Semiconductor Process Tool - Gas Waste Abatement System

The Situation

A leading manufacturer of semiconductor process (PVD/CVD) gas waste abatement systems was faced with upgrading one of their existing and mature systems. The situation was complicated by recent acquisitions of two competing products that used different components and had different industrial designs but each had compelling user features and benefits that they wanted to incorporate into one common product platform.

The customer’s product engineers were already assigned to projects involving new product introductions. The decision to outsource this project leveraged Owens Design expertise in frame and packaging, electrical power distribution, and fluid and gas handling.

The Challenge

The Owens Design engineering team was presented with this unique “value engineering” challenge that involved:

• Utilizing the customer’s existing core technology; in this case a high temperature reactor chamber
• Repackaging the reactor in a manner that made it more manufacturable and more easily serviced utilizing lower cost standard components of the latest technologies
• Incorporating a better industrial design with little investment; better user access with touch screen system interface
• Designing into a smaller footprint to make it field replaceable of installed competitive products
• Design and prototype assembly not to exceed ten weeks for Semicon Show delivery

The Solution

Owens Design proactively met with the various individual factions within the client to “synthesize” the often competing interests of all parties. This included cultivating inputs from engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing and field service groups. The result was a fast ramp project with the first prototype unit displayed on the Semicon show floor.