Predictika · Semiconductor advanced packaging

An AI sales agent's mask aligner order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for a SUSS MicroTec MA/BA Gen4 or MA/BA Gen4 Pro mask aligner for a MEMS and wafer-bonding line: tool size and substrate, exposure mode and optics, alignment type and accuracy, the options that go with them, the utilities, and the room the tool will stand in. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of what the two public SUSS brochures say and returns a verdict, every reason and the weight it computed. The customer is fictional.

Scope: SUSS MicroTec MA/BA Gen4 and MA/BA Gen4 Pro mask aligners only: tool size, substrates, masks, exposure and resolution, lamps, alignment, bond alignment, imprint, utilities, footprint, height and weight. See everything this validator covers

This validator models orders of two tools, the SUSS MA/BA Gen4 and MA/BA Gen4 Pro, based on their public brochures (both 10/2017), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Tool size, substrates and masks — the size 6 model takes wafers up to 150 mm and the size 8 model up to 200 mm; square substrates, small pieces, thickness and mask size are checked, and a 9 inch mask on the size 6 model goes to a person.
  • Exposure, resolution and optics — vacuum, hard, soft and proximity contact in the UV400, UV300 and UV250 bands; the resolution each series lists for each mode and band, the exposure wavelength range, the proximity gap, the lamp house and the illumination uniformity.
  • Alignment — top-side and bottom-side alignment (the bottom-side microscopes are an option on the Gen4), infrared alignment, automatic and DirectAlign modes, assisted alignment (Gen4 Pro only) and the alignment accuracy each can reach; accuracies in the borderline range go to a person.
  • Bonding and imprint — the bond alignment option and its accuracy (the Gen4 brochure states none, so that goes to a person), selective plasma activation (Gen4 Pro size 8 only) and the imprint lithography option, with SCIL and UV-NIL on the Gen4 Pro only.
  • Utilities, site and weight — supply voltage and frequency, compressed air and nitrogen pressure, the footprint, the height, and the weight against the floor rating and the weight the order states.

Any order of MA/BA Gen4 or Gen4 Pro aligners that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: other SUSS systems (including the DSC300 scanner), prices (SUSS does not publish them), delivery, service contracts, and process results beyond the brochures.

The AI sales agentBuilds the aligner order from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
An option that a requirement depends onOnly with workarounds
Bottom-side alignment, bond alignment, infrared alignment and imprint are each available only with an optional module, and some depend on each other (infrared needs the bottom-side microscopes on the Gen4). A rules-based CPQ needs a rule per requirement and option pair, and the requirement is usually not captured as a field at all.		The requirement and the option arrive in one request and are compared on every call.
Limits that change with other choicesOnly with care
The finest resolution depends on the series, the exposure mode, the wavelength band and, on the Gen4, the wafer size. A rule can encode each case, but they must be kept in step.		The series, mode, band and wafer size are read together and the limit that applies is computed on every call.
Weight the order statesOnly with care
The stated weight is a free-entry field; a rule has to know which series was chosen and compare.		The stated weight is a field in the request, compared with the weight for the series on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The order has wafers of 200 mm; this model takes wafers up to 150 mm.
2The brochures list the size 6 and size 8 models only; size 7 is not listed.
3The order has a square substrate of 151 mm; this model takes up to 150 mm.
4The order has a square substrate of 200 mm; this model takes up to 150 mm.
5The smallest piece the brochures list is 5 mm by 5 mm; the order has 4 mm.
6The wafer thickness of 10001 micrometers is above the 10 mm the brochures allow.
7The brochures list masks up to 7 inch and up to 9 inch without tying either to a model size; a person should confirm a mask above 7 inch on the size 6 model.
8The brochures list masks up to 9 inch; the order has a 10 inch mask.
9The order has wafers of 250 mm; this model takes wafers up to 200 mm.
10The brochures list only vacuum contact exposure with the UV250 optics.
11The exposure wavelength of 300 nm is outside the range of the selected optics (UV400 350 to 450 nm, UV300 280 to 350 nm, UV250 240 to 260 nm).
12The lamp house on the order (500 W) is not one the brochures list for this series; the Gen4 lists a 350 W mercury lamp, a 500 W mercury-xenon lamp or UV LED, and the Gen4 Pro lists mercury lamps from 350 W to 1000 W (5000 W optional) or UV LED.
13Infrared alignment needs the IR toolset; the order does not include it.
14Bond alignment is an option; the order does not include it.
15The order needs a bond alignment accuracy of 1.0 micrometers; the Gen4 Pro brochure gives 2 micrometers.
16Imprint lithography is an option; the order does not include it.
17The supply of 110 V at 50 Hz is outside 230 V plus or minus 10 percent at 50 to 60 Hz.
18The nitrogen pressure of 400 kPa is not above the 500 kPa the brochures require.
19The room height of 1500 mm is below the 1803 mm height of this model.
20The floor is rated for 500 kg; the brochure gives a weight of about 750 kg for this model.
21The order needs 0.7 micrometer lines and spaces; the brochure gives 0.8 micrometers for this series, exposure mode and optics.
22The order needs 1.9 micrometer lines and spaces; the brochure gives 2.0 micrometers for this series, exposure mode and optics.
23The order needs 0.4 micrometer lines and spaces; the brochure gives 0.5 micrometers for this series, exposure mode and optics.
24The order needs 1.4 micrometer lines and spaces; the brochure gives 1.5 micrometers for this series, exposure mode and optics.
25The exposure wavelength of 340 nm is outside the range of the selected optics (UV400 350 to 450 nm, UV300 280 to 350 nm, UV250 240 to 260 nm).
26The proximity exposure gap of 301 micrometers is outside the 1 to 300 micrometers on the brochures.
27The 5000 W mercury lamp is optional on the Gen4 Pro; the order does not include it.
28The order needs an intensity uniformity of 2.4 percent or better; the brochure gives under 2.5 percent on 200 mm for this series.
29Bottom-side alignment is an option on the MA/BA Gen4; the order does not include the bottom-side microscopes.
30The order needs an alignment accuracy of 0.9 micrometers; the brochures give down to 0.25 micrometers for top-side alignment and under 1 micrometer for bottom-side alignment.
31A top-side alignment accuracy of 0.4 micrometers needs automatic, assisted or DirectAlign alignment; the order uses manual alignment.
32The brochures give top-side alignment below 0.5 micrometer only under special conditions; a person should confirm it.
33The order needs an alignment accuracy of 0.2 micrometers; the brochures give down to 0.25 micrometers for top-side alignment and under 1 micrometer for bottom-side alignment.
34Automatic alignment and DirectAlign are optional add-ons; the order does not include them.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Bottom-side alignment: Bottom-side alignment, no microscopes ordered

