Predictika · Semiconductor equipment quotes

An AI sales agent's molecular beam epitaxy system quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a Veeco molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system, with a GENxplor, GEN10, GEN20, GEN200 or GEN2000, the growth type, substrate size, wafers per run, effusion cells, valved crackers, retractable sources, a cassette load lock, a discount and the net total the quote states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the systems and quote rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the net total it computed.

Scope: Veeco MBE system quotes: GENxplor, GEN10, GEN20, GEN200 and GEN2000, source ports, substrate size, wafers per run, cassette load lock, retractable sources, oxide and III-V growth, discounts and the net total the quote states. See everything this validator covers

This validator models MBE system quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • System capacity — the source ports, substrate size and wafers per run of each system, and the total of effusion cells, valved crackers and retractable sources that must fit the ports.
  • Restrictions between choices — runs of more than one wafer need the cassette load lock, retractable sources go with the GENxplor only, oxide growth needs a retractable source, and a quote needs at least one effusion cell.
  • Discounts, totals and approvals — a hard discount limit, a discount above which the sales director approves, a net total the quote states that must match the computed total, III-V growth without a valved cracker and very large quotes.

Any MBE system quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: service, upgrades, other Veeco tools and spare parts. The system names, the GENxplor and GEN10 three-inch single-wafer figures and the GENxplor options come from public Veeco pages and articles; the source ports and wafer capacities of the other systems, every compatibility rule, the discount and approval thresholds and every price are modeled from comparable systems and are not published by Veeco, so all prices are illustrative.

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

6 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
Capacity limits that change with the systemOnly with care
Source ports, substrate size and wafers per run each have a different maximum for every system, and the sources add up from three separate counts, so every limit needs its own list.		The system is a field of the request and every limit is looked up from it together on every call.
Options that belong to one system or one growth typeOnly with care
Retractable sources belong to one system and oxide growth needs one, so each pair needs a rule that looks at both sides in whatever order the choices were made.		All the choices are in the request, so every pair is checked on every call.
A load lock that depends on the wafers per runOnly with workarounds
The cassette load lock is chosen on one step and the wafers per run on another, so a rule has to wait until both are known and then compare them.		Both are fields of the same request and are checked against each other on every call.
Discounts with a hard limit, an approval band and a large-quote approvalOnly with workarounds
A discount over 15 percent is blocked, one over 8 percent needs approval and a large net total needs approval too, so blocks and approvals must be kept apart.		Blocks and approvals are separate findings returned together, so a quote is never both stopped and approved.
A stated net total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The net total is built from the system, sources, load lock and discount, so a separate rule must recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The stated total is a field of the request and is compared with the computed total on every call, together with every other finding.

  

  

    
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 quote has 11 sources; this system has 10 source ports.
2The substrate is 100 mm; this system takes up to 75 mm.
3The quote needs 4 wafers per run; this system holds 3.
4Runs of more than one wafer need the cassette load-lock option and it is not on the quote.
5Retractable sources are modeled for the GENxplor only; this system cannot take them.
6Oxide growth needs at least one retractable source and the quote has none.
7The quote has no effusion cells.
8III-V growth is quoted without a valved cracker; a process engineer should confirm solid-source arsenic or antimony is acceptable.
9A discount of 10 percent needs sales director approval.
10A discount of 18 percent exceeds the 15 percent maximum.
11The quote states a net total of 100.0; the computed net total is 1,008,000.0.
12The net total of 4,036,000.0 exceeds 4,000,000 and needs sales director approval.

  

  

    
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. Capacity and load lock: A GEN10 quote with 11 sources, a 100 mm substrate, three wafers per run without a cassette load lock, a retractable source and an 18 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GEN10 MBE system for III-V growth on 100 mm substrates, 3 wafers per run without a cassette load lock, with 8 effusion cells, 2 valved crackers and 1 retractable source, an 18 percent discount and a net total of $1,200,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many sources for the system. The quote has 11 sources; this system has 8 source ports.
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  • Substrate too large. The substrate is 100 mm; this system takes up to 75 mm.
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  • Too many wafers per run. The quote needs 3 wafers per run; this system holds 1.
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  • Multi-wafer runs need a cassette load lock. Runs of more than one wafer need the cassette load-lock option and it is not on the quote.
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  • Retractable sources only on GENxplor. Retractable sources are modeled for the GENxplor only; this system cannot take them.
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  • Discount over limit. A discount of 18 percent exceeds the 15 percent maximum.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a net total of 1,200,000.0; the computed net total is 962,680.0.
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2. Capacity and load lock: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GEN20 MBE system for III-V growth on 100 mm substrates, 3 wafers per run with a cassette load lock, with 8 effusion cells, 2 valved crackers and 0 retractable sources, a 5 percent discount and a net total of $1,837,300. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 10 sources on 12 source ports, net total 1,837,300.0 after discount.
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3. Oxide growth on the GENxplor: A GENxplor oxide quote with a 100 mm substrate and no effusion cells or retractable source

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GENxplor MBE system for oxide growth on 100 mm substrates, 1 wafer per run without a cassette load lock, with 0 effusion cells, 0 valved crackers and 0 retractable sources, a 10 percent discount and a net total of $500,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Substrate too large. The substrate is 100 mm; this system takes up to 75 mm.
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  • Oxide growth needs a retractable source. Oxide growth needs at least one retractable source and the quote has none.
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  • No effusion cells. The quote has no effusion cells.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a net total of 500,000.0; the computed net total is 585,000.0.
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  • Discount needs approval. A discount of 10 percent needs sales director approval.
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4. Oxide growth on the GENxplor: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GENxplor MBE system for oxide growth on 75 mm substrates, 1 wafer per run without a cassette load lock, with 6 effusion cells, 0 valved crackers and 1 retractable source, a 5 percent discount and a net total of $834,100. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 7 sources on 10 source ports, net total 834,100.0 after discount.
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5. Wafers per run and approvals: A GEN2000 quote with nine wafers per run, no valved cracker and a 12 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GEN2000 MBE system for III-V growth on 200 mm substrates, 9 wafers per run with a cassette load lock, with 12 effusion cells, 0 valved crackers and 0 retractable sources, a 12 percent discount and a net total of $3,217,280. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Too many wafers per run. The quote needs 9 wafers per run; this system holds 7.
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  • III-V growth without a valved cracker. III-V growth is quoted without a valved cracker; a process engineer should confirm solid-source arsenic or antimony is acceptable.
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  • Discount needs approval. A discount of 12 percent needs sales director approval.
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6. Wafers per run and approvals: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Veeco GEN2000 MBE system for III-V growth on 200 mm substrates, 7 wafers per run with a cassette load lock, with 12 effusion cells, 2 valved crackers and 0 retractable sources, a 6 percent discount and a net total of $3,615,240. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 14 sources on 16 source ports, net total 3,615,240.0 after discount.
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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 a quote for a Veeco molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system, with a GENxplor, GEN10, GEN20. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the systems and quote rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the net total it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote a Veeco GEN10 MBE system for III-V growth on 100 mm substrates, 3 wafers per run without a cassette load lock. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with seven findings, all in one answer. The quote has 11 sources; this system has 8 source ports. The substrate is 100 mm; this system takes up to 75 mm. The quote needs 3 wafers per run; this system holds 1. The other four are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned seven 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 and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for a load lock that depends on the wafers per run, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the system to GEN20, the cassette load lock to yes, the retractable sources to 0, the discount to 5 percent and the net total stated on the quote to $1,837,300.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All seven earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Seven problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $1,837,300 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.