AUSTIN, TX, December 18, 2007 – Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) has approved EtherCAT for SEMI applications and has accepted EtherCAT as a SEMI standard. The leading standards organization in the semiconductor industry has responded to the growing industry interest in the fastest Industrial Ethernet solution currently on the market.EtherCAT is already used in a wide variety of semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing applications. The world’s largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials, was among the first EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) members back in 2003. EtherCAT was officially introduced to the industry at a SEMI congress held in 2004.
A year later, Samsung Electronics developed the first EtherCAT device for ultra high resolution hybrid stage control. Many other manufacturers from this field have joined the ETG: About 100 of the now 635 ETG member companies are active in semicoThe North American SEMI Information & Control Committee accepted the EtherCAT standard, which was published as SEMI E54.20 in October. This milestone has further accelerated the acceptance of EtherCAT within the semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing industries.
“The superior performance, bandwidth and topology flexibility of EtherCAT allows it to cover the entire range of communication requirements in semiconductor manufacturing equipment with a single technology: from process control via control computer integration to high-end Motion Control applications,” remarks Martin Rostan, Executive Director of the EtherCAT Technology Group. “Special devices, which may not yet be available with an EtherCAT interface, can still be integrated seamlessly and cost efficiently thanks to fully integrated fieldbus gateways. The semiconductor industry appreciates this flexible EtherCAT feature, since it supports simple migration.
We are proud that EtherCAT has had such an impact on this key industry,” Rostan concluded.The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) is an organization in which key user companies from various industries and leading automation suppliers join forces to support, promote and advance EtherCAT technology. With over 500 members, the EtherCAT Technology Group has become the largest organization in the world that is exclusively focused on Industrial Ethernet technologies. Founded in November 2003, it is also currently the fastest growing fieldbus organization. EtherCAT sets new standards for real-time performance and topology flexibility while meeting or undercutting fieldbus cost levels.
EtherCAT features include high precision device synchronization, a cable redundancy option and a functional safety protocol (SIL3).