Hilscher meets the demand for semiconductor factory production expansion by developing a communication module that allows for easy specification of interoperability between semiconductor equipment.

Hilscher released a press release on the 18th announcing the launch of the comX 51CA-RE product based on the EtherCAT communication protocol.

The comX 51CA-RE product is based on the established existing comX 51 design and includes a rotary coding switch for physical address setting, which allows for the setting of an explicit device ID according to the Common Device Profile (CDP: Common Device Profile, ETG.5003-1).

Users can develop devices according to a common device profile that forms the basis for device development according to a specific device profile (SDP: Specific Device Profile, ETG.5003-2xxx) through the interaction of Hilscher's proprietary hardware and software.

EtherCAT is gaining attention as a communication protocol in the semiconductor manufacturing field. The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) defined special profiles specified in ETG.5003 'Semiconductor Device Profiles' for the semiconductor industry. The world's largest manufacturers of production equipment for the semiconductor industry, such as Applied Materials, Lam Research, and Tokyo Electron, actively participated in the standard development, making it easy to specify interoperability for various devices.

“Rapid response in crisis situations is essential. Hilscher’s comX 51CA-RE product is exactly what can meet the demands for creating new capabilities in the semiconductor manufacturing sector and expanding existing production facilities amidst the global chip production crisis. Manufacturing equipment manufacturers can be assured of not only Hilscher’s years of experience with EtherCAT but also the reliability of the comX module,” a Hilscher official stated.