Application Notes

Pittman Motors Power the Automatic Fluid Dispensing Systems used to make Semiconductors

More than one trillion semiconductors are made and sold annually, which is more than 140 chips for each person on earth, each year. These chips play an important role in our lives, powering things like mobile phones, cars, appliances and many other items that we see and use each day.

The companies that design & manufacture semiconductors are shifting to advanced packaging techniques, all of which require a greater level of automation and precision. HKP plays a role in this process, by providing brushless DC motors, encoders, thrust bearings and ball screws for the fluid dispensing applications that are used to make semiconductors.

Application Description:

HKP’s technology is used in the packaging process of semiconductor manufacturing, where dispensing robots use syringe-based and valve-based systems to deliver precise volumes of water, chemicals and glue onto semiconductors wafers. Highly automated control systems manage the speed and positioning of the syringes across multiple axes.

Key Challenges:

High response speed, high operating speed
Large moving acceleration, frequent acceleration and deceleration
Multi-axis coordination is required to reach the target position.
The highest linear accuracy is 0.05mm
Service life of more than 15,000 hours.

Preferred Motion Solutions:

A range of Pittman motors are available for these applications, with sizes and configurations from 30 to 121 mm diameters; power ratings up to 2,000 W; and speeds to 15,000 rpm. EC057A and EC057B are popular choices for semiconductor packaging.

Series	Diameter		Continuous Torque		Rated Power	Max Speed	Max Voltage
	mm	inch	Nm	oz-in	watts	RPM	Vdc
ES030A	30	1.18	0.029 - 0.041	4.1 - 5.8	11 - 22	8,000	60
EC033A	33	1.30	0.025 - 0.06	3.5 - 8.5	9 - 34	12,000	60
ES040A	40	1.57	0.084 - 0.13	12 - 19	41 - 72	8,000	120
EC042B	42	1.66	0.060 - 0.17	9 - 24	30 - 98	9,000	96
EC044A	44	1.72	0.043 - 0.081	6 - 11	18 - 32	15,000	48
ES050A	50	1.97	0.18 - 0.30	25 - 43	72 - 110	5,000	120
EC057C	57	2.25	0.078 - 0.28	11 - 40	46 -170	12,000	90
EC057B	57	2.25	0.15 - 0.59	21 - 83	83 - 320	6,000	170
EC057A	57	2.25	0.38 - 0.93	54 - 130	210 - 340	6,000	170
EC083A	83	3.25	0.91 - 2.1	130 - 300	500 - 900	6,000	325
EC121A	121	4.75	3 - 6.5	430 - 930	900 - 2000	4,000	325

Additional Features:

Optical Encoders (from 50 to over 8000 counts of resolution): HKP’s encoders are mounted to HKP motors, to provide closed-loop feedback signals by tracking the motor shaft's speed and position. A range of encoders are available to support these applications:

Spur and Planetary Gears: are used to transfer motion and increase the output torque of the motor.

Fail Safe Brakes: are used to hold a load in position when power is removed from the motor.

Looking Ahead:

The last two years have brought supply chain backlogs and pandemic-based manufacturing constraints. Despite these constraints, the size of the semiconductor market for 2023 remains huge – at $515 billion USD. Many market analysts are forecasting a 9% CAGR between now and 2030. Each HKP solution that supports the growing semiconductor market is fully customizable to each customer’s requirements.

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