Commissioning a distributed control system (DCS) for a world-class microelectronics cleanroom has become more tedious but is critical to the start-up of a new microelectronics manufacturing facility. The commissioning procedure developed must be flexible enough to allow for rapid changes in individual control loop requirements as the manufacturing process tools are commissioned. The time and expense required to commission a microelectronics facility has now been accepted by many microelectronics corporations, but the transition from the simple commissioning procedures used in the past to the complex commissioning procedures needed for state-of-the-art DCS has been difficult for many corporations. The commissioning of the DCS has proved especially difficult because of the higher level of technology involved and the added complexity of the commissioning procedure. Additional complexity has resulted as integration of multiple factory automation systems have been included with the DCS. Describes the type of DCS used and some of the methods used to commission a recently constructed microelectronics factory.

KEYWORDS: commissioning, clean rooms, electronics industry, factories