Compatibility
Our SEMI Standard reticle pods and cassettes have been tested and approved by ASML, Canon, Nikon and Ultratech.

The SEMI Standards E111 and E112 were developed to try and achieve reticle pod compatibility across different tool sets – they have helped to focus the industry towards a common solution for reticle handling based on the existing SMIF (Standard Mechanical InterFace) Standard.

However, SMIF had already been used for reticle handling for over a decade before SEMI Standards E111 and E112 were published, so not all equipment that is currently in use follows the latest SEMI specifications. So purchasing a SEMI Standard reticle pod does not guarantee that it will work on all your existing equipment, nor on equipment you may purchase in the future.

But you can be assured, with over seventeen years of experience in SMIF-based reticle handling – far more than any other independent supplier – Microtome is aware of most common compatibility issues that can arise and has already addressed them.

Furthermore, our proactive engineering-based approach to pod and cassette development means that if any new compatibility issues are identified we can probably solve them too.

Our R&R™ service can then be used to upgrade and recondition existing units to ensure their continued satisfactory operation in the fab.

We can, and often do, provide custom solutions that will work with any toolset.
With Microtome, compatibility is
virtually guaranteed.
SEMI Standard Cassette Detection On Reticle Inspection Tool
A customer evaluating our SEMI Standard cassette wanted to use one standard reticle carrier throughout a new fab, but found that it did not operate as expected on his reticle inspection tool which is fitted with Brooks ISE-R150 load ports. Brooks had tested our cassette with the load port and we knew it was compatible, so we were surprised.

We were told that the inspection equipment is set up to operate in an unusual way; if the pod presence sensor is triggered the software registers a single reticle pod - a multi reticle cassette can only be accessed if the pod presence sensor is not triggered.

The customer has other equipment in his fab requiring the Brooks load port sensors to be triggered normally, so it would have been impossible to use one type of cassette in the fab unless the inspection tool manufacturers changed the mode of operation of their pod presence sensors, but they refused.


Our solution was to redesign the base of our cassette and to add a removable peg as shown in the photo. If the cassette is to be used on the reticle inspection tool (or equipment fitted with other makes of load port) this optional peg is not required. However, if the cassette will be used on Brooks load ports with pod presence sensors that operate in the normal way, the peg is easily added to the base.

SEMI Standard Multi Reticle Pod Detection On Murata Pod Stocker
It was reported to us that a customer's new reticle pod stocker would not reliably detect the 21321-00F multi reticle SMIF pod. The problem was traced to the higher gloss and transparency of our side panels compared to other pods.

The stocker's reflection sensor (mounted off-specular) could not collect enough scattered light from the front panel to register the presence of the pod. Another sensor beam also passed straight through the side panels without undergoing sufficient absorption to register the pod.

We therefore modified the pod front panel by adding two small laser-etched areas for the reflection sensor beam to strike. This increased the light scattering power of the panel enough to trigger the sensor. The stocker manufacturer then moved his transmission sensor so that its position coincided with an opaque part of our pod.


So, through close collaboration with the customer and his equipment manufacturer we have been able to ensure that our SEMI Standard Multi Reticle SMIF Pod is compatible with another new piece of fab equipment .


If you encounter any compatibility issues when using our products, please contact us and we will try to resolve them for you in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible.