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www.us-tech.com Production
Ultraviolet Curing in High-Performance Niche Applications
By Arnd Riekenbrauck, IST METZ GmbH ALL THE
ADVANTAGE OF HIGHER TENSIONED STENCILS, AT A LOWER COST.
many advantages over more conventional methods of curing. These include fast and reliable curing without heat, solvents or hardeners, high mechanical scratch resistance, almost unlimited pot-time until curing, and immediate material properties for further processing. IST has developed its HANDcure, a mobile UV LED handset for spot and
U
area curing. It is typically used in the field for bonding, performing very fast curing, and its portable, cordless design enables UV curing in harsh and re- mote conditions. An example of UV curing technology applied in the field is in the repair
of offshore wind turbines. These repairs have to be performed at regular in- tervals, due to the abrasion on the wing tips and the sides of the blades. While this is an extreme example, UV curing is often used for such materials as the fiber composites used in race cars. Auto body repairs during a race must be incredibly quick and efficient,
as every second during the pit stop counts against the success of the entire team. The cordless design of IST’s handheld curing device allows fast and im- mediate interaction, curing pre-impregnated fiber materials that are used to replace broken parts or panels. IST’s HANDcure is based on the battery-powered electric tools of
Nuertingen’s tool-specialist Metabo, and is exclusively distributed by IST METZ. The device has a spectral range of 365 to 415 nm and in the basic ver- sion weighs only 1 kg (2.2 lb). HANDcure helps to ensure uninterrupted cur- ing in a variety of manufacturing processes.
Replacing Mercury Lamps in Wafer Lithography IST has designed its SPOTCURE 09 systems to combine the radiation
The novel patent pending design of ALPHA® tensoRED®
creates a higher and more even tension to stencil foils, without the need for air pressure. No air means higher reliability and less downtime. Which means maintenance costs.
It’s the latest development
power and spectral characteristics of a mercury arc lamp with the total cost of ownership of LED technology. With its platform design, the SPOTCURE 09 is capable of combining up to five high-performance LEDs in the optical path. This allows for significantly elevated radiation power levels across a broad output spectrum. As for the spectral composition of the system, there is an al- most unrestricted choice of options. LED modules in the near ultraviolet (365, 385 and 405 nm) visible (435,
significantly reduced in Alpha’s
range of state-of-the-art stencil products. They’re based on advanced technology, specialist knowledge and years of print trial experience that have made us the technological leader in electronic assembly. Learn more at
AlphaAssembly.com
470, 520, 620, 660, and 690 nm) and near infrared (730, 770, 810, 850, and 970 nm) ranges are available. Changing out the LED modules is a simple task, en- abling the end customer to adapt the SPOTCURE system to changing process requirements at any time. An intuitive user interface, as well as extensive setup possibilities for each LED module and general exposure parameters, al- lows users to manage the application process carefully. Since the 1990s, wafer lithography processes in the UV-A range have
generally used three different wavelengths: i-line 365 nm, h-line 405 nm and g-line 436 nm. The i-line process was especially adapted to the specific emis- sion spectrum of mercury vapor lamps, which needed cooling by nitrogen to avoid ozone creation. The majority of lithography machines in microelectronics production now
use excimer lasers, which has allowed the continued shrinking of feature sizes. Moore’s Law continues to govern, and chip features have been reduced from 0.5 µm in 1990 to below 45 nm in 2010. In 2016, it was reported that some chip features were able to reach a minimum of 10 nm. Even though today’s wafer lithography has moved toward laser processes
ALPHA® tensoRED® Master Tensioning Frame Visit us at SMT Hybrid Packaging, Hall 4, Stand 101
for complex integrated circuits, i-line technology remains an economical and highly reliable process, especially for ICs with less stringent needs for packaging density. Chemistry and process equipment is widely available and reliable. Chips manufactured with i-line technology are found in a huge number
of wireless applications, including the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as for intelligent decentralized sensor systems where economic issues override all other concerns, such as in the automotive market. Replacing mercury bulbs with high-power LEDs will eliminate many
problems with the process, including unstable lamp output and typical lamp change intervals of ±1,000 hours. This will allow i-line technology to remain a stable and reliable technology for wafer lithography.
Ease of Integration With a fiber-coupled light engine, the SPOTCURE 09 is designed to be
easily integrated into most processes and production environments. Effective radiation is transmitted to the area of application using a flexible light guide. The system’s light engine does not require water-cooling, due to its high-effi- ciency internal heat management, allowing for standalone operation. The SPOTCURE 09 light engines also offer a wide selection of communication in- terfaces. With an impressive number of benefits, IST will keep i-line technol-
ogy a stable alternative for UV wafer lithography. Contact: IST America Corp., 121 Capista Drive, Shorewood, IL 60404
See at SMT Hybrid Packaging, Booth 4-101
% 630-561-2024 fax: 630-771-1190 E-mail:
chris.davis@ist-uv.com Web:
www.ust-uv.com r
ltraviolet (UV) curing adhesives and resins are often used in complex assembly and manufacturing operations where a controlled cure and immediate handling strength are of prime importance. UV curing has
May, 2017
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