CoreFlow’s non-contact chuck reduces backside particle contamination in semiconductor wafers

CoreFlow Ltd., a leading solutions provider of advanced, aeromechanical-based handling and conveying systems, announced a non-contact chuck for silicon wafer processing applications.

The demand for smaller, faster, more efficient semiconductors has accelerated the need for ultra-clean production environments.  The CoreFlow non-contact chuck was developed in response to this demand.  Employing CoreFlow's patented SmartNozzlesTM technology, the silicon wafer is pneumatically clamped, floating over the chuck’s surface at a precise and stable height.  The chuck improves yield and throughput by virtually eliminating backside particle contamination, and protecting the backside surface from damage.

In benchmark tests performed on the non-contact chuck at a customer production site, the wafer fly height was set to 30µm and maintained an accurate vertical position of ±3µm. The wafer backside contamination was then compared to a process utilizing a standard chuck.  The resulting measurements indicated that the non-contact chuck particle count was reduced by a factor of more than 100 (!), easily conforming to the most exacting industry requirements.

The clamping stability provided by the non-contact chuck allows for high-magnification optical inspection, metrology, overlay, and more.  In addition, the physical separation eliminates the transmission of high-frequency interference between the chuck and the wafer, and prevent thermal stresses.

Since its introduction to the market, the chuck has been adopted by major semiconductor equipment manufacturers and is used in production at numerous semiconductor fabs.

For more information about CoreFlow’s non-contact chuck, visit the page:

https://www.coreflow.com/solutions/semiconductor-industry/non-contact-chuck-for-semiconductor

About CoreFlow Ltd.

CoreFlow provides high-precision, air-floatation solutions for critical processes in the semiconductor, FPD, and other industries. The company develops, manufactures, markets, and supports handling, conveying and processing systems used by key equipment manufacturers around the globe.