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4, size 6, for 150 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 1.5 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the bottom side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is not needed. No imprint is needed. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment not ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 500 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 300 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Bottom-side alignment needs its option. Bottom-side alignment is an option on the MA/BA Gen4; the order does not include the bottom-side microscopes.
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2. Bottom-side alignment: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4, size 6, for 150 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 1.5 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the bottom side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is not needed. No imprint is needed. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment not ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 500 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 300 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. This model weighs about 300 kg; its footprint is 1173 mm by 1000 mm and it is 1860 mm high.
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3. Wafer bonding: Bond alignment at 1.9 micrometers, not ordered

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4 Pro, size 8, for 200 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 2.0 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is needed at 1.9 micrometers. No imprint is needed. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment not ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 900 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 750 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Bond alignment needs its option. Bond alignment is an option; the order does not include it.
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  • Bond accuracy finer than 2 micrometers. The order needs a bond alignment accuracy of 1.9 micrometers; the Gen4 Pro brochure gives 2 micrometers.
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4. Wafer bonding: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4 Pro, size 8, for 200 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 2.0 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is needed at 1.9 micrometers. No imprint is needed. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 900 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 750 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Bond accuracy finer than 2 micrometers. The order needs a bond alignment accuracy of 1.9 micrometers; the Gen4 Pro brochure gives 2 micrometers.
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5. Wafer bonding: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4 Pro, size 8, for 200 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 2.0 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is needed at 2.0 micrometers. No imprint is needed. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 900 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 750 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. This model weighs about 750 kg; its footprint is 1350 mm by 1000 mm and it is 1803 mm high.
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6. Nanoimprint: SCIL imprint on a Gen4, no imprint option

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4, size 6, for 150 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 1.5 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is not needed. The process uses SCIL imprint. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment not ordered, imprint not ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 500 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 300 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Imprint needs its option. Imprint lithography is an option; the order does not include it.
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  • Imprint type not offered. SCIL and UV-NIL imprinting are listed only for the MA/BA Gen4 Pro; the MA/BA Gen4 lists SMILE.
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7. Nanoimprint: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4, size 6, for 150 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm, a resolution of 1.5 micrometers and an illumination uniformity of 4.0 percent. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is not needed. The process uses SMILE imprint. Ordered options: bottom-side microscopes not ordered, infrared toolset not ordered, automatic alignment add-on not ordered, bond alignment not ordered, imprint ordered. Utilities are 230 V at 50 Hz, 700 kPa compressed air and 600 kPa nitrogen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 500 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 300 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. This model weighs about 300 kg; its footprint is 1173 mm by 1000 mm and it is 1860 mm high.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an order for a SUSS MicroTec MA/BA Gen4 or MA/BA Gen4 Pro mask aligner for a MEMS and wafer-bonding line: tool size and substrate, exposure mode and optics, alignment type and accuracy, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of what the two public SUSS brochures say and returns a verdict, every reason and the weight it computed. The customer is fictional.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a SUSS MA/BA Gen4 Pro, size 8, for 200 mm wafers with a 7 inch mask, vacuum contact exposure in the UV400 band at 365 nm. Alignment is manual on the top side with 1.0 micrometers accuracy; infrared alignment is not needed, and bond alignment is needed at 1.9 micrometers. The rest of the request is on screen. The room is 2,000 mm by 1,500 mm and 2,500 mm high with a floor rated for 900 kg, and the quote states a total weight of 750 kg.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. Bond alignment is an option; the order does not include it. The order needs a bond alignment accuracy of 1.9 micrometers; the Gen4 Pro brochure gives 2 micrometers.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for an option that a requirement depends on, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the bond alignment ordered to yes.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. Still blocked, with one finding, all in one answer. The order needs a bond alignment accuracy of 1.9 micrometers; the Gen4 Pro brochure gives 2 micrometers.
    12. 
      
  12. One finding cleared. Still blocking: bond accuracy finer than 2 micrometers.
    13. 
      
  13. The agent resubmits once more.
    14. 
      
  14. The revised request. It changes the bond alignment accuracy needed to 2 micrometers.
    15. 
      
  15. It calls the validator once more.
    16. 
      
  16. This time the validator clears it.
    17. 
      
  17. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
    18. 
      
  18. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.