Applied’s ‘E3’ process control suite targets 20% boost to equipment effectiveness

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Product Briefing Outline: Applied Materials has introduced the ‘Applied E3’ advanced equipment and process control solution, intended to be a comprehensive factory automation (FA) software package for improving the productivity and reducing the costs of semiconductor, flat panel display and photovoltaic solar cell manufacturing. The modular packages utilize proprietary algorithms that are claimed to boost process capability by >30 percent, reduce unscheduled downtime, and shorten cycle time to achieve up to a 20 percent increase in overall equipment effectiveness. Applied Materials said the system has already been employed by multiple major manufacturers and is currently being used in volume production.

Problem: Due to continued migration to higher levels of factory-wide automation that includes both software and hardware implementation, there becomes a need to constantly gain improvements in productivity, throughput and cycle-time to reduce overall manufacturing costs and improve efficiencies. This results in greater automation complexity, higher implementation costs and overall increase in operating/maintenance cost burden that can contribute to higher costs, contrary to manufacturing goals.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Solution: Using graphical development environment and pre-configured modules the Applied E3 solution is claimed to be quick to deploy and easy to update and extend, offering a faster and more cost-effective route to raise factory output. Equipment automation, data collection and logic handling simplify the construction, deployment, and maintenance of automated process control (APC) applications. Fault detection and classification (FDC) collects and analyzes equipment parameters to provide rapid feedback on process performance issues and avoid unexpected failures that decrease productivity. Run-to-run control (R2R) uses patented feedback algorithms to reduce process variability by adjusting processing parameters in real time, enabling more consistent output, higher yield and greater productivity. Equipment performance tracking (EPT) monitors every processing tool in the factory and provides visual and statistical reporting tools to identify bottlenecks and improve factory performance.

Applications: Semiconductor, flat panel display and photovoltaic solar cell manufacturing.

Platform: The Applied E3 system is part of a broad portfolio of manufacturing automation solutions and services designed to help companies improve their factories’ productivity and reduce costs by managing, controlling and automating all aspects of their factory and tool operations.

Availability: July 2008 onwards.

Read Next

August 8, 2025
This week several solar developers have raised funds for projects around the world, including BRUC in Europe, Greenalia in the US, Qair in Mauritius and CREC in Philippines.
August 8, 2025
German solar inverter manufacturer SMA Solar posted losses in the first half of 2025, as demand in the residential and corporate & industrial (C&I) solar sectors 'remains weak'.
August 8, 2025
US solar tracker manufacturer Array Technologies has posted revenue of US$362.2 million in the second quarter of this year.
Premium
August 8, 2025
Energy storage escaped much of the pain inflicted on solar, but foreign entity restrictions may create some supply-chain challenges.
August 8, 2025
Solar PV is likely to become less accessible to low-income Americans after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cancels the US$7 billion Solar For All scheme.
August 8, 2025
Argentinian renewables developer Genneia has reached commercial operations at its 180MW Parque Solar Anchoris in Argentina.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines