Precision and efficiency are crucial in the fast-changing world of electronics, automotive, and semiconductor industries. As companies aim to meet the rising demand for high-quality products, automation has become a key factor.
Nikon Metrology, known for advanced measurement and inspection solutions, has developed the NEXIV product line, providing cutting-edge automated solutions for these vital sectors.
Automation: Staying Competitive in an Expanding Market
Incorporating automation, especially in video measurement and inspection solutions, brings several advantages across different industries:
- Amplifying the speed and accuracy of manufacturing operations: NEXIV’s advanced features allow manufacturers to streamline complex measurement and inspection tasks that were previously done manually. Nikon’s VMZ-S series, for instance, shows a 34% reduction in measuring time compared to earlier models, highlighting the focus on speed. Combining speed and accuracy speeds up production and lowers the chance of errors, enhancing product quality.
- Optimizing resource allocation: Automated systems handling repetitive tasks frees up skilled workers to focus on complex assignments requiring decision-making and problem-solving skills. This allows companies to use their workforce’s expertise better, fueling innovation and speeding up product development.
- Reliable quality control: Automated inspection solutions like NEXIV systems ensure steady quality control in industries where precision matters most. These systems can detect tiny deviations, ensuring products meet strict industry standards and regulations. This boosts customer satisfaction and builds a reputation for delivering top-tier products in a competitive market.
Semiconductors: Automating the Measurement of Technology’s Building Blocks
Semiconductors are crucial in shaping today’s world, driving digital innovation, and fueling the global economy. Their impact spans sectors like telecoms, automotive, military, and healthcare.
Their contribution to advancing artificial intelligence, particularly in machine and deep learning, positions semiconductors at the forefront of technological advancement.
The journey of semiconductors, from the invention of the transistor to the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), has followed a path of miniaturization. This trend has heightened the need for specialized metrology skills, especially as the number of qualified engineers declines.
Consequently, traditional manual measurement practices using optical microscopes face limitations in meeting the industry’s growing demands.
Nikon has developed the NEXIV VMZ-NWL 200, an automated wafer measurement system, to address these challenges. This system tackles the scarcity of skilled technicians for manual measurements by offering automated measurement capabilities for 6-inch or 8-inch wafers.
Its user-friendly software simplifies chip selection, ensuring reliable and precise chip measurements for various applications. The system’s ability to track measurement times and programs enhances traceability, streamlining the semiconductor industry’s evolving requirements for accuracy and efficiency.
Semiconductors: Automating the Quality Control of Technology’s Building Block
By integrating the NEXIV VMZ-K3040 confocal video measuring system, Nikon provides an automated solution to enhance quality control procedures in silicon wafer manufacturing. Utilizing dual 2D and 3D optics, the VMZ-K3040 swiftly examines wafer ID codes laser inscribed onto the wafer surface.
The system seamlessly connects to an automatic wafer loader, facilitating the swift transfer of semiconductor wafers from a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) to the video measuring system, eliminating manual handling.
This method ensures precision and accuracy and minimizes the likelihood of errors and waste during the various stages of the fabrication (FAB) process.
The successful adoption of this automated quality control solution in multiple foundries worldwide underscores Nikon’s dedication to refining real-time inspection practices in industrial production, aligning with its Quality 4.0 approach.
Manufacturing Made Easier with Collaborative Robots
NEXIV systems can integrate with collaborative robots ('cobots') capable of handling monotonous and repetitive tasks, providing automated solutions in the production environment.
By lifting objects up to 35 kg, as well as loading fixtures, facilitating QR scanning, and identifying programs, assembly lines can be automated, promoting workforce well-being.
Software: Articulating Speed, Accuracy, and Usability Through Automation
Nikon Metrology’s NEXIV automated solutions include a sophisticated suite of software managing precision measurements and automation.
This software guides the measurement process, synchronizing optical elements, edge detection, and image alignment, thereby accelerating measurement speeds and supporting industrial transformation.
Automating the Production Floor: A Paradigm Shift
The Software Development Kit (SDK) for remote control serves as a crucial resource for programming user software modules to oversee and automate NEXIV video measuring systems.
Integrating NEXIV with component carrier conveyor systems allows users to automate component carriers and measurement procedures on the production floor or remotely. Subsequent in-depth analyses of production data facilitate process optimization.
Nikon Metrology: Redefining the Power of Precision
Nikon Metrology’s NEXIV automated solutions enhance precision and efficiency across various industries. With dedicated optical systems, seamless automation, and user-friendly software, Nikon demonstrates a steadfast commitment to the highest manufacturing standards.
As industries undergo transformation, NEXIV's ability to enhance speed, accuracy, and reliability plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of technology.
References and Further Reading
- Nikon. VMZ-S series: Video Measuring System NEXIV Standard Model [Brochure]. Available at: https://industry.nikon.com/en-gb/products/video-measuring-systems/nexiv-vmz-s/ (Accessed on 13 August 2023).
- Nikon Metrology. NEXIV VMZ-S Series. Available at: https://industry.nikon.com/en-gb/products/video-measuring-systems/nexiv-vmz-s/ (Accessed on 12 August 2023).
- Nikon. Wafer automatic measurement solution supports the measurement required for back-end process control. Available at: https://industry.nikon.com/en-gb/news/wafer-automatic-measurement-solution-supports-the-measurement-required-for-back-end-process-control/ (Accessed on 29 August 2023).
- Nikon. Nikon introduces fast, automated system for inspecting wafer ID codes. Available at: https://industry.nikon.com/en-gb/case-studies/nikon-introduces-fast-automated-system-for-inspecting-wafer-id-codes/ (Accessed on 29 August 2023).
- Nikon Metrology. Nikon Metrology: NEXIV VMZ-S AND VMA Series: Video Measuring System [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLq6IVlbOCM
- Nikon Metrology. Nexiv VMZ S Automation Solution(ENG) [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Y-scMtXzs
- FANUC. Collaborative Robots. Available at: https://www.fanuc.eu/uk/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collaborative-robots
- Nikon. Remote Control Software Development Kit (SDK). Available at: remote-control-sdk-for-nexiv-en.pdf
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Nikon Metrology.
For more information on this source, please visit Nikon Metrology.