Speciality Lubrication Solutions for the Semiconductor Industry

FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY We don’t just develop lubricants. For highly complex challenges in a wide range of industries, we develop innovative lubricant solutions that enable the mobility of tomorrow. Our goal: to keep our customers’ world in motion. Efficient, sustainable, reliable. Today and tomorrow. What can we move for you

Semiconductor Industry FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY Facts and figures Company: FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY GmbH, a company of the FUCHS Group Locations: Mannheim, Dohna, Kaiserslautern, Kiel and Wedel; approx. 1,400 employees Product range: A full range of more than 3,000 products for all application areas Certifications i. a.: ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, ISO 21469, HALAL, KOSHER (detailed certifications at www.fuchs.com/de/en) Gate-to-Gate** CO2-compensated FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY is a subsidiary of FUCHS SE, the world’s largest independent supplier of lubricant solutions....

by striving for perfection and unconditional reliability The semiconductor industry plays a pivotal role in modern technology. The increased demand for semiconductor products such as microprocessors, memory chips and flat panel displays has been driven by the emergence of next-generation technologies including 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), electrified vehicles, connected medical devices, industrial robots, and many more. These technically sophisticated applications often call for faster processing speeds and lower power consumption, requiring more complex fabrication...

Semiconductor Industry 06 – 07 Advantages of specialty lubricants for semiconductor equipment 08 – 09 Case Study: PFOA-Compliant solutions 10 – 11 Lubricants for semiconductor robotic systems 16 – 17 Lubricants for vacuum and cleanroom applic

Lubricants for semiconductor manufacturing Maintenance and downtime are expensive. Suppliers must carefully consider all materials selected to ensure they maximise performance without introducing new sources of potential contamination. Lubricant outgassing and particle generation can contaminate fab equipment and products, negatively impacting product quality and yields. Specialty, low outgassing vacuum lubricants must be selected to improve the performance and reliability of components in fabrication and processing equipment, improve line yields, avoid latent defects, and increase uptime. Components...

Semiconductor Industry Reduce outgassing Outgassing is akin to evaporation; it is the release of small fractional molecules from a bulk liquid or solid material. Evaporation losses accelerate when operating in vacuum and compromise a lubricant’s integrity over time. Low outgassing lubricants have a lower material loss to ensure longer-lasting lubrication. Outgassed molecules can also condense on surfaces and contaminate wafers, processing equipment, and other sensitive components. Lubricant outgassing is measured in total mass loss (TML) and collected volatile condensable materials (CVCM) per...

Case study

Semiconductor Industry Case study PFOA-compliant grease for semiconductor manufacturing bearings Challenge New environmental regulations surrounding perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have led many engineers and manufacturers to reconsider the materials they source in every aspect of their design. We were approached by a leader in the production of state-of-the-art vacuum robots that are designed specifically for tool automation in semiconductor wafer processing and other complex manufacturing environments. The customer needed to replace a grease that was discontinued by the manufacturer due to their...

Lubricants for semiconductor robotic systems Semiconductor manufacturing foundry and fabrication facilities utilise a multitude of robotic systems to both transport wafers throughout the plant and to position and transfer wafers within semiconductor wafer manufacturing equipment. These robots typically require high speed motion to ensure maximum productivity and require extremely precise, highly repeatable wafer placement to reduce defects and ensure product consistency throughout each step of the manufacturing process. Bearings and gears To meet such stringent precision requirements, lubricants...

Semiconductor Industry 1. Linear slides / rails & ball screws 3. Vacuum feedthroughs / vacuum pumps 4. Wafer transfer robot bearings

Testing capabilities Our semicon lubricants are tested and validated for their performance in our state-of-the-art laboratory dedicated to in-vacuum testing. In this laboratory lubricants can be tested under simulated environmental operating conditions (i.e., vacuum, extreme temperatures) and provide our customers with performance data that helps them understand how our lubricants will perform in their application. Ultimately, this service helps our customer make the most informed lubricant choice. Friction & wear SRV tribometer The SRV (Oscillating, Friction & Wear) test rig can run custom tests...

Semiconductor Industry Figure 1: spiral orbit tribometer Figure 2: mini traction machine

Synthetic oil & greases for semicon manufacturing components

Semiconductor Industry Synthetic oil & greases for semicon manufacturing components PFPE vs MAC lubricants Both PFPE and MAC lubricants offer low vapour pressure and low outgassing. PFPE lubricants offer better high temperature performance (up to 250 °C) when compared to MAC lubricants (up to 150 °C). Because of their unique additive packages, MAC lubricants provide better protection against wear when compared to PFPE lubricants. Both chemistries can be ultrafiltered, are compatible with plastics and elastomers, and comply with PFOA regulations. NyeTorr® vs NyeClean® Our NyeTorr® and NyeClean®...

Brand name Temperature Base oil Pour point Base oil viscosity range chemistry [°C] ASTM D445 Brand name Base oil Base oil viscosity chemistry ASTM D445 [cSt] Thickener NLGI type Grade ASTM D217 *Level 25 = 1 25pm particle max. Level 50 = 1 50pm particle max. Level 100 = 1 100pm particle max ** All greases exceed Mil-G-81937 - 10-34pm, < 1000 partic