The Driving Force Accelerating Semiconductor Automation: Practical Applications of SECS/GEM in Semiconductor Fabs

SECS/GEM for Semiconductor Automation: Practical Integration in Modern Fabs

As semiconductor manufacturing continues to advance toward higher efficiency and intelligence, seamless data communication between equipment has become a critical challenge for improving productivity. However, the wide variety of communication protocols across different brands often leads to complex system integration, longer development cycles, and risks to delivery schedules and production stability.

In this environment, the SECS/GEM communication standard has emerged as the universal language of semiconductor automation.

By integrating Delta’s DIASECS platform with industrial IPC through Luo Sheng’s expertise, equipment developers can replace traditional coding with configuration-based workflows, enabling rapid deployment of a stable and reliable communication architecture. This not only shortens development and integration time but also empowers production lines with real-time monitoring and smarter decision-making capabilities.

Background

A semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Kaohsiung specializes in software and communication development for semiconductor tools. However, due to limited technical talent in the region, the R&D team faced high turnover. Projects were frequently delayed because of manpower changes or incomplete outsourced development work. Documentation and system architecture lacked standardization, making knowledge transfer difficult and increasing long-term maintenance costs.

DIASECS + IPC Integrated Solution

To address inconsistent equipment communication and the challenge of unifying development specifications, the client adopted Delta’s DIASECS SECS/GEM platform, distributed by Luo Sheng, along with a carefully selected industrial IPC as the stable computing and communication core.

During implementation, Ace Pillar provided consulting-style technical guidance—clarifying customer requirements, optimizing SECS/GEM design workflows, and helping determine which modules should be retained or simplified. This reduced development complexity and enabled the customer to establish a more standardized and efficient SECS/GEM development framework.

Why Does DIASECS Solve These Challenges?

In SECS/GEM communication development, equipment makers typically go through four major stages:

System Analysis(SA)→System Design(SD)→Programming(PR)→Quality Control(QC)

To accelerate development and ensure full compliance with SEMI standards, the DIASECS platform integrates and tool-izes all four stages, making the entire workflow more standardized, visualized, and reproducible.

SA Stage – System Analysis
DIASECS helps quickly analyze communication requirements and establish the Host–Equipment architecture and event flow, improving the accuracy of requirement definition.
SD Stage – System Design
Engineers can design SECS messages, state models, and reports through a graphical interface, and validate logic upfront using built-in simulation tools.
PR Stage – Programming
With the built-in communication simulator, developers can instantly test and verify communication logic, reducing errors and debugging effort.
QC Stage – Quality Control
Automated test scripts, packet analysis, and detailed logging help QA teams perform complete verification and ensure compliance with SEMI SECS/GEM standards.

Overall, DIASECS standardizes and streamlines the entire SECS/GEM development process—from requirements to design to verification—greatly improving development efficiency, consistency, and system stability. It is a powerful tool for semiconductor equipment teams aiming to strengthen competitiveness and shorten time-to-market.

DIASECS BOX Runtime Development Timeline (Reference)

Stage	Description	Duration
System Evaluation	Analyze existing equipment communication protocols and Host/MES architecture;define SECS/GEM mapping.	~2 weeks
IPC Deployment	Install industrial IPC (Windows/Linux) as the communication gateway to ensure long-term stable operation.	~1 week
DIASECS Implementation	Configure equipment communication parameters and apply templates. No coding required—SECS/GEM interface setup can be completed through Runtime configuration.	~2–3 weeks
Testing & Verification	Use the DIASECS simulator for message exchange testing and integrate with MES/EAP systems.	~1 week

DIASECS-GEM Key Features

Event Traceability

Complete SECS event logs for quick issue diagnosis.

Flexible & Standardized

Modular IPC design with duplicable settings for easy expansion or equipment changes.

High Integration

Supports SECS/GEM and PLC communication; ready to use after configuration.

High Integration · Easy Configuration · Event Traceability

Provides essential tools for design, development, and testing.
Simulates host–equipment communication for functional and stress validation, accelerating system integration.

DIASECS + IPC Integration Advantages

Ready to Use, Fast Deployment
Built in alignment with SEMI SECS/GEM standards, the system includes SECS/GEM Runtime and GEM200/GEM300 Libraries. DIASECS BOX Runtime connects seamlessly to multiple PLC brands, enabling PLC-based developers to complete SECS/GEM support through configuration—no coding required, ensuring rapid deployment.

High-Speed Communication with Flexible Customization

Fully compliant with SEMI specifications, supporting up to 300 transactions per second.API access and message simulation tools accelerate setup, validation, and debugging, significantly reducing development effort.

Complete Traceability & Easy Upper-Level Integration
Records both Raw Data and SML Logs for full traceability. Integrates seamlessly with DIAEAP, DIAMES, and other upper-level systems to access key equipment data and enhance quality management.

Scalable & Standardized Deployment
IPC’s multi-channel, modular architecture allows configuration duplication, enabling fast adaptation to line expansion or equipment changeovers.
This ensures efficient, standardized system deployment across different equipment models.

Ace Pillar Service Advantages

Industry: Semiconductor

One-Stop Software–Hardware Integration to Reduce Development Risks

We provide complete integration of software, hardware, and key components, helping customers avoid the time pressure of sourcing solutions and parts individually. This shortens development cycles and significantly reduces project risk.

SECS/GEM Consulting to Ensure Accurate and Reliable Implementation

With Delta’s ASDA-A3 expertise, we provide SECS/GEM consulting to clarify specifications, confirm requirements, and prevent unnecessary purchases. We also support customer–end-user communication to reduce errors and project uncertainty.

Project-Based Discounts & Selection Support for Better Cost Efficiency

With one-stop integration services, we offer component selection recommendations and project-based pricing, ensuring customers buy the right parts at the right cost—maximizing efficiency and value.

RECOMMENDED

No information temporarily