Alumina Mounting Base Plates

Semicorex Alumina Mounting Base Plates are high-purity ceramic products designed as durable and stable bases for mounting work chucks in semiconductor fabrication equipment. These plates provide critical mechanical support and alignment for wafer processing operations such as lithography, etching, deposition, and inspection. It is essential to accurately align the work chuck with other system components to ensure that wafer processing can occur with the required fidelity. The plates are manufactured through processing techniques specific to ceramics to achieve the necessary flatness, high-temperature durability, and long-term reliability to meet the harsh requirements of modern semiconductor fabrication in both process and cleanroom environments.

Semicorex Alumina Mounting Base Plates are made from high-purity alumina having a purity level ≧99.5% (typical). A high-purity alumina has good mechanical and thermal properties as well as hardness. The high-purity alumina has excellent inherent electrical insulating properties that also allow these plates to be used in vacuum and high voltage applications where electrical interference may be an issue. The alumina will be resistant to thermal cycling, which allows the plates to maintain better dimensional accuracy than most materials and is beneficial for maintaining alignment or structural stability due to reduced thermal expansion. This factor is important in ensuring chuck repeatability and implicit process tolerances, while operating over extended production cycles.

In semiconductor processing systems, a mounting base plate is not simply a device for mechanical fastening. It is the medium of thermal contact between the chuck and the rest of the equipment and is critical for thermal dissipation, structural integrity, and vibration isolation. Processing actions such as (but not limited to) CVD, PVD, or ion implantation, where high temperatures and vacuum pressures are commonplace, require a mounting base to be thermally resistant, chemically inert & resistant, mechanically sound, and resistant to thermal shock. Chemical inertness is vital because a mount must be compatible with reactive gases, as well as cleaning chemistries, extending the useful life of the mount and preventing contamination.

Every alumina mounting base plate made by Semicorex is machined to tolerances demanded by semiconductor OEMs, and equipment integrators. The plates are machined to tight tolerances for thickness, height variation, and flatness to ensure maximum stability and repeatability. These mounting plates can be made with mounting holes, slots, or countersinks to customer specifications to better accommodate work chucks, mechanical stages, or other equipment. The alumina ceramic is processed using modern sintering and precision grinding techniques to optimize a uniform microstructure and surface quality to ensure consistent thermal contact and alignment for use over time.

Semicorex Alumina Mounting Base Plates are used in a variety of applications including wafer handlers, robotic transfer systems, vacuum chuck assemblies, and metrology stages. This reliability and durability in a variety of demanding process situations, makes them the product of choice with tool manufacturers looking for robust, long lasting, low maintenance ceramic components. Our engineering group partners with customers to provide unique solutions that are specified for each plate to maximize efficiency for production in a semiconductor.

Alumina Mounting Base Plates are more than just a mechanical support; it is a key component in precision engineering in the semiconductor industry. With excellent mechanical stability, purity, and configurability, they ensure accurate alignment, long life, and dependable operation in an extensive range of process tools. For high performance mounting base plates, meeting the high expectations of today's semiconductor manufacturers, trust Semicorex.