Alumina Robot Arm

Semicorex Alumina Robot Arm is a high-performance ceramic part designed for wafer handling and transfer tasks in semiconductor production. Made from high-purity alumina ceramic (Al₂O₃), this robotic arm offers flexibility, precision, dependability, and durability in cleanrooms.

What stands out in favor of the Alumina Robot Arm is the properties of alumina ceramic mechanical strength and hardness. As alumina is made more pure, alumina maintains a better structural integrity and makes it more resistant to mechanical wear and deformation. As a material, alumina is a great choice for robotic parts that are used in delicate and repetitive wafer-handling tasks, i.e. when a robot arm needs to perform the same function and make contact with wafers, that minor distortion applied to the wafer by the robot arm can cost a facility yield losses. The high hardness, i.e. rigid surfaces, can help with abrasive resistance and functional life, i.e. extending the life and duration of service/ replacement on a robotic component.

Beyond its mechanical durability, the Alumina Robot Arm is also an excellent electrical insulator. The resistivity is up to 10¹⁵ Ω·cm and the insulation strength is up to 15 kV/mm at room temperature, providing a much safer environment to operate, especially when interfering electrical signals must be decreased in the processing equipment. This becomes important when protecting sensitive semiconductor components transferring between processes with minimal risk of electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage.

The alumina ceramic is excellent at maintaining stability across very high temperatures. The melting point is about 2050°C and will withstand high temperatures in semiconductor thermal processing without warping or dimensional accuracy. The high heat resistance allows the arm to be used in processes such as rapid thermal annealing (RTA) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), where precision alignment and thermal stability are critical.

One of the other significant benefits of the Alumina Robot Arm is its inertness. Its surface is inert to most cleaning agents and process gases used in semiconductor manufacturing. Therefore, it will remain contamination-free and not contribute to wafer surface contamination. This chemical inertness is key to achieving ultra-clean production conditions and providing consistent device performance.

Alumina ceramic is also an affordable option for semiconductor tooling. It is readily available as a raw material and the machining processes of alumina ceramics are well understood and easily scalable. This allows reproducible and consistent tolerances for high-quality parts to be produced at a competitive price. The mix of performance and affordability make the Alumina Robot Arm ideal for OEM's and Semiconductor fabs where you require reliable automation components that do not break the bank.

In summary, the Alumina Robot Arm provides high mechanical performance, high dielectric performance, high thermal resistance, high chemical performance, all with proven manufacturability at an economical price. Collectively, these performance characteristics make it reliable and efficient for precision wafer handling applications in semiconductor manufacturing, enabling improved yield, potentially lowering contamination risk and improving overall equipment effectiveness.