Porous Chuck

Semicorex porous chuck with a stainless steel base and microporous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic plate is a high-performance vacuum chucking solution designed for precision substrate handling in semiconductor, optoelectronic, and advanced manufacturing applications. By combining the structural strength of stainless steel with the superior functional properties of microporous SiC ceramics, this composite chuck delivers stable vacuum adsorption, excellent thermal performance, and long-term reliability under demanding process conditions.

Components of a porous chuck

At the core of the porous chuck is the microporous SiC ceramic plate, engineered with a uniformly distributed pore structure that enables even vacuum transmission across the entire chuck surface. This design eliminates the need for surface grooves or drilled vacuum holes, resulting in uniform holding force and minimizing local stress concentration on the substrate. As a result, wafer warpage, slippage, and edge damage are significantly reduced, making the chuck ideal for thin wafers and high-precision processes.

The stainless steel base provides robust mechanical support and ensures secure integration with process equipment. Its high structural strength and machinability allow for precise fabrication of vacuum channels, mounting interfaces, and alignment features. The stainless steel base also offers excellent resistance to mechanical fatigue and deformation, ensuring stable chuck performance over long-term operation. The combination of a rigid metal base and a precision ceramic top plate creates a well-balanced structure optimized for both strength and accuracy.

SiC ceramic is a selected material

Silicon carbide ceramic is selected for the porous plate due to its outstanding physical and chemical properties. The microporous SiC plate exhibits high stiffness, excellent wear resistance, and superior thermal conductivity, allowing rapid heat dissipation and stable performance during temperature cycling. Its low thermal expansion coefficient helps maintain surface flatness and dimensional stability, even in processes involving localized heating, cooling, or plasma exposure.

Chemical resistance is another critical advantage of the porous SiC ceramic plate. It is inherently resistant to corrosive gases, acids, alkalis, and plasma environments commonly encountered in semiconductor manufacturing. This chemical inertness helps prevent surface degradation and particle generation, supporting cleanroom requirements and contributing to higher process yield and equipment reliability.

Surface quality and precision are essential for effective wafer handling. The microporous SiC ceramic plate can be precision-lapped and polished to achieve excellent flatness, parallelism, and surface finish. The groove-free porous surface also reduces particle trapping and simplifies cleaning and maintenance, making the chuck suitable for contamination-sensitive processes such as lithography, etching, deposition, and inspection.

The porous chuck with stainless steel base and microporous SiC ceramic plate is compatible with a wide range of substrates, including silicon wafers, silicon carbide wafers, sapphire, gallium nitride (GaN), and glass substrates. Customization options are available for chuck diameter, thickness, porosity level, vacuum interface design, and mounting configuration, enabling seamless integration into various OEM tools and customer-specific process platforms.

From an operational perspective, this composite porous chuck improves process stability and repeatability by ensuring consistent wafer positioning and uniform vacuum holding. Its durable construction reduces maintenance frequency and extends service life, helping lower total cost of ownership. By combining the advantages of stainless steel and microporous SiC ceramics, this porous chuck provides a reliable, high-precision solution for advanced manufacturing environments where accuracy, cleanliness, and long-term performance are critical.