Save costs with 3D printers

The approach of using additively manufactured components increases the functionality and precision of semiconductor manufacturing machines and paves the way for more efficient production processes. The chip industry requires machines that work with optimum precision and repeatability and whose performance data is in the nanometer range. The smallest deviations can lead to faulty chips, i.e. expensive rejects. At Formnext in Frankfurt, Trumpf showcased additively manufactured parts for the semiconductor industry, such as manifolds used in water and gas pipes in semiconductor production facilities (image).

Semiconductor industry benefits from AM technology

The complex machines in the semiconductor industry rely on the precision of each individual component. Examples of this are liquid and gas distributors. Conventional manufacturing of complex liquid distributors results in large and heavy parts that have abrupt liquid flows and stagnation zones and can be prone to leakage. The resulting pressure losses and flow-induced vibrations have a negative impact on semiconductor production. "AM technology allows semiconductor equipment manufacturers to combine multiple parts into one, which improves reliability," says Marco Andreetta, responsible for additive manufacturing for the semiconductor industry at Trumpf.

Optimizing the manifolds leads to more efficient and robust components that ultimately improve the overall performance of semiconductor manufacturing machines. Trumpf's AM technology enables the production of components for semiconductor machines with higher stiffness and lower weight, which is crucial for the high demands of semiconductor manufacturing. AM-manufactured fluid manifolds have lower pressure losses, mechanical disturbances and flow-induced vibrations. The geometric freedom that 3D printing allows can help reduce potential leaks and increase part performance and reliability.

The semiconductor industry relies on AM technology from Trumpf

The quality requirements for parts used in semiconductor manufacturing machines are unprecedented and a challenge for any manufacturing technology. With its monitoring solution for 3D printing, Trumpf enables these requirements to be met with automatic multi-laser alignment (AMA) and melt pool monitoring.

AMA offers TruPrint users fully automatic online monitoring and correction of the positioning of the laser beams in relation to each other - accurate to within a few micrometers. At Formnext 2024, Trumpf presented the second version of the AMA system, which enables faster detection and finer correction. The patented system visually detects the position of the master laser and slave laser and corrects the second position. The process takes place between the production of the individual layers at an interval set by the user. The Trumpf technology also monitors the melt pool live during the printing process. "This not only ensures quality, but can also reduce costs," says Andreetta. This is because live monitoring of the melt pool during the production process allows users to save on expensive non-destructive testing procedures such as computer tomography (CT) of the component after production.