Nanometer Precision for Core Foundations: The Innovation Journey of Huzhou Prim Semiconductor in Precision Components

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

As semiconductor advanced processes continue to shrink toward 3nm and 2nm, integrating hundreds of billions of transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail demands extreme precision—any deviation of even one micron during production can render an entire batch of wafers unusable. Under such stringent requirements, every core piece of equipment in the wafer processing workflow—from tiny ceramic forks to complete motion control platforms—becomes critical to chip yield, and has long been a bottleneck restricting the development of domestic high-end semiconductor manufacturing. Founded in 2023, Huzhou Prim Semiconductor Co., Ltd. emerged precisely in this context, leveraging nanometer-level ultra-precision motion control technology to build, within just a few years, a comprehensive suite of precision solutions covering the entire wafer processing chain, establishing itself as a rising force that cannot be ignored in the surge of China's homegrown semiconductor equipment industry. 

Key to the serial process: Precise and controllable wafer handling robots 

A single chip undergoes hundreds of processing steps from raw silicon to final packaging, with each wafer being transferred dozens of times across various process chambers. As the "transporter" linking the entire production flow, the precision, stability, and cleanliness of wafer-handling robots directly determine the final chip yield, placing extreme demands on materials and design. 

Huzhou Prim's wafer handling robot features an end-effector arm made of high-purity alumina ceramic, fully leveraging the unique advantages of ceramic materials. High-purity alumina not only offers exceptional strength and hardness but also achieves a room-temperature resistivity of up to 10¹⁵0¹⁵ Ω·cm, providing outstanding insulation performance. With a melting point as high as 2050°C, it exhibits minimal thermal deformation during semiconductor heat treatment processes. Additionally, its excellent chemical stability prevents the release of metal ions or micro-particle shedding, avoiding contamination of the wafer surface. This makes it perfectly suited for extreme production environments such as vacuum, high temperature, and corrosive gases. To meet diverse production line requirements, the robot supports various configurations including single-arm and dual-arm designs. The end-effector can be integrated with an intelligent vision recognition system that uses deep learning algorithms to automatically identify wafers of different sizes and materials, dynamically adjusting transport paths and suction force. Whether handling thin, flexible wafers or multi-layer stacked wafers, the system ensures smooth and stable operation. Equipped with an adaptive control system, it can sense changes in the working environment in real time and dynamically adjust operational parameters, ensuring high transfer efficiency while minimizing vibration and impact. From front-end lithography to back-end packaging, it meets stringent precision requirements throughout the entire wafer transfer process. 

Frictionless rotation: Air-floating rotary shaft achieves nanometer-level rotational precision 

In critical processes such as wafer calibration, inspection, and thinning, the precision of rotational motion directly affects processing and measurement outcomes. Traditional mechanical bearings suffer from issues like frictional wear and vibration interference, making them inadequate for nanometer-level manufacturing requirements. The emergence of air-bearing rotary axes has completely resolved this challenge. Huzhou Primus's air-bearing rotary axis utilizes high-pressure gas to form a uniform air cushion between the rotating shaft and the support base, enabling contactless suspension. This fundamentally eliminates wear, vibration, and heat generation caused by mechanical friction, laying the foundation for high-precision rotation. 

Equipped with direct-drive torque motors and a high-precision grating feedback system, this air-floating rotary axis achieves positioning accuracy within 1.2 arcseconds, repeat positioning accuracy below 0.7 arcseconds, and axial and radial rotational precision at the nanometer level, with static jitter controlled under 0.3 arcseconds. To meet diverse process requirements, Huzhou Primus has developed a product series compatible with various wafer sizes, seamlessly covering production wafers from 8-inch to 12-inch. The heavy-duty models offer axial load capacity reaching several thousand Newtons. These axes can be integrated into wafer calibrators as the core rotating scanning component or applied in wafer thinning, dicing, and other processing equipment. Thanks to their low vibration, zero friction, and high stability, they have become an essential core component in semiconductor precision manufacturing. 

