Perlast drives down CVD/etch equipment cost-of-ownership with Kimura elastomers

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Leading high purity, semiconductor seals specialist, Perlast Ltd, a unit of IDEX Corp., is further lowering the cost-of-ownership of Etch and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process equipment with the launch of new Kimura K23X and K2CD elastomers.

Perlast will be unveiling the new materials at Intersolar North America 2010 in San Francisco's Moscone Center West Hall from July 13-15, booth number 8217.

Kimura K13X, and now K23X and K2CD elastomers, feature a proprietary, self-reinforcing polymer structure that avoids the need for traditional and organic fillers. As such the elastomer addresses the particulation and thermal expansion issues that can arise with fluoroelastomer (FKM) and high purity perfluoroelastomers (FFKM) seals in Etch and CVD processes.

Kimura's absence of a filler, even an organic one, reduces the speed with which the elastomer is degraded by aggressive process plasmas, enabling Kimura seals to last up to 40 percent longer than FKM and FFKM seals in both hot and cold processes.

The Kimura elastomer's low thermal expansion enables the Kimura seals to be retro-fit into existing O-ring glands designed for FKM and FFKM materials in older etching chambers. Moreover, the new technology elastomer exhibits low 'stiction' in dynamic applications such as L-motion gates, door seals and throttle valves, as compared with FFKMs.

At the sub 45nm feature level, high purity perfluoroelastomers are reaching their operational limit. It is here that Kimura's extremely low levels of particulates give manufacturers a clear productivity edge. Designed specifically for sub 45nm features semiconductor architectures, the Kimura K23X and K2CD materials enable engineers to significantly increase CVD and Etch equipment productivity.

"Kimura K23X and K2CD continue to drive the 'purity with performance' agenda in semiconductor equipment sealing," says David Holt, sales director, Perlast. "The new elastomer grades build on the success of Kimura K13X in Etch processes where it has provided unprecedented levels of service; and broaden the scope for Kimura to reduce equipment cost-of-ownership in CVD processes as well."