Project Profile · Semiconductor Process Tool Retrofit
PlasmaTherm 720 RIE Retrofit: A DIY PLC & I/O Upgrade for Phoenix Technology
Phoenix Technology, a San Jose, California company specializing in semiconductor equipment acquisitions, needed to bring a customer's aging PlasmaTherm SLR 720 Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) system back to full health before its proprietary sequencer and I/O failed for good. Qualtx Technology designed and built a complete replacement control system — PLC, I/O, wiring, and software — at its Plano, Texas facility and shipped it ready for Phoenix Technology to install itself, for a fixed price of $14,953.
Project Overview
The PlasmaTherm 720 RIE Retrofit replaced the complete control system on a single-chamber PlasmaTherm SLR 720 Reactive Ion Etch system — no load lock or load arm — with new, non-proprietary I/O hardware, signal wiring, and control software. Phoenix Technology, which specializes in acquiring and upgrading semiconductor process equipment, contracted Qualtx Technology to engineer the retrofit as a fixed-price, customer self-install (DIY) package: Qualtx built and tested everything in Texas, and Phoenix Technology's own team performed the physical installation in California.
Qualtx Technology handled the complete retrofit specification, hardware build, cable harness fabrication, control software, and documentation — delivered as a turnkey I/O subsystem for under $15,000, with no cost overruns.
The Requirement
Once a process tool's original sequencer and I/O electronics begin to fail, spare parts and support for the proprietary control system are often difficult or impossible to find, putting the entire tool at risk of an expensive replacement. Phoenix Technology needed the PlasmaTherm SLR 720 RIE system's control electronics and signal wiring fully replaced — preserving the tool's existing process functionality while adding modern software features — without paying for an on-site installation crew, since Phoenix Technology's own personnel were equipped to perform the physical retrofit at the customer's California facility.
System Architecture
Qualtx Technology built the retrofit around an Ethernet-based PLC I/O platform, new DC power supplies, and a rack-mount enclosure sized to slide directly into the existing machine frame:
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| PLC | AutomationDirect Productivity1000 platform, Ethernet-connected to the operator PC |
| I/O Channels | 24 digital inputs, 32 digital outputs, 16 analog inputs, 16 analog outputs — expanded from the base configuration at Phoenix Technology's request |
| Power Supplies | New +24 VDC and ±15 VDC industrial DC power supplies, plus two 24 VDC control relays |
| Enclosure | 19-inch rack-mount NEMA I/O panel, sized to slide into the space left by the original PC/controller |
| Field Wiring | Terminal blocks for 110 VAC, DC power rails, control, and dual interlock circuits; isolated interface modules wired to the four mass flow controllers, the Baratron capacitance manometer, the throttle valve controller, and the RF generator |
| Cable Harness | Complete harness fabricated at Qualtx up to the machine frame, plus Molex termination added to the RF generator, throttle valve, MFC, and solenoid valve bank cables Phoenix Technology shipped in for modification |
| Operator PC | Windows 10/11 laptop, i5 or better, 16 GB RAM, SSD, wired Ethernet, 1920x1080 display, provided by Phoenix Technology and configured by Qualtx with the RIE control software pre-installed and tested |
How the DIY Retrofit Was Delivered
Because this was a fixed-price, customer self-install project, Qualtx Technology's entire scope was completed and verified in Texas before anything shipped to California:
- Kickoff (Feb. 8–12, 2024): Purchase order and 50% deposit received; I/O listing finalized and I/O hardware ordered; wiring diagram development and the project's "wiring notebook" begun immediately.
- Panel Build (Feb. 19–26): I/O hardware mounted to the panel, analog and digital signal wiring completed, solenoid valve groupings verified, and cables and connectors ordered for the harness build.
- Harness Fabrication (Mar. 4–11): All cable harnesses built, the operator PC configured with the RIE control software installed, and system support documentation begun.
- Integration & Test (Mar. 18–25): Every cable terminated to the I/O panel and verified with a volt meter against its software signal, PC-to-I/O communication confirmed, and full I/O tested and debugged in simulation mode against expected hardware values.
- Shipment (week of Apr. 1, 2024): The completed I/O panel, cable harness, operator PC, and documentation shipped to Phoenix Technology in San Jose, California — about seven weeks from purchase order to shipment.
Phoenix Technology's own personnel then performed the physical retrofit at the customer's facility — mounting the panel, running the harness to the machine frame, and connecting the RF generator, throttle valve, MFCs, and solenoid valve bank — using the wiring diagrams, cable labeling, and support documentation Qualtx provided. On-site installation assistance remained available as a separate, optional service for customers who prefer not to self-install.
