Kalrez® News 2 - Article 4

DuPont Performance Elastomers Spearheads Semicon Successes With Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 And Bonded Door Seals

At Semicon Europa 2006, DuPont Performance Elastomers focused on two key products from its range of Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer parts for semicon Fab line sealing — Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 for reduced particle adders and improved equipment reliability in CVD processes, and Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals for CVD, etch and ashing in 200mm and 300mm wafer production equipment platforms. In 2005, these products spearheaded the company’s growth in the semicon sector. DuPont Performance Elastomers also revealed details of KLR 9100, an advanced compound for Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer parts offering minimal particles for next generation chips.

Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 and Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals complement the company’s "dry to wet” range of perfluoroelastomer sealing parts that includes Kalrez® Sahara™ 8575, Kalrez® 8002, Kalrez® 7075UP, Kalrez® Sahara™ 8475 and Kalrez® 6375UP, and offers a sealing product for every key semicon fab process. Each is designed to withstand semiconductor process media, including reactive plasmas, at temperatures as high as 327°C, while helping fabricators reduce particle generation and cut costly downtime in silicon wafer processing.

Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085

"Since its introduction in 2002, Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 has become a proven success by helping Fab lines to significantly reduce particle adders and improve equipment reliability in HDPCVD, SACVD, PECVD, tungsten CVD and etching processes," said Martin Vaughan, marketing manager Europe – Kalrez® Semiconductor Industry.

"Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 was also developed to resist NF3 plasma, a cleaning gas that can damage elastomeric seals. Some customers who use this particularly aggressive plasma for cleaning have reported as much as 200 per cent improved wafer yield since switching to Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085.”

Bonded Door Seals

Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals offer significantly increased yield and particle reduction benefits in CVD, etch and ashing processes for key 200mm and 300mm wafer production equipment platforms, claims DuPont Performance Elastomers. The MONOVAT® door seal with KLR 9100, seen here, enabled a leading chip manufacturer to almost double wafer yield.

"First launched at Semicon Europa 2004, Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals have already been adopted by several leading Fab lines to seal CVD, etch and ashing processes for the key 200mm and 300mm wafer production equipment platforms, and report significant benefits," said Vaughan.

He cited a leading European chip manufacturer that almost doubled wafer yield from about 30 000 to 55 000 pairs in a Producer low-k Black Diamond PECVD process by switching to MONOVATâ bonded door seals with KLR 9100. KLR 9100, the latest perfluoroelastomer compound from DuPont Performance Elastomers, significantly lowered particle generation in the process.

Vaughan also reported that a major Southwest USA Fab line achieved 51 per cent particle reduction by switching to Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 Bonded Door Seals in a tungsten CVD process.

DuPont Performance Elastomers claims that Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals outperform conventional O-rings in slit and gate valve door seal applications, and also reduce rolling and twisting during door actuation due to being held in a 'fixed' position. These innovations can lead to extended seal life and reduced replacement time during preventive maintenance, the company states.

Kalrez® Sahara™ 8085 Bonded Door Seals are designed for HDPCVD, PECVD, SACVD, low-K CVD and metal CVD as well as etch and ash wafer processing applications.

Integrated perfluoroelastomer parts manufacture

All Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer parts are produced only by DuPont Performance Elastomers and are specially cleaned and double packaged in Class 100 Workstations to significantly reduce the potential for contamination. Each item is individually packaged in a bar coded bag for full traceability and is available as O-rings, sheets, and custom parts.

Jane E. Austin, global business director for DuPont Performance Elastomers' chloroelastomers business, has been elected the Society of the Plastics Industry's (SPI) 2006 chairperson, becoming the first woman to head the nation’s leading plastics industry group. Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry represents one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States.

About DuPont Performance Elastomers

DuPont Performance Elastomers, a global supplier of specialty elastomers with headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont. The company is an industry leader in chloroelastomers and fluorinated elastomers, serving the automotive, chemical, petrochemical, semiconductor, food and pharmaceutical processing, construction, general rubber and wire and cable industries.

Kalrez® is a registered trademark of DuPont Performance Elastomers.

Kalrez® Sahara™ is a registered trademark of DuPont Performance Elastomers.

Next Article: Article 3: DuPont Performance Elastomers Provices A To Z Of Critical CPI Sealing With Viton® And Kalrez®