Solution override title: Selective Vacuum Chuck

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Acquiring and flattening of highly warped wafers at any size and thickness

CoreFlow’s Selective Vacuum (SV) solution addresses the challenges of handling warped substrates. When a warped substrate is placed on a selective vacuum chuck or a stage, some of the vacuum ports (pads) may be uncovered and exposed to air. With a standard vacuum chuck or stage, the flow will go to the exposed ports. As result, the covered ports will not have the necessary vacuum gripping force needed to acquire the substrate. 

Utilizing our SmartNozzle™ technology, CoreFlow’s Selective Vacuum mechanism acquires the substrate even when only a fraction of the vacuum array is covered by the substrate.  The selective vacuum mechanism ensures that all vacuum ports receive enough flow, regardless of their coverage. The flow at the uncovered vacuum ports will be choked by the nozzle’s flow resistance, while the covered vacuum ports will have access to the required vacuum force needed to grip both flat and warped substrates.

CoreFlow’s Selective Vacuum chuck acquires substrates in a variety of manufacturing applications such as Handling of warped wafers, Laser Scribing, Lithography, Metrology inspection, and more.

Product features and benefits

>>> Click on the below picture for the Video Clip <<<

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Solution override title: GripJet™ Chuck for warped wafer

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Acquiring and flattening of highly warped wafers at any size and thickness

Recent advancements in manufacturing processes have revolutionized techniques, impacting substrate flatness and subsequently causing wafer warpage. This issue poses significant challenges for conventional wafer chucks, affecting critical facets of process efficiency, tool uptime, and overall yield. To tackle this challenge head-on, CoreFlow has pioneered the GripJet™ Chuck technology, distinguished by its unique patented design elements.

This GripJet™ technology is specifically engineered to efficiently and reliably grip and flatten highly warped wafers. The GripJet™ Chuck finds application in advanced wafer-level packaging (WLP) and various semiconductor processes, ensuring enhanced performance and reliability in these critical applications.

GripJet™ technology uses a special flow amplifier to increase the vacuum flow rate, allowing it to grip and flatten severely warped wafers without the use of direct contact with soft pads or any mechanical flattening mechanisms. It has successfully flattened 300mm diameter wafers with up to 8 mm of warpage. The GripJet™ chuck is easy to integrate into existing process tools, compatible with Class 100 environments, and ensures high reliability and cleanliness due to its unique design without moving parts or elastomers.

GripJet™ chuck is designed for :

• Applications:  Advanced wafer-level packaging (AWLP), wafer-level chip scale packaging (WLCSP), fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP)
• Processes:  AOI, Metrology, Defect Inspection, Lithography, and other Atmospheric processes.
• Substrates:  Silicon, Silicon Carbide, Silicon on Glass, Organic Substrates, and others.

Features and Benefits:

Warpage Range :

                               GripJet™ Vacuum Chuck for 300mm warped wafer

Solution override title: GripJet™ Stage for warped panels

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Acquiring and flattening of highly warped panels (PLP) and substrates at any size and thickness

Advance packaging techniques have transitioned from traditional round wafers to rectangular panels, with a focus on enhancing productivity and cost-efficiency while accommodating larger form factors. Panel-Level-Package (PLP) and other cutting-edge manufacturing methods significantly affect panel flatness, giving rise to warping issues that pose challenges to conventional vacuum stages and reduced manufacturing yield. 

CoreFlow's GripJet™ stage technology adeptly overcomes these challenges by securely gripping and flattening warped panels and substrates, leading to improved productivity, cost-efficiency, and tool uptime. Our patented technology excels at effectively flattening highly warped panels and substrates, presenting a robust solution to vacuum handling challenges in the semiconductor industry.

GripJet™ technology leverages a unique flow amplifier to augment the vacuum flow rate, enabling it to grip and flatten highly warped panels and substrates without direct contact, eliminating the need for soft vacuum pads or additional mechanical clamping mechanisms. Notably, it has effectively flattened panels at the size of 510 x 515 mm with a warpage of up to 16 mm.

The GripJet™ stage seamlessly integrates into existing tools, compatibility with Class 100 environments, and guarantees high reliability and cleanliness. Its design is free from moving parts or elastomers contributing to its exceptional performance.

GripJet™ stage is designed for :

• Applications:  Panel-Level Package (PLP), PCB, Glass carriers, and others.
• Processes:  AOI, Metrology, Defect Inspection, Lithography, and other process in an atmospheric environment.
• Substrates:  FR4, Glass, Copper-clad substrate, Organic substrates, and others.

Features and Benefits:

Warpage Range :

                           GripJet™ Stage for multi-size Panel-Level-Package substrates

Solution override title: Warped Wafer Handling

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Reliable handling of highly warped wafers enables high process throughput

The challenges inherent in the handling of semiconductor wafers are growing more complex as new additional steps in the manufacturing process steps impact wafer flatness. As a result, wafer warping has become a common occurrence, and these wafers must be handled effectively and reliably. Standard end effectors often fail to properly handle such wafers, thus compromising process throughput and yield.

