MEMS / sensors — Semiconductor & IC manufacturing
Smaller fabs with deep silicon etch and bonding.
MEMS / sensors is a segment of Semiconductor & IC manufacturing. Below are the systems and equipment FacilityOS covers for it, filtered from the Semiconductor & IC manufacturing solution.
How FacilityOS helps
- Cleanroom pressure cascades, particle counts by ISO 14644-1 class, temperature, humidity and dew point per zone, with time-in-limit reports.
- Chiller plant and PCW, ultrapure water, bulk and specialty gases, vacuum and abatement in one facility overview.
- Gas monitoring system (GMS) and toxic-gas detectors are monitored only; the platform verifies that the expected shut-off linkage happened and notifies people.
- Power quality on the main buses, since voltage sags are a common hidden cause of tool trips.
Systems and equipment
Core: every site of this kind has it. Common: most sites have it. Optional: depends on the site.
Chiller plant & PCW
The plant cools MAUs and dry coils; PCW cools tools, pumps and RF generators.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large centrifugal chiller | Core | CHW supply temp · CHW return temp · Load · Power draw · Efficiency (kW/ton) · Fault | Thousand-ton centrifugals (Trane, York, Carrier, Daikin) on BACnet/IP, typically N+1. |
| Cooling tower cell | Core | Tower leaving water · Tower entering water · Fan speed · Basin level · Water conductivity · Fan vibration | |
| Pump | Core | Running · Speed · Differential pressure | Chilled and condenser water pumps; drives usually on Modbus TCP. |
| Process cooling water loop | Core | Supply temp · Return temp · Supply pressure · Supply-return differential · Loop flow · Loop conductivity · Leak detected | |
| Heat-recovery chiller / heat pump | Optional | Hot water supply temp · Chilled water supply temp (recovery side) · Power draw · Combined COP | Heat recovery displacing boiler gas — one of the main decarbonization levers. |
| Hot-water boiler | Common | Hot water supply temp · Firing rate · Fault | Hot water for MAU preheat and reheat. |
| Plate heat exchanger | Common | Secondary supply temp · Approach · Primary pressure drop | |
| Pressurization / expansion unit | Common | System pressure · Low pressure alarm · Make-up today | |
| Cooling tower chemical treatment | Common | Conductivity · Chemical drum low | |
| Side-stream filter | Optional | Filter differential pressure |
Cleanroom air
Make-up air, recirculation and FFUs hold cleanliness, the pressure cascade and temperature/humidity.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make-up air unit | Core | Supply air temp · Supply dew point · Outdoor airflow · Fan speed · Final filter pressure drop · Fault | Dew-point control sets cleanroom humidity. |
| Recirculation air unit | Core | Supply air temp · Return air temp · Recirculation airflow · Dry-coil valve · Filter pressure drop | |
| Fan-filter unit bank | Core | FFUs running · FFUs in fault · Average speed · Bank power · FFU network fault | Group by feeder or control segment; clustered failures usually mean a circuit. |
| Cleanroom zone | Core | Pressure vs adjacent · Room temp · Relative humidity · Downflow velocity · Target class (ISO 14644-1) · Door held open | Typical cascade 0.02–0.06 inWC (5–15 Pa). |
| Particle counter | Core | Particles ≥ 0.1 µm · Particles ≥ 0.3 µm · Particles ≥ 0.5 µm · Particles ≥ 5.0 µm · Measured class (ISO equivalent) · Above target ISO class | ISO 14644-1 limits are per m³; divide by 35.3147 for per ft³. |
| Cleanroom FMCS summary | Common | Worst zone particles ≥ 0.5 µm · FFUs in fault (all banks) · Zones out of spec | |
| Humidifier | Common | Controlled humidity · Cylinder / nozzle service | |
| Pass-through / airlock interlock | Common | Both doors open · UV lamp hours | |
| Airborne molecular contamination monitor | Common | Acids · Bases (NH₃) | |
| Fab micro-vibration monitor | Optional | VC criterion met · Above tool spec |
Process utilities: CDA, vacuum, bulk & specialty gas
