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Power Supply in Semiconductor and Display Production

 8 June 2022
Precision Decides

Hyundai, Daewoo, Samsung, LG, SK Hynix – many South Korean companies are global players. In addition to shipbuilding and automotive engineering, South Korea's electronics and semiconductor industries are among the world's leaders. Especially in semiconductor memory and display production, this leadership can only be maintained through maximum efficiency and precise production. This is why major South Korean manufacturers and suppliers increasingly rely on the WAGO Power Supply Pro 2.
Innovations such as “Processing in Memory,” i.e., the integration of dynamic memory (DRAM) and processor, or quantum light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) originate from South Korea. They excite experts and delight users. The industry's general mantra – higher power density, higher speed and lower power consumption – can only be achieved by perfecting manufacturing. Semiconductor memory or QLED fabrication has reached the nanometer range; such advanced technology makes ever more complex manufacturing processes and increasingly complex machines necessary.
Our high-tech customers in South Korea have very quickly recognized the potential that lies in the communication properties of the WAGO Power Supply Pro 2.

Haeyong Kim, Sales Manager at WAGO Korea

Machines with the Highest Requirements

“Machines for semiconductor memory or display production are not only very large but extremely sensitive,” explains Haeyong Kim, Sales Manager at WAGO Korea. “If a sensor or motor is not supplied with an exact voltage, product quality suffers and the complexity of the production machine makes troubleshooting enormously complex.” Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the DC switched-mode power supplies are held to the highest requirements. However, classic 24 V power supplies cannot withstand this because they lack essential functionalities.

Communication over Everything

“Our high-tech customers in South Korea have very quickly recognized the potential that lies in the communication properties of the WAGO Power Supply Pro 2,” explains Kim. “The advantages that result from their use aren't instantly obvious. Upon second glance, several more advantages appear and prove to be very useful for the customer. A power supply, which provides information in the millisecond range about current strengths, output voltages, overload behavior, etc., won't be stopped when it comes to detecting, localizing and even preventing faults.” Through a snap-on type communication module, the Pro 2 Power Supply can establish permanent fieldbus communication for sending status data to a higher-level controller. Thus, each 24 V cable has extensive monitoring capabilities, and the abnormalities of connected loads are immediately recognized and visualized.
The advantages that result from their use aren't instantly obvious. Upon second glance, several more advantages appear and prove to be very useful for the customer.

Haeyong Kim, Sales Manager at WAGO Korea

Predict Errors

With such a database, however, much more is possible. For example, if the current power consumption differs from what is customary for the load situation: Assume that a servomotor receives 3.8 A instead of 3.5 A. From this, it can be concluded that something atypical is happening either in the engine itself or in the process. Often the current values do not change suddenly but gradually over a period of time. Thanks to the extensive configuration options of the WAGO Pro 2, limit values can be defined; when exceeding or falling below the limit values, messages are output. Thus, in the example, a constant increase in the motor's current consumption can be explained, for example, by a poorly running shaft caused by a lack of lubrication. Before the engine goes into safety stop or is damaged, the maintenance team can preemptively prevent this failure. In the context of big data, analyzing the power supply’s status data makes it possible to predict the time and cause of different sources of machine damage via algorithms.

Long Cable vs. Dynamic Current Adjustment

“A physical phenomenon that causes many customers recurring grief is the long cables between the power supply and the load,” Kim reports. Then Kim reveals: “While we can't repeal Ohm's Law, the extended communication offers a very elegant solution.” Here's another example: Depending on the cable cross-section, a 40 m long cable has a resistance of approximately half an ohm. If 10 A is sent through this cable, approximately 5 V less voltage will arrive at the load. This circumstance is counteracted in many production systems by regulating the power supply from 24 V to 28 V. This is because loads either do not work at all or only work poorly if the voltage required for operation cannot be reached. But particularly in semiconductor memory or display production, a mispositioned motor or incorrect sensor information creates costly waste. To ensure that all components operate precisely at all times, they must be supplied with the correct voltage – including cable resistors. For this purpose, it is important that a consistent supply voltage is available, even if other loads are switched on or off at the same cable. “One of our customers had the idea of tapping the current voltage at the load via an analog signal and regulating it accordingly,” explains Kim.

However, this effort, which requires additional cabling, is not necessary because the communication capability of the Pro 2 provides a convenient and cost-effective solution: To avoid a higher voltage drop when another load is switched on, the intelligent power supply can be adjusted accordingly – via PLC control! The controller, which sends a switching command to the actuator, transmits to the power supply that a matched voltage must be provided in the next cycle. This prevents load-dependent voltage fluctuations while ensuring highly efficient energy consumption because when loads return to their idle state, the power on the power supply side can be lowered again.
All in all, using this intelligent power supply reduces the total cost of ownership, resource consumption and thus the CO2 footprint.

Haeyong Kim, Sales Manager at WAGO Korea

Efficiency Champions

With an efficiency of up to 96.3%, the WAGO Power Supply Pro 2 perfectly converts energy. Together with the dynamic voltage adjustment via PLC communication and intelligent load management, this results in energy efficiency that was previously unattainable: “Some customers in South Korea require a lot of power supplies for their applications. When I upgrade to our Pro 2, I am regularly told that due to their energy efficiency, even the waste heat in the enclosures decreases so much that energy costs can be significantly reduced even in the case of climate control,” reports the Sales Manager from South Korea. “All in all, using this intelligent power supply reduces the total cost of ownership, the consumption of resources and thus the CO2 footprint.”

The sum of energy efficiency, reliable and precise power supply, extensive condition monitoring and the resulting stability of process and product quality is quite compelling. Even global players from South Korea's semiconductor memory and display manufacturing, which are rather conservative with machine equipment and prefer tried-and-tested components, want to benefit from these advantages by switching to WAGO's Pro 2 Series Power Supply.

About the Author

Haeyong Kim is a Sales Manager at WAGO Korea and has worked for the company since 2013. He often supports automation projects for large Korean customers, like the Samsung Group or SK Hynix, a semi-conductor manufacturer, as well as for medium-sized and smaller equipment manufacturing companies. Kim is enthusiastic about the possibilities for individual development he has encountered at WAGO and wants to contribute to a company where all colleagues can be their best – both for themselves and their customers.

Let Power Communicate

The WAGO Pro 2 Power Supply: Control cabinets are undergoing a transformation, with both quantity and quality demands constantly increasing. Greater networking, rising energy costs and growing customization require smaller, more economical, faster and more flexible solutions in control cabinets.

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