Upgrade instead of replace –
for a smarter fab.
Focussia’s conviction: the most sustainable and cost-effective path to Smart Manufacturing is to modernize what you already have. Robotize an existing machine. Add AMHS. Integrate sensors. Connect legacy tools to the factory network. We’ve built the software and the expertise to make it happen – without disrupting production.
Your existing fab assets have more value
than you think.
Every machine that can be robotized, connected or upgraded is a capital investment extended – and an environmental impact avoided. Focussia brings the software layer that makes existing equipment smarter.
Extend asset life
A tool that can communicate with the factory network, handle automated material transfer and feed data to SPC systems can serve for another decade – without replacement.
Improve yield & throughput
Automation reduces manual handling, AMHS eliminates wait time, sensors catch process drift early. Each upgrade directly improves your fab’s performance metrics.
Connect the unconnected
Legacy tools with no factory communication can be upgraded to full SECS/GEM – becoming first-class citizens in your fab automation, feeding the Host, MES and FDC like any modern tool.
Non-intrusive by design
Every upgrade we design respects what already works. Production is not stopped. Automation is not disrupted. Existing software is not modified. We add capabilities, we don’t risk the existing ones.
What we upgrade.
And how.
Robotizing a fab machine - the FSI SmartCell
A standalone fab tool (e.g. FSI cleaning station, wet bench, or legacy process tool) operates in manual mode - a human operator loads and unloads wafer carriers. The goal: full automation with a robot arm, FOUP handling and AMHS connectivity.
Focussia, alongside MGA Technologies (robotics expertise within La Maison MGA), designs and deploys the complete automation cell: robot integration, SECS/GEM communication to the Host, SEMI E84 for AMHS connectivity, and sensors for safety and process monitoring. The tool becomes fully autonomous - no operator intervention required.
Deploy AMHS – Add SEMI E84 to legacy tools
Your fab is deploying an OHT or AMR system. Legacy tools need SEMI E84 to communicate with the AMHS. No tool software modification possible, no production interruption tolerated.
SmartBoxE84 integrates via SECS/GEM PassThrough or Digital IOs – completely transparent to the existing automation. From a single tool to the full fleet.
SmartBoxE84 · SmartPassThrough · FAB Port Server API
Connect legacy tools to the Host / MES
Older process tools with no SECS/GEM interface – or tools using obsolete protocols (RS232, Modbus, proprietary) – are invisible to your MES. They can’t be monitored, scheduled or tracked.
SmartGem adds a full GEM200/300 interface to any equipment, translating its native signals into standard SECS/GEM and making it a first-class citizen of your factory automation.
SmartGem · SECS/GEM upgrade · Protocol bridging
Robotize a manual loading operation
A tool currently requires manual FOUP or cassette handling. The goal is to automate the load/unload cycle with a robot arm – while keeping the existing process and control system intact.
MGA Technologies (robotics) + Focussia (connectivity) design the complete automation cell: robot integration, SmartGem for SECS/GEM, SmartBoxE84 for E84, safety interlocks and HMI.
Robot integration · SmartGem · SmartBoxE84 · Safety I/O
Non-intrusive data collection from SECS/GEM tools
Your tools have a SECS/GEM interface but process data – alarms, events, recipe parameters, process variables – never reaches your SPC or FDC systems. The Host communication cannot be touched.
SmartPassThrough taps the SECS/HSMS line and extracts the data streams you need – routing them to your FDC, SPC or data lake via REST or MQTT – with zero impact on the existing Host communication.
SmartPassThrough · SmartGem · REST / MQTT data routing
Add sensors – vibration, temperature, gas, vision
Adding sensors to an existing tool (vibration, temperature, gas flow, camera for wafer detection…) creates new data – but it needs to be integrated into the tool’s SECS/GEM model and dispatched to the factory systems.
SmartGem’s open and modular architecture integrates peripheral sensors and devices into the equipment’s GEM model – making sensor data accessible to the Host, FDC and SPC as standard SECS/GEM events and variables.
SmartGem · Sensor I/O integration · GEM Event mapping
Build a new operator HMI for a legacy tool
An older tool has an outdated or difficult-to-use operator interface. The goal is to provide a modern, touchscreen-friendly HMI that reflects real-time tool status, alarms and process data – without replacing the tool’s core controller.
SmartGem acts as the data bridge between the tool’s SECS/GEM model and the new HMI – providing live status, alarm history, recipe views and operator commands through a modern web-based interface.
SmartGem · Web HMI development · Real-time SECS/GEM data
See Our Integrated Product Line
FSI Mercury Smart Cell
Ensures optimized throughput while simultaneously improving workstation ergonomics and traceability reliability.
Foup Inspection Systems
The Automated FOUP Inspection System identifies if there is any damaged or physically contaminated.
CoMoBot - Mobile Handling Robot
The Comobot™ Mobile Manipulator transports FOUPS/PODS to places not accessible by OHTs.
Software expertise.
Fab-floor experience.
Most fab upgrade projects fail not because of hardware – but because of software integration. Connecting a new robot, sensor or automation module to a live fab environment requires deep knowledge of SECS/GEM, SEMI standards, factory automation and real-time data flows.
Focussia brings that expertise – proven across 2,500+ SmartBoxE84 deployments, 3+ full fab upgrades and dozens of OEM integrations. We’ve seen every edge case, every legacy protocol, every automation quirk.
And as part of La Maison MGA, we can call on our sister company MGA Technologies for the robotics and mechanical integration side – offering a complete upgrade package from software to hardware.
Tell us what you want to upgrade.
We’ll tell you how.
Whether it’s a single tool robotization, a full AMHS deployment, or adding SECS/GEM to a legacy fleet – our application engineers will assess your project and propose a concrete, non-intrusive upgrade path.