By Lisa Nadile
Semiconductor, biotech, and pharmaceutical product manufacturers are working more closely with gas and chemical suppliers to ensure materials are delivered uncontaminated. In addition, this teamwork is now extending to the internal maintenance of the gas and chemicals purity as the result of the ever-growing complexity of new technology.
In the case of one startup, Globitech, Inc., the purchase and maintenance of the pure gas and chemicals used during the operation of its new CMOS epitaxy foundry is crucial to its success.
The Sherman, TX company is hoping to prosper from the semiconductor industry's growing interest in epitaxial wafers. Chip manufacturers are looking to the epitaxial process to reduce product loss as wafer geometry scales down and the possibility of defects increase. Epitaxy is supposed to create a defect-free single layer of silicon crystal, say industry specialists.
“We expect demand to triple from 1999 to 2003,” says Mark England, Globitech's vice president of marketing. To support this growth, England says an 8,000-ft2 200mm, Class 1 cleanroom is now under construction. A second structure is planned when the market demands 300mm or for epitaxial processes for different ICs.
Globitech is working closely with suppliers to develop a strategy for materials delivery and maintenance. “We have an exclusive contract with one of the top suppliers for the delivery of high-purity gases and chemicals,” England says. In addition to providing high-quality materials, company officials are working with suppliers to ensure both the delivery systems to the plant and within the plant meet their needs.
This working relationship should start with “a clear operating agreement,” says Joe Stockunas, worldwide manager of marketing at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (APCI) in Allentown, PA. “As a supplier, we must ensure that customers have the tools to meet their specifications, including tools [that check for contamination] and those that will reject a contaminated product,” he says.
To best work together, the customer and supplier should break down the supply chain into steps and pinpoint areas of contamination risk, says Stockunas. “You have to look at the entire transfer process. Companies should purchase from a supplier that keeps good records and can show high-quality manufacturing and delivery procedures,” he says.
The two companies should construct a transfer plan for moving the product from the plant to the trailer to the customer's storage area. “You have to break any connection to the atmosphere, which can add impurities or particulate matter to the product if it is exposed,” Stockunas says.
The supplier and the customer should also work together to ensure the delivery system within the customer's manufacturing process is appropriate, such as specifying the proper filtration and purification equipment, he explains.
According to Stockunas, the customer should chose a supplier willing to meet any support need. For example, if an analyst is needed onsite fulltime, then the supplier should make one available as well. “APCI provides an extensive startup and training team onsite,” he says.
Finally, having a back-up or redundant system to handle problems or changes is also crucial.
The more efficient a company's suppliers, the more efficient a company's product delivery. For companies like Globitech, which operates in a market where technology prices drop with time, the faster its products are sent to market, the greater its profits.