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Semiconductor Equipment

Nanometre Precision Requires Macroscopic Purity.

The semiconductor industry operates on the edge of physics. As node sizes shrink below 5nm, the equipment processing the wafers must be cleaner, flatter, and more thermally stable than ever before. A single particle of dust is a "killer defect."

LAYRR Materials supplies the high-purity metal and polymer feedstock required to build the next generation of lithography, etching, and deposition tools. We enable the printing of consolidated gas manifolds, vibration-damped wafer tables, and chemically inert handling components that traditional machining cannot achieve.

The Additive Advantage in the Fab

In a cleanroom, space is expensive and yield is everything. AM solves both.

1. Advanced Thermal Management (Wafer Chucks)

Processing wafers generates intense heat. Traditional wafer tables use drilled cooling lines that are straight and inefficient. With LAYRR AlSi10Mg or Molybdenum, engineers can print wafer chucks with conformal cooling channels—spiralling veins that sit millimetres beneath the surface—ensuring temperature uniformity across the entire wafer, which is critical for yield.

2. Fluid & Gas Distribution (The "Showerhead")

Deposition (CVD/PVD) relies on the perfect flow of precursor gases. Printing the "showerhead" allows for complex, lattice-filled internal plenums that mix gases more evenly than machined plates, improving film thickness uniformity on the wafer.

3. Vibration Damping & Light-Weighting

Lithography scanners move incredibly fast. Heavy components cause vibration, which blurs the image. Printing structural parts in Titanium or Scalmalloy® with internal lattice structures reduces moving mass, allowing for faster acceleration and higher throughput (Wafers Per Hour).

Critical Materials for Semiconductor Equipment

We stock the "Clean" grades required for High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) environments.

Metals (Vacuum & Structural)

  • Aluminium AlSi10Mg / Al6061: The industry standard for vacuum chambers and structural brackets. High thermal conductivity and excellent anodising potential for wear resistance.

  • Titanium Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 23): Used in actuation linkages. Non-magnetic and highly corrosion-resistant to process chemicals.

  • Stainless Steel 316L (VIM/VAR): Double-melted for high purity. Used for gas lines and fluid manifolds where surface finish (Ra) and orbital weldability are critical to prevent particle traps.

Refractory (High Temperature)

  • Molybdenum (Mo) & Tungsten (W): Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) matched to Silicon. Used for high-temperature heater blocks and electrostatic chuck (ESC) bases that must not warp during thermal cycling.

Polymers (Handling & Contact)

  • VICTREX® PEEK: The only polymer trusted in high-vacuum. Low outgassing, high abrasion resistance, and chemically inert.

    • Application: Wafer grippers, chemical bath carriers, and insulating spacers.

The LAYRR Standard: Purity Protocol

In the fab, "Metal Contamination" is a specific failure mode.

  • Elemental Purity: We provide strict trace element analysis. For example, in our Aluminium powders, we monitor Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) levels, as these are "mobile ions" that can destroy semiconductor logic if they contaminate the wafer.

  • Surface Roughness Capability: Our fine-cut powders (15-45µm) are engineered to print surfaces capable of being post-processed to sub-Ra 0.4µm finishes—essential for reducing surface area in vacuum chambers to speed up pump-down times.

Engineer's Note: Anodisation Printed Aluminium (AlSi10Mg) behaves differently during anodising than wrought 6061 due to the Silicon content (it turns dark grey/black). If your part requires a clear optical coating, contact our applications team for alternative alloy recommendations like AlMgSc (Scalmalloy).