Where AM fits in the world of semiconductor manufacturing

Additive manufacturing is gaining ground in the semiconductor industry, particularly in the production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and tools like manifolds, assembly fixtures and wafer chucks. In this still-niche but expanding application area, ceramic and metal AM technologies are offering distinct benefits, including the ability to design more complex geometries, such as manifolds with internal cooling channels; part consolidation, which streamlines the production process and can simplify supply chains; and lower production costs driven by minimized material usage and greater production agility.

In this article, we are looking at some of the recent applications for AM in the production of semiconductors. It goes without saying that the following use cases are not exhaustive, but do offer a specific look into how additive manufacturing technologies are today being used to support the production of semiconductors.

Metal AM

Metal AM processes, such as laser powder bed fusion and near-net-shaped technologies like Norsk Titanium’s Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD), can meet the requirements of Semiconductor Capital Equipment (SME) while offering cost and time benefits compared to traditional forging or machining processes. Across the metal AM sector, a number of leading companies market solutions for the semiconductor industry, including the aforementioned 3D Systems (which has collaborated with semiconductor manufacturers for over a decade), Norsk Titanium, EOS, Additive Industries, and VELO3D (which partnered with Lam Research to develop materials and applications for the semiconductor industry).

Optimized manifolds

3D Systems has supported precision manufacturing company Wilting with the production of metal parts for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Wilting has both adopted 3D Systems’ technology and benefited from the Application Innovation Group’s (AIG) technology transfer to supply complex metal parts to a large manufacturer of semiconductor capital equipment. Notably, last March Wilting increased its in-house metal AM capacity with the addition of two single-laser DMP Flex 350 units and a DMP Flex 350 Dual metal 3D printers, for a total of five systems.

In the context of semiconductor production, Wilting has developed metal manifolds optimized using AM to improve system imaging accuracy and productivity. Leveraging AM to design and make this manufacturing tool has resulted in manifolds that are: optimized for fluid flow, reducing liquid induced disturbance by as much as 90%; more compact and up to 50% more lightweight, which minimizes inertia and system vibration; and more reliable thanks to design consolidation. These manifolds have ultimately helped to increase machine up-time and speeds, leading to more semiconductor wafers being processed.

3D Systems’ metal AM technology, Direct Metal Printing (DMP), has also been used for other semiconductor tools, including silicon wafer heatsinks with conformal cooling channels and surface patterns optimized for thermal management. Notably, 3D Systems’ AIG has over a decade of experience working with semiconductor capital equipment manufacturers and has played a key role in their adoption and scaling of additive manufacturing.

Wafer table thermal management

In addition to optimized manifolds for the semiconductor industry, 3D Systems has been involved in the development of a number of other semiconductor manufacturing tools, including wafer tables with optimized thermal management properties. Maintaining a specific temperature range is crucial when manufacturing semiconductors, thus thermal management throughout the process is a key priority. Additive manufacturing is well positioned to support this need since the technology can produce components with built-in cooling channels and other thermal management features, like surface patterns.

Leveraging topology optimization software, 3D Systems has developed wafer tables optimized for thermal management, which not only improve semiconductor equipment accuracy (by 1–2 nm) and stabilization (5x), but also allow for an 83% decrease in thermal changes (from 13.8 to 2.3 mK). Adopting metal additive manufacturing for wafer tables also has the benefit of speeding up wafer processing, which leads to higher throughput for semiconductor makers.

3D Systems’ other semiconductor manufacturing equipment applications include optimized flexure designs, which minimize weight and vibrations for superior processing; linear stages with integrated cooling channels and cooling jackets; complex showerhead structures with non-cylindrical nozzle geometries; and consolidated, more compact gas conveyance systems that are up to three times more efficient that their conventionally manufactured counterparts.

Titanium carrier trays

Since early 2023, Norsk Titanium has leveraged its Rapid Plasma Deposition technology to manufacture titanium carrier trays for Dutch company Hittech Group to support the production of semiconductor chips. The carrier trays, large near-net-shape components weighing 80 kg, are vital in ASML’s lithography semiconductor manufacturing process. The carrier trays are manufactured at Norsk Titanium’s facility in Plattsburgh, New York and delivered to Hittech in the Netherlands. The 3D printed preform has reportedly offered significant material savings compared to the conventional forged plate (64%, the equivalent of 140 kg) and faster lead times.

