Description
The 0140-02221 is a highly specialized VME Reset Interface Board manufactured by Applied Materials (AMAT), categorized as a system-level reset and monitoring module for AMAT’s VMEbus-based semiconductor equipment chassis. It does not execute process algorithms or control gas flow and RF power; instead it acts as the chassis “system administrator and safety officer” — generating and distributing SYSRESET*, managing orderly power-up/power-down sequencing, monitoring supply rails and watchdog health, and returning the VME card cage to a known state after faults or commands from the tool controller .
Application Scenarios
A thin-film CVD module in a 200 mm fab began logging repeated “VME bus timeout” and “system initialization failed” events during chamber pumpdown. The process technician had already ruled out the backplane and power supplies, but the tool controller could no longer bring all the cards in the cage into a synchronized ready state — and a full tool power-down would have meant scrapping the lot in the loadlock. The lead service engineer suspected the 0140-02221 VME reset interface. Swapping the board inside the VME chassis restored deterministic reset behavior: the new 0140-02221 cleanly generated and distributed the SYSRESET* pulse, every processor and I/O card initialized in lockstep, and the tool completed its sequence without another timeout. The case illustrates the central value of the 0140-02221 — in a zero-tolerance semiconductor environment, a failed reset interface can freeze an entire VME cage and threaten a wafer lot, while a known-good module restores availability fast .
Parameter
| Main Parameters | Value/Description |
|---|---|
| Product Model | 0140-02221 |
| Manufacturer | Applied Materials (AMAT) |
| Product Category | VME Reset Interface Board / System Control Module |
| Bus Standard | VMEbus (VME64 / VITA-1 class, 32-bit data & address) |
| Form Factor | Standard 6U VME Eurocard |
| Primary Function | SYSRESET* generation & distribution, power sequencing, system monitoring |
| Key Signals | SYSRESET, SYSFAIL, ACFAIL, bus reset (BRSET) |
| Backplane Connector | VME P1/J1, 96-pin DIN Euroconnector (primary); P2/J2 for custom I/O |
| Supply Voltage | +5 V DC primary from backplane, with ±12 V support |
| Reset Modes | Hard reset and soft (software) reset |
| Monitoring | Watchdog timer, +5 V / ±12 V rail status, chassis power-supply health |
| Front-Panel Indicators | Power (PWR), System Fail (SYSFAIL*), Reset Active LEDs |
| Logic Level | TTL / CMOS (VME-compatible) |
| Compatible Platforms | AMAT Centura, Endura, Producer, DPS; 9150 / 9200 Etch & CVD chassis |
| Operating Temp. | 0 °C to +55 °C (equipment-bay/cleanroom controlled) |
| Storage Temp. | -40 °C to +85 °C |
| Repair Strategy | Board-level replacement (LRU); no field chip-level repair |
| Status | OEM discontinued — supplied as new-surplus / refurbished spare |
Note: several electrical and thermal values are not published by AMAT and represent reasonable industry-standard inferences consistent with VME64 and the verified supply/connector architecture . Always confirm against the tool BOM and board revision silkscreen before installation.
Technical Principles and Innovative Values
- Innovation Point 1: Synchronized Power-Up Across the Entire Card Cage. On apply-power, the 0140-02221 controls the SYSRESET* timing so that every CPU, I/O, motion, and communication card in the VME crate begins initialization together rather than asynchronously. This determinism prevents the timing conflicts and corrupted handshakes that produce “initialization failed” faults during chamber pumpdown .
- Innovation Point 2: Hardware Watchdog for Autonomous Fault Recovery. If the main controller stops issuing its heartbeat — because of a software run-away or a hardware lockup — the onboard watchdog times out and the 0140-02221 automatically asserts a system reset, attempting recovery without a full tool power cycle. That can be the difference between a recoverable transient and a scrapped wafer lot .
- Innovation Point 3: Rail Monitoring with Hardware-Level SYSFAIL Assertion. The module continuously watches chassis supply health. Should a rail drift out of tolerance, it drives SYSFAIL immediately to all cards in the crate, allowing each board’s predefined safe-state or error-logging routine to engage. Fault communication is therefore faster than any software polled check .
- Innovation Point 4: Clean Isolation of Reset Domains. By buffering and distributing hard and soft reset separately, the 0140-02221 lets the tool controller reset individual boards or the full crate on demand while keeping the reset timing consistent. The signal integrity of the buffered drivers is what makes bus handshake reliable across dozens of slots .
- Innovation Point 5: Serviceability Through Visible Status. Onboard LEDs for power, system fail, and reset-active give the field engineer an immediate first-glance health check of the VME crate, accelerating fault isolation and shortening mean time to repair in a downtime-sensitive fab environment .