IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) manufactures NAND Flash memory--a technology used in a variety of electronic devices. NAND Flash memory is manufactured on 300 mm silicon wafers, and requires many processes to create the final product. Currently one model of their wafer placement robots is breaking wafers, causing downtime in their production. IMFT has determined that the most likely cause of their problem is robot misalignment or malfunction. They have asked a BYU Capstone Team 18 to design a system to characterize the repeatability of the robot, which will help IMFT determine how to go forward in fixing this problem.

The three most important needs of IMFT are that the system is repeatable, it is within budget, and that it captures at least the repeatability of the robot's end-effector. After exhaustive research the team selected the Bonita Camera measurement package with Vicon’s Tracker as the measurement system. The Bonita Camera is able to track static motion, and stream the data for further study. A program was created to store and analyze this data, providing further insight into the robots' repeatability. With the data streamed from the Bonita system, the repeatability of each of the three links of the robot is determined. The team has successfully provided IMFT with a system that characterizes their wafer placement robot's repeatability and will help them move forward in preventing wafer breakage.