Summary: Motorola needed to automate data collection from various RS232 output devices for the highly precise quality control essential during microprocessor manufacturing. WinWedge software provided the 100% reliable and accurate data collection needed from the gages to terminal emulation apps that interfaced to mainframes for data collection and analysis.
Semi-Conductor Manufacture Strict Quality Control
Motorola Inc., Phoenix, AZ, is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of microprocessors. As there is no margin for error in semiconductor manufacturing, Motorola has developed a strict quality control system to ensure consistency and accuracy. The system uses highly sensitive instruments (including Prometrix VP10, RS50 and SM200) to measure wafer resistivity and oxidation thickness. This data needed to be fed into a computerized statistical process control system running on a VAX mainframe during the production of semiconductors to ensure accurate quality control.
WinWedge Provides the Instrument Interface Solution
Jim Paschal, a Software Engineer at Motorola, chose WinWedge Pro (TALtech Inc.) to input the data from the various serial output measuring devices and instruments into their VAX process control system. Manual data entry too slow, costly and error-prone for this critical task. Custom serial interface programs between the various instruments and their VAX application were considered, but these would have been time consuming and costly to produce and require maintenance and upgrades over time.
WinWedge was the easiest, reliable solution to capture the serial output data from the wafer resistivity and oxidation thickness instruments and others and instantly feed that data directly into a terminal emulator apps running on those PCs. The terminal emulator (Reflection by WRQ, www.wrq.com) transfers the data from the PCs to the VAX mainframe for data analysis and collection.
Paschal noted that “WinWedge was quickly and easily set-up to collect real-time data from the many specialized quality control instruments and transfer this critical information via the terminal emulator to the VAX mainframe.” WinWedge is installed on multiple COM* ports on each PCs further simplifying the task of data acquisition from many different devices simultaneously. The automated system ensures Motorola quality control during semiconductor manufacturing.
WinWedge Benefits:
- 100% data reliability and accuracy
- Ability to interface to mainframe system via the terminal emulation apps
- Easy to set up with free support and maintenance
- extremely cost effective
- Ability to interface multiple instruments simultaneously
Updated August 2026