ErgoTech to Release Java SECS/GEM: Semiconductor Standard for Equipment Control and Integration

ErgoTech Systems Inc. (Los Alamos, NM), a supplier of Java component software for manufacturing automation and equipment retrofit solutions, announces the first public pre-release of SEMI's SECS protocol written entirely in Java.

The product is currently being tested at a number of locations, and there is worldwide interest in it from semiconductor fabs and equipment builders. The first full release is expected in May and will include the HSMS protocol and SECS II messages.

"Java is becoming the de facto language for semiconductor integration. SECS support in Java allows fabs to leverage the communication capabilities of existing equipment while moving to thin-client solutions," says Jim Redman, president of ErgoTech.

The company's pure Java HSMS/SECS II implementation provides the ability to control equipment directly from a Web browser or through client- or server-based Java applications. Preliminary data shows excellent performance, including in excess of 1000 messages/second for a data request/response (S1F3/S1F4). ErgoTech supports the full HSMS specification, including the "General Session", allowing multiple sessions though one TCP/IP port. The software also has several techniques to compensate for Y2K problems, if required.

Future offerings from ErgoTech will include a GEM implementation, entirely in Java, built on the existing SECS II layer and the RS232 SECS I protocol using the Java COMMAPI native interface. The protocol layer can be selected at runtime and will allow for easy creation of SECSI/HSMS protocol conversions. This conversion layer forms a part of ErgoTech's software retrofit solutions for semiconductor equipment.