Precision Foundation: A Breakthrough in Precision Motion Stage Design 

Precision motion stages serve as the core platform that supports wafers through various processing and inspection steps, functioning like the "feet" of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The accuracy of every movement directly determines process precision. As processes enter the nanometer era, motion stages must not only achieve nanometer-level displacement resolution but also maintain extremely low tracking error and jitter during high-speed operation, imposing exceptionally high demands on both design and manufacturing. 

Huzhou Primus adheres to nanometer-level ultra-precision motion control as the core in its precision motion stage design, independently developing every aspect of the system—from mechanical structure and drive mechanisms to control algorithms. The overall design features an air-floating support system combined with direct linear motor drive, eliminating backlash and return errors associated with traditional screw drives, enabling frictionless linear motion with displacement resolution reaching the nanometer level. To meet diverse application requirements, the design team optimizes platform structural rigidity through finite element analysis to suppress deformation caused by external vibrations and inertial forces during motion. Additionally, a proprietary motion control algorithm has been developed to achieve high-precision trajectory tracking, ensuring that wafer positioning deviations remain within acceptable limits during movement and alignment. Whether serving as a worktable for lithography systems or a load platform for inspection equipment, Huzhou Primus's precision motion stages provide a stable and accurate foundation for manufacturing processes, enabling downstream equipment to deliver consistent and reliable process performance. 

Calibration Starting Point: Wafer Calibrator Establishes Process Reference 

Before wafers enter core processing equipment such as lithography and etching machines, they must first undergo center alignment and orientation calibration; otherwise, all subsequent processes will suffer deviations. This is precisely the core mission of the wafer calibrator. Acting as a "gatekeeper" in the wafer handling process, the wafer calibrator functions like a precise "surveyor," adjusting randomly placed wafers into standardized coordinate positions and providing a consistent reference for downstream operations. 

Huzhou Prim's wafer aligner employs a technical approach combining "optical scanning, air-floating rotation, and precision computation," integrated with a self-developed active wafer centering algorithm to achieve non-contact, high-precision alignment. During operation, the wafer is placed on a vacuum chuck and rotated at a constant speed via an air-floating rotary axis. An internal array of CCD optical sensors performs non-contact scanning of the wafer's edge profile, capturing complete edge data. Using the generalized least squares method, geometric circle fitting is applied to calculate the deviation between the actual wafer center and the mechanical center. The system simultaneously identifies the wafer's notch or flat for angular alignment, determining any rotational offset. It then outputs X/Y displacement compensation values and rotational angle correction values, enabling robotic handlers to perform secondary adjustments so that the wafer enters the next process stage in a standardized orientation. The entire calibration process remains non-contact, preventing scratches or contamination on the wafer surface. With calibration accuracy meeting the requirements for 12-inch large-diameter wafers, this equipment meets the stringent demands of advanced manufacturing processes and serves as a critical tool for ensuring yield in front-end wafer production. 

Breaking the Barrier: From Single-Point Breakthrough to Comprehensive Solution Coverage 

For a long time, the field of semiconductor precision equipment has been dominated by international giants, leaving domestic companies facing dual challenges of technological blockades and supply chain security. Since its inception, Huzhou Primus has focused on nanometer-level ultra-precision motion control as its core direction, achieving breakthroughs in key components and gradually building a comprehensive precision solution covering the entire process of wafer handling, calibration, and processing. Core equipment such as wafer-handling robots, air-floating rotary axes, precision motion stages, and wafer calibrators work together like gears in a precision clock, ensuring accurate and controllable performance throughout the entire wafer production process. 

Today, amid the wave of self-reliance and control in China's domestic semiconductor equipment industry, homegrown innovators like Huzhou Primus are emerging as pioneers breaking through the deadlock. With their independently developed core technologies, they are steadily dismantling foreign technological monopolies and laying a precise foundation for high-end domestic chip manufacturing. As advanced processes continue to evolve, the semiconductor industry will demand ever greater precision. These locally rooted companies, deeply committed to core technologies, will keep pushing boundaries at the micron level, continuously fueling the advancement of China's semiconductor industry.