TECAPEEK CMP natural
PEEK for CMP applications
TECAPEEK CMP natural was specifically developed for CMP retaining ring application and is part of Ensinger's portfolio for the semiconductor industry. It is an unfilled PEEK plastic (polyetheretherketone) material based on Victrex® PEEK polymer.
When machined to CMP retaining rings, the special peek material properties enable less inner groove wearing (also known as side attack) compared to standard PEEK plastic, which significantly reduces risks of wafer defects. Among the CMP retaining ring materials, TECAPEEK CMP offers the best abrasion and friction characteristics, mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and temperature resistance, thus enabling the longest ring lifetime.
Since the wear resistance of PEEK plastic is three times better than that of PPS, and TECAPEEK CMP natural has 20 % better wear resistance than competitor PEEK products thus there is a clear advantage in terms of service life.
Generally, CMP consumables are changed on multiples of one having the shortest life, typically the pad. Consequently, ring replacement timing is often aligned to the pad “pit stop”. For example, under certain conditions, a PPS ring can last about 4 pad changes, a standard PEEK ring could last up to 12 pad changes, and a TECAPEEK CMP ring could last up to 14 pad changes. This has a significant favorable impact on the ring exchange rate and the total cost of ownership.
In addition to the optimization of material properties, Ensinger has also developed special tube sizes that better fit typical sizes of CMP retaining rings, thus enable reduced waste and costs during machining. For example, using the tube size with O.D. 350 mm / I.D 300 mm enables up to 27% material cost savings compared to conventional O.D. 360 / I.D. 290 mm.
As with all Ensinger semiconductor grades, TECAPEEK CMP natural tubes are processed in compliance with semiconductor copy exactly requirements (also known as copy exact or CE) and more stringent quality controls compared to industrial PEEK grades. Additional quality controls and measures enable reduced risks of impurities and improved internal stress and dimensional stability compared to standard industrial PEEK plastic. We can confirm that TECAPEEK CMP natural meets the limitations imposed by RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electrical equipment, and can also provide further conformity declarations on request.
For CMP retaining rings that require lower material cost and where a lower lifetime can be utilized, Ensinger offers a PPS version - TECATRON CMP natural, also with a special property profile aligned to CMP retaining rings. For other semiconductor applications that do not require this special property profile, Ensinger offers a more cost-efficient semiconductor grade PEEK version as plate, rod, and tubes – TECAPEEK SX natural.