Wafer Reclaim and Recovery - Can You Trust It?

Wafer Reclaim and Recover Service - equipment
from Noel Technologies, Campbell, CA

As a semiconductor manufacturer, one of your primary concerns is the quality of the product you produce and this is the reason why you put high consideration on using good equipment or avail for services only from reputable providers. This is so true when it comes to using wafers.

The kind of wafer (also known as substrate) is critical in the manufacturing of electronic products (or their components); thus, you need to ensure that the ones you use are of good quality. With that in mind, you are most likely to get brand new ones instead of resorting to wafer reclaim. But for the purpose of reducing material and operation costs, you might be open for a second thought and try wafer reclaim and recovery instead. But why? Can I trust the process? - you might ask. The following might give you some useful insights on why wafer reclaim could work great for you:

Reducing costs -there are lots of wafer reclaim companies that offer full wafer recovery, which can extend the material's life; thus, getting brand new ones is minimal - a cost-effective solution, indeed.

The quality of reclaimed wafers - you might be skeptic when it comes to the quality of reclaimed wafers, but be aware that many wafer reclaim companies are capable of having your wafers mechanically re-polished by removing film, surface scratches, and residual patterns, making them appear and function as good as new.

Can be used multiple times - wafer reclaim companies can facilitate the process many times until wafers are justtoo deeply scratched or too thin to be reclaimed. So, this can be a great advantage as this strategy provides a positive implication in terms of cost-saving as well as on environmental impact.

Today, lots of companies in the semiconductor industry consider wafer reclaim and recovery as one of their important strategies in reducing production costs, without compromising product’s quality. More and more are realizing its value as part of their process - they consider wafer reclaim first before resorting to getting brand new ones.

Quartz Tank Quality Is Critical for High Purity Wet Etch

Photo credit: Imtecacculine, Fremont, CA

Quartz tank is an equipment used in wet process particularly helpful in semiconductor wafer or substrate production.  It is a prime choice of companies in the industry because of (1) high purity and (2) chemical compatibility.

Speaking of high purity, it is important to maintain the quality of the equipment in order to achieve the right quality of the finished output. And this can be realized by considering this option: quartz repair and restoration. This is more practical (in most cases) than getting a brand new replacement.

Compelling reasons why proper repair and restoration is necessary for quartz tanks:

• Because there is a need to remove the residue of chemicals used in the wet process, which can take a toll on the seals, housings, wiring, and quartz chamber.
• Because, as I said earlier, it is more practical than acquiring a brand new one; it costs substantially less than replacing it with a new one.
• It increases its lifespan and maintains its reliability as a wet processing tool.

To ensure the quality of repair, it is important that you entrust the job to a proven capable of doing what needs to be done. Here are some tips:

• A wet etch company that has been in business for quite long is, in most cases, more reputable than the new ones; when picking a service provider, you would want to have such company treated with higher priority.
• Another gauge for a company's reputation is the number of recognitions it has recieved through the years; and, the number of complaints raised by other clients as well.
• Pick a company that can give not just the quartz tank service you need but one that you can establish rapport with, considering that this client of service involves continues client-service provider business relationship.

What are included in a standard tank rebuild? A good tank rebuild service provider should be able to provide the following:

• Performs chemical cleaning, burn-off and fire-polish of quartz chamber;
• Add all new heaters and insulation systems;
• Add all the needed sensors and wiring;
• And new housing and flange;
• Performs complete quality control and inspection per new tank procedures; 
• and, performs all the works completed using ISO 9001 procedures.

Again, the quality of a quartz tank is critical for a high purity process; make sure you are able to get the right service provider and this can be achieved if you are knowledgeable customer.