IES Blog

In short, if ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) or substrate thermal exposure are major concerns,
go with microwave, if you are dealing with inorganics, go with RF.  Here is a simple chart showing a more detailed comparison:

This article was posted by Mike Berry of IES Technical Sales.  For more information on Mike go to www.linkedin.com/in/michaelberry47 

This is a 3 minute video explaining how to determine the right amount of insertion depth and/or shunt width when you need to measure the temperature of a fluid. 

“Kalrez^®” was the first high performance perfluoroelastomer designed for plasma, wet process, and high temperature applications, introduced back in the late 1970s. Many users think of Kalrez^® similarly to “Kleenex^®” although there are now many versions (“compounds”)   of  Kalrez^® based on the intended application.

There are so many types of materials capable of providing a vacuum seal, it can be hard to choose.  The following chart is a good general guide:

In IC manufacturing, Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) processing tools are used to deposit dielectric films between metal layers on process wafers.  As the dielectric film is deposited on the wafer, it is also deposited on the chamber walls, heater block and showerheads.  Once enough film is built up throughout the chamber, it can start to flake or delaminate, exposing your substrate(s) to particulates.  To avoid this condition, and to maintain a consistent chamber process state, the film must be periodically removed (cleaned) from the chamber walls and hardware.  Many PECVD processing tools utilize an in-situ plasma chamber clean in order to remove the film that has built up during processing.        

The other day I participated in a GoToMeeting conference with a long time customer, hosted by a maker of specialized ceramic heaters. The call reinforced my long held belief that open communication, in the pre-design phase of a project (and at any time), is the key to mutual success.

Electropolishing ("EP") is an electrochemical process that preferentially etches the peaks of a metal surface.  It is essentially the opposite of electroplating, which adds material to a surface.

Selecting the right supplier for your high or ultra-high vacuum chamber is the first and most crucial step in building a high quality vacuum system. 

We live in the world of high technology vacuum, thin film/plasma processing, temperature, fluid handling and metrology, and have been around long enough to have witnessed a complete change in how to best serve the needs of our customers. 

Simply put, if you only need reasonable (~5%) accuracy and a visual indicator, there are many relatively inexpensive volumetric flow measurement instruments, such as those offered by Kobold USA (contact us for help).  However, because gas volume is significantly effected by temperature and pressure, if your application calls for higher accuracy you should be looking at an instrument that measures mass flow.