Samsung selects Cognex wafer reader for advanced memory chip plants

NOVEMBER 21--Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA; www.cognex.com), supplier of machine-vision systems, has announced that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., manufacturer of advanced memory chips, will integrate the Cognex In-Sight 1700 wafer reader in all of its chip-manufacturing plants in Hwasung, Korea. The Cognex In-Sight 1700 is a machine-vision system that reads 2-D matrix, alphanumeric, and barcodes inscribed on silicon wafers. Samsung will retrofit its chip plants with the In-Sight 1700 systems to identify and track wafers as they go through various stages of manufacturing and testing.

Robert J. Shillman, Cognex president, CEO, and chairman, said, "Fabrication plants are increasingly demanding wafer-level tracking to provide a fully traceable path for every wafer. In-Sight's compact size and its ability to reliably read codes from silicon wafers at any stage of the manufacturing process . . . irrespective of coatings and circuit patterns that degrade image quality . . . make this product the standard for the wafer-tracking industry."