Metallic Coatings for the Semiconductor Industry

Semiconductor Equipment Applications- Metallic Coatings

An overview on metallic coatings for the semiconductor industry

Metallic coatings applied by the thermal spray process are an economical alternative to traditional processes. In addition, APS Materials, Inc. can apply metallic coatings for specialty applications such as EMI/RFI shielding and heat sink carriers at considerably less coat than traditional methods of application. Each thermal spray process offers unique features and benefits that enhance the functionality of your application.

Shields & Sputtering Targets

Shield kits, deposition rings and sputtering targets are crucial in the operation of any PVD operation. During the deposition of some refractory metals, material builds up on the walls of the chambers and shields, which then begins to flake off at a certain thickness. The results are short operating times and high defect rates.

APS Materials' robotically-applied twin-wire arc rough coatings feature 2-5 times the surface area versus an uncoated surface and high bond strength to the substrate (4000-7000 psi). Roughness aids in gathering contaminated stray particles during the thin film application process, and allows the sputtered refractory metals to build up to much higher thicknesses without flaking. The benefits are: dramatically increased tool uptime, decreased particle generation and contamination, and overall lower cost of tool ownership.

EMI/RFI Shielding

EMI/RFI Shielding provides a metallic barrier to protect electronics, such as hand-held electronics and cell phones, against electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference. Thermal spray technology offers a cost effective method to apply copper or zinc onto various substrates, including plastic.

Heat Sink Carriers

In the electronics industry, highly advanced chips used in telecommunication devices and PC's are in increasing need of an improved system of heat dissipation. Diverting heat away from the chip not only protects its life, but increases the performance capability as well.
Attaching a "carrier" device to the chip and attaching that "carrier" to a heat sink achieves this rapid heat dissipation. The typical "carrier" materials used are polymer composites that are small, light-weight and feature both low cost and low coefficient of thermal expansion.
Unfortunately, these devices lack the high thermal conductivity of metal, limiting the performance characteristics of the chips. However, by utilizing a specialized plasma spray process, it is possible that two metals with very different melting points could be combined into a metal composite or matrix in order to obtain very specific thermal expansion and conductivity characteristics.