■ In Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, "μm-Level Components" Affect "nm-Level Products"
This is an important perspective.
Inside the equipment, components with processing accuracy of
0.1 mm,
50 μm,
10 μm
are used.
However, what that equipment makes is
even finer semiconductor structures.
In other words,
small thermal deformation or component misalignment on the equipment side may affect the accuracy of semiconductor products.
That is why, for equipment components, not just simple dimensional accuracy, but
dimensional stability even after temperature changes is important.
■ Look Not Only at Processing Accuracy, but at Shape Stability After Processing
A component could be processed to ±0.05 mm.
That alone is not enough.
After it becomes hot.
After it is put into vacuum.
After adhesive is applied.
After it is cooled.
Even in those states, it must
● Not warp
● Not shrink
● Not peel
● Not shift position
In other words, the thinking must be broadened from accuracy right after processing to accuracy in the usage environment.
■ Thinner Films Also Become Important in Equipment
As equipment becomes smaller and components become denser, one wants to make
● Insulating films
● Heaters
● Sensors
● Adhesives
● Shielding materials
thinner as well.
Making them thinner may make it possible to
● Reduce height
● Reduce thermal resistance
● Reduce weight
On the other hand, the effects of
● Wrinkles
● Burrs
● Stretching
● Misalignment
● Breakage
become larger.
In other words, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment too, thinner films and high-precision processing go together.
■ EMI Countermeasures and Thermal Management Are Converging
In semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
● High frequencies
● High voltages
● High-speed signals
● Precision sensors
coexist.
That is why EMI countermeasures are also important.
However, adding metal as EMI shielding material
also changes the flow of heat.
Conversely, adding copper foil for heat dissipation also has electrical effects.
In other words, there are cases where
heat and noise cannot be designed separately.
Here too, composite functional components become important.
■ Considering Sealing, Insulation and Heat Dissipation in a Single Component
For example, around a chamber, suppose
● Seal materials
● Insulating materials
● Heat shielding materials
are assembled separately.
The number of parts increases.
Application processes increase.
Opportunities for misalignment also increase.
Depending on the application, there is the idea of laminating these in advance and supplying them as
a single composite component.
This may lead to
● Fewer parts
● Shorter assembly time
● Improved positional accuracy
● Automation
■ However, the More Components Are Combined, the Harder It Becomes
Insulation.
Sealing.
Thermal conduction.
Thermal insulation.
EMI.
Combining these into one component is convenient.
However, each material differs in
● Hardness
● Thermal expansion
● Adhesiveness
● Heat resistance
That is why
● Warping
● Interlayer delamination
● Thickness variation
● Processing difficulty
increase.
In other words, combining is also an exchange of fewer processes for greater processing difficulty.
■ Automation Is Also Important in Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
Labor saving and automation are also advancing in equipment manufacturers’ own production processes.
Small film components.
Seal materials.
Insulating materials.
Heat dissipation materials.
If these are applied by hand one at a time,
● Man-hours
● Misalignment
● Foreign matter
● Worker-to-worker differences
arise.
That is why component designs compatible with
● Reel supply
● Automated peeling
● Automated application
● Image-based position correction
are important.
■ In Clean Environments, Reducing People Is Also Significant
When people work, they can become sources of
● Fibers
● Dust
● Skin oils
● Foreign matter
In other words, in semiconductor-related fields, automation leads not only to reduced labor costs,
but also to reduced foreign matter risk.
If high-precision components can be supplied stably on reels, this also suits automated assembly in clean environments.
■ Image Inspection Is Also Important
For components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, it may be necessary to strictly control
● Burrs
● Foreign matter
● Misalignment
● Chipping
● Hole shapes
As production quantities increase, it is difficult to keep checking with the human eye alone.
So
image inspection
is used
to inspect continuously by the same criteria.
Furthermore, if inspection data is kept, trends such as
● Die wear
● Material lot differences
● Changes in processing position
can also be seen.
■ Prototyping and Volume Production Have Different Conditions
In prototyping,
each piece is applied carefully one at a time.
Positions are checked.
If there is foreign matter, it is redone.
This gives good results.
In volume production, however,
● High-speed processing
● Long continuous operation
● Multiple material lots
● Die wear
● Equipment changes
occur.
In other words, being able to make one and being able to make tens of thousands of identical pieces are different things.
For components of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, this difference is especially important.
