Deeply cultivating the wafer alignment track, Prim Semiconductor unlocks new breakthroughs in precision equipment

In the layout of the semiconductor equipment industry in the Yangtze River Delta, Huzhou Pulim Semiconductor Co., Ltd., founded in Changxing, Huzhou in 2023, is gradually becoming a new and influential force in the segmented field, thanks to its deep exploration of precision hardware technology. This enterprise, rooted in the West Lake Science and Technology Innovation Park, has been targeting the "precision pain points" in the semiconductor manufacturing process since its inception. Focusing on core scenarios of wafer-level precision motion and alignment, it has developed a full-chain supporting hardware solution covering wafer aligners, air-bearing rotary axes, ceramic wafer forks, and wafer alignment stages, solving a large number of practical production problems related to precision stability for downstream manufacturing customers.

As a core auxiliary equipment in the semiconductor manufacturing process, the performance of the wafer aligner directly determines the benchmark accuracy of the subsequent full-process technology. In actual production scenarios, after multiple transfers, wafers are prone to issues such as benchmark drift and surface flatness deviation. If there are oversights in the alignment process, subsequent processes such as lithography and probe testing may result in yield loss. The wafer aligner launched by Prim Semiconductor breaks away from the limitations of traditional single-parameter calibration, integrating multiple dimensional parameters such as temperature, pressure, flatness, and coordinate benchmark into a unified calibration process. Relying on the built-in high-precision sensing module, it can quickly identify and correct the wafer benchmark marks, controlling the calibrated benchmark error within micrometers, helping customers significantly shorten the debugging time after machine model change and avoid batch wafer rework caused by benchmark deviation.

As the core moving component of the wafer alignment stage, the air-bearing rotary shaft is crucial for determining the operational stability of the equipment. Traditional mechanical contact rotary shafts are prone to wear and increased vibration after prolonged high-speed operation, which in turn affects the positioning accuracy of the wafer. The air-bearing rotary shaft developed by Prim Semiconductor utilizes a non-contact gas support structure, eliminating mechanical friction during operation. This not only keeps radial runout to an extremely low level during rotation but also achieves zero drift in accuracy during prolonged continuous operation. This component can accommodate the loading requirements of wafers ranging from 6 inches to 12 inches, maintaining absolute stability of the disk surface even under high-speed rotation. It provides a stable motion foundation for subsequent visual alignment and parameter calibration, effectively solving the problem of accuracy degradation caused by wear over long-term use of traditional rotary shafts.

Ceramic fork, as the core component in the wafer transmission process, bears the responsibility of smoothly transferring wafers between different workstations. In semiconductor manufacturing, the thin film structure on the wafer surface is fragile, and even minor scratches or electrostatic residues can directly lead to the scrap of the entire wafer. Prim Semiconductor has chosen high-purity engineering ceramics as the base material to create ceramic forks, which possess characteristics of low deformation, high wear resistance, and anti-static properties. The surface undergoes special polishing treatment, eliminating any sharp edges and corners, ensuring that the edges and surface of the wafer are not mechanically damaged during the process of picking and placing wafers. Additionally, its extremely low metal precipitation characteristic fully meets the production requirements of clean workshops, allowing for long-term stable use in high-cleanliness environments, significantly reducing the risk of debris during wafer transmission.

The terminal carrier that integrates and implements the technological advantages of the aforementioned core components is precisely the core product of Prim Semiconductor - the wafer alignment stage. This alignment stage utilizes a self-developed air-bearing rotary shaft as the core of motion, paired with a high-precision visual recognition module, to quickly complete sub-micron positioning of alignment marks on the wafer surface. At the same time, it relies on a supporting wafer calibrator to complete baseline pre-correction in advance, and then cooperates with a ceramic fork to achieve non-destructive loading and unloading of wafers, forming a complete closed loop from wafer reception, baseline calibration, precision alignment to workstation output. This equipment can be widely adapted to multiple process scenarios such as pre-alignment before lithography, position calibration for probe testing, and positioning before wafer cutting, helping downstream customers improve alignment efficiency by nearly 30%, while stably controlling the long-term operational alignment repeatability at an industry-leading level.