
and the customer.
- work request
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A work request (sometimes identified as "work order (pending)") is a
run that has been submitted by the customer for review by MEMS
Exchange staff and, as needed, by involved fabs. If the reviewers
request changes to the run before they can accept it, the work request
goes back to being a draft run so that the customer can edit it.