Fabmatics benefits from the boom in the semiconductor industry

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Claus, FotograFisch / Fabmatics GmbH)

(Photo: Sven Rahm Photography)

(Photo: Sven Rahm Photography)

Fabmatics Management: Dr. Roland Giesen and Dr. Andreas Purath

- Successful for 30 years: Dresden-based company supports semiconductor manufacturers with factory automation
- Industry 4.0 specialist aims to expand market presence in the USA and Asia
- Expansion of product range: Company introduces a new generation of handling systems and mobile robotics

Celebrating 30 years in business at Fabmatics GmbH: The company is one of the leading providers of automation solutions in the semiconductor industry. The product portfolio includes solutions for handling, transporting, and storing wafers and photomasks, as well as systems for real-time identification and localization of products. Fabmatics also supplies handling products for renowned equipment manufacturers used in semiconductor factories. With new products and ideas, Fabmatics aims to continue impressing its customers, such as the large Dresden semiconductor factories, and to attract new clients in the coming years. "In Europe, we already hold a strong market position, especially as a system integrator creating comprehensive automation solutions for production lines," says Managing Director Dr. Andreas Purath. "We are pleased that our offerings are increasingly in demand from the USA and Asia. We are active and certified at the largest foundry in Asia. In the USA, there are many 200-millimeter factories, which are our specialty and hold great potential for us. Our goal is to become a key partner for chip manufacturers in these semiconductor regions worldwide."

Semiconductor industry boom boosts demand for automation

"The semiconductor industry is booming, and this offers great growth opportunities for us," says Managing Director Dr. Roland Giesen. "The ongoing digitalization trend across all areas of life – now further fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic with home-office setups and more – is creating enormous demand for chip manufacturers to meet. Automation is a crucial component to efficiently operate production machines 24/7 and deliver high-quality yields."

"Particularly in the 200-millimeter world, there remains a significant need to retrofit existing factories with automation solutions," adds Purath. "The combination of sustained high demand for chips and cost pressures in the industry makes such modernization attractive. This now also applies to the backend sector, where chips are sometimes packaged and tested in housings. We are also receiving increased automation inquiries from there."

Extensive specialized knowledge of automation under cleanroom conditions

"Our core competence lies especially in the overall integration of automation systems into a semiconductor factory, as well as in our specialized knowledge of cleanroom conditions and SEMI standards," says Giesen. "Transporting high-value wafers – the silicon disks on which microchips are manufactured – primarily involves precision, particle-free handling, and 100 percent safety. We master this almost perfectly thanks to our 30 years of experience. Our customers highly value this expertise. At the same time, we are closely observing developments in other industries with similarly high demands for precision and purity. We are particularly focusing on medical technology and the pharmaceutical industry."

New products for semiconductor factories

In the anniversary year, Fabmatics is unveiling new products. These include the CubeStocker storage system, a floor-mounted system for storing a large number of open 200-millimeter carriers in cleanroom class 1 (ISO3). The centerpiece of the system is a robot portal consisting of two parallel-controlled linear axes and a six-axis robot. Also new to the portfolio is the Test Wafer Center (TWC) for automating test wafer handling, including assembling individual wafer lots, interim storage, reclassification, and verification of wafers. Existing products have also been further developed and equipped with the latest technology. Customers can look forward to a new generation of the mobile robot line HERO Fab and the rail-bound variant HERO Rail. Additionally, a new generation of retrofittable purge storage systems for 300-millimeter factories will be launched. The purge systems ensure that wafer carriers are always nitrogen-purged during interim storage, reliably protecting against unwanted chemical reactions on the sensitive wafer surfaces."

Continuing a successful history

"Fabmatics has developed very positively," says Dr. Steffen Pollack. He founded HAP Handling, Automation, and Precision Technology GmbH Dresden on May 6, 1991, together with Manfred Jähnert and Lothar Andritzke. The founders still hold shares, along with Süd Beteiligungen GmbH, which actively supported HAP in an succession planning process back in 2014. Fabmatics GmbH was formed in 2016 from the merger of HAP GmbH and Roth & Rau - Ortner GmbH. The products of both companies complemented each other almost perfectly, and the two teams have since integrated. This was supported by relocating the entire staff to a new site: Since December 2016, Fabmatics' company building has been located in northern Dresden, in the MicroPolis industrial park, close to the airport. It offers 3,800 m² of office and production space, including a 500 m² cleanroom."

Fabmatics creates additional jobs for highly qualified specialists and managers

"Overall, Fabmatics is on a very solid growth path," summarizes Dr. Andreas Purath. "And that’s why we are also hiring many new employees. We are always looking for qualified personnel; in the past five years, we have hired around 40 specialists and managers." With ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations and a likely easing of infection rates in the second half of the year, the company hopes to celebrate its 30th anniversary together with employees, customers, and business partners in September.