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Industry Leaders in Application-specific Chemicals

Semiconductors

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.

Semiconductor Materials

Though 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.

Precision Optics & Ceramics

The 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.

Flat Panel Display

The 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.

Ophthalmic

Ophthalmic 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.

Flat Glass & Mirror

Flat 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.

Solar

Silicon, 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.”