Repair and troubleshooting for tools that are down

When the tool is down

A repair usually starts the same way: a tool that worked yesterday will not pump down, strike a plasma, reach temperature or pass an interlock. On an older tool the fault might be a single relay, a failed sensor, a worn valve or a controller board with no spare on the market. Semiconductor equipment repair on these platforms is less about swapping modules and more about methodical troubleshooting.

We take on repairs on tools we sold and tools we did not. Before travelling we ask for as much as you can send, so the engineer arrives with the right test equipment and, where possible, the likely parts.

Troubleshooting from symptoms to root cause

We start with what the tool tells us: fault codes, alarm history, process logs and the sequence of events your users saw. A phone or remote support session often narrows the fault to one subsystem before anyone travels.

On site we work through the interlock chain and the subsystem in question with schematics and measurements, rather than replacing parts on a guess. Typical findings on older tools include:

• Vacuum faults from a leaking door seal, a worn gate valve or a failing gauge reporting a false pressure
• Plasma ignition or stability problems from a degraded match network capacitor, a failing RF generator or a poor ground path
• Heating faults from an open heater element, a drifted thermocouple or a failing power controller
• Motion and handling faults from worn belts, dirty sensors or a misaligned end effector
• Control faults from aged capacitors in power supplies, corroded connectors or a failing hard disk on a legacy controller PC

Finding the part

The fault is often found faster than the part. For discontinued components we look in this order: tested used parts from the second-hand market or from known parts tools, refurbished assemblies, and a modern equivalent that fits the original function. Each option is quoted with its expected lead time, so you can choose between the fastest repair and the most durable one. More on how we source parts is on our spare parts page.

Scope and downtime

A repair visit covers diagnosis, the repair itself and a check of the tool against its specification once it is running. Downtime depends far more on part availability than on labour. Faults found and fixed with parts on hand are often closed in one or two days. Repairs that need a sourced part take as long as the part takes to arrive, and we give you that estimate as soon as we know it.

What you provide

• A description of the fault, the alarms shown and what changed before it happened
• Fault logs, process logs or photos of the controller screens
• Access to the tool, its facilities and your lockout and permit procedure
• Any manuals, schematics or previous service reports you have

Results and documentation

When the tool is back in specification you get a written report: the symptom, the cause, the part replaced, measurements before and after, and recommendations. If the same fault keeps coming back, the report says so and proposes a lasting fix, which may be a control system retrofit or another upgrade. That record also helps your own staff handle the same symptom faster next time.