The tools' lifeblood: lose supply and they stop; a leak is a life-safety matter.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean dry air compressor | Core | Discharge pressure · Output · Load · Power draw · Surge detected · Fault | |
| Desiccant air dryer | Core | Pressure dew point · Pressure drop · Regeneration temp · Fault | Typical pressure dew point −94°F (−70°C). |
| CDA header | Core | Header pressure · Header dew point · Demand | |
| Bulk gas supply | Core | Tank level · Supply pressure · Vaporizer outlet temp · Flow · Impurity · Reserve supply in use | N2, O2, Ar, H2, CO2; tank telemetry is usually the gas supplier's. |
| On-site nitrogen generator | Optional | Product O2 content · Output · Outlet pressure · Off-purity (on LIN backup) | |
| Specialty gas cabinet | Core | Cylinder pressure · Delivery pressure · Cylinder weight (scale) · Cabinet exhaust · Excess-flow trip · Auto-shutoff valve closed · Low cabinet exhaust | Toxic, flammable and corrosive gases live in exhausted cabinets (IFC HPM provisions). |
| Valve manifold box | Core | Distribution pressure · Sticks open · Enclosure exhaust · Enclosure gas detected · Auto-shutoff valve closed | |
| Specialty gas usage meter | Common | Current use · Used today (scf) · Days of supply left | |
| Process vacuum pump | Core | Inlet pressure · Motor power · N2 purge flow · Pump body temp · Service warning | Ebara, Edwards and Kashiyama dry pumps, typically Modbus or Profinet. |
| House vacuum system | Common | Vacuum · Pumps running | |
| Bulk chemical delivery system | Core | Supply tank level · Supply pressure · Supply flow · Drip-pan leak · Double-containment leak · Auto-shutoff valve closed | Acids, bases and solvents in double-contained piping. |
| Chemical dilution unit | Common | Outlet concentration · Leak · Concentration alarm | |
| Nitrogen purifier | Common | Outlet O₂ | |
| Tank farm level | Common | Level · High-high level · Bund leak | |
| Cryogenic vaporizer | Common | Outlet gas temp · Low outlet temp |
UPW, reclaim & wastewater
UPW quality hits yield directly; wastewater must meet the discharge permit.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse osmosis unit | Core | Permeate conductivity · Permeate flow · Recovery · Membrane differential | |
| Electrodeionization unit | Core | Product resistivity · Product flow | |
| UV TOC reducer | Core | UV intensity · Outlet TOC | |
| UPW polishing loop | Core | Supply resistivity · TOC · Dissolved oxygen · Dissolved silica · Particles ≥ 0.05 µm (per mL) · Supply flow · Supply pressure | Typical targets: 18.2 MΩ·cm and TOC < 1 ppb (tighter at leading-edge nodes). |
| Water reclaim system | Common | Reclaim flow · Reclaim rate · Reclaim conductivity · Reclaim TOC · Diverted to drain (off-spec) | |
| pH neutralization system | Core | Effluent pH · Influent pH · Caustic dosing · Acid dosing · Flow | |
| Fluoride wastewater treatment | Core | Effluent fluoride · Reactor pH · Clarifier turbidity | |
| Final effluent monitor | Core | Discharge flow · Discharge pH · COD · Fluoride · Discharge temp | |
| Lift station | Common | Wet-well level · Pumps running · High level | |
| Domestic water booster | Common | Discharge pressure · Flow | |
| Water tank / reservoir level | Common | Level · Low level · Overflow level | |
| Resistivity analyzer | Common | Resistivity |
Exhaust & abatement
Tool exhaust must never fail; abatement keeps the air permit.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process exhaust system | Core | Exhaust main static · Exhaust airflow · Fans running · Low exhaust static | Watch general, heat, solvent and acid exhaust separately; N+1 fans. |
| Acid exhaust scrubber | Core | Recirculation pH · Recirculation flow · Packing pressure drop · Inlet duct static · Low recirculation flow | |
| Alkaline exhaust scrubber | Common | Recirculation pH · Recirculation flow · Packing pressure drop | |
| VOC concentrator | Core | Inlet VOC · Outlet VOC · Removal efficiency · Desorption temp | |
| Regenerative thermal oxidizer | Common | Combustion chamber temp · Inlet solvent (LEL) · Bypass damper open | |
| Point-of-use abatement | Core | Combustion / reaction temp · Inlet pressure · Bypassed (untreated) · Service warning | Point-of-use treatment for PFCs, silane, arsine and the like. |
Power & sub-metering
One voltage sag can drop a whole bay of tools.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium-voltage switchgear | Core | Bus voltage · Incoming current · Real power · Breaker closed · Protective trip · Relay trouble | Monitor only — never operate breakers. |
| Low-voltage switchgear | Core | Bus voltage · Load current · Real power · Power factor · Current THD · Breaker trip | |
| Power transformer | Core | Top-oil temp · Winding temp · Load · Gas / sudden-pressure alarm · Over-temperature alarm | |
| UPS | Core | Load · Battery runtime · On bypass | SNMP v3 (UPS-MIB). |
| UPS battery string monitor | Core | String voltage · Lowest jar voltage · Highest jar voltage · Highest jar internal resistance · Highest jar temp · State of charge | Per-jar resistance trending (one of the maintenance practices in IEEE 1188). |
| Generator | Common | Running · Output power · Fuel tank level · Starting battery voltage · Not in AUTO | |
| Power quality meter | Common | Voltage THD · Current THD · Voltage sags today · Sag / interruption event | Voltage sags are a common hidden cause of trips. |
| Site utility meter | Core | Site power · Site power (MW) · Energy today · Power factor | |
| Area energy meter | Core | Area power · Energy today · 15-min demand · Power factor | Sub-metering by workshop or system for energy analysis and cost allocation. |
| Natural gas meter | Common | Natural gas flow · Heat input (1,037 BTU/scf) · Gas today (scf) | Natural gas in scfh, converted to BTU/h by heating value. |
| Static transfer switch | Core | On alternate source · Sources out of sync | |
| Battery cell monitoring | Common | Highest cell resistance · Cell alarm | |
| -48 V DC power plant | Common | DC bus voltage · AC input lost | |
| Insulation monitoring device (IT system) | Common | Insulation resistance · Insulation alarm | |
| Busway / cable temperature (DTS) | Optional | Hottest point | |
| Active harmonic filter (APF) | Common | After current THD · Unit load · Modules in fault · Fan fault | |
| Passive (tuned) harmonic filter | Common | After current THD · Capacitor current, measured / rated · Resonance alarm | |
| Automatic capacitor bank | Common | Power factor · Capacitor current, measured / rated · Resonance alarm · Switching operations today | |
| Dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) | Optional | Sags corrected today · On bypass | |
| Power conditioner | Common | Output voltage · Transformer temp | |
| EMI filter | Optional | Leakage current | |
| Transformer DGA monitor | Common | Hydrogen · Acetylene | |
| Bushing monitor | Optional | Power factor (tan δ) · Capacitance change | |
| Winding temperature monitor | Common | Winding hot spot | |
| On-load tap changer control (OLTC) | Optional | Tap position · Tap fault · Operations today | |
| Partial discharge monitor | Common | Discharge magnitude | |
| Switchgear wireless temperature | Common | Hottest point · Phase difference | |
| Arc-flash protection relay | Common | Arc trip · Protection not ready | |
| Neutral grounding resistor monitor | Optional | NGR resistance · Resistor open · Ground fault | |
| Surge arrester monitor | Optional | Total leakage · Resistive current | |
| Flywheel / rotary UPS | Optional | Flywheel speed · Discharging · Bearing temp | |
| Tool PDU / EMO | Common | EMO pressed |
Life safety: gas monitoring, fire, leaks Monitor only
Two-stage alarms set from TLVs; everything monitor-only.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas monitoring system | Core | Active alarms · Active faults · Auto-shutoff activated · Evacuation alarm | The GMS performs the shut-off interlocks; the platform only monitors. |
| Silane detector | Core | Silane (SiH4) · Alarm 1 (low) · Alarm 2 (high) | TLV 5 ppm. |
| Ammonia detector | Core | Ammonia level · Ammonia alarm | TLV 25 ppm. |
| Chlorine detector | Core | Chlorine (Cl2) · Alarm 1 (low) · Alarm 2 (high) | TLV 0.5 ppm. |
| HF detector | Core | Hydrogen fluoride (HF) · Alarm 1 (low) · Alarm 2 (high) | TLV-C 2 ppm. |
