Consulting
I am pleased to consult you in many aspects of the wet chemical process technology in the semiconductor, micro-systems and solar area. The individual perspectives of end users, equipment manufacturers and suppliers find of course special consideration.
Wet users
As a Fab-manager, process engineer and user of wet chemical equipment you need to achieve highly stable process results in a very limited time frame. The development cycles of the chip industry are getting steadily shorter and at the same time the technological demands are increasing more and more.
In this environment, you have to make investment decisions and determine the technological future of your production. As an independent technology expert for wet chemical production processes I can give you neutral and practically important hints, tips and information on the following questions:
For existing or used equipment:
Is your existing etch and cleaning equipment still "up to date" and ready for future process technology nodes? Is an upgrade of these systems technologically sensible? Who offers upgrades for used equipment? Does it make sense to retrofit existing tools, or is a new investments more reasonable?
If new equipment is needed:
Which equipment manufacturer offers the best solution for your specific process requirements? What are the strengths and weaknesses of various process technologies? What should you look for when specifying new equipment? What’s the current situation of the wet equipment market?
Process Engineering questions:
Which developments in wet chemical process technology are emerging? Are there more cost-effective or environmentally friendly process alternatives? What are the possible applications when using ozone?
Tool vendors
As a tool vendor, it is not enough just to produce hardware and leave the process development to the customer. Instead the achievable process result becomes the focus of the purchase decision. Accordingly, the hardware design of new wet equipment has to follow the process necessities.
I am consulting equipment manufacturers in the following questions:
Tool concept:
How do I put the wet chemical process in the forefront of design considerations and what are the implications for the design of the system? What procedural ground rules do I have to follow when designing the tool? Which requirements does the equipment have to comply with for different wet chemical processes? Is the single-wafer or batch process more suitable for a specific application? Spraying or dipping?
Materials:
Which plastics and metal alloys are most suitable from the perspective of the process engineer? Are there any compatibility issues when using different chemicals in one tool?
Components:
Which OEM components have proved to be successful? What are the advantages and disadvantages of specific measurement techniques for level, flow, temperature and endpoint? How do I install the components properly? Which components are needed for ozone processes?
OEM Component- and chemical vendors
As a supplier for the semiconductor industry, it is important to understand the process requirements of the customers. The close cooperation with process engineers and equipment engineers is important to provide individual solutions to specific problems of the semiconductor and MEMS industry. The focus of my consulting work in this area is therefore related to the following questions:
Which equipment is used in the different fields of wet chemical process technology? What are the biggest issues with components and chemicals? Where can I find project partners to test new developments in practice? How does the market of equipment manufacturers look like?