Cognex introduces In-Sight 1750 wafer identification

Wafer and panel identification

Cognex announced its In-Sight 1750 Series wafer and panel identification system on September 23, 2026, in Natick, Massachusetts. The company combines artificial intelligence, imaging and purpose-built illumination to read difficult markings, including degraded identifiers and challenging substrates, with the aim of reducing production interruptions.

Cognex says existing In-Sight 1740 users can convert jobs and upgrade without extensive redesign. The new system is intended to support traceability through semiconductor fabrication and packaging. Its announced capabilities include:

• A web-based setup interface;
• Built-in read logging for process control;
• Identification of difficult wafer and panel marks.

Earlier reader functions

Earlier In-Sight 1740 readers combined identification algorithms with software-controlled bright-field and dark-field illumination. The 2011 product range supported optical character recognition, T7 Data Matrix and barcode applications. Image-enhancement filters addressed visual changes to marks caused by wafer processing.

The 1740 software could hold up to 50 reading recipes within a single job file. This arrangement supported mixed lots of wafers with different mark characteristics. A tuning function optimised reading settings, while recipes provided alternative configurations for the identification task.

Recipes and read histories

If the recipes in a job failed to read a mark, the 1740 system could adjust illumination and enhancement filters dynamically. Successful adjustments could be saved in a recipe for subsequent reads. These functions belonged to the earlier reader generation.

Optional network logging could retain the recognised string, read score and reading time. Images could also be saved for offline analysis. Network devices could remotely control readers and log results through Ethernet commands, while a serial interface supported older equipment without networking.

A separate wafer software package

In-Sight Explorer Wafer ID 4.5.2 supported the 1720 and 1740 reader series. The wafer-specific download carries a December 8, 2023, release date. The package included enhancements to embedded browser control, sample applications, filter-based tuning and a checkbox for enabling the SEMI checksum.

The general-purpose In-Sight Explorer 4.5.2 release did not include the firmware and user-interface files required by those wafer readers. Users who already had that general-purpose release also needed the wafer-specific package for 1720 and 1740 operation. Those earlier software requirements describe the previous-generation systems; Cognex's September 2026 announcement separately introduces the 1750 upgrade path.