DSM INTRODUCES NEW STATIC-DISSIPATIVE, HIGH-STRENGTH PLASTIC
08 November 2000 - Quadrant EPP

Semitron ESd 420, which is available in stock shapes for machining, is ideal for making fixtures for handling silicon wafers and devices in equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices. Semitron ESd 420 is also ideal for use in equipment for handling components in the hard-drive manufacturing and assembly processes.

"Manufacturers of semiconductor devices," says Richard Campbell, Manager of Product Development at DSM, "want a material with a combination of quick and dependable static decay, but in a controlled manner, not a destructive static discharge that damages the device. The charge must bleed off at a controlled and safe rate. While it is easy to have an electrically insulative material or a fully conductive one, the trick is to be able to control the resistivity within the desired performance range. It is also critical that the material be electrically stable. It is unacceptable for a dissipative material to become more conductive after a discharge event. This phenomena is common in other dissipative plastic products. Instability can lead to variable performance and unnecessarily poor process yields."

"Wafer combs and other parts for handling sensitive electronic components must be dissipative. More importantly they must be capable of discharging static electricity in a controlled manner. An uncontrolled discharge event can lead to damaged product," Campbell says. Semitron ESd 420, which has a surface resistivity of 106 to 109 W/sq., is ideal for use in such applications. Semitron ESd 420 reliably meets all physical performance needs for wafer combs and other handling components, combined with stable ESd performance.

Semitron ESd 420 also has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, high compressive strength and good wear resistance. Semitron ESd 420 shapes have very low residual stresses and as a result can be machined very flat and to very tight tolerances. Perhaps most importantly Semitron ESd 420 is non-sloughing. As a result, it does not particulate significantly in these handling applications. Semitron ESd 420 retains its high strength and stiffness at temperatures up to 420°F.

Semitron ESd 420 is the latest addition to DSM Engineering Plastic Products' unique family of plastic shapes for machining semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment components. Other innovative materials for the semiconductor industry available from DSM Engineering Plastic Products are: Semitron ESd 225 (surface resistivity of <1010 W/sq. and a heat deflection temperature of 225°F), Semitron ESd 410C (surface resistivity of 102 to 106 W/sq. and a heat deflection temperature of 410°F), Semitron ESd 500HR (surface resistivity of 1010 to 1012 W/sq and a continuous service temperature of 500°F), and Semitron ESd 520HR (surface resistivity of 1010 to 1012 W/sq and a continuous service temperature of 520°F).

(DSM Engineering Plastic Products' easy-to-understand nomenclature includes a number which shows the material's heat deflection temperature and a letter(s) which relates to the material's level of surface resistivity: HR = a high resistivity material, with values in the 10>10 - 1012 ohms/sq range; C = a conductive material, with values in the 102 - 106 ohms/sq range; and for materials with surface resistivities in the intermediate range of 10>6 - 1010, there is no letter designation.)

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