Industry Leaders in Application-specific Chemicals
As line widths shrink, the planarization of layers in complex metal schemes increases the need for creative CMP consumables including slurries, oxidizers pads and post-CMP rinses and cleaning chemistry. In assembly, dicing becomes inherently important as the value of wafers increases exponentially.
Intersurface Dynamics focuses on the complex problems inherent in producing today’s most sophisticated ICs, with expertise in the process areas of ash/etch, planarization and packaging. This expertise has resulted in highly developed chemistry for post-etch/ash residue removal and post-etch/ash residue removal rinse; chemical mechanical polishing and post-CMP cleaning; back grinding and back lapping, dicing/singulation and post-dice cleaning/passivation rinse.
Tensor SeriesThough most semiconductor devices are fabricated on silicon wafers, different materials such as SiC, GaAs, and GaN to name a few, are now also being used for a variety of reasons. Each wafer produced from Si and these other materials must be ultra-flat and defect-free.
Our VECTOR Series products are used in many of the processes used to convert the ingot of semiconductor material to the finished wafer. There is a product for each of the following processes: Cropping, OD Grinding, Notch or Flat Grinding, ID Sawing, Diamond Wire Sawing, Edge Grinding, Lapping, Wafer Grinding, and Post-Polish Wafer Rinsing. Intersurface Dynamics also manufactures a VECTOR Series Detergent used to clean the material after each process is complete.
Vector SeriesThe equipment and processes used to manufacture components and devices from a variety of optical, piezoelectric and ceramic materials must be precise yet flexible. Barium titanate, calcium and magnesium fluoride, germanium, lithium niobate and tantalate, fused quartz, ruby, sapphire and zinc compounds are only a partial list of the optical materials in use today. Ceramic materials include aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum titanium carbide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, etc.
Once an optical component or ceramic device is rough-formed or grown, it goes through any number of processes, including edge grinding, surface grinding, I.D. or O.D. sawing and dicing, lapping, polishing, cleaning and coating. The result is a high-quality finished part used in satellite-based optics, laser components, armor plating and other critical technology applications. Intersurface Dynamics manufactures the coolants/lubricants needed for the high-speed, automated and highly precise processes used to produce these parts and components.
Challenge SeriesThe processes used to make a flat, ultra-smooth LCD display glass include cleaning, edge grinding or beveling and polishing. The use of thin-film transistors (TFTs) is the dominant technology in the manufacture of active-matrix LCDs, although that technology continues to evolve as the size of the glass substrate continues to increase.
Since manufacturers of large LCDs often reject up to 40 percent of the panels that come off the assembly line, process advancements – many related to application-specific chemicals – are essential to the industry’s future success in terms of bigger, more affordable displays. Intersurface Dynamics has a variety of products designed to enhance the manufacture of both the display glass and the liquid crystal display (LCD) component of a flat panel display.
Challenge SeriesOphthalmic lens laboratories face growing consumer demand for value-added features such as progressive bifocal and trifocal lenses; thin-profile, high index and aspheric lenses; and lenses with anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings.
The trend in lens materials has also moved from glass to polycarbonate, hard resins and high-index plastics. Although these materials are lighter than glass, they offer significantly better impact resistance. However, as they scratch more easily than glass, many require hard coatings. Typical lens manufacturing processes include the following: generating/grinding; fining/polishing; edge grinding and cleaning prior to coating.
Challenge SeriesFlat glass sheets often go through secondary processing steps to make them suitable for specific uses. Shape and size are determined using cutting tools edged with diamond or other abrasives. Drilling and countersinking are performed to create holes, while edge grinding and beveling are done to create rounded or beveled edges for decorative effect.
Polishing is often performed to achieve a highly flat, uniform or glossy surface with low surface roughness. Final step specialty coatings, such as anti-glare coatings, color tinting or the special reflective coatings designed for mirrors used in technical and laboratory applications, require an ultra-clean glass surface for optimal adhesion, and call for cleaning processes ranging from ultrasonic to manual cleaning. Intersurface Dynamics manufactures a complete range of products designed to increase the efficiency of flat glass and mirror processing applications in terms of throughput, quality and, where applicable, tool life.
Challenge SeriesSilicon, the predominant material used for the manufacture of photovoltaic cells, is made in two forms, Multi-Crystal and Mono-Crystal. Cast multi-crystalline ingots or grown single crystalline ingots are converted into wafers which eventually capture the sun’s rays and produce electricity.
After the ends of the cast or grown silicon ingots are “cropped” using either an annular or reciprocating saw, they are then converted into a block shape using a process known as “squaring.”
Like cropping, squaring is an abrasive sawing process. Squaring saws or “squarers” convert the ingots into blocks. Modern squarers use diamond-coated wire cooled by a specialized coolant lubricant to perform the task of sawing. Older squarers had utilized silicon carbide slurry as an abrasive. This slurry is fed onto wires which then perform the task of sawing. Conversion to the newer type of diamond-coated technology allows for a two-fold reduction in process time. Also, the fixed diamond wire process is much cleaner and produces less waste allowing for simpler and more environmentally friendly processing.
After the ingot is squared into a block, the edges are beveled or edge-ground using a diamond grinding wheel cooled and lubricated to avoid creation of high temperatures and chipping of the surface.
After the “squared” block has been beveled it is mounted on a beam. The beam is then fed into a traditional silicon carbide slurry fed wire saw and sawn into thin wafers. After the “wafering” process is complete the wafers are rinsed free of gross amounts of slurry/silicon residue “swarf” and demounted from the beam. After demounting, the wafers are cleaned in a combination of ultrasonic and spray-cleaning apparatus. The wafers are then sold to a customer as “as cut” wafers or the wafers remain in the factory for further processing (texturing, etching, etc.) depending on the factory’s capabilities. Eventually, the silicon wafer is converted into a photovoltaic cell converting light to electricity.
Challenge Series