Nanometer Precision Builds the Foundation for Domestic Chips: The Story of Huzhou Prim's Breakthrough in Precision Equipment

As semiconductor advanced processes continue to shrink toward 3nm and 2nm, the industry's demands for manufacturing precision have escalated to the nanometer level: billions of transistors are integrated onto chips no larger than a fingernail, and even micrometer-level deviations during production can result in entire batches of wafers being scrapped. Under such stringent requirements, every step in the wafer processing workflow—from calibration and positioning to handling, transport, and carrier motion—plays a decisive role in final chip yield, making these components critical bottlenecks in domestic high-end chip manufacturing. 

Founded in 2023, Huzhou Prim Semiconductor emerged as a breakthrough player against this industrial backdrop. This homegrown enterprise, originating from the core technology team of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has built a comprehensive precision solution spanning core components to full-process systems within just three years. With technological breakthroughs in key products such as wafer handling systems, wafer calibrators, precision motion stages, and ceramic fork designs, it has become a rising force that cannot be overlooked in China's domestic semiconductor equipment sector. 

Precision in a Fraction of an Inch: Wafer Calibrator Sets the Standard for Advanced Process Alignment 

To precisely arrange hundreds of billions of transistors on a wafer, the first step is to establish a standard coordinate system for the wafer—this is exactly the core mission of the wafer calibrator. Before the wafer enters key processing chambers such as lithography or etching equipment, the calibrator must accurately determine the wafer's center position and crystal orientation angle, adjusting arbitrarily placed wafers into a standardized alignment to ensure subsequent processing precision. 

Huzhou Prim's wafer calibrator employs a proprietary technology approach combining "optical scanning, precision motion, and algorithmic fitting," achieving a center positioning accuracy of ±0.05 mm and a notch angle positioning accuracy of ±0.05°—significantly surpassing industry averages. To meet diverse application needs, Prim has developed two solutions: a standalone model equipped with an integrated motion system capable of performing calibration independently, ideal for laboratory R&D and small-to-medium production lines; and an embedded solution directly integrated into wafer handling robots as an additional rotational unit, suitable for high-speed mass production lines without occupying extra space, meeting the throughput requirement of nearly 10,000 wafers per hour. 

To accommodate wafers ranging from 4 inches to 12 inches, including transparent semiconductor material wafers, Prim employs a modular clamping design that complies with SEMI industry standards for notch and flat edge positioning. It achieves non-contact edge clamping, preventing surface damage to the wafer while ensuring no interference with subsequent processing steps, meeting advanced manufacturing requirements for zero contamination and zero damage. 

Stable Transfer Between Microns: Wafer Handling System, the Lifeline Connecting the Entire Production Process 

A single chip undergoes hundreds of processing steps from raw silicon to final packaging, with each wafer being transferred dozens of times among various process chambers. The wafer handling system acts like the circulatory system connecting the entire production flow, and its transport precision, stability, and cleanliness directly determine production efficiency and chip yield. 

Huzhou Prim's EFEM wafer handling system achieves full self-reliance and controllability in both core structure and control algorithms. Focusing on the three key requirements of "stability, precision, and cleanliness," the system has been meticulously refined: it features a high-stiffness, lightweight aluminum alloy main frame combined with a self-developed air-floating motion module, completely eliminating vibration and wear caused by traditional mechanical friction. This enables vibration amplitude during transport to be controlled at the nanometer level, preventing wafer scratching or positional deviation due to movement. On the control side, a multi-axis coordinated precision algorithm automatically plans optimal motion paths, ensuring transmission efficiency while avoiding collisions with surrounding equipment, and adapting flexibly to various production line layouts. 

To meet the high cleanliness requirements of semiconductor manufacturing, all components of the Prim transfer system that come into contact with wafers undergo special treatment. The joint areas feature magnetic fluid sealing and bellows design, making them suitable for high-vacuum process environments. This design fundamentally eliminates the risk of micro-particle contamination, meeting Class 1 ultra-high cleanliness standards. 

