PRODUCT ANALYSIS & IMPROVEMENT

How Can You Reduce Microchip Manufacturing Equipment Testing from Months to Days?

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DEVELOPING A FIXTURE AND PROTOCOL TO RAPIDLY AGE ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK COATINGS

With microelectronic manufacturing demanding ever-smaller feature sizes and higher production throughput, our microelectronics production equipment client faced a crucial question: How can we rapidly test whether new materials and equipment designs will perform?

THE CHALLENGE

The electrostatic chuck is the foundation of many microchip manufacturing operations. It supports silicon wafers as they are processed to make microchips. A ceramic coating on the chuck protects it from the erosive, high-energy environments used to fabricate chips, and a durable coating can provide a competitive edge for chip manufacturers. Our client needed to develop a testing strategy that could determine the lifespan of their chuck coatings — and they turned to Exponent to make it happen in days, rather than months.

EXPONENT'S MULTIDISCIPLINARY SOLUTION

Exponent's team of multidisciplinary experts worked together to design a test fixture, re-create failure modes, and test physical samples. Engineers and scientists specializing in thermodynamics, vacuum systems, process control, optical profilometry, and fracture mechanics came together to create a streamlined test regiment for our client.

Our Impact

Exponent's novel test design accelerated the evaluation of new electrostatic chuck coatings from months to days. The insights provided by Exponent's custom testing protocol are allowing our client to rapidly improve their production designs through data-driven decision-making.

Our ability to develop both custom testing fixtures and associated protocols to conduct rapid testing of materials and equipment is supporting advancements in microchip manufacturing and helping to meet the ever-growing demand for microchip production and performance.

 

What Can We Help You Solve?

Exponent materials and corrosion experts can help you with materials wear assessment through every stage of the product lifecycle, from development to production to product improvement. Exponent can develop and conduct unique tests to simulate real-world conditions and wear for a wide variety of products and applications.

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