The CoreFlow End Effector (EE) family addresses the challenge of handling all types of wafers, including ultra-thin, perforated, compound, glass, bare and polished wafers. Utilizing CoreFlow’s exclusive SmartNozzle™ technology, the handling mechanism acquires the wafer even when only a fraction of the vacuum array is covered. This contrasts with competing technologies, in which a standard vacuum chuck would lose its gripping force and drop the wafer.

When a warped wafer is gripped by an end effector, some of the vacuum pads may be uncovered and exposed to air due to the wafer’s shape. With a standard end effector, the flow will go to the exposed pads and as a result, the covered pads will not have any vacuum gripping force. CoreFlow’s unique EE design ensures that all vacuum pads receive enough flow, regardless of their coverage. The flow at the uncovered pads will be choked by the nozzle’s flow resistance, while the covered pads will generate vacuum force and the warped wafer will be gripped firmly.
The Below graph demonstrates The CoreFlow EE’s gripping capabilities vs. a competitor with a similar design. In this comparison, the CoreFlow EE can still grip the wafer even when three vacuum ports (pads) are open, while the competitor EE loses its grip immediately when a single vacuum port is exposed.

Key Features and Benefits:

• Transfer warped wafers, even when only a fraction of the EE vacuum pads are covered. There is enough vacuum force to hold the wafer.
• Handling of thin and thick (100-1400 μ) warped wafers (supporting warpage of up to 10 mm).
• Can handle 150, 200, and 300 mm wafer diameters.

CoreFlow offers several types of end-effectors for handling thin and warped wafers.

• Multi-size end-effector - can handle reliable wafers of various wafers sizes of 300, 200, and 150 mm with a single end-effector design.
• Edge grip end effector - grips the wafer at the perimeter with minimal contact
• Wafer Frame Grip end-effectors - grips wafer with the attached frame 

                            Selective Vacuum end-effector                                                       Multi Size Wafter end-effectors 300, 200, and 150mm diameter

                     Edge grip end-effector                                                             Wafer Frame Grip end-effectors 

Solution override title: Ultra-Thin Wafer Handling

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Advanced ultra-thin wafer handling solutions for WLP/FOWLP processes

In the semiconductor industry, the demand for smaller devices that pack more memory, more computing power, and more power efficiency has led to product structures of increasing density.
Two- dimensional manufacturing techniques that used to suffice have reached their physical limit and have been replaced by 3D techniques, which require the handling and stacking of multiple layers and/or multiple thin wafers.
These thin – and very often twisted and warped – wafers pose great challenges for existing automated handling and processing platforms, which have difficulty gripping the wafers and may ultimately cause damage to them.

CoreFlow’s SmartNozzles^TM technology was developed to overcome this challenge.

CoreFlow’s self-adjusting vacuum systems “sense” the bending in the surface and grip the wafer – despite the warpage. SmartNozzles^TM controls the vacuum that flows through them and in doing so, minimizes vacuum loss and optimizes performance. By designing and choosing the right nozzle, we can assure firm yet sensitive retention of the fragile wafer, regardless of its warpage and diameter. When handling and processing of thin wafers are required, CoreFlow's SmartNozzles^TM- based handling platforms significantly improve both process yield and throughput.

Solution override title: Non-Contact Chuck

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Unique, reliable wafer active- and back-side clamping solution that eliminates back-side contamination

The requirements for faster, energy-efficient, and more compact computers drive the industry for smaller semiconductor devices, sometimes even smaller than what Moore’s law had predicted. This ever-decreasing structure size requires a particle-free production environment. A single particle at the size of 0.5 microns (that is 1/500 of a human hair thickness) may cause device failure. While traditional handling methods ensure wafer front (active) side cleanliness, they usually have disgraced the issue of backside contamination.

Recent processes have changed that and backside contact has become an inhibitor. Altering the wafer orientations (top and bottom) between nowadays processes causes contamination. 

By eliminating mechanical contact with the wafer, CoreFlow’s non-contact chuck practically keeps the process particle-free!

The counteracting pressure and vacuum forces keep the wafer flying at a precise height of about 30 microns. The forces flatten the wafer which enables precise inspection or/and metrology applications. Particle generation and metal contamination risks are eliminated altogether.

Key Features and Benefits

• Reduction of particles by a factor of 300 or more!
• Elimination of metal contamination.
• Thermal and mechanical vibration separation.
• Adjustable flattening forces for warped and/or thin wafers.
• Available for 150 (6”), 200, and 300 mm standard thick and thin wafers.
• Typical applications are inspection, metrology, lithography, etc..