Should I choose a GigE camera or USB camera solution for wafer inspection?

It depends on deployment and budget: choose GigE when transmission distance is long, complex networking is required, or jumbo frame / RDMA high bandwidth is needed; choose USB when workstations are concentrated, camera count is high, and lowest total cost with plug-and-play is preferred. Both deliver frame-loss-free inspection.

What practical value do jumbo frames and RDMA bring to wafer inspection?

Jumbo frames enlarge per-frame payload to cut frame processing overhead, raising image throughput at the same bandwidth. RDMA lets image data bypass the CPU and land directly in memory, lowering latency and CPU load while supporting concurrent multi-camera capture. Together they serve the hard requirement of zero frame loss. LR-LINK RDMA frame grabbers are currently in development.

How do I balance 2.5G, 5G and 10G bandwidth against cost?

First calculate total camera throughput (resolution x frame rate x bit depth) and plan for 70% of theoretical bandwidth as headroom: a single camera at gigabit rates fits 1G/2.5G; mainstream 5-megapixel multi-camera setups choose 5G; high-resolution, high-frame-rate multi-camera concurrency chooses 10G.

Why use fiber for lithography data transfer?

Mask layout data is huge and transmission spans workshop or even cross-plant distances. Fiber preserves signal integrity and resists electromagnetic interference far better than copper over long runs. Paired with a 2x100G fiber NIC and RDMA, it meets high-rate, low-latency, high-reliability requirements.

How should I understand 'In Production' vs 'In Development' in the selection table?

In Production products can be ordered normally. In Development products follow official release announcements - register your need via the form below and we will notify you first when released. For end-of-life products, please consult us for replacement options.

How do I scale a multi-camera setup with multi-port NICs?

Prefer multi-port frame grabber cards: each port carries independent bandwidth with no contention. Choose port count by summing camera bandwidth needs (e.g. 8-port 5G, 4-port 10G); add more cards when one card is not enough.

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Lithography Data Transfer: How 2×100G Fiber NICs with RDMA Keep Mask Data Flowing

In semiconductor manufacturing, the lithography machine writes circuit patterns onto wafers — but only if it receives the mask layout data in time. A 2×100G fiber NIC with RDMA builds the high-speed, low-latency channel this process depends on.

Why lithography demands high-speed data transfer

A single mask layout (reticle) file for a modern process node can reach tens of gigabytes. During production, this data must travel continuously between the lithography machine, storage servers and AI servers for OPC (optical proximity correction) processing and recipe management. Any stall in this pipeline means the stepper idles — and in a fab, idle time is measured in lost wafers per hour.

The network topology: stepper, storage, AI

The typical setup connects the lithography machine to storage servers holding reticle libraries, and to AI servers running pattern verification. Data flows in both directions and must be delivered with minimal jitter. A dual-port 100G fiber NIC in the storage or AI server provides the aggregated bandwidth and redundancy this architecture needs, connecting to the stepper through switches or directly to FPGA boards.

Why fiber, and why RDMA

Copper links struggle beyond a few meters with signal integrity and electromagnetic interference — a real concern on a fab floor full of high-power equipment. Fiber preserves signal quality over workshop and cross-plant distances. RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) lets the NIC move data straight into application memory, bypassing the CPU and OS stack. The result: dramatically lower latency and CPU load, and predictable transfer times even under load.

Tier options from 25G to 200G

Not every process needs 200G today, but the fab that standardizes on a tier can scale without re-architecting. LR-LINK covers the full ladder: 25G dual-port fiber NICs for edge and tool-side connections, 100G dual-port RDMA smart NICs for the storage backbone, and 200G dual-port RDMA NICs for the AI compute cluster. Controllers include Intel E810 and Broadcom options to match existing server ecosystems.

Recommended Products

Dual-Port 25G Fiber NICLRES1021PF-2SFP28 Dual-Port 25G RDMA Smart NICLRES1026PF-2SFP28 Dual-Port 100G RDMA Smart NICLRES1046PF-2QSFP28 Dual-Port 200G RDMA NICLRES1160PF-2QSFP56

Related Guides

Wafer Inspection GigE Frame Grabbers: Zero Frame Loss

Jumbo frames and RDMA explained — how GigE capture cards make frame loss impossible.

USB Frame Grabbers for Wafer Inspection: Lower TCO

Multi-port independent bandwidth, plug-and-play deployment and the 5G/10G/20G roadmap.

NIC Selection for IC Packaging & Testing

Gigabit multi-port cards for vision inspection across dicing, die attach, wire bonding and final test.

Need help sizing lithography data transfer for your fab? Request a free trial of our fiber NICs and validate on your own test bench.

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