Semiconductor

Our semiconductor bearing ring materials are completely dependent on the application. We can offer various stainless steels such as 440C and 316 or even more exotic nitrogen-enriched stainless steels such as Cronidur® 30 or XD15NW. We have a full range of fully ceramic options which include Zirconia, Silicon Nitride, Silicon Carbide, and Aluminum. Finally, we can offer plastic bearings such as PEEK, Acetal, and PTFE. Each material has its benefits and we can offer full technical support to ensure you receive the best bearing option. 

There are many different semiconductor ball materials from which to choose. Customers looking to eliminate the need for liquid lubrications will find Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) to be a great option. This material also minimizes wear and fatigue characteristics. 440C stainless steel could be a great option for those looking for corrosion resistance. Plastic or glass balls could also be utilized in conjunction with plastic raceways. It is important to consult our bearing engineers to provide expert technical assistance.

The performance of a bearing is highly dependent on the cage or retainer. The trade-off between performance, cost, and delivery time is one we deal with on a daily basis. The standard cage material utilized in semiconductor bearings is 304 stainless steel. This is highly corrosion-resistant, cost-effective, and readily available. Another great option is PEEK which is typically machined or injection molded. This tends to have a more robust cage design which can offer better performance. At Carter, it is common for us to utilize PTFE with Molybdenum Disulphide and Glass Fibre additives for special projects. This material is impregnated with dry lubrication which is deposited on the balls and raceway during operation. This adds additional lubricity and can drastically improve bearing performance. 

The semiconductor industry demands clean bearings made of the purest materials. Often, a vacuum is created during operation and it is critical the bearing is compatible with such an environment. The use of dry film lubrication can add many benefits as it eliminates the need for liquid lubrication. The most successful of these dry lubrication is Tungsten Disulfide, WS₂. This dry lubrication was originally developed by NASA for use in deep space but is now commercially available for other extreme industries. There are other options such as Molybdenum Disulfide, MoS₂, and our Graphite Solid Lubrication which can also be viable options. 

Thin-section bearings are an ideal solution for high-speed, smooth torque applications where space is tight and weight reduction is important. Where required, bearings can feature a common race with two bearing paths that are ground at the same time and "run-out" together, a design that helps to smooth out any potential additional torque that may be caused by variations in axial runout. Again, Carter specialist engineers can advise on this. Other products in the thin section bearing range from Carter offer a single outer and single inner raceway. This helps provide optimised torque performance should misalignment occur during installation when thin section, angular contact bearings are either paired or stacked.

A key design advantage of our thin-section bearings for semiconductor manufacturing applications is that seals (or shielding) can be specified for the bearing without adding to the space required. Carter specialist semiconductor industry engineers will advise about seals that can be used in atmospheric environments or shields that should be considered for vacuum or other clean-room environments. Designers should note that because there is zero contact between the shields and the inner race, there is no torque penalty, no particle generation, and no heat build-up or degradation of performance when Silverthin thin sections bearings are used.

• Arms
• Atmospheric & vacuum transfer
• CVD systems
• Dicing equipment
• Die bonders
• Dispensing
• Etching systems
• Inspection equipment
• Lapping equipment
• Manipulators
• Measuring systems
• Mechanical polishers
• Mechanical polishers
• Sonic cleaning systems
• Photolithography
• Pick and place robots
• Positioners
• Probe stations
• Robots
• Spin dryers
• Sputtering equipment
• Test head
• Test heads
• Thin-film deposition systems
• Vacuum deposition systems
• Wafer polishers
• Wafer probers
• Wafer scrubbers
• Wafer steppers
• Wafer transfer systems
• Wafer trimmers