1/16/2025

Delta’s Factory Automation Solution Helps Leading Reclaim Wafer Manufacturer PSI Build the World’s First Automated Reclaim Wafer Fab

Amid supply chain shuffles in the post-pandemic era, the semiconductor industry faces severe workforce shortages. To weather these challenges, Taiwan’s leading reclaim wafer manufacturer, Phoenix Silicon International Corporation (PSI), is investing in factory automation to enhance work efficiency and productivity. In 2022, PSI invested NT$ 7.28 billion in its Chung-Kang Branch at the Taichung Port Technology Industrial Park and became the world’s first automated wafer fab.

The driving force behind the big leap in PSI’s productivity is Delta’s Factory Automation Solution, which offers a wide range of software for this project, including a manufacturing execution system, customized production scheduling algorithm, statistical process control, center floor monitoring, and more. F.N. Huang, vice president of PSI, pointed out that Delta’s highly integrated automation solution is tailor made for wafer fabs, which makes Delta the best partner in smart manufacturing upgrades.

Delta’s DIAMES Manufacturing Execution System seamlessly communicates and connects with overhead hoist transport systems (OHT) of most market brands and PSI’s own equipment automation program. Delta’s solution is modular by design, coupled with open development platforms for ultimate flexibility. After the system went live, PSI broke free from the problem of workforce shortages, as it supercharged their reclaim wafer production efficiency, productivity, and quality.

In the past, PSI’s wafer fabs were operated either manually or with semi-automation. Implementing full automation, PSI faces challenges mainly in system integration and process optimization. For example, the EAP system may experience operational disruptions during the integration of production and inspection processes due to mismatched account and material records. Moreover, the complex recipe settings of reclaim manufacturing greatly burden system maintenance. To solve these issues, Delta’s Factory Automation Solution offers an open API for easy system maintenance and secondary development. There’s also a visualized system that helps achieve efficient manufacturing process management. The solution’s modular architecture is a key highlight, which enables PSI to flexibly choose core functions and software products, significantly enhancing automation efficiency, reducing costs, and boosting reclaim wafer productivity.

Midas Chang, senior director of information systems at PSI, shared the three reasons behind choosing Delta as one of its partners for building the automated Chung-Kang Branch. First of all, Delta’s DIAMES Manufacturing Execution System supports multiple communication protocols. Secondly, Delta boasts extensive smart manufacturing experience across chemical plants, wafer fabs, and PCB factories. Lastly, Delta’s robust client support team ensures that any implementation challenges are swiftly resolved with ease.

Delta’s Factory Automation Solution offers the following benefits:

  • Seamless hardware-software integration drives smart automation and a production leap
    With Delta’s DIAMES and PSI’s EAP and OHT fully integrated, the automation solution has skyrocketed efficiency. By the end of 2024, PSI’s annual production capacity has reached 630,000 wafers, which cements PSI’s place as the world’s leading reclaim wafer manufacturer. In 2025, PSI looks forward to going full speed in accelerating production and gaining an even bigger lead in reclaim wafer manufacturing
 
  • Fewer errors in recipe or parameter settings
    The recipe settings of the reclaim wafer process are extremely complex. Delta DIAMES tracks the yield and process history of each wafer. It is even able to monitor the yield of every wafer across different machines and time points, which significantly reduces production losses caused by incorrect recipe settings.
 
  • Comprehensive real-time remote monitoring
    Delta’s DIASVP Smart Visualization Platform provides Center Floor Monitoring, completing comprehensive reports of equipment status in real time.

Delta’s Factory Automation Solution helps PSI achieve comprehensive upgrades in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality on its journey toward automation. The success of this project marks a significant milestone in PSI’s path to full automation, while also highlighting Delta’s expertise and strength in the field of smart manufacturing.
 

News Source:IABG MKT