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.
Test Fixture Design
Exponent mechanical engineers and materials scientists designed and fabricated custom equipment in-house to both produce and withstand the high thermal and mechanical stresses typical of the electrostatic chuck environment and rapidly age our client's ceramic coating test samples.
Failure Mode Re-creation
Our team of engineers and scientists developed an experiment protocol to induce delamination and cracking failures matching those observed in the manufacturing production environment for direct observation.
Sample Testing
We integrated our testing solution into the client's standard test regimen for new coating formulations, form factors, and manufacturing techniques.
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.
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