Control System in Detail
The retrofit replaced both the physical I/O and the operator-facing software with a purpose-built control system:
Day to day, the control software gives operators a manual mode for direct component control and a fully automated recipe mode for production runs, with unlimited recipe storage, per-user recipe directories with sharing between users, CSV data logging for every run, an Engineer/Operator user manager with login tracking, alarm history, and wiring diagrams and component manuals built directly into the software.
Scope of Work
Qualtx Technology delivered a complete, fixed-price I/O and control system package:
- PLC and Ethernet-based I/O hardware, expanded to 24 digital input, 32 digital output, 16 analog input, and 16 analog output channels
- New +24 VDC and ±15 VDC power supplies and a 19-inch rack-mount NEMA I/O enclosure
- Complete wiring diagrams and an installation wiring notebook
- Cable harness fabrication up to the machine frame, plus Molex termination of customer-supplied RF generator, throttle valve, MFC, and solenoid valve bank cables
- RIE control software: manual and automatic modes, recipe management, data logging, multi-user access, and alarm history
- Operator laptop configuration with the control software installed and communication-tested
- System support documentation for customer self-installation
- A signed waiver and release of liability for the customer's self-install team, and optional on-site installation assistance
About Qualtx Technology
Qualtx Technology has been providing turnkey automated control solutions for the semiconductor and nanotechnology industries since 1997. Over nearly three decades, Qualtx has delivered control systems and retrofits for a wide range of clients, including AMD, the US Navy, NASA's JPL, NIST, MIT, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Micron Technology, Cornell, Northeastern University, the University of Texas, Lockheed Martin, Microchip, and Leonardo DRS, across process tool types including RIE/RFPECVD, ECR, ion mill, ion implanter, MOCVD, and sputter deposition systems. Fixed-price, customer self-install retrofits like this PlasmaTherm 720 project let equipment specialists such as Phoenix Technology bring an aging tool back to full functionality without the cost of an on-site installation crew.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the PlasmaTherm 720 RIE retrofit project?
Phoenix Technology, a San Jose, California company specializing in semiconductor equipment acquisitions, hired Qualtx Technology to design and build a complete control system retrofit for a customer's PlasmaTherm SLR 720 Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) system — a single-chamber tool with no load lock or load arm. Qualtx replaced the aging, proprietary sequencer and I/O with a new PLC, Ethernet-based I/O hardware, wiring, and control software, packaged for the customer to install without an on-site Qualtx technician.
What hardware did Qualtx Technology provide?
A complete Ethernet-based I/O subsystem built around an AutomationDirect Productivity1000 PLC platform, including 24 digital input, 32 digital output, 16 analog input, and 16 analog output channels, new +24 VDC and ±15 VDC power supplies, and a 19-inch rack-mount NEMA I/O enclosure sized to slide into the existing machine frame. Qualtx also fabricated the complete cable harness up to the machine frame and added Molex connectors to the RF generator, throttle valve, MFC, and solenoid valve bank cables that Phoenix Technology shipped in for modification.
Who installed the retrofit — did Qualtx Technology travel to California?
No. This was a fixed-price, customer self-install (DIY) retrofit. Qualtx Technology built, wired, and tested the entire I/O subsystem and control software at its Plano, Texas facility, then shipped the assembled system to Phoenix Technology in San Jose, California, where Phoenix Technology's own qualified personnel performed the physical installation and cable terminations at the process tool. On-site installation assistance was available as a separate optional service.
How much did the PlasmaTherm 720 RIE retrofit cost?
Qualtx Technology delivered the complete PLC, I/O hardware, wiring, cable harness, and control software for a fixed price of $14,953 — under $15,000 — with no cost overruns. The price did not include on-site installation labor, consistent with the customer self-install scope.
How long did the project take from order to shipment?
Qualtx Technology received the purchase order on February 8, 2024, and shipped the completed system the week of April 1, 2024 — roughly seven weeks covering I/O hardware procurement, wiring diagram development, panel assembly, cable harness fabrication, software installation, and full communication testing before the system left the Plano facility.
What does the RIE control software do?
The software runs on a Windows 10/11 PC and provides manual and fully automated operating modes, unlimited recipe storage with per-user recipe directories and recipe sharing, CSV-based data logging for every run, multi-user login with Engineer and Operator access levels, alarm history, and an on-screen mimic of the gas delivery and vacuum systems showing live RF generator power, DC bias, and Baratron chamber pressure.
Can the I/O system be expanded later?
Yes. The Ethernet-based I/O architecture is modular, and Phoenix Technology added analog and digital channels to the base configuration during the same order — 8 additional analog input channels, 8 additional analog output channels, 8 additional digital input channels, and 16 additional digital output channels — without changing the underlying PLC platform.
Who built the PlasmaTherm 720 RIE control system?
Qualtx Technology, Inc., a Plano, Texas-based automation integrator serving the semiconductor and nanotechnology industries since 1997, designed, built, and tested the control system retrofit for Phoenix Technology of San Jose, California.