The current GEM standard compliance test tools in the industry can at best offer a compromise solution. Automation Conformance Testing (ACT) of semiconductor equipment is limited by canned test plans of individual SEMI GEM and GEM300 standards with similar restricted 300mm FAB operational scenario tests. This key handicap is attributable to the lack of a flexible test plan builder/editor function of the available tool to support customization, fine-tuning, and enhancement of test scenarios very much desired by IC makers to address their specific needs. As a result, quality and comprehensiveness of tests are at best compromised, impairing the goal to shorten the time in bringing the equipments into the factory integration environment, where, yield and productivity cannot rely without.

The openGEM_test with an integrated GUI based test plan "Builder", test "Executor", and, automated test results "Report" is designed to fully address these shortfalls. It is ideally suited to complement the existing tools with invested test plans, filling the GAP by allowing customized operational scenario and additional behavioral tests on equipment to be developed, fine-tuned, and enhanced along the way in accordance to the operational requirements of the respective IC Makers. This will invariably increase the comprehensiveness of confidence levels of tests. The openGEM_test comes standard with test plans of individual SEMI (E4, E5, E37, E30) standards ready for use by 200mm FABs, Backend (A&P) plants, and their equipment suppliers. The 300mm FABs can also put the tool into immediate use with the above ready test plans, while, taking advantage of its flexible and powerful test plan "Builder" to develop their own customized 300mm operational scenario test plan, freeing them from the handicap imposed on them in these past years.