High Uptime Research Articles

Innovation in X-Ray technology

In the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) industry, the mayor trends are from film and stand alone applications to digital and inline inspection. Furthermore the quality requirements are growing driven by pushing design and material limits. Especially for field applications based on security reasons as well as image quality, replacement of isotopes can be monitored. With the move to digital the need for small focal spots at increased power requirements brought new challenges to the x-ray supplier. With the move to inline inspection systems, requirements for high uptime, fast throughput at the best possible resolution became the key challenges for the x-ray industry. The target to replace isotopes brings high challenges for weight size and energy. The innovation program of COMET delivers solutions for those challenges. Comparison between 600 Kilovolts (kV) and conventional 450kV x-ray sources will show the advantages in penetration and resolution and with this in defect recognition. The resolution gain with adaptive focal spots compared to standard focal spots will be presented and the advantages of maintenance reduced high voltage cables will be shown.

Rapid refill, high uptime: running forklifts with fuel cells

Fuel cell technology is reaching into industrial truck applications worldwide in some 70 pilot test and commercial adoption projects. Materials handling (MH) forklifts powered by proton-exchange (PEMFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are operating at airports, manufacturing plants, hospitals, mega retailers, food distributors, and military depots, as reported in last month's feature. The international supply chain of fuel cell stack and system OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), system integrators, hydrogen and refueling equipment suppliers, forklift OEMs and end-users stretches from the US to Europe – in particular Germany and Scandinavia – and Japan.

Planning, Acquisition, and Processing of a 3D Circular-Shooting Seismic Survey

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 13363, ’Planning, Acquisition, and Processing of the First Industrial 3D Circular-Shooting Seismic Survey,’ by M. Buia, E. Tozzi, and L. Mapelli, Eni E&P, prepared for the 2009 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 7-9 December. Conventional offshore 3D acquisition is performed mainly with narrow-azimuth-streamer configurations, even in structurally complex areas. A full 3D circular-shooting seismic survey (coil) over the Tulip discovery in Indonesia during August and September 2008 acquired a full-azimuth data set with a single-vessel towed-streamer operation by sailing in circles. The circular geometry introduced several differences and a number of new challenges in the modeling, acquisition, and processing workflow. Introduction Tulip is a complex structure in the Bukat Block offshore Kalimantan, Indonesia. The water depth ranges from 350 to 1800 m. Several unfavorable geological conditions cause a very poor seismic response in the area. Methane hydrates represent the main problem. The hydrates layer in this area generates a very reflective sea bottom that causes up to seven multiple bounces. The presence of shallow free gas is suggested by an abrupt frequency-amplitude dimming below this bottom-simulating reflector. The well drilled on the structure indicates a seismic-quality factor of less than 70. Moreover, the rough geomorphology of the water bottom, characterized by canyons and irregularities, causes a nonhomogeneous behavior of the illumination in the subsurface and a complex 3D ray path for surface and internal multiples. Complex deep geology (steeply dipping thrust with two culminations) represents a third critical factor, posing severe structural-illumination doubts. Also, the low reflectivity of the target sequence often falls below the noise level. Therefore, vintage seismic in the area is of very poor quality. Circular shooting is an acquisition technique in which the vessel follows a circular preplot line. Circles are repeated in the x- and y-directions to increase fold, offset, and azimuth distribution. This method allows for full-azimuth acquisition by use of a single vessel shooting on a continuous turn. Line changes are short, on the order of minutes, resulting in high acquisition uptime and efficiency. The offset and azimuth distribution of circular shooting is excellent, as good as and sometimes better than the wide multiazimuth techniques.

Improving Process Control for Copper Electroplating through Filter Membrane Optimization

To achieve uniform copper plating on the surface of the wafer consistently in a production lot, a particle-free plating solution must be presented to the wafer under uniform pressure, uniform flow and at the proper formulation. This is accomplished by recirculating large volumes of the plating solution past the surface of the wafer. It is important that the chemistry of the solution remains uniform during the copper plating process to ensure repeatable performance. To maintain a low particle level, the fluid is filtered in a recirculated mode at a high flow rate. The filter must have low pressure drop, good particle retention and high throughput to result in low wafer defects and high system uptime. In addition, the proper filter must be selected so that it doesn’t absorb or remove desirable components like additives as it removes contamination from the solution.

