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DuPont Dow Elastomers Extends Capabilities Of Kalrez® Wet And Dry Process Seals At Semicon 2002

* Copyright for photograph

DuPont Dow Elastomers demonstrated further leadership in ultra-pure seals for wet and dry, plasma etch, and gas deposition processes with Kalrez® 6375UP, Kalrez® Sahara™ Plasma 8575, and new Kalrez® 8002 perfluoroelastomer parts at Semicon Europa 2002. These products, designed specifically for semiconductor fabrication, meet industry needs for reduced cost of ownership, improved productivity and increased wafer yields, the company stated. Also new at Semicon was the NW series O-rings of Kalrez® for KF-type flange seals, consistent with ISO guidelined dimensional specifications, for extended O-ring life at elevated temperatures.

DuPont Dow's "wet range" of Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer compounds has been strengthened significantly by the addition of Kalrez® 6375UP. This perflouroelastomer compound resists wet process chemicals, amine-base strippers, acids and bases, and displays good mechanical strength and compression set properties at continuous service temperatures up to 275°C.

Kalrez® Sahara™ Plasma 8575 has been successful in an increasing number of dry plasma CVD and thermal system applications since its launch at Semicon last year, DuPont Dow reports, adding that feedback from users of the perfluoroelastomer sealing parts in etch processes, in particular, has been very positive. New proprietary developments in the polymer and crosslinking system have resulted in significantly reduced weight loss, particle generation and outgassing in aggressive processes. This benefits fab lines in extended seal life, increased equipment reliability and mean time between repair, resulting in better yields and reduced costs.

Kalrez® 8002, introduced at Semicon 2002, is a new specialty product developed for plasma etch and gas deposition processes where ultra low particle generation is the primary concern. This unfilled compound offers lower contamination and reduced particle generation characteristics than filled compounds, resulting in improved mean time between seal changes. Kalrez® 8002 exhibits excellent resistance to plasmas and gas deposition chemistries, has good mechanical properties and is well suited for static sealing applications such as chamber lid and gas feed through seals.

DuPont Dow's new NW series O-rings extend O-ring life at elevated temperatures and offer a custom O-ring solution for KF-type flange seals at a standard O-ring price. The new Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer parts are designed to help avoid premature O-ring failure and unscheduled equipment downtime associated with standard "off-the-shelf" perfluoroelastomer O-ring sizes when specified for high temperature service. The company currently offers NW series O-rings in the most popular sizes and in a number of compounds that are specifically formulated for resistance to CVD and etch process chemistries.

Kalrez® UltraPure™ perfluoroelastomer parts are produced only by DuPont Dow Elastomers and are specially cleaned and double packaged in Class 100 Workstations to significantly reduce contamination. Each item is individually packaged in a bar-coded bag for full traceability and is available as an O-ring, sheets, slabs, and custom parts.

About DuPont Dow Elastomers

DuPont Dow Elastomers, a global supplier of specialty elastomers with European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, is a joint venture between the DuPont Company and The Dow Chemical Company, with more than US $1 billion in sales. The company is the industry leader in chloroelastomers, ethylene elastomers and fluorinated elastomers, serving the automotive, chemical, semiconductor, food and pharmaceutical processing, construction, general rubber and wire and cable industries.

News Release: DuPont Dow Elastomers Extends Capabilities Of Kalrez® Wet And Dry Process Seals [An O-ring or Seal] At Semicon 2002

Next Article: Article 8: DuPont Dow Previews Newest Member Of Kalrez® Spectrum™ Family For The Chemical Processing Industry

* © Photographer: Aaron Murphy of Washington, DC, USA | Agency stock.XCHNG