Boca Raton, FL—The Open DeviceNet Vendor Association (ODVA) announced that the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) organization has accepted EtherNet/IP as a standard in its Sensor Bus Network Communications Standard activities. SEMI is accountable for all global standards used by semiconductor equipment manufacturers. EtherNet/IP has been designated by SEMI as E54.13. SEMI's sensor bus initiative presently includes eight networks, including EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet.

"The addition of EtherNet/IP into the SEMI Sensor Bus standards arena is another sign that Ethernet interest is advancing within tool-level architecture options for machine control," says John Dunn, VP and global advisor at Festo, a member of ODVA's semiconductor special interest group (SIG). "The SEMI Sensor Bus initiative allows use of more intelligent sensors, actuators and sub-systems, while reducing expensive custom cabling and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)."

This is especially true in applications that use both EtherNet/IP and DeviceNet. Because these networks share an application-layer protocol, users can transport control data from lower tool levels to enterprise systems without specialized devices or software. Semiconductor manufacturers can take advantage of this architecture to build information-rich, cost-effective production-oriented equipment and facilities.

"It also benefits the more than 50 suppliers in the semiconductor SIG that build semiconductor equipment," says Katherine Voss, ODVA's executive director. "Because of the commonality between DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP, these companies will be able to build EtherNet/IP devices without a major research and development investment."

EtherNet/IP extends commercial off-the-shelf Ethernet with the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), which is the same open, robust application layer found in DeviceNet. Consequently, the networks also share device profiles and an object library. This allows EtherNet/IP developers to use DeviceNet objects and profiles for plug-and-play interoperability among devices from multiple vendors. Combined, DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP promote transparency from sensors to enterprise software. Based on the TCP/IP suite, EtherNet/IP employs TCP for information messaging and UDP for I/O messaging.