Recipe download, data collection, and quartz tube tracking
were the essential functions of the RTA (rapid thermal anneal) application software. Another tool another vendor atempted to interface to the AG41000, but
because they did not know how to track down rs232 interfacing and cable shielding problems at the lowest levels, their interface frequently hung up.
AG4100 RTA Heatpulse
Interfacing to older tool is sometimes tricky. In the case of the AG Associates AG4100 RTA Heatpulse, the secs/gem interface would hang up if
the tool had just finished processing the wafer, but had not yet moved it out of the processing chamber.
Once this was discovered, programming around it was easy.