■ The Impact of Material Changes Is Also Large
For example, an insulating film is changed to an equivalent product.
The thickness is the same.
The insulation performance is the same.
However,
● Thermal expansion
● Hardness
● Surface friction
● Adhesiveness
● Outgassing
may differ.
As a result, the temperature distribution and processability inside the equipment may also change.
In other words,
even if material specifications are equivalent, equipment performance is not necessarily equivalent.
It must be checked in the actual usage environment.
■ The Heat Problems of Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Also Relate to Equipment Life
If high temperatures continue, degradation of
● Adhesives
● Seal materials
● Electronic components
● Cables
● Resins
progresses.
If temperature cycles are repeated, fatigue accumulates in
● Joints
● Connectors
● Laminated components
In other words, temperature control relates not only to equipment accuracy, but also to equipment reliability.
■ The Researcher's Perspective: The Heat Problem of Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Is a Problem of "Temperature Fields" Rather Than "Temperature"
In semiconductor manufacturing equipment, “what temperature the equipment is” is not enough.
What matters is
● Where it is hot
● Where it is cold
● How large the temperature differences are
● How it changes over time
In other words, it is necessary to look not at the temperature value, but at the temperature distribution, including space and time.
■ The Shop-Floor Perspective: "It's Hot, So Cool It" Alone Can Worsen Accuracy
An equipment component is hot.
So only that part is cooled strongly.
Then only that place contracts.
As a result, the equipment deforms.
In other words, in high-precision equipment, cooling itself can create new thermal deformation.
What is needed is temperature control that decides where to cool, at what speed, and to what extent.
■ Things to Check at the Design Stage
In thermal management for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, at least the following points need to be checked.
Process
● What temperature is required?
● How much temperature uniformity is required?
● How fast does temperature change?
● Is it acceptable to release heat to the surroundings?
Accuracy
● Which components move due to thermal expansion?
● How large is thermal drift?
● How many minutes are needed until temperature stabilizes?
● How far does it affect positional accuracy?
Cooling
● Air cooling or water cooling?
● Is a cooling plate needed?
● Is TIM needed?
● Will cooling cause local contraction?
● Is there a risk of condensation?
Thermal insulation
● Is it necessary to confine heat?
● Can surrounding components be protected?
● Is the insulation thickness appropriate?
● Will it degrade at high temperature?
Insulation
● Where are the high-voltage parts?
● Is insulating film needed?
● Is thermal resistance being increased too much?
● Are there effects from burrs or foreign matter?
Vacuum and sealing
● What degree of vacuum?
● Are the seal materials appropriate?
● Can airtightness be maintained after high temperature?
● Is outgassing a problem?
Clean
● Does it generate particles?
● Does adhesive debris come off?
● Are die-cut edges stable?
● Is foreign matter controlled?
Volume production
● Can it be applied automatically?
● Can it be supplied on reels?
● Can it be inspected by images?
● Can the same quality be maintained even with long processing runs?
In other words, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
it is necessary to consider heat, accuracy, insulation, vacuum, cleanliness and volume production capability as a single system.
■ OTIS's Perspective: Entering Not the Semiconductor Itself, but the "Functional Components" of the Equipment That Makes Semiconductors
OTIS is
not a lithography equipment manufacturer.
Not a deposition equipment manufacturer.
Not an etching equipment manufacturer.
Not a vacuum pump manufacturer.
However, inside semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
there are many thin functional components.
Insulating films.
Heat dissipation sheets.
Thermal insulation materials.
Films around heaters.
Adhesives.
Seal materials.
Metal foils.
EMI materials.
Sensor fixing components.
Each of these is small.
However, they are important components that support
temperature accuracy
insulation
vacuum
cleanliness
positional accuracy
This is where OTIS’s point of contact lies.
■ The Challenges OTIS Should Target
Not the finished semiconductor manufacturing equipment itself,
but the common challenges
that arise repeatedly inside the equipment.
For example,
● Thermal insulation films around hot areas
● Insulating and heat dissipation components for power supply sections
● TIM around cooling plates
● Thin-film adhesive components for fixing sensors
● Seals and gaskets around vacuum areas
● Metal foil for EMI countermeasures
● High heat-resistant film components
● Die-cut components for clean environments
● Fine-hole and irregular-shape film processing
● Reel components for automated application
■ There Is No Need to Sell Only "Thermal Materials"
In semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
rather than components that solve heat alone,
there are many combined challenges:
heat + insulation
heat + sealing
heat + adhesion
heat + EMI
heat + clean
This is a good match for OTIS’s processing technologies.