| NF3 detector | Common | Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) · Alarm 1 (low) · Alarm 2 (high) | Chamber-clean gas; TLV 10 ppm. |
| Oxygen deficiency monitor | Core | Oxygen · Alarm 1 (O2 below 19.5 %) · Alarm 2 (O2 below 18 %) | Nitrogen and inert-gas areas: 19.5 % and 18 % stages. |
| Fire alarm zone & linkage | Core | Fire alarm · Supervisory · Trouble · Linkage: air handlers stopped · Linkage: fire/smoke dampers closed · Linkage: smoke exhaust running · Linkage: elevators recalled | Linkage proofs verify the fire system did what it should. |
| Fire alarm panel | Core | Fire alarm · Supervisory signal · Trouble signal | Monitor only (NFPA 72). |
| Aspirating smoke detector | Common | Smoke obscuration (%/ft) · Alert · Action · Fire 1 · Airflow fault | |
| Leak detection cable | Core | Leak detected · Distance to leak · Leak zone · Cable break or contamination | |
| Smoke exhaust fan | Common | Running · Damper not proven | Smoke exhaust or stair pressurization fans; monitor only. |
| Fire / smoke damper | Core | Closed · Position fault · Days since test | |
| Clean-agent suppression panel | Core | Discharged · Cylinder pressure low |
Security & video Monitor only
Camera and door status, and video linkage: cameras are linked to areas, devices and alarm rules; on an alarm the gateway takes an ONVIF snapshot and attaches it to the alarm, with a live-view link to the NVR/VMS. Core never contacts a camera.
| Equipment | Level | Points worth watching | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video camera | Common | Online · Recording · Motion detected · Video analytics alarm · Tamper (blocked or moved) | Status via the VMS (Milestone, Genetec…); on an alarm the gateway takes an ONVIF snapshot and attaches it to the alarm — Core never contacts a camera. |
| Access-controlled door | Common | Door open · Door held open · Door forced | Door events can drive camera linkage. |
| Perimeter intrusion detection | Common | Perimeter alarm | |
| Network switch (SNMP) | Common | Ports down · PSU fault |
Life-safety equipment (fire alarm, gas detection, emergency power transfer) and protection devices are monitored only. FacilityOS never sends them commands.
Standards and compliance
| Standards and compliance | Notes |
|---|---|
| ISO 14644-1 | Cleanroom classification by airborne particle concentration; fabs typically run ISO 3–5 in front-end and ISO 6–7 in packaging. |
| ISO 14644-2 | Monitoring to provide evidence that a cleanroom keeps its class. |
| SEMI S2 | EHS guideline for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. |
| SEMI F63 | Guide for ultrapure water used in semiconductor processing (typical values on the order of 18.2 MΩ·cm and TOC < 1 ppb). |
| NFPA 318 | Standard for the protection of semiconductor fabrication facilities. |
| International Fire Code (HPM) | IFC provisions for hazardous production material (HPM) facilities: gas cabinets, exhaust, gas detection and emergency power. |
| NFPA 55 | Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids Code (bulk tanks, cylinder storage). |
| CGA G-13 | Storage and handling of silane and silane mixtures. |
| ACGIH TLVs | Threshold limit values for airborne chemicals, commonly used to set gas-detector alarm levels. |
| NFPA 72 | National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code. |
| IEC 62443 | Security for industrial automation and control systems. |
| ANSI/ISA-18.2 | Management of alarm systems for the process industries. |
Standards are listed with what they cover; numeric values are typical figures, not requirements for every site. FacilityOS supports your compliance work; it does not certify a site.
Segments of Semiconductor & IC manufacturing
- Front-end wafer fab (logic / memory)
- Power & compound semiconductor (SiC / GaN)
- Packaging & test (OSAT / advanced packaging)
Full Semiconductor & IC manufacturing solution →
How we deliver
We can take a Semiconductor & IC manufacturing project from survey and design through procurement, installation, commissioning and training — all of it, or only the stages you need.