Precision base for accuracy: designed with precision motion stages, ensuring every micrometer of displacement is fully controllable 

Whether it's wafer calibration or transfer handling, all precision operations rely on the support of high-precision motion stages—serving as the foundation for every high-accuracy task, the performance of these stages directly determines the system's maximum precision. Since its inception, Huzhou Prim has focused deeply on nanometer-level ultra-precision motion control technology, accumulating extensive expertise in the design of precision motion stages. 

During the design process, Prim's R&D team optimized the structure layer by layer starting from the foundation: the frame features a monolithic granite construction with a thermal expansion coefficient close to zero, inherently providing high rigidity and stability, effectively eliminating structural deformation caused by environmental temperature fluctuations. The drive unit employs a linear motor combined with a nano-interference feedback compensation system, along with a self-developed error compensation algorithm, achieving positioning accuracy of 50 nanometers and repeat positioning accuracy of 35 nanometers. The new generation product further improves positioning accuracy to within 30 nanometers, fully meeting the requirements of advanced 2nm manufacturing processes. 

Different application scenarios have varying requirements for motion degrees of freedom. Prime has developed a full range of precision motion stages, from single-axis to six-degree-of-freedom systems, capable of meeting basic motion needs such as wafer alignment and transfer, as well as adapting to high-demand applications like lithography tool worktables. Customized development is available based on customer requirements, ensuring seamless integration with various equipment. 

Direct Contact Protection: Ceramic Wafer Fork, Safeguarding Wafer Integrity with Material Technology 

In wafer handling systems, the core component that directly contacts the wafer is the wafer fork. The performance of the fork directly determines the safety of wafer transportation—traditional metal forks are prone to metal contamination and may deform due to insufficient hardness, potentially scratching the backside of the wafer. Huzhou Prim uses high-purity ceramic materials to manufacture ceramic forks, effectively resolving this industry challenge. 

Prim's ceramic wafer forks are made of high-purity alumina or silicon nitride ceramics, offering low friction, high rigidity, low thermal expansion, and excellent chemical stability. They not only prevent metal particle contamination but also resist acid and alkali corrosion during semiconductor manufacturing processes, resulting in a service life significantly longer than that of traditional metal forks. Additionally, the ceramic material is lighter in weight, reducing inertia during motion and enabling faster acceleration and more precise stopping accuracy for handling systems, thereby further enhancing production line efficiency. 

In terms of structural design, the Prim ceramic wafer fork employs an ultra-thin, one-piece molding process, with a minimum thickness of just 1.2 mm, enabling it to easily access narrow gaps in wafer cassettes for smooth wafer handling. It meets the requirements of standard FOUP front-opening wafer transport containers, with a thickness tolerance controlled within 0.02 mm, ensuring each fork securely supports wafers without slippage or vibration. 

Pursuing the Future through Self-Reliance: Prim's Path to Breakthrough in Domestic Equipment 

Since its establishment, Huzhou Prim has consistently maintained high investment in research and development, with R&D spending consistently exceeding 20% of revenue. The company has accumulated numerous core patents and its products span multiple fields including semiconductors, precision optics, and biomedical applications. It has become one of the few domestic enterprises capable of providing comprehensive precision solutions for the entire wafer processing workflow. Amid international technological restrictions, Prim's products have not only achieved domestic substitution for those of global giants but also gained increasing recognition from Chinese chip manufacturing and equipment companies due to their cost-effectiveness and localized service advantages. 

Looking ahead, Huzhou Prim will continue to focus on nanometer-level precision technology, further refining core products such as wafer handling, calibration, and precision motion stages. The company aims to achieve breakthroughs in higher accuracy, greater efficiency, and enhanced stability, building a solid foundation of precision for domestically produced high-end semiconductor equipment and advancing China's semiconductor industry toward a higher level of self-reliance and control.