Coherent Corp, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA, has developed a ceramic Additive Manufacturing process capable of producing advanced components for high-performance thermal management applications, including next-generation semiconductor capital equipment.
Coherent explains that due to severe shortages of integrated circuits based on leading-edge nodes, there has been a global investment in semiconductor manufacturing facilities equipped with the most advanced capital equipment. Coherent has successfully developed proprietary materials and technologies that enable ceramic components produced with its Additive Manufacturing process to match the mechanical and thermal properties of those produced with its existing moulding process.
The ceramic AM components can be precision-machined using advanced laser-based techniques, said to be critical for the development of next-generation semiconductor capital equipment. Ceramic AM also offers superior process capability, yield, and throughput compared to moulding, adds Coherent. It does not require retooling time between components, which minimises lead times and waste.
“Ceramic Additive Manufacturing enables components that are lighter and with entirely new geometries, which are required for next-generation semiconductor capital equipment designs. Until now, these components were lower in quality and precision compared with moulded ceramic components. With this new breakthrough, our customers will benefit from the best of both worlds,” shared Steve Rummel, Senior VP, Engineered Materials and Laser Optics Business Unit.
The ceramic components produced using Coherent’s AM process reportedly have an elastic modulus of 365 GPa and a flexural strength of 290 MPa. They are believed to be ideal for a wide range of semiconductor equipment, including photolithography, deposition, and etching. They also act as a solution for advanced packaging components with integrated cooling channels, designed for high-performance computer processors like CPUs and GPUs.
“We’re moving quickly to establish a new ceramic Additive Manufacturing line in Temecula, California. We’ve also defined with our customers a strategic roadmap to broaden our Additive Manufacturing capabilities, beyond ceramics, to a wider range of materials, including metals,” Rummel added.
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