Semiconductor Front End Manufacturing
The “front-end” and “back-end” are two categories of semiconductor processing. Semiconductor front-end manufacturing is the process of creating a wafer from scratch to completion, i.e., the microchips are made, but they are still on the wafer. The wafer is spun during a lot of front-end operations. This provides a tuning issue if aiming to retain excellent velocity and position response.
Some of the semiconductor industry’s most challenging motion control applications are found. Technology is interesting when it combines fast throughput with extremely high accuracy and precision.
Wafer Handling
Wafers must be moved between processes rapidly and carefully. The industry standard is to use wafer-handling robots or semiconductor robot handling that are powered by servos. The SCARA (Selective Compliant Articulated Robot Arm) design is the most common for robots, allowing servos to operate all axes, including the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
Chamber Open/Close
Chamber doors must be opened and closed to seal in-process materials for various steps during the front-end semiconductor production processes. Servo drives offer the force and accuracy required to produce trustworthy seals. They also provide feedback, enabling the system to track the position during the operation.
Stepper
In photolithography, a reticle with an image of one or more dies is illuminated by laser light. The wafer is then covered with the image. The wafer must be moved for the following die to receive the image because it is not all processed at once. The device used to carry out all of this is known as a “stepper” because it displays one die or a small number of dies at a time before moving on to the subsequent set of dies or a single until the entire wafer has been exposed.
FOUP Handling
The wafers’ container is referred to as a “FOUP” (Front Opening Unified Pod). A FOUP loaded with wafers is an expensive payload that requires the utmost attention. AMC servo drives transport these significant packages. High-performance servo drives reduce weight and improve efficiency in transport applications.
Chemical Vapor Deposition
Everything from tinted glasses to potato chip bags is coated using CVD. The wafer boat can be inserted and removed from the chamber, the chamber door can be opened and closed, and wafers may be added to or removed from the boat using servo drives. This procedure is used to apply tiny layers of material to the wafer so they can serve as insulators, semiconductors, or conductors in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Because it creates a more uniform thickness and avoids unfavorable reactions, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, or LPCVD, is more frequently utilized.
Chemical Mechanical Planarization
A method of polishing wafer surfaces flat using abrasives. The wafer’s smooth surface is polished using chemical slurries and a circular motion. CMP produces the level, smooth surface required to set up the wafer for subsequent production steps. Several times throughout the front-end semiconductor production process, CMP is necessary.
For this method to work, precise velocity and force control must be made with no velocity ripple. AMC servo drives contain the appropriate tools and control algorithms for tweaking, allowing you to finish your design more rapidly.
Kensington Laboratory is your one-stop solution if you are looking for the best AMAT Robot and manufacturing and semiconductor equipment. Feel free to contact us for other technical details.