Sterilizers, Part I: Heat Sterilization

Sterilizers, Part I: Heat Sterilization

Assisted Monitoring and Maintenance of Control Systems

Current process control algorithms are complex software systems that need regular maintenance in order to keep a high uptime. Experience shows that the process of understanding an algorithm by tracking signal dependencies throughout the system and recognizing a problem is a major challenge for the maintenance personnel while actually performing the needed modifications to the algorithm is relatively simple. This problem is addressed by a computer science approach to automate the tracking of signals and supply tools for monitoring running control systems, identifying failing parts of the control algorithm and alleviating the task of exploring complex control systems.

Trace analysis of microcontaminations in compliance with ISO 9001: monitoring and diagnostics in large-scale silicon manufacturing

Severing principles are reported concerning the certification of and quality assurance in a trace-analysis laboratory that handles a large number of real samples, about 60 000 analyses/year with 50 validated methods. ISO 9001 emphasizes monitoring rather than diagnostics. For monitoring purposes the trace-analysis methods must be highly selective and of high precision, with high throughput and uptime within a justifiable economic framework in the analytical range of interest. All trace-analysis methods must be cross-checked using independent analytical tools. The analytical laboratory must be fully integrated in the total quality management of the plant. The analyst must know not only the performance of the trace-analysis tools but also the materials and processes involved in manufacturing.

High Deposition Rate a-Si:H for the Flat Panel Display Industry

AbstractHigh deposition rates and good quality electrical properties and thickness uniformities over large areas are required for all three films (SiNx, a-Si:H and n+ a-Si:H) composing the thin film transistors (TFTs) for the AMLCD industry, while maintaining high tool up-time and low particle formation. Generally these conditions have been achieved for most single-panel multichamber PECVD systems; however, it has become increasingly apparent that a compromise is drawn between the TFT mobility and the deposition rate of the a-Si:H layer. Thus it becomes essential to clearly assess the industry requirements for both deposition rates as well as TFT performance for the different device structures used for AMLCDs, and to discover and control these underlying material properties.The TEL VHF (40/60 MHz) PECVD system produces high quality, low defect density a- Si:H at deposition rates exceeding 1500 Å/min when analyzed by FTIR, CPM, photo and dark conductivity. Even though the low deposition rate a-Si:H exhibits very similar bulk properties, higher mobility TFTs are produced with a-Si:H deposited at lower RF power. Having both a high ion flux and low ion energy in the SiH4 discharge are likely the most critical conditions for controlling the a-Si:H quality and thus the TFT mobility. Increasing the RF frequency enhances both of these effects, as well as provides a higher deposition rate for a given power density and a higher power threshold for particle/powder formation. For these reasons it is likely a 40/60 MHz plasma will produce better performing TFTs for a given deposition rate when compared with a conventional 13.56 MHz system. Other process conditions such as diluting the SiH4 in H2 or Ar also seem to play an important role in the optoelectronic properties of the a-Si:H film and ultimately the TFT performance.

High Deposition Rate a-Si:H for the Flat Panel Display Industry

AbstractHigh deposition rates and good quality electrical properties and thickness uniformities over large areas are required for all three films (SiNx, a-Si:H and n+a-Si:H) composing the thin film transistors (TFTs) for the AMLCD industry, while maintaining high tool up-time and low particle formation. Generally these conditions have been achieved for most single-panel multichamber PECVD systems; however, it has become increasingly apparent that a compromise is drawn between the TFT mobility and the deposition rate of the a-Si:H layer. Thus it becomes essential to clearly assess the industry requirements for both deposition rates as well as TFT performance for the different device structures used for AMLCDs, and to discover and control these underlying material properties.The TEL VHF (40/60 MHz) PECVD system produces high quality, low defect density a- Si:H at deposition rates exceeding 1500 Å/min when analyzed by FTIR, CPM, photo and dark conductivity. Even though the low deposition rate a-Si:H exhibits very similar bulk properties, higher mobility TFTs are produced with a-Si:H deposited at lower RF power. Having both a high ion flux and low ion energy in the SiH4 discharge are likely the most critical conditions for controlling the a-Si:H quality and thus the TFT mobility. Increasing the RF frequency enhances both of these effects, as well as provides a higher deposition rate for a given power density and a higher power threshold for particle/powder formation. For these reasons it is likely a 40/60 MHz plasma will produce better performing TFTs for a given deposition rate when compared with a conventional 13.56 MIHz system. Other process conditions such as diluting the SiH4 in H2 or Ar also seem to play an important role in the optoelectronic properties of the a-Si:H film and ultimately the TFT performance.

