Reticle Storage System ROI

Some key principles impacting return on Reticle Storage investment

Low Capital Cost: FABs often have 5K active reticles to manage. Elaborate bare reticle storage tools for that capacity would have capital cost >$20M. It would take a long time to ROI that amount. It is possible to procure and implement a comprehensive FAB-wide reticle storage and management solution for well under $1M. Low capital cost will ROI quickly.

Space Efficient Design:
Thousands of reticles are the reality and they must be physically stored somewhere. Logistically, active reticles should be stored near the litho tools. When storing reticles inside the cleanroom, a space saving design is best. It’s estimated that 5000 reticles on library shelves will consume about $185K of cleanroom space. Then add $32K annually to sustain the clean area apportioned to these shelves, and the clearance needed to access them. There is ROI in space saving storage solutions.

Fast Reticle Retrieval:
FABs are built around photolithography. These tools are a factory's throughput bottleneck by design. Most litho related delays due to reticles are preventable. Time spent searching for reticles is lost production and therefore lost revenue. When a "lost" reticle is needed, often an emergency PO is issued to manufacture a replacement quickly. These rush orders are very expensive. There is ROI in reducing reticle retrieval time.

Reticle Readiness:
Photomasks need periodic inspection, cleaning, pellicle work, and eventual repair or replacement. It does us no good to quickly retrieve a reticle only to find it is flawed and cannot perform its duty. Reticle maintenance is therefore critical. Every reticle should be tracked in a master database. Any event (usage, history, inspect, maint) that ties to reticle readiness should be captured and used to predict and schedule required maintenance. There is ROI in a assuring reticles are suitable for use when called upon.