“We are seeing that customers in all markets are looking for alternatives to their legacy titanium suppliers. With this delivery we have demonstrated that Norsk Titanium can deliver shorter lead times and offer an alternative to titanium raw material suppliers that may be experiencing disruptions in today’s environment,” commented Nicholas Mayer, Norsk Titanium Vice President of Commercial. Early last year, Norsk Titanium and Hittech signed a two-year supply deal, which will see the metal AM company continue to supply the silicon wafer carrier trays for ASML’s semiconductor production equipment.

Wafer stages

A collaborative effort involving Additive Industries, ASML, Delft University of Technology and other partners investigated the benefits of using Additive Industries’ MetalFab technology for making wafer stage components. The wafer stage is a vital part of semiconductor manufacturing and is, as the metal AM company explains, “part of a high precision motion system used in the positioning of wafers in the lithography process equipment”. One of the goals of the project was to test a more automated design process for this component, which leveraged topological optimization rather than manual design in order to reduce the time to market while still delivering a high-performance component that has the right balance between stiffness and mass.

The final 3D printed parts were made without supports from aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg. After post-processing and final machining, the wafer stages weighed 8.5 kg each and demonstrated superior performance to the initial design—quantified at about 15% improvement. The test results of the 3D printed wafer stages also showed that the design was measured within 1% of the simulated performance, demonstrating the viability of using metal AM and automated design processes to create more efficient workflows and superior parts.

Ceramic AM

Technical ceramics have a long history in the semiconductor industry, offering many desirable properties like high thermal stability, electrical insulation, chemical resistance and exceptional strength. Semiconductor manufacturers have therefore been keenly interested in the ability to 3D print technical ceramics in recent years, particularly for the production of complex tools with optimized geometries.

Ceramic gas distribution rings

Germany-based Alumina Systems GmbH has several decades of experience joining metals and ceramics and more recently has ventured into the realm of 3D printing technical ceramics. Leveraging Lithoz’s LCM technology, the company specializes in large-scale ceramic components for the semiconductor industry. In particular, the company is known for producing the world’s largest 3D printed gas distribution ring, with a diameter of 530 mm. The gas distribution ring is 3D printed from aluminum oxide and is used in the coating of semiconductor wafers using the atomic layer deposition process.

The gas distributor ring was developed in partnership with Plasway GmbH, a specialist in the atomic layer processing, and was tested to vacuum tightness up to 10-8 mbar·L/s. Lithoz’s large-format CeraFab 8500, with a build volume of 800 x 1200 x 1700 mm, was essential in the development of this large semiconductor part.

Alumina Systems also worked with 3DCeram to produce similar rings (with diameters of 380 mm to 500 mm) in fewer parts, in this case with laser stereolithography (SLA) on the company’s C3600 ULTIMATE system.

Vacuum chucks

Also in the ceramic sphere, China-based iLaser, which has developed its own SLA platform for ceramic 3D printing, has developed 3D printed vacuum chucks for the semiconductor industry. Vacuum chucks are an essential tool in semiconductor production, as they position and hold wafers in place throughout processing. These components use vacuum technology to hold the wafer safely in place without any risk of mechanical damage. This vacuum effect is created by integrating micro-channels on the surface of the chuck connected to an external pump.

As iLaser explains, “After the vacuum pump is started, the air between the chuck and the wafer is pumped out to form a vacuum area, and the wafer is firmly pressed on the surface of the Chuck under the external atmospheric pressure.” In this application, iLaser’s technology offers high precision and efficiency while also reducing production costs.

Polymer AM

Of course, polymers also have applications in semiconductor manufacturing, particularly robust tooling-grade plastics with electrostatic discharge (ESD) properties. For example, ALM’s PA 830-ESD 12 powder for SLS integrates graphite, which grounds electric charges, and is suitable for making semiconductor assembly fixtures. Dutch company Bond3D, which specializes in 3D printing high-performance polymers, also markets a number of PEEK-based semiconductor tools, including flow-optimized cooling manifolds and wafer holders.

Keeping up with innovation

Ultimately, as semiconductor fabrication processes become increasingly sophisticated, additive manufacturing technologies will play an increasingly important role, enabling faster, more cost-efficient production of high-performance equipment and enhancing workflow efficiency through streamlined manufacturing and simplified supply chains. Above all, additive manufacturing can allow semiconductor manufacturers to to keep up with production and design changes and help keep manufacturing workflows operating smoothly.