Frank Geissler, Kontron AIS, Dresden, Germany
The effective control of thin-film systems' equipment is an essential aspect of modern manufacturing and research processes, in various industries from optics to photovoltaics. Vacuum thin-film technologies are broad reaching from CVD, PVD and ALD to Ion Beam applications, enabling the creation of high-performance and functional surfaces. Achieving precise control over equipment parameters such as temperature, pressure, gas composition, and deposition rates is a must have to ensure consistent and reproducible quality.
In this context, data control and management play an important role in enhancing process efficiency, product quality, and innovation. The large volume of data generated during a process requires very robust control systems capable of storing, executing, and analyzing data for repeatable process execution. Advanced analytics can uncover hidden correlations, enabling real-time adjustments to equipment settings, minimizing defects, and maximizing yields.
Connectivity further elevates the potential of vacuum system control by enabling basic functionality as remote access to the equipment allowing experts to troubleshoot issues without travel, reducing maintenance costs and downtime but also cost. A standard in various industries is the connectivity to IT (information technology) and OT (Operational technology) systems which is not common for typical thin-film equipment. Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are in place in larger production facilities or special industries (e.g. semiconductor) but typically without equipment connectivity enabling remote control and data collection of KPI (key performance indicators) or simply alarms and process values. The potential for production and process optimization is very high.
With the possibilities of equipment connectivity data can be transmitted real-time to centralized platforms (on-premise or cloud) for data storage in the first and data analytics in the second step. Data consistency and integrity is a must in this content also looking into the future of machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence). Here first promising steps are made already.
In conclusion, modern equipment control in vacuum thin-film systems is a must for achieving consistent and high-quality products. Data management and connectivity amplify the benefits by enabling remote control, data collection as well as data analytics now and machine learning in the future. For manufacturing but also research facilities establishing advanced data strategies and technological connectivity will be key to remain at the forefront of innovation.