Thermal systems are integral to myriad processes that drive industries of all types, from semiconductor processing and energy generation to medical and foodservice equipment and beyond. Found within each of these industries are sensitive processes that require varying levels of temperature regulation. For instance, when a manufacturing process molds and shapes metal, equipment needs to maintain a temperature above a certain threshold, but an exact temperature may not be necessary. However, another process that involves melting plastic may need to reach a certain temperature but not exceed it—or the material will start to burn.
In those situations for which precise temperature control is required, closed loop systems offer the ability to closely monitor and compensate for environmental changes.
Closed loop temperature control incorporates sensors and ongoing feedback to the system to continually regulate temperature based
Vacuum applications tend to be extremely high spec, with certain aspects being beyond compromise. Pumps and vessels must be of high integrity, with the ability to achieve the appropriate level of vacuum without leaks. In this article, we outline some of the key ways of measuring gas leak detection.
Why is Gas Leak Detection Important
Gas leak detection in pressurized and vacuum systems is a fundamental step in the manufacturing process. Maintaining and quantifying the leak tightness of vessels during service, is rarely prioritized which can have serious consequences.
Measurement of leaks is known as the leak rate, a number which is dependent on many factors from the pressure differential to the size of the holes. This rate refers to the amount of the leak that enters or leaves the enclosure per unit of time.
Gas leak detection is an important part of producing high quality products and ensuring quality control. There
The failure of any key element or subsystem in a semiconductor manufacturing facility has the potential to bring the process to a complete standstill and/or to force costly wafer scrap. A key consequence of such failure is an associated increase in the cost of operations. While rarely reflected in the upfront Capital Expenditures (CapEx) pricing, from a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective, manufacturers typically find that unplanned downtime, raw material wafer costs, unscheduled repairs and the purchase of spare units can be significant contributors to Operating Expenses (OpEx).
With today’s complex semiconductor manufacturing processes, operators are looking for ways to identify not only the potential points of failure but also ways to predict when a failure is most likely to occur. Armed with this information they can then proactively address problems before they lead to costly, productivity-impacting downtime.
The LUMOS II is a stand-alone FT-IR microscope that excels in failure analysis, material research, and particle analysis.
The LUMOS II is compact, precise, and features ultrafast chemical imaging by FPA technology.
The benefits of FT-IR imaging and microscopy are too great to restrict access by cumbersome hard- and software. From the start, the LUMOS II was meant to make FT-IR imaging faster, easier, more accurate and reliable – and even more fun. Of course, this required Bruker to include new and improve upon proven technology
That's why Bruker tailored the LUMOS II, its software, and user interface specifically to the user. Beginners get perfect results in no time, while experts maintain total instrument control.
Plasma is ubiquitous in nature. Plasma is an ionised gas made up of charged particles formed by heating a gas to high temperatures where atoms start colliding, and the electrons are knocked off. Most of the known matter in the universe is in the plasma state.
Scientific developments in the field of plasma science have enabled the use of plasma in a wide range of plasma engineering applications such as plasma etching and deposition of semiconductor chips, biomedical, plasma surface modification, material processing, compact x-ray lasers, power production from thermonuclear fusion, TV screens, catalysis, thermonuclear synthesis, space propulsion, hydrogen production, and treatment of industrial emissions.
Such an extensive range of plasma engineering applications offers tremendous possibilities for advanced high-end products. In this blog post, we look at the various products that Hiden Analytical offers for various plasma engineering applications.
Teledyne Hastings 4-channel Power Supply, Controller and Display - THCD-401
The THCD-401 provides both ±15 VDC or 24 VDC to power Teledyne Hastings' mass flow controllers, flow meters, vacuum gauges and pressure transducers. Feedback from connected devices is displayed on the bright, front panel LED display in 6-digit resolution, making open and closed channels easily identified at a glance. The THCD-401 can set a relay point for control of other processes and has a high accuracy of ± (0.02% of Reading + 0.01% of Full Scale). Custom configuring products to customer needs is Teledyne's specialty. Your THCD-401 can be factory configured to match the gas, range, units and the output of your instruments for out-of-box functionality.
THCD-401 Outperforms THCD-400
The THCD-401 was designed to be a highly flexible and multi-featured process display controller that can be panel mounted and capable of interfacing to an assortment of meters, controllers and gauges. A powerful
Custom Engineering to Address Heat Requirements and Substrate Size
Hine Automation consistently exceeds expectations for quality and versatility in design and manufacturing. Unlike other limited off-the-shelf solution providers, Hine challenges itself to develop customized solutions when required to optimize throughput and minimize downtime.
A market leader in Rapid Thermal Processing approached Hine Automation with a need to improve its current efficiencies, which included the handling of substrates processed at temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius. Wafers processed at extreme temperatures pose a variety of handling and throughput difficulties, Hine’s expertise was leveraged to maximize the customer’s substrate yield utilizing the Hine DLP-300.
The customer required two separate cooling stations to stage material coming out of their process chambers as the processed material was still too hot to be placed back in the Load Ports. Additionally, the customer requested
Kalrez O-Rings from IES for Semiconductor Applications
Purity is critical to high wafer yield, and Kalrez® seals are designed with properties that help reduce contamination from particulates, outgassing and extractables. Semiconductor Processing Seals
Kalrez® seals for semiconductor processing are field-proven in the manufacture of semiconductor chips.
They can help extend planned maintenance intervals, and thereby lower long-term cost of ownership, in a wide range of semiconductor processes.
Self-Calibrating, Fully Automated Solution for Research and Production
The floor-standing ContourX-1000 white light interferometry (WLI) system incorporates the very latest Bruker hardware and software innovations for fully automated 3D areal measurements of surface texture and roughness. New one-click Advanced Find Surface™ with auto-focus and auto-illumination improves user experience and timeto- result, eliminating the need to manually register the surface before each measurement. Combined with its self-adapting measurement mode USI and guided, simplified VisionXpress™ interface, the ContourX-1000 provides uncompromised metrology on any surface, by any operator, even in multi-user high-volume production facilities.
A residual gas analyser (RGA) is a crucial piece of equipment known as a mass spectrometer used in many industries to conduct high-sensitivity, real-time analysis. Gas analysers allow analysts to maintain a high level of quality control and gas monitoring by identifying the composition and quality of residual gases and vapour species. This post will examine why residual gas analysis is used in semiconductor production.
Semiconductor Production
Semiconductors are vital for digital products that help us communicate with people around the world. These are commonly used to make electronic chips, which are used in computer components and other electronic devices such as medical devices, smartphones and applications for the Internet of Things (IoT). However, as the demand for better technology grows, the need for high-quality semiconductors will also increase, and their processes will need to become more streamlined.
Gases are used throughout the many stages of the semiconductor
