Capital equipment reliability

The authors describe Mattson Technology´s approach to achieving high-reliability levels in semiconductor capital equipment, with MTBFs, (mean time between failures) in the hundreds of hours. Mattson Technology has set a strategic goal to deliver the industry´s most reliable equipment, and an active program is in place to achieve this goal. The basic elements of the program are explained, including equipment design guidelines, supplier selection criteria, life test methods, data gathering and reporting formats, corrective action, change control, equipment user training, and equipment maintenance. The contribution that the equipment user can make in helping his vendor build and maintain reliable equipment is described