Equipment Design & Development | Custom Tool Design | Automation Upgrades | Value-add Engineering

The Axus Technology staff has extensive experience in the development of new equipment, as well as creating modifications for existing equipment. These improvements have been designed to address new processes, unusual material handling requirements, or to improve productivity.

Our engineering resources include mechanical and hardware engineering, electrical and control systems, and after-market software development and support. By applying these resources to specific customer requirements, Axus Technology provides cost-effective solutions for virtually any requirement. Some examples of Axus Technology capabilities are outlined here.

• Modifications to standard CMP equipment for handling unique geometry (size, shape, thickness and material) substrates for applying conventional CMP processes to manufacturing of thin film read / write heads for the disk drive industry.

• Development of special tooling and polishing process for edge bead removal of polyimide on standard silicon wafer substrate.

• Process development and equipment modifications for a multiple-step process to grind material from both sides of silicon / polysilicon wafers for the formation of dielectrically-isolated “tubs” for manufacturing specialized devices for military applications.

• Integration of force and pressure sensing instrumentation to add or improve sensing capability for critical process parameters to improve process results and/or product yield.

• Development and integration of peripheral process and equipment data collection systems for critical process monitoring and diagnostics.

• Process development and handling system modifications for processing of gallium arsenide wafers to sub-100 micron final thickness.

Axus Technology has delivered a range of custom and semi-custom products for fab use, worldwide.  Whether for CMP, polishing, cleaning or substrate grinding, there is an economical custom solution available.

Examples of recent custom tool projects include:

Working directly with end users, Axus Technology can upgrade the automation and controls of tools using Brooks vacuum automation systems. Using the advanced controls pioneered by Moog Precision Processing Systems (formerly Berkeley Process Controls), Axus Technology can improve throughput and process yield on a range of production tools. With the capability to orient and locate wafers "on the fly" and with Autocalibration(r) technology, users are freed from teaching tool points while improving both the speed and precision of wafer handling. Wafer size changes can be accomplished automatically, without having to change vacuum system settings.

Download the informational MOOG DWC Brochure PDF.

Often a process can be more efficiently and profitably accomplished using a consumable part or replaceable component made of a new or different material, or possibly in a different form. This is very often true of legacy tools, where material technology has improved since the manufacture of the tooling itself. Often, newly available materials will vastly improve the performance and process lifetime of an existing tool.

On newer equipment it is possible to substantially improve the economics of the manufacturing process by redesigning a consumable part in a manner that improves the cost of the part by modifying the design, the use of new materials, or both.

Whether it is tooling of considerable age, or a state of the art installation, Axus has the expertise and experience to improve the economics of your process.