A Synergistic Approach to Environmental Concerns in Large Scale MOCVD Processes

AbstractProcesses used in the production of epitaxial III-V semiconducting materials employ a wide variety of materials that are environmentally hazardous. As production volumes increase, the need to manage these materials becomes a serious concern. As the leading supplier of production scale single and multi-wafer MOCVD systems, we have taken the approach of minimizing the generation of waste by designing our reactor for high reactant utilization efficiency, and then trapping the remainder so that the exhaust stream is clean. We have paid particular attention to both operational efficiency and operator safety. The traps may be simply removed and replaced, with cleaning being performed off line. The trapped materials are reduced to an inert state for subsequent commercial disposal; this is particularly important for phosphorus, which can be highly flammable if improperly handled. The reactor chamber deposits occur below the wafer level and typically are cleaned only after several hundred deposition cycles. These factors contribute to a quick cycle time and high uptime, both of which increase throughput. These issues become more important as the reactor size is increased and when multiple shifts are utilized. These points are exemplified by our operational experience with our new Enterprise series, which holds four 100mm wafers (or seventeen 50mm wafers) per run. We will discuss the progressive trapping of solid As and P compounds and those hydride gases which are not completely decomposed in the reaction chamber. The use of computer modeling to scale the process to larger dimensions and to optimize the deposition conditions will also be discussed.

High Deposition Rate Pecvd Processes For Next Generation Tft-Lcds

AbstractThe demand for lower cost per panel in TFT-LCD production is driving the PECVD market to deposition systems that combine high throughput and uptime with high yield. Today it is generally believed that a multichamber system that combines a number of single-panel deposition chambers is the best way to achieve these goals.For these PECVD systems to be economical, the deposition rate of a-Si:H, SiNx and SiO2 has to be in the 1200–1500 Å/min range. In 13.56 MHz parallel-plate glow discharge systems SiNx and SiO2 deposition rates exceeding 1500 Å/min are commonly achieved, whereas the deposition rate of a-Si:H is limited to 100–200 Å/min due to powder formation. Over the last 5 years significant progress has been made to increase the deposition rate of a-Si:H. Methods include the use of very-high-frequency glow discharge (VHF-GD) and pulsing of the rf discharge. However, substrate sizes never exceeded 100mm×100mm.We have developed a multichamber PECVD system for TFT-LCD production where VHFGD is used to obtain uniform high deposition rates for (doped) semiconductors and insulators, such as a-Si:H, n+ a-Si:H, SiNx and SiO2 over areas as large as 470mm×370mm. Even at deposition rates well above 1200 Å/min hydrogen in a-Si:H is exclusively bound as monohydride. The optoelectronic properties of the films are at least as good as those of their 13.56 MHz counterparts and thus good-quality TFTs can be obtained. At the same time the number of added particles is low allowing for high production yields.

Tightly coupled multiprocessor systems with high availability exploiting fault-tolerance features

This is an overview of a high up-time, tightly coupled multiprocessor system, which was developed by Honeywell-ISI laboratories of Pregnana Milanese - Italy, as a part of the project of a new computer family (whose internal project name is “ALTAIR”) based on VLSI components. It is an evolution of a proprietary line of computers (DPS4 line, running GCOS4 proprietary O.S.) in which a high availability is achieved exploiting fault-tolerance techniques such as duplication of resources (microprocessors, processors, devices), and firmware/software assist in fail-soft degradation and reconfiguration phases.

North East Frigg Development and Experience

The North East Frigg (NEF) gas field is a small satellite of the Frigg field; in terms of recoverable reserves as estimated at the beginning of the project-282.51 cu ft x 10/sup 9/ (8 x 10/sup 9/ m/sup 3/) and daily production capacity of 211.9 x 10/sup 6/ cu ft (6 x 10/sup 6/ m/sup 3/)-NEF is a marginal field. When the NEF subsea multiple well gas field production system (SPS), came on stream Dec. 8, 1983, it was the first multiwell SPS to deliver commercial gas. The field has now produced for over a year with a remarkably high up-time and is operated in an unmanned production mode as originally designed. This demonstrates the suitability of such a concept for application to remote marginal gas fields. This paper describes and explains the concept and the rationale for the NEF subsea's selection, reviews the main phases of the development (design, manufacturing, offshore works, and production operations), and presents the field experience gained.