As architecture nodes shrink below 5nm, environmental tolerances for wafer fabrication become extraordinarily unforgiving. Even imperceptible structural vibrations or ambient acoustic pressure waves can cause severe pattern distortion during EUV lithography.
Micro-vibrations propagating through the fab floor cause the lithography scanner's optical column to drift, creating overlay errors and edge-placement defects.
We engineer dedicated, heavy-mass structural pedestals and integrate advanced active piezoelectric cancellation systems to hold your most sensitive tools to their required vibration criteria.
Continuous operation of sub-fab support equipment generates a constant, low-frequency hum and structural vibration that travels up into the manufacturing floor.
By engineering custom inertia bases for heavy sub-fab pumps, we break the kinetic transmission path before it can reach the process level.
Have a specific facility or piece of equipment in mind? Our engineers are happy to talk it through.
Ask an EngineerSoundwaves act as pressure waves that strike the outer casing of sensitive tools, transferring into mechanical vibration that reaches the optical column and causes drift. We design acoustic enclosures that lower ambient levels to protect nanometer-scale accuracy.
Yes. Upgrading to a more sensitive tool often means the existing floor no longer meets required criteria. We assess the site and design active-cancellation platforms and localized structural measures that can be installed with minimal disruption to production.
Heavy sub-fab pumps and chillers run continuously, feeding low-frequency vibration into the structure. Isolating this equipment on custom inertia bases prevents that energy from reaching the lithography and metrology floors above.
AMHS tracks introduce moving dynamic loads across the fab. We evaluate the transmission paths and structural response so overhead handling does not compromise the vibration criteria of nearby tools.
Tell us about your facility and equipment. We'll tell you what can be determined from what you already have — and what would require an on-site assessment.