Solutions for the Semiconductor industry
A leader in innovation
For over 70 years, Conax has been the leader in the design and manufacture of compression seal fittings, temperature sensors and cable and harness assemblies for a broad range of applications across the semiconductor industry. Our expertise has helped us develop custom solutions for our customers, as well as ground-breaking technology like our exclusive EtchDefender™.
Longer TC life and lower annual spend with EtchDefender™ Technology
Our patented EtchDefender™ coating extends the life of quartz thermocouple sheaths in ASM®‡ EPSILON®‡ epitaxial reactors up to 3X longer and reduces your annual spend by over 30%.
‡ ASM® and EPSILON® are registered trademarks of ASM International. Neither Conax Technologies nor its products are affiliated with, licensed, approved by or sponsored by ASM International.
This leading-edge technology was tested extensively both in a laboratory setting and in a production environment at a major wafer manufacturing facility. Using TCs coated with EtchDefender™ allows a tool to run continuously and reduces maintenance cycles, consistently resulting in:
- Increased process uptime
- Reduced process variation, so more wafers can be produced per tool with higher
consistency - Reduced labor and increased safety
- Decreased risk of technicians igniting pyrophoric deposits as a result of reduced
maintenance requirements - Decreased exposure of the chamber to oxygen, resulting in less time needed to purge the oxygen from all surfaces in SiGe applications
Click here to find out more about EtchDefender™ Technology.
LeakDefender™ brand thermocouples help minimize wafer loss and maximize TC life
LeakDefender™ brand thermocouples are used in ASM®‡ EPSILON®‡ Reactors in conjunction with the TC Sentry System™ to monitor for quartz sheath leaks in real time.
‡ ASM® and EPSILON® are registered trademarks of ASM International. Neither Conax Technologies nor its products are affiliated with, licensed, approved by or sponsored by ASM International.
In the harsh environment of a reactor, the quartz sheath is attacked and can fail prematurely. This will cause at least one or potentially many wafers to be contaminated and scrapped, resulting in reduced tool yield.
This leakage cannot be detected right away with standard TCs, and it can lead to:
- Operator safety concerns resulting from process gases leaking out and atmosphere leaking in
- Wafer yield loss due to surface defects
- Damage to the tool that can lead to premature chamber change and potential tool explosion
- Costly unscheduled tool downtime
Conax Technologies’ LeakDefender™ brand thermocouples are used to monitor the quartz sheaths for gas leaks in real time and allow for fast shut down of the reactor. When a leak is detected in any of the TCs, the TC Sentry System™ can immediately shut down the reactor to avoid costly contamination to the chamber and minimize or totally eliminate wafer loss.
Learn more about the benefits of LeakDefender™ brand thermocouples.
Profile and Spike Thermocouples for all the leading furnaces
Conax also offers standard or custom designed Profile and Spike Thermocouples for vertical and horizontal furnaces. Our high-precision temperature sensors are engineered to address the critical process of temperature measurement and control required for the semiconductor, photovoltaic and LED industries.
View our Profile and Spike Thermocouples.
Download the Discussion of Unit Calibration White Paper.
Precious Metals Reclamation
Conax Technologies manufacturers, and offers reclaim credit for, platinum/rhodium precious metals thermocouples. These are commonly called Type-S, Type-R or Type-B thermocouples. To send either thermocouples or precious metals wire to Conax for reclaim, you must first contact Conax to issue an RMA (Return Materials Authorization) number to you. When we receive your shipment, we will disassemble, remove and weigh the wire. We will then calculate the value based on the current market pricing of platinum and rhodium. This value is given to the returning company in the form of a credit to apply against current or future invoices. Please contact your Conax sales person for more details.
Conax Combo Fittings eliminate the risk of catastrophic leaks
In-process leaks under vacuum or under pressure can be costly in terms of lost time, materials and finished product. Under certain circumstances, they can also be extremely dangerous.
When customers asked us for a solution that would eliminate the risk of in-process leaks caused by sheath failures, Conax Technologies designed a Combo Fitting that has a seal for the thermocouple sheath and a secondary seal for the wires. The dual seals ensure that, if the sheath breaks or wears out, there will still be no leak into or out of the process.
For example, a solar manufacturer with a 20-day poly-crystalline ingot growth cycle experienced a leak into the chamber during a cycle, ruining the ingot and costing the customer time and money. Our Combo Fittings eliminate the risk for potential loss in the future.
Standard and custom designed Pressure/Vacuum Feedthroughs
Conax Technologies designs and manufactures Pressure/Vacuum Feedthroughs for any application or equipment, including:
- Highly Accelerated Stress Testing (HAST) feedthroughs for reliability testing
- Redundant thermocouple sensor probes with dual-seal capability to prevent a vacuum leak into the ingot furnacing chamber for polycrystalline wafer production
- Customized sensor/flange assemblies to facilitate quick replacement of sensors during maintenance cycles
- Process control thermocouples utilized inside the deposition chamber for thin-film solar panel production
- Thermocouple wire feedthroughs to pass temperature sensor reading from within the vacuum chamber to external instrumentation
- Electrode feedthroughs to bring power into the vacuum chamber to power heating elements (EGT, EG, PL)
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Your indispensable partner
We know that innovative ideas come from collaboration. By taking the time to understand your unique challenges, we develop the ideal solutions that help you—and your customers—succeed. Our commitment to providing quality, innovative products on time and at a competitive cost continue to make us an indispensable partner for every customer we serve.
Customer loyalty
Customer satisfaction and loyalty fuels everything we do. Conax is proud to maintain a Net Promoter Score that is consistently in the 99th percentile.
