Semitys unveiled a roadmap to resolve logistics bottlenecks in semiconductor factories by combining OHT (overhead hoist transport) systems with clean conveyors, and to expand into a new nitrogen (N2) purge system business.

Semitys on Wednesday held a media briefing in Seoul's Yeouido district and presented core technologies for semiconductor automated material handling systems (AMHS) and its post-listing growth strategy. Chief Executive Min Nam-hong (민남홍) said, "Semitys has positioned itself as a trusted partner responsible for improving global fabs' yields and capacity in the high-entry-barrier front-end market." He added, "Using this KOSDAQ listing as a stepping stone, we will become a global company in the AMHS field."

Min said two Japanese companies hold an oligopolistic grip on 90 percent of the global OHT market, but efficiency declines beyond a certain point because the number of units cannot be increased indefinitely. Semitys uses OHT as the main system and operates clean conveyors as a secondary system. It disperses flows of transport, waiting and storage, and boosts semiconductor factory output. Min said, "Mixing conveyors instead of using only an OHT system increases output." The company currently maintains sole-vendor status in clean conveyors for semiconductor front-end processes in both South Korea and China.

Min also stressed software competitiveness comparable to equipment. He said, "From the outside, it looks like a hardware company, but in reality it is closer to a software company with an architecture that distributes and processes real-time, large-scale data." He said this distributed control technology is key to maintaining sole-vendor status in front-end processes by raising hourly transport volume versus rivals. The company also has an in-house full stack from PCB design to firmware, hardware, software and servers to respond immediately to customer requirements. Its order backlog stands at about 27.3 billion won, and Min said he expects record-high annual sales this year since the company's founding.

Semitys is also developing process transport robots as a next-generation logistics platform. Existing OHT systems move along single-line rails, limiting deployment to about 1,000 units per semiconductor factory. The next-generation transport robot under development by Semitys creates a planar driving space on the ceiling, allowing free left turns, right turns and U-turns.

Semitys said the structure combines AI algorithm-based pathfinding with real-time status monitoring, allowing about 600 units to handle output comparable to 1,000 OHT units. In the event of a robot breakdown, a separate rescue robot is dispatched to retrieve it, ensuring operational continuity. Min said the goal is to complete development within 2 to 3 years.

◆ 'S-Plate' enables N2 injection without warranty risk

Semitys is cultivating nitrogen purge systems as a new revenue pillar, in addition to conveyor-based logistics improvements. In advanced processes below 10 nanometres and in processes below 7 nm such as HBM, injecting N2 inert gas into wafer storage boxes improves yield by about 3 percent. The figure is industrywide common data based on academic journals, reflecting the effect of N2 injection itself. The company adds a customer-tailored method without modification.

The conventional method involves a modification process. It requires detaching and disassembling the load port from the equipment, drilling and installing a pipeline for N2 injection, and then reassembling it. If this is done without the equipment manufacturer's consent, the warranty is voided. Semitys said it has developed a non-modification solution in which N2 can be injected by simply placing a 3 mm-thick 'S-Plate' on top of the load port. The N2 supply piping does not pass through the equipment, but exits to the outside along the side of the load port and connects to a controller.

Min said, "The point that it can increase yield while keeping within the equipment warranty scope appealed to customers." He added, "Qualification tests are under way in South Korea and overseas, and results will come out within this year."