How Can You Reduce Microchip Manufacturing Equipment Testing From Months To Days?

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.