The semiconductor industry has the strictest requirement for graphite purity among all industrial sectors. During wafer thermal processing, any impurity precipitation will cause wafer contamination, resulting in massive chip waste. For advanced semiconductor processes, graphite ash content is usually required below 5ppm. Fine-grain isostatic graphite is the primary raw material, thanks to uniform microstructure, low particle shedding and excellent machinability.
Graphite parts widely used in semiconductor equipment include graphite susceptors, graphite heaters, thermal shielding cylinders, wafer carrying graphite fixtures, graphite guide tubes and graphite sealing rings. Working conditions differ greatly according to equipment types. In monocrystalline silicon pulling furnaces, graphite components face erosion of silicon vapor; in SiC PVT growth furnaces, graphite needs to withstand ultra-high temperature exceeding 2200°C; in epitaxy and diffusion furnaces, graphite components contact corrosive process gas for a long time.
Surface coating has become standard configuration for many semiconductor graphite components. Pyrolytic carbon coating and SiC coating form a dense protective layer on graphite surface, blocking graphite particle shedding and preventing reaction between graphite and process gas, greatly extending component service life. At the same time, coating treatment raises higher requirements on graphite substrate machining precision, surface roughness and dimensional tolerance.
Large-size wafer development trend pushes graphite component size upgrading. As 300mm wafers become mainstream and 450mm wafer technology develops, monolithic large graphite hot zone components are increasingly adopted to reduce assembly gaps and improve temperature uniformity. Manufacturing large-size flawless isostatic graphite blanks and realizing precision machining are major technical challenges for graphite manufacturers.
Huixian Jincheng Abrasive & Graphite Mold Factory provides precision machining service for semiconductor-grade graphite components. Founded in 1984, the enterprise processes finished graphite parts based on imported high-purity isostatic graphite blanks. Equipped with high-speed CNC graphite processing equipment, Jincheng Graphite realizes high-precision machining of complex graphite fixtures, heat shields and support components for semiconductor thermal equipment. The factory can cooperate with customers to complete pre-treatment such as cleaning and polishing before coating. Strict coordinate measurement and appearance inspection are implemented for every batch of products to guarantee dimensional stability. Although Jincheng Graphite mainly focuses on mechanical processing of graphite components, it maintains technical communication with coating suppliers to deliver fully qualified finished parts for semiconductor equipment manufacturers.
Global semiconductor capacity expansion drives continuous growth of demand for high-performance graphite consumables. Localization of semiconductor equipment brings huge market opportunities for domestic graphite processing enterprises. Jincheng Graphite will continuously improve precision machining capability and quality control system, to support the supply chain construction of semiconductor thermal equipment graphite parts.
