Electrical Engineering
in the
Semiconductor Equipment
Industry
A Look at a Typical Job Description of an
Equipment Electrical Engineer
Recent Job Description….
Bob Garbarino
19-NOV-2003
Review Customer Specifications and
Generate Design Concepts
Each customer has their own internal
specifications
 Requirements often difficult to interpret
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• Sometimes visit customers or conference calls
Concepts communicated by written document,
block diagram, schematic, theory of operation
 Cost and labor estimates
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Design to SEMI Specifications
What are These?
Created by members of SEMI committees
 Goal: create standardization in semiconductor
industry
 EEs mostly deal with SEMI S2--Safety
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• NFPA--Fire Risk
• Hazard Analysis
• Interlocks
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SEMI F47—Voltage sag
CE
• Low Voltage Directive
• EMC Directive
Specify Components
Most parts on system are third-party supplied
 Search catalogs, existing standard vendor parts
in database
 Parts are put into an assembly
 Check list for selecting a part
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Track record of reliability
Cost
UL Listed/Recognized
Standard part
Meets electrical requirement for application
Examples of Common Electrical
Components
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Relays, Contactors
Circuit breakers
Transformers
Wire, cable, connectors
Controllers
• Temperature, flow, pressure, Digital/Analog I/O
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Transducers, thermocouples
Safety interlock controllers (PLCs)
Signal towers
Uninterruptible power supplies
Motors
Document Designs
 Why?
• Life is not all fun!
• The system must be manufactured by others
• Service/troubleshooting
 AutoCad or OrCad Schematics
 Bills of Materials
 Assembly Drawings
 Product Manuals
Work Effectively With Others
Sounds trivial, but this it is critical to get your job
done
 It also helps when the layoffs come
 Need to interface with:
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Purchasing, planning
Manufacturing
Final test
Fellow engineers
Your boss
Skills to Enhance Effectiveness
AutoCAD, OrCAD
 Analog and digital design experience and
knowledge of, MS Office
 Oracle data base software skills for creation of
BOMs
 Ability to comprehend and execute to
verbal and/or written instructions
 BS degree required and minimum of 3 years
electrical design experience
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Some Examples of EE Designs
Cables and wiring harnesses--lots of them!
 Power distribution panels
 Electronics enclosures
• Temperature, flow, pressure control
 Robotics control assemblies
 Light curtains
 Operator interface
 Need to have good overall system understanding
to merge this all together and make it work!
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Hardware Example
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Programmable Logic Controller
• Industrial I/O Controller
• Modular
• Computerized
Pushbutton Input
 Thermocouple Input
 Analog Output
 Valve Control Board-Outputs
 Terminal Block
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PLC Program Operation
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PLC Program reads the TC temperature in Channel 1. Converts the signal to
display the Temperature in F (degrees Fahrenheit) on Mod 4 A1-A8. Where
A5-A8 displays the 1’s value in binary, and A1-A4 displays the 10’s value in
binary. (e.g. 0111 0010 = 72 F).
PLC Program reads the Reset Switch on Mod 5 A1. When true, the program will
close the first SPDT relay on Mod 6 A1. This in-turn will close the second relay
in the series.
PLC Program reads the Reset Switch on Mod 5 A1. When false Mod 4 C1-C3 is
turned on. When true, Mod 4 C5-C7 is turned on.
PLC Program reads the Reset Switch on Mod 5 A1. When the PLC Program
senses the one-shot signal (positive transition), 1.25 volts is added to the
setpoint of the analog output on Mod 8 Channel 1. If the setpoint is greater
than 10 volts, the PLC program will reset the setpoint to 0, before sending out
the new setpoint.