From material manufacturers we procure
● Thermally conductive materials
● Insulating materials
● Adhesives
● Metal foils
and laminate them with high precision in the required positional relationships.
Then we supply them in a form customers can assemble as is.
This is the value.
■ Not Only High-Precision Processing, but "Processing That Does Not Contaminate" Is Important
For semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
being able to process to ±0.01 mm
may not be enough.
Furthermore,
● Few burrs
● Little adhesive debris
● Little foreign matter
● Low particle generation
● Traceability
are important.
In other words, requirements rise from precision processing to clean precision processing.
■ What OTIS Can Do
At OTIS, through
● High-precision die-cutting
● Microfabrication
● Thin film processing
● Insulating film processing
● Thermally conductive sheet processing
● Metal foil processing
● EMI component processing
● Seal and gasket processing
● Adhesive processing
● Heat-resistant material processing
● High-precision lamination
● Lamination of dissimilar materials
● Partial lamination
● Half-cutting
● Reel-to-reel processing
● Components for automated application
● Image inspection
● Processing in clean environments
● Volume production control including traceability
we may be able to contribute to
processing the functional materials used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment into components with accuracy, cleanliness and volume production capability.
■ Outside OTIS's Expertise
OTIS is not a company that specializes in
● Development of semiconductor processes themselves
● Lithography optics design
● Plasma source design
● Vacuum pump design
● Design of process chamber bodies
● Design of entire temperature control systems
● Dedicated CFD analysis
● Development of semiconductor materials themselves
However, by working with
● Semiconductor manufacturing equipment manufacturers
● Material manufacturers
● Heater manufacturers
● Vacuum equipment manufacturers
● Temperature control equipment manufacturers
we may be able to contribute in the area of
making the thin-film, insulating, sealing and heat dissipation components that support equipment performance work in volume production.
■ Markets Where This Technology Will Be Important
★★★★★ Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
★★★★★ Advanced semiconductors and 3D integration
★★★★★ Deposition and etching equipment
★★★★★ Inspection and metrology equipment
★★★★★ Vacuum equipment
★★★★☆ Wafer transport and automation equipment
★★★★☆ Optical and laser equipment
★★★★☆ High-precision industrial equipment
■ Summary
In semiconductor manufacturing equipment, “not letting temperature move” matters more than “cooling”
In semiconductor manufacturing equipment, there are many heat sources, such as
heaters,
plasma,
lasers,
motors,
power supplies,
and vacuum pumps.
However, what matters is not the generation of heat itself.
Because of that heat,
the wafer temperature changes.
The equipment expands.
Positions shift.
Reaction rates change.
Vacuum seals degrade.
Insulation performance changes.
Such effects become the problem.
That is why thermal management for semiconductor manufacturing equipment is not only
technology for lowering temperature.
It is technology that is
heating the necessary places,
not letting heat flow to unnecessary places,
cooling the places to be cooled uniformly,
and stabilizing the temperature of the entire equipment.
And the more precise the equipment becomes,
the more processed components at the μm level
support even finer semiconductor manufacturing accuracy.
Insulating films.
TIM.
Adhesives.
Seal materials.
Metal foils.
Thermal insulation materials.
These are very small components.
However,
the heat, dimensions and cleanliness of small components govern the accuracy of huge manufacturing equipment.
That is why what OTIS should target is
not the semiconductor itself.
Nor the semiconductor manufacturing equipment itself.
It is the common challenges that exist within it:
heat, insulation, vacuum, sealing, thin films, high precision and cleanliness.
The finer semiconductors become,
the more precise manufacturing equipment becomes.
The more precise manufacturing equipment becomes,
the less temperature change is tolerated.
And beyond that,
not “how to release heat,”
but “how to keep heat from moving”
becomes, as a technology, the very accuracy of semiconductor manufacturing.
Column Supervisor: Koji Kakumoto (President, OTIS Co., Ltd.)
After studying abroad and working in planning and development at a trading company, he joined OTIS Co., Ltd. in 2011. While primarily working in the Corporate Planning Department, he has also served concurrently in manufacturing and technical divisions, and since 2018 has served as President, working to drive business growth and strengthen the organization.
This article is a general technical explanation intended for educational purposes and does not refer to any specific company, product, or technology.
