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Machined Parts by Semiconductor Tool Module
The module tells a shop what the part will live with: plasma, process gas, heat, vacuum or only a robot. That decides the material, the finish and the cleaning before it decides the tolerance.
Modules, parts and what decides acceptance
Typical combinations, read as a starting point. Your tool maker's specification overrides any of them.
| Module | Machined parts | Usual material | Usual finish | What decides acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etch | Chamber bodies, liners, gas distribution plates, lift pin and ring hardware | 6061-T6, ceramics, silicon and SiC parts | Type III hard anodize, thermal spray yttria | Coating integrity at edges and holes, particle behaviour, no bare aluminum exposed to plasma |
| CVD and ALD | Chamber bodies, showerhead blanks, heater pedestal bodies, pumping rings | 6061-T6, 316L | Hard anodize, bare machined aluminum, electropolish | Hole uniformity across the showerhead, flatness at temperature, cleanliness |
| PVD | Shields, deposition and cover rings, chamber bodies, magnet hardware | 316L, titanium, aluminum, copper | Bead blast or arc spray texture for film adhesion | Surface texture that holds deposited film, geometry that survives strip and re-texture |
| Ion implant | Beam line hardware, source chamber parts, apertures, mounts | Graphite, tungsten, molybdenum, aluminum, stainless | As machined and cleaned | Material purity, flaking and sputter behaviour, high vacuum structure |
| CMP | Carrier head parts, retaining rings, slurry manifolds, platen hardware | PPS, PEEK, 316L, coated aluminum | As machined, passivated | Flatness, chemical resistance, no metal shed into the slurry path |
| Wet clean | Tank parts, manifolds, chuck and nozzle parts | PVDF, PFA, PTFE, polypropylene | Machined and plastic welded | Chemical compatibility, low extractables, leak tightness |
| Gas delivery | Manifold blocks, surface mount substrates, valve and fitting bodies | 316L, 316L VIM-VAR | Electropolish and passivation | Wetted Ra, helium leak rate, particle and moisture behaviour |
| Load lock and transfer | Transfer chamber bodies, slit valve parts, lids, bellows flanges | 6061-T6, 316L | Anodize, electropolish | Sealing face flatness and finish, leak rate, stiffness under pump down |
| EFEM and wafer handling | End effectors, aligner parts, load port and robot brackets, frames | 6061-T6, ceramics, PEEK | Hard anodize, clear anodize | Flatness, particle generation, ESD behaviour where specified |
| Metrology and inspection | Stages, sensor and optics mounts, stiff low mass brackets | 6061-T6, low expansion alloys, ceramics | Anodize, black anodize | Stiffness, thermal stability, flatness of mounting faces |
| Subfab and vacuum | Foreline adapters, KF, ISO and CF flanges, pump brackets | 304L, 316L, aluminum | Passivation, bead blast | Leak rate and flange dimensions to ISO 2861, ISO 1609 or ISO 3669 |
Background on the process steps these modules run: semiconductor device fabrication.
Process side or atmosphere side
The same 6061 plate can become either part. Which side of the wall it ends up on changes almost everything after the machining.
Process and vacuum side
- Material and coating chosen for the process chemistry
- Sealing faces with Ra and lay callouts
- Vented fasteners and no trapped volumes
- Precision clean, double bag, sometimes a bake
- Leak test and dimensional report as deliverables
Atmosphere side
- Material chosen for stiffness, weight and cost
- Type II anodize, electroless nickel or paint are common
- Flatness and hole position still decide the fit
- Degrease and bag is usually enough
- Inspection on the features that locate other parts
Part classes worth reading about
Each guide takes one family from the table above and goes through specs, cost and the questions to ask.
Process chamber
Bodies, lids, showerheads and pedestals.
- Drilling gas showerheads
- Wafer chuck and pedestal specs
- PVD and implant shield parts
Transfer and handling
Load locks, slit valves, robots and EFEM.
- Load lock and transfer chamber parts
- Slit valve and gate valve parts
- EFEM frames and robot brackets
Polish and wet process
CMP carriers, rings and chemical side parts.
- CMP carrier heads and rings
- PFA, PVDF and PEEK parts
Plasma facing
Coated aluminum, silicon and SiC.
- Plasma resistant coatings
- Silicon and SiC etch parts
What to tell the shop about where the part goes
A drawing shows the shape. These six lines tell the shop what the shape has to survive, and they cost nothing to write.
- Module and chamber sideWhich tool module, and whether the part sees the process, the vacuum only or the atmosphere. One line in the RFQ changes the shops that fit.
- Process chemistryFluorine, chlorine or bromine chemistry, oxygen plasma or none. It decides the coating and whether bare aluminum or nickel is acceptable.
- Temperature and bakeService temperature and any bake cycle. It moves the choice between aluminum and stainless and rules some polymers out.
- Vacuum levelRough, high or ultra high vacuum. It sets the weld design, the cleaning and the leak test.
- New build, spare or refurbishmentA part that will be stripped and recoated needs stock left for it. A spare made to an old drawing may need the current revision first.
- Existing specificationsCleaning procedure, packing standard, restricted material list or qualification requirements. Send them with the drawing, not after the quote.
The RFQ form has fields for material, finish, cleanliness and supplier region. Anything else goes in the description. For the full picture of what a semiconductor shop does differently, read machined parts for semiconductor equipment.
Questions about applications
Which modules are hardest to source?
Parts that combine plasma facing coatings with tight geometry, and gas wetted 316L parts with electropolish and leak rate callouts. In both cases the machining is the easier half. The finishing chain is specialised, and fewer shops control it end to end.
Do you match parts for older tools that only exist as a worn sample?
Send what you have. A sample without a drawing is a reverse engineering job, and only some shops quote it. We say within 24 business hours whether we can match it, and a plain no is a possible answer.
Can I send parts for other vacuum equipment, not only wafer tools?
Yes, when the part carries the same kind of spec: vacuum grade material, a sealing face, a finish and a cleanliness callout. Thin film coating, analytical instrument and research vacuum parts fall in the same families.
Does the module change who sees my drawing?
No. It changes which shops are a fit. Shops first see a preview with no name and no files, and your files go only to the shops we match, up to 3.
Tell us the module, send the drawing
We read the module, the chamber side and the spec, then offer the RFQ to up to 3 shops that already run that class of part. First reply within 24 business hours.
- MaterialsGrades and designations for each module.
- ProcessesThe route from stock to a bagged part.
- Cost driversWhat moves the price on chamber and handling parts.