Custom AWG for Semiconductor Process Tech | Cyth Systems

Project Summary

Semiconductor equipment manufacturer designed and validated next-gen etching technology through advanced waveform generation and control built with NI PXI and LabVIEW FPGA.

System Features & Components

• High-speed (>1MS/s) arbitrary waveform generation with complex waveform parameters

• Closed-loop waveform control with feedback from oscilloscope measurements

• Streamlined vacuum chamber integration for semiconductor wafer processing applications

Outcomes

• Validated tool design for next-generation semiconductor chip manufacturing process

• Widespread end-customer adoption in major silicon wafer fabrication sites across the globe

• Continuous improvement in lab and validation tools enabled through NI PXI instrumentation and LabVIEW FPGA

Technology at-a-glance

• PXIe-1071 Chassis

• NI PXI-5441 Arbitrary Waveform Generator

• PXIe-5105 Oscilloscope

• PXIe-8822 Embedded Controller

• PXI-7852R FPGA Module

• LabVIEW FPGA

Silicon Wafer Etching

Almost every single modern electronic device contains at least one semiconductor chip. Smartphones, TVs, washing machines, and cars depend on the precise and complex control of electrical signals that semiconductors provide.

Silicon wafers are a foundational material from which many semiconductor technologies are made. Part of the semiconductor manufacturing process includes etching microscopic, 3D patterns onto these silicon wafers to form electronic devices like transistors, capacitors, and interconnects that are critical for the function of the manufactured microchip.

The level of precision with which these electronic components are etched into the silicon directly impacts the performance of the microchip, making the uniformity and accuracy of these etched features critical at the nanometer scale.

Complex Waveform Requirements

A major semiconductor equipment manufacturer was facing significant limitations with their equipment’s ability to support the manufacture of next-generation chips. Their semiconductor manufacturing tools were deployed at many silicon wafer fabrication sites, and their manufacturing customers were continuously coming up against the limitations of their systems, putting their market position and market share at risk.

They needed to upgrade the simple signal generators in their current solution to waveform generators capable of delivering the complex waveforms necessary to precisely control the microscopic piezo coils central to their unique etching process.

To maintain and expand their customer base, they required a solution capable of:

• Precision Control: Their equipment needed to drive microscopic piezo coils at rates of 2,000-100,000 times per second, requiring advanced control capabilities with arbitrary waveform programming and thousands of sample points per period.

• Complex Waveform Requirements: Simple waveforms like sine, square, and triangular signals were not sufficient for controlling the complex etching operations their customers required; they needed the capability to customize every single point within the waveforms, controlling their piezo coils.

• High-Speed Synchronization: The waveform generator required tight coupling with oscilloscope measurements to synchronize digitized signal acquisition

• Global Deployment: The solution needed to integrate seamlessly with semiconductor manufacturing equipment deployed worldwide

  
  

Customized Advanced AWG

The global semiconductor equipment manufacturer approached Cyth Systems for help improving their etching capabilities. Cyth’s expertise in developing complex, highly synchronized control systems and custom waveform generator solutions enabled them to rapidly iterate on the customer’s existing solution to provide high-performance waveform generation, measurement, and control.

The development process of the Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) included three iterations:

1. 1st generation: Replicate simple, existing waveform generation capabilities on the NI PXI platform

2. 2nd generation: Synchronize AWG pulses with oscilloscope measurements to ensure accurate digital signal data acquisition

3. 3rd generation: Further refine synchronization between waveform pulses and oscilloscope measurements to enable the driving of piezo coils in the upper frequency ranges (up to 100,000 times per second)

   
   

   

The AWG system was built to perform sophisticated waveform analysis, generation, and control without operator intervention:

• Collected waveforms, measured their length, and characteristic shape

• Determined the optimal number of points required to accurately describe each waveform

• Set appropriate sampling rates based on waveform complexity

• Calculated the precise number of points needed to achieve target sample rates

  
  

The equipment manufacturer required 1,000+ samples per millisecond (>1MS/s) to accurately characterize the waveforms to be generated; the samples were then upscaled to 200MS/s to ensure smooth signal quality as the waveform is output.

The waveform generator was tightly coupled with an NI PXI oscilloscope in a closed-loop approach to enable real-time system optimization. The synchronization in the measurements of digitized signals ensured precise timing coordination between waveform output and measurement feedback.

Leveraging the NI PXI platform with LabVIEW FPGA software, Cyth created a sophisticated Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) capable of supporting next-generation semiconductor equipment with dramatically improved high-speed and high-sample rate waveform control.

For the semiconductor equipment manufacturer, the greatest differentiators of the NI platform were:

• Measurement integration: Synchronized waveform generation and oscilloscope measurement in a single platform

• Firmware flexibility: LabVIEW-based algorithms enable rapid parameter adjustments and optimization

• Hardware reliability: NI PXI platform provides industrial-grade reliability for 24/7 manufacturing operations

• Compact footprint: 4-slot PXI chassis delivers advanced capabilities in space-efficient design

Sustainable Innovation

The Arbitrary Waveform Generator delivered transformative capabilities that positioned the equipment manufacturer for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing leadership. The most impactful system performance improvements were:

• Advanced waveform control: Transition from simple signal generation to arbitrary waveform programming with thousands of sample points per period

• Synchronized measurement: Tight integration between waveform generation and oscilloscope measurement for closed-loop optimization

• Scalable sampling rates: Flexible sampling from >1 MS/s for analysis up to 200 MS/s for output generation

The overall system improvements enabled the customer to deliver:

• Global deployment capability: System integrated successfully across every major silicon wafer fabrication site worldwide

• Next-generation semiconductor manufacturing capabilities: Advanced waveform control capabilities support the production of cutting-edge semiconductor devices

• Future-ready platform: Modular PXI architecture enables flexibility for continued system evolution and capability expansion

  
  

The new, advanced capabilities fundamentally strengthened the semiconductor equipment manufacturer’s position as a leader in their space. The transition from simple signal generation to sophisticated arbitrary waveform generation and control enabled their equipment to meet the high precision requirements of next-generation semiconductor chip manufacturing.

These modernized etching systems became a critical enabler for the semiconductor industry's continued advancement toward smaller, faster, and more efficient devices. These systems were built for sustainable innovation. The proven software architecture and modular NI PXI I/O enable continuous capability enhancement as semiconductor manufacturing requirements continue to evolve.