February 17, 2021

Tokyo Electron Operates With Remote Maintenance

Remote support using tools such as Smartglasses is developing into a center of earnings

Tokyo Electron can monitor from Japan the operation status of semiconductor manufacturing equipment delivered to its customers. It uses data analysis to support stable operation, and also for R&D. With the movement of people restricted by Covid-19, it is building a business model that applies data to maintenance and modification.

Information control in semiconductor factories is tight. As a general rule, smartphones and similar devices cannot be taken into those factories, and in most cases communication with the outside is prohibited due to fear of leaks of manufacturing technologies. This practice is changing with the spread of Covid-19.

Telemetrics services are growing now. Data on manufacturing equipment operating in customer factories is gathered via the Internet and analyzed at centers in Japan. The system supports stable operation. Increasing numbers of manufacturers allow people wearing Smartglasses to enter factories, and permit transmission of data out of factories, and the number of such contracts grew 1.4-fold in the half year from March 2020.