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PR:IME™

An Industry-First Pre-Engineered Platform. Designed to Integrate Your Semiconductor Inspection & Metrology Technology

Accelerating Lab-to-Fab Transition for Semiconductor Inspection & Metrology

PR:IME™ by Owens Design is a modular system architecture designed to accelerate the commercialization of Inspection & Metrology (I&M) technologies. Featuring standardized mechanical, electrical, and software interfaces, it reduces development overhead and streamlines integration, delivering your technology to fab customers with unmatched speed and efficiency.

Overview

A Fast, Low-Risk Path to Market

Innovations in Inspection and Metrology are being developed around the world at universities, labs, startups, and established equipment companies. But often times resources are focused on developing the technology itself and not the path to delivering a production-worthy system to the market. This path can be difficult for companies to overcome. It can be held back by lack of industry expertise, manufacturing infrastructure, or even customer concerns with scaling risk.

PR:IME™ bridges these gaps with a pre-engineered, fab-ready platform that streamlines the transition from R&D to high-volume manufacturing (HVM). Designed for both flexibility and scalability, it supports manual loading and fully automated wafer handling for 300mm and 200mm wafers. By leveraging PR:IME™, technology innovators can stay focused on their core expertise while Owens Design manages seamless system integration, accelerating time-to-market and minimizing development costs.

Why PR:IME™?

Time to Market

Developing I&M technology requires a different skill set than semiconductor equipment design. PR:IME™, backed by Owens Design’s decades of expertise, offers a pre-engineered system that needs only minimal customization. With pre-negotiated module delivery and streamlined manufacturing, it enables fast, efficient integration and testing.

Low Risk

PR:IME™ minimizes adoption barriers by incorporating widely recognized OEM components already trusted and used in semiconductor fabs. From automation software to robots and stages, PR:IME™ integrates proven industry-leading solutions designed to meet fab uptime and reliability standards.

Scalable

PR:IME™ supports both manual wafer loading and fully automated wafer handling. Manual wafer loading offers the fastest track into R&D fabs which accelerates initial evaluation. Once validated, PR:IME™ provides a simple upgrade path to full wafer automation, enabling a quick transition to high-volume manufacturing without modifying process hardware. This ensures process consistency between R&D and HVM, giving end user confidence in scalability.

Compliant with Industry Standards

Meeting SEMI standards, CE and EU machinery safety regulations, and fab-specific requirements is crucial for customer acceptance. Designed for seamless fab integration, PR:IME™ incorporates  SECS/GEM fab communication to ensure compatibility within automation systems.  With a track record of delivering hundreds of fab-compliant semiconductor systems, Owens Design provides a trusted solution to meet industry standard and compliance.

Automation Levels

PR:IME™ R&D

Low Risk Path From R&D to HVM

  • Semi-automated system
  • Manually loaded wafer (EFEM-ready)
  • Optional S2/S8, CE Mark compliance
  • No fab-level communication

PR:IME™ HVM

Production-Ready, Fully Automated

  • 2 port EFEM
  • Recipe Editor
  • S2/S8, CE Mark Evaluation
  • SECS/GEM fab communication

Key Modules

  • Equipment Front End Module (EFEM):
    PR:IME™ partners with world-class EFEM brands, ensuring global support and seamless adoption in top-tier semiconductor fabs. Available in 2-4 port configurations, EFEM options are tailored to meet specific product requirements.
  • Stage:
    Most I&M applications require precise wafer positioning for accurate inspection. PR:IME™’s stage provides accurate and repeatable wafer placement with micron-level precision. Customization is available for specializations beyond the baseline configuration, including higher speed/acceleration, lower velocity ripple, nanometer precision, or magnetic shielding.
  • Equipment Control Software Platform:
    PR:IME™ offers two industry-leading automation software options for system control and wafer handling. PR:IME™ simplifies integration and customization, providing a user interface that represent your company’s identity and hardware configuration.
  • System Enclosure:
    PR:IME™’s enclosure includes provisions for ULPA FFU, ionizers, observation cameras, and easy access for maintenance. Facilities connections are conveniently positioned for easy fab integration, with optional consumption monitoring features to support compliance with green initiatives.
  • Vibration Isolation:
    Uncompensated transient vibration can reduce I&M data resolution, leading to measurement inaccuracies. PR:IME™ offers multiple levels of vibration isolation tailored to your technology requirements. From basic elastomer mounts to advanced active vibration isolation and acoustic enclosures, PR:IME™ ensures the precise level of damping needed for optimal performance.