Electrostatic chucks support and help cool silicon wafers during manufacturing. Conventional types use expensive, dielectric materials in the chuck's face that can introduce contaminants. Moreover, mechanical damage may result if the static-holding charge takes too long to discharge, as is often the case.
To lower costs, decrease cycle time, and generate less scrap, a new chuck face made of an easily produced, patterned silicon wafer, uses tiny, non-conductive silicon dioxide islands on its surface. These micromachined, non-conductive raised areas on the chuck face prevent excessive currents when the strong electric field is applied between the chuck face and the clamped wafer. Result: fast on/off cycling for quicker de-chucking.
Carl Seager, Sandia National Laboratories, (E) Albuquerque, NM 87185; (505) 844-9168.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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