Technical Insight
Temescal secures patent on substrate handling clips (Materials and Equipment)
BOC Coating Technology has won a patent for an innovative spring clip that allows lighter forces to be applied when working with fragile substrates such as GaAs or InP. Temescal, a member of the BOC Coating Technology group based in Fairfield, CA, uses the clip on thin-film deposition and coating equipment (see ). "Our original challenge was to adapt the fixtures for extremely thin GaAs wafers used in compound semiconductor applications," said the clip s inventor Cris Kroneberger. "The new design decreases and distributes the contact force over a larger area, reducing the stress on the substrate and the potential for failure." In more brittle substrates, fractures begin at points where the crystal is already flawed. E-beam deposition fixtures have traditionally used stronger-force wafer clips designed for more robust wafers, and thus are more likely to create micro scratches. "The new clips provide a much lighter yet balanced and controlled contact force," added Gregg Wallace, Temescal s business manager. "The reduction in micro scratches leads to higher yields